September events and content ideas for ethical and sustainable brands

what will you be posting on social media this September for your conscious business?

As Summer begins to give way to Fall, it’s the perfect time to refresh your social media accounts and test out some new content topics or formats. A great way to do that is by giving a unique twist to national or international events that fits with your sustainable & ethical brand’s values, offering and audience.

Here is my selection for September:

All month: Second-Hand September

#SecondHandSeptember

Share your favorite second-hand items, places to shop or ways to give a new life to something (clothing, appliances, etc.).

An other educational content idea would be to post about the environmental & social impact of fast fashion and the fashion industry as a whole (check out the book Consumed by Aja Barber, mentioned in my eco-reading roundup, for inspiration).

September 5th: International Day of Charity

#CharityDay

Shine the spotlight on charitable organizations / initiatives you work with or causes you support, personally or through your conscious business, and share why they matter to you.

September 7th: International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

#HealthyAirHealthyPlanet

Highlight the health and climate impact of air pollution and different ways we can help prevent and reduce air pollution. (More information here)

September 8th: International Literacy Day

#LiteracyDay

Highlight the importance of literacy & access to education for all or share a personal story about the positive impact of reading / education.

September 9th is also the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

September 15th: International Day of Democracy

#DemocracyDay

Discuss the importance of democracy in building a more sustainable and inclusive present and future. Encourage your audience to sign up to vote in their local elections to support candidates who also value social and environmental justice.

September 16th–23rd: Bisexual Awareness Week + September 23rd: Bisexual Visibility Day

#BiAwarenessWeek #BiWeek #BiVisibilityDay

Share your support and appreciation for the bisexual members of your community or help lift some of the stereotypes and stigma the bi community faces. For more information & resources: https://bivisibilityday.com/.

September 16th: World Clean-Up Day

#WorldCleanUpDay #WCUD #PeopleForACleanPlanet

Share different ways to reduce trash, tips on how to properly dispose of items to minimize environmental impact or how to participate in a local cleanup initiative. Check out worldcleanupday.org for more inspiration and information.

September 18th: Equal Pay Day

#EqualPayDay

Shine the light on the importance of equal pay and the positive impact it can have on communities, or what you are doing to ensure equal and fair pay throughout your supply chain.

September 21st: International Day of Peace & World Gratitude Day

#InternationalDayofPeace #PeaceDay

Share a quote about peace / unity to celebrate this 24h period of cease-fire and non-violence. Highlight organizations, initiatives & activists you admire that are working hard to defend peace at a local or international level.

#WorldGratitudeDay

Share your favorite gratitude practices (journaling, meditation…), a quote about gratitude and/or what you (and your team if you have one) are grateful for at the moment, personally and/or in your business. Ask your community what they are grateful for.

September 22nd: World Car-Free Day

#CarFreeDay

Discuss the environmental impact of different modes of transportation. Share your experiences going (or trying to go) car-free and ask your audience about theirs & how easy/difficult it is to be car-free in their area.

September 23rd: First day of Fall

#FallEquinox2023 #Fall2023 #Autumn2023

Share eco-friendly fall activities, seasonal fruits and vegetables to eat (or plant), events coming this Autumn for your business, or simply celebrate the changing of the season.

September 19th-25th: International Week of Deaf People

#IWDeaf

Highlight your favorite deaf activists (one of my favorites is Deaf Queer on Instagram), share facts about deafness, the issue of audism & how you are trying to make your content more accessible overall. Side note: September 23rd is also International Sign Language Day (#InternationalSignLanguageDay).

September 27th: World Tourism Day

#WorldTourismDay

Share your favorite eco-friendly travel tips, destinations, and accounts to follow, or cool places to discover near you & your business location(s).

September 28th: International Safe Abortion Day

#InternationalSafeAbortionDay #ReproductiveRightsAreHumanRights

Take a stand on the importance of safe abortions for greater social (and thus environmental) justice. Share an inspiring quote or illustration about reproductive rights or helpful resources.

For extra inspiration, check out my article on taking a stand as a conscious entrepreneur (+ this list of reproductive justice resources I compiled, mainly US-centric for now) as well as the WHO’s article about International Safe Abortion Day.

September 29th: International Day of Awareness on Food Loss & Waste Reduction

#StopFoodWaste

Showcase your favorite zero / low waste food tips, products, accounts, Facebook groups, etc.

September 30th: International Podcast Day

#InternationalPodcastDay

Share your top podcast recommendations that discuss sustainability, ethics, etc.& ask your audience for theirs!

If creating social media content, month after month, 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