Let's stop lecturing and let's start edutaining.
The problem is that so much of the world's communication about sustainability feels like a lecture: privileged, patronising, and/or boring. And when it does resonate, it tends to do so within a small echo chamber. No wonder the majority of people aren't choosing to engage with it.
Which is why we've been getting really excited about the potential of sustainability edutainment. Because for us, edutainment is inherently more inclusive than many traditional sustainability comms. It doesn't ask for previous knowledge or high-level education, it gives us content we actually want to watch and it doesn't patronise the audience.
By interlacing education with entertainment, edutainment simplifies complex concepts. It makes sustainability topics more interesting, relevant and dare we say, fun (!?). And it brings sustainability issues to a wider audience by recognising the important culture of video games, radio and other entertainment channels in our societies.
An excellent example is the popular Vietnamese radio soap opera, "Chuyen Que Minh". Through 104 episodes, it helped local farmers understand the difficult concepts surrounding insecticide use, leading to a radical 60% reduction in harmful pesticide use.
Edutainment is growing across social media platforms too. Creators such as Venetia La Manna (@venetialamanna), a fair-fashion campaigner, shares videos of herself making delicious and easy recipes, whilst pointing out controversial fashion news in the industry. Zahra Biabani (@zbtheclimateoptimist) shares #weeklyearthwins where she dances on camera and shares good climate change news.
Edutainment is especially effective through video games. Which makes sense when you think of the time spent playing a game. After recognising the size of the gaming community around the world, the UN launched Playing for the Planet in 2019. The project works with the gaming industry to inspire gamers to learn and become more environmentally conscious. For example, in Terra Nil players are given the responsibility to re-wild their world in an effort of restoration. A survey found that over two-thirds of players considered changing their behaviour to be more sustainable as a result of the story behind the game.
All of this got us really excited, because edutainment seems to drive effective behaviour change. Of course more traditional comms such as the news, documentaries and reports are still essential for in-depth analysis and expertise, but embracing edutainment could be a catalyst for mass change.
Because edutainment brings sustainability to people who don't have the interest, the time or the ability to engage with academic reports, scientific warnings or lectures about life choices.
Making it one of the most inclusive, accessible communication tools available to brands and organisations looking to create behaviour change around sustainability for new audiences.
Which is quite something.
