NOVEMBER events and content ideas for ethical and sustainable brands

As the temperatures drop & the festive vibes ramp up, let’s make sure your content calendar is ready for the weeks ahead!

If you’re based in the US, Thanksgiving (& all the controversy that comes with it) is likely to be at the top of your content calendar. Many countries have started adopting “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” as well because, hey, any opportunity to sell more stuff is one worth copying, right? Wrong… but let’s save the debate on excessive consumption & its impact for another article. (Side note: 100% on board with Giving Tuesday becoming a global trend though)

In the list below, you’ll find a selection of upcoming events and celebrations as well as related content ideas for sustainable and ethical brands. I hope they can help you craft your content calendar so you can focus on other areas of your business.
Thinking it might be time to outsource some or all of your social media to-do list to an expert who shares your values? Feel free to check out my services and send me an email or book a free discovery call with me so we can see if we’d make a great fit!

All month: Transgender Awareness Month

#TransAwarenessMonth

Use this month to share the stories of Trans individuals, amplify the messages & accounts of Trans activists in the eco & ethical space and beyond. Highlight important issues facing trans communities around the world. Of course, remember to do this in an ethical and inclusive way. I’ve compiled some resources and food for thought in this article, written for Pride month but applicable year-round.

Here are a couple of my favorite Trans activists to follow on Instagram for you to check out:

• Eco-activist Willow Defebaugh
• Raquel Willis, co-founder of Trans Week
• Athlete & speaker Schuyler Bailar
• Actor/writer/director Jake Graf and his wife Hannah (true couple & parenting goals)

Side note: November 6th is Transgender Parent Day, November 13th-19th is Transgender Awareness Week, and November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance #TDOR.

All Month: Movember / Men’s Health Awareness Month

#Movember2023 #MensHealthAwareness #MensHealthMonth

Highlight the importance of men’s health, including mental health and suicide prevention, prostate, and testicular cancer, etc. You can find out more about Movember (it’s not just about mustaches!) here.

November 13th: World Kindness Day

#WorldKindnessDay

We could all use more kindness in our lives. In fact, Kind is one of the core brand personality traits I picked for The Social Palm (along with Helpful and Ethical). Why not share some acts of kindness you’ve experienced or heard/read about that have moved you and ask your community to share theirs. You could also share a quote about kindness and what kindness means to you and your brand.

November 20th: World Children’s Day

#WorldChildrensDay

Highlight the importance of children’s rights, improving children’s welfare around the world & associations working hard to do so. Share your favorite kid-friendly resources to discuss sustainability & ethics. Check out my selection of children’s books on nature & sustainability here if you need some inspiration.

November 23rd: Thanksgiving (US)

#Thanksgiving2023

If Thanksgiving is a key event for your business and community, I recommend focusing on what you are thankful for, and your favorite (ideally ethical & eco-friendly) Thanksgiving traditions while also acknowledging Thanksgiving’s dark history and all the indigenous lives that were taken and oppressed along the way. Check out this Insider article about Thanksgiving’s dark history and this Vice interview with chef Nephi Craig, of the White Mountain Apache tribe, on how to decolonize your Thanksgiving dinner. Another interesting read is Bioneers’ Indigeneity Program and their approach to combatting erasure, re-centering the conversation and addressing oppression via Thanksgiving.

I also recommend following these Instagram accounts to learn more about indigenous issues, stories and perspectives: Indigenous Peoples Movement, Illuminative, Indigenous Cultures, Indigenous Women Rising, Notorious Cree, Pinar aka Queerquechua, and Indigenous Climate Action.

November is also Native American Heritage Month (#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth) in the US.

November 24th: Buy Nothing Day (+ Black Friday)

#BuyNothingDay #EnoughIsEnough #ConsciousShopping

Instead of having a Black Friday sale, how about sharing facts about fast fashion or why conscious consumerism is important?

You could also give your community tips on how to use/reuse the products of yours they already have (or other common goods in their home, especially if you don’t have a product-based business).

November 25th: Small Business Saturday

#SmallBusinessDay

Shine the light on your favorite small sustainable & ethical businesses that you think your community will also love and ask them to share theirs.

November 28th: Giving Tuesday

#GivingTuesday

Right after Cyber Monday (because Black Friday deals just weren’t enough, right?), I love the idea of returning the focus to giving rather than buying.

Highlight some of your favorite local or international causes/organizations to give back to with your business, the amazing work they do, and why it matters to you and your brand.

Et voilà! I hope these events can help you craft some fun and educational stories, reels, posts, articles & newsletters for November ?. December will be here soon enough!

If creating social media content is not your area of expertise, you want a fresh set of eyes on your socials or you simply have too many other things to focus on while running your purpose-driven business…

You can also set up a free discovery call with me to talk about it together, commitment-free.

As a bonus to thank you for reading all the way down to here, here are my favorite links to find upcoming international and national events for my clients:

• The UN and UNESCO‘s lists of monthly observances
• This Wikipedia list of environmental dates
• The Twitter marketing calendar
• These lists of LGBTQ+ events here & here