Nature needs us now: WWF’s new campaign, explained

In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with Sara Thomas, WWF’s Senior Director for Marketing and Outreach, to take you behind the scenes of how the campaign came together. Sara shares the creative thinking behind the campaign’s 90-second ad, “Marble,” and reveals insights from WWF’s 2025 Connected by Nature Report, which explores how Americans view their relationship with nature.

You’ll learn why nature is more than just beautiful landscapes—it’s the foundation of our health, economy, and daily lives. And you’ll hear what each of us can do to protect the natural systems that sustain us.

Like, subscribe, and drop a comment to share how nature shows up in your life—and what you’re doing to protect it.

Links for More Info:

Nature Needs Us Now homepage

2025 Connected by Nature report

TRANSCRIPT:

Seth Larson: Hey folks, here's today's Wild Guess trivia question to kick things off. Which of Earth's ecosystems provides the majority of the oxygen that we breathe? If you think you know the answer, drop it in the comments section on YouTube or Spotify. The first person with a correct response will win free WWF merch. I'll share the correct answer at the start of the next episode, so be sure to tune in for that. And for now, let's get started.

Welcome to Nature Breaking, a podcast from World Wildlife Fund. I'm Seth Larson. We talk a lot on this podcast about the many benefits that nature provides, from clean air and water to raw materials for everything from homes to medicines. We also cover the many ways that nature is under threat from pollution to deforestation, poaching of species and more. It's clear that nature needs us now, more than ever, to fight for a sustainable future. That's the essence behind a new campaign that WWF launched last week. The tagline? Nature Needs Us Now. You'll be seeing ads tied to this campaign on TV screens, social media apps, and billboards in the coming weeks.

So today, I thought it might be fun to take you behind the curtain and talk about how this campaign came together and what we hope it'll achieve. Joining me to talk through it is Sara Thomas, WWF's Senior Director for Marketing and Outreach.

Sara's going to take us through the process of bringing this campaign to life, and she'll also share some insights from WWF's 2025 Connected by Nature Report, which shines a light on how Americans think about the role of nature in their lives.

As always, please be sure to like and rate this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you're catching this episode. Those likes and ratings really help with the algorithm on different platforms and help our show reach more people. And please also be sure to subscribe to our show on whatever app you're using to make sure you don't miss any future episodes. With that, here's our conversation.

All right, Sara Thomas, welcome to Nature Breaking. It's great to have your back.

Sara Thomas: Thanks for having me again.

Seth Larson: Yeah, my pleasure. You know, you were on this podcast a couple years ago to talk about our annual lobby day, but it's been a minute. So, before we dive into this campaign that you're here to talk about today, I wanted to ask you to tell our audience a little about yourself. I don't think we really got to do that last time you were here, and I would love to hear what inspired your passion for nature and kind of what led you to your work here at WWF today.

Sara Thomas: Yeah, thanks so much. I grew up finding comfort and peace on the nature trails that surrounded our home. You know, hearing the sounds of the birds chirping, the winds rustling through the leaves, discovering new bugs, picking wild raspberries that twisted and turned their way through the fences lining our property. I can even still taste the raspberries each time I go and get raspberries from a farmer's market or something like that. It's just such a connection that I have and that early connection to the outdoors really shaped like who I am today. My college years were spent at the University of Miami in Florida, where I studied marine policy and visual communication with a heavy focus on how communities integrate with their surrounding environment. I've always had a passion for working on conservation issues. But I will say what drives me now is really watching my son develop his own relationship with nature. Whether that's seeing him and his friends naturally gravitate toward the ponds in our neighborhood or taking him snorkeling and watching his curiosity come alive underwater. Just the other week we discovered an eel in the reef, and that was really exciting.

Seth Larson: I saw a picture that you posted on LinkedIn, I think. That was so cool. How old is your, how old is your son, by the way?

Sara Thomas: 12 now, so he is in middle school.

Seth Larson: Yeah.

Sara Thomas: And very proud of him. He just started a marine science club at his middle school, with his science teacher. And so, it's, you know, it's just, I'm reminded of that everyday connection with nature is something we really need to nurture. It's been such a delight here at WWF. You know, I lead our, our marketing and outreach and what I absolutely love about this work is that while it is about far off remote places, sometimes it's not just about those far off remote places. It's also about helping people recognize that nature is really woven into everything we care about. And

Seth Larson: You're so right.

Sara Thomas: Yeah. It's exactly what keeps me going. It's about making those connections between people's daily lives and the natural systems that sustain all of us.

Seth Larson: Yeah. And I love the point that you made about your son and I'm seeing that with my own son too. He's six, so a little younger than yours. But the natural magnetism between little kids and nature is a great reminder that I think we come into this world naturally drawn to the natural environment and it's something we grow apart from as we get older. But our instinct from the earliest age is to touch the grass, to dig in the dirt, to pick up the rocks. And it's sad that I think as adults we all lose that a little bit, but we try to find moments to reconnect and remind ourselves why we cared about it in the first place. Which is a great segue into the campaign that you and your team are helping to lead here at WWF, which is what I want to mostly talk to you about today.

And as I mentioned in my intro, the tagline for the campaign is Nature Needs Us Now. And to get us started, I wanted to just ask you how this campaign originated and why we decided to launch it now.

Sara Thomas: Yeah, thanks Seth. So, this campaign directly addresses one of WWF's global goals, elevating the importance of nature. In thinking about mapping this goal, we realized that elevating nature is critical to all of our work, because if people don't prioritize nature, we can't accomplish any of our conservation goals.

But it's also kind of an ambiguous goal. And so, we started to break down what does this mean? And the campaign itself was really inspired by a poem our executive team wrote that helped crystallize what we wanted to communicate.

Seth Larson: Yeah, can you actually share that poem with us?

Sara Thomas: Yeah, absolutely. The poem beautifully captures the essence of our relationship with nature, and you'll notice, some connection to our tagline in it. It reads: "Nature is the most valuable resource we all have. It sustains us. It fights disease. It reduces poverty. We are nature and nature is us. We need nature, and nature needs us, now."

Seth Larson: Yeah, and that was developed by our executive team, and I think it was actually published on our website in conjunction with Earth Day this year, right?

Sara Thomas: It was, yes, and so as we all read that and came through and we had been working for several months developing this campaign and going back and forth on what is the line that will encapsulate everything that we want to come across, we really settled in on Nature Needs Us Now. And while we do absolutely need nature, we really found and connected with the conciseness, the appeal, the unification of the statement of Nature Needs Us Now.

Seth Larson: Yeah. Well, I want to pause now and play one of the ads that we produced for this campaign. It's a 90 second ad called Marble, and I want to play it because I just want our audience to have a chance to see and hear it before we talk a little more about it, so here it goes.

VOICEOVER:

Child: Once upon a time, there was a special blue marble. You could see curious creatures, of all sizes, colors, and shapes. And happy people like you and me.

Woman 1: The marble gave them everything they needed to survive, and more. Crisp air to breathe. Fresh water to drink. Tasty food to fill their bellies. Crucial medicines to keep them healthy. And gigantic trees to use for their homes. For a while, the people felt peace and the marble fed their souls.

Woman 2: But as time passed, the people changed. They became busy and distracted. The marble changed too. All life there came under pressure. Nature needed their help. And they realized they needed nature too. So they partnered with the sun, the wind, the land, and the water to restore the marble that had always sustained them.

Child: Is that the end of the story?

Woman 2: Not at all. Just the beginning.

Seth Larson: So, I just love that ad and I'll ask one or two more questions about it in a minute. But first, what's the main thing that you want people to take away from it?

Sara Thomas: It's such an emotionally driven ad, and the main takeaway is that nature doesn't just surround us, Seth, it sustains us in ways we don't often realize. We want people to see that blue marble, our Earth, right, and through the lens of everything it provides, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food on our plates. The ad shows how our relationship with nature evolves throughout our lives, but the fundamental dependence never changes. Most importantly, we want viewers to really understand this isn't just about far off rainforests or wildlife they only read about in books or see in zoos. This is about the systems that make their daily lives possible. For instance, did you know that 63% of our medicines wouldn't exist without nature? If you think about the context, a hundred percent of our food comes from nature. It does not...

Seth Larson: Sure.

Sara Thomas: ...come from the grocery store. We may go there to purchase it, but the things that sustain us in life come from natural resources. The urgency comes from recognizing that these natural systems are under threat and that they need our help to keep providing for us. While...

Seth Larson: Mm-hmm.

Sara Thomas: ...people may value nature and may believe it is under threat; many see those threats as far away. As something not here in America.

Seth Larson: Yeah.

Sara Thomas: They view their local areas as stable or thriving, and while ecosystems across the country or around the world feel strained or degraded, creating, it creates a disconnect from how those threats can affect them personally. So, we want to kind of bring back, we want to bring back the connection to nature and the understanding of prioritizing nature for people.

Seth Larson: I love that. So, there are some really specific messaging choices that are highlighted in the voiceover that we heard in that ad. And the voiceover specifically ticks through some of the key benefits that nature provides, and it specifically calls out crisp air to breathe, fresh water to drink, tasty food to fill our bellies, crucial medicines to keep us healthy and gigantic trees to use for our homes.

I wanted to ask how you decided on the messaging you thought would resonate, and basically how you landed on those things to specifically call out in the voiceover.

Sara Thomas: Thanks, Seth. That's a great question. So, this July, we surveyed 2,000 Americans nationwide, as part of our 2025 Connected by Nature Report, to help provide insights on the US public attitude on nature. We conducted this survey with Globes can, and the results directly shaped our messaging strategy. Our research with them really validated that people respond to concrete, tangible benefits rather than these abstract environmental concepts. Things like you just said, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the things that we use on a daily basis. The tires on our cars or the buses that transport us throughout the cities, right? They all have a portion of natural rubber in them from forests. We need to get places. We need medicine that helps keep us healthy. For some of us, that medicine is literally lifesaving. And so, all of these things are, are really important.

The research showed us that while people love nature, they don't always connect it to those daily, those daily things. So, we specifically wanted to highlight everyday benefits throughout the materials that we have created and will continue to illustrate this connection moving forward. We learned, you know, the top benefits like the clean water, clean air, natural resources. Mental health benefits were high for folks. And the survey revealed 73% of Americans agree nature is an essential part of America's cultural identity. The survey really informed for us our approach and how we can help this universally resonate with Americans.

Seth Larson: That's really interesting that mental health, rated so high on the list of priorities. It absolutely tracks. I mean, there's so much research that's come out over the last half decade or so, particularly through the pandemic and post pandemic about people really struggling with mental health and feelings of loneliness and depression and anxiety. And you just hear more and more in our daily life about how so many people are struggling with that, and I think it's something that all of us are tackling in different ways. But the connection between nature and mental health is certainly something that we've talked about here at WWF a lot, but really interesting to see that come through in the survey results as well.

Sara Thomas: I mean, people definitely listed it as one of their top priorities. I think one of the most striking things for me in the findings was just how universal Americans love for nature really is. You know, with 84% of Americans across all ages and all backgrounds say they enjoyed spending time in nature.

And I think, you know, we can all relate to that. You know, when we see water, oftentimes we feel peace. We can calm ourselves down, right? If you listen to calming sounds at night, they're often nature and it's, you know, it's running water out of a waterfall, its rain, or thunderstorms.

And so, there's just this connection that draws us to both the power and the peace that nature has and provides for each of us. I think, you know, the other findings from the survey that I found really helpful and interesting and validating, you know, people said what shaped their views about nature isn't politics or the media, it's personal experiences. It's there...

Seth Larson: Sure.

Sara Thomas: ...family's connection to nature. It's their personal moral standards. And, you know, 7 out of 10 Americans believe that addressing the threats to nature is as important as social and economic issues. And they also believe that it's their civic duty to protect nature. So, I think, you know, for me, looking at the survey results and, and really seeing them, I could identify, as an American with, you know, these results. I could say, yeah, I also agree with this. This is, this is where I stand, and I think nature unites us. It brings us together. And these personal experiences and family connections, being the primary drivers of our environmental values, it's really important. And perhaps most important is that we find when people understand the connection between nature and their personal priorities, they want to protect it. When they have an experience, when they have that connection, you're drawn to want to protect it. And so that's what we really want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity for.

Seth Larson: Well, that leads me perfectly into last question that I wanted to ask you. You know, the tagline of the campaign is Nature Needs Us Now, but that begs the question, what exactly does nature need us to do? So, I'd love for you to give our listeners two or three specific things they can do in their own lives to help our little blue and green marble.

Sara Thomas: I would say first and foremost, make time for being in nature. Connect with nature.

Seth Larson: Talk about how that actually turns into action. Because I've heard criticism when we've said things like that on the show before that, how does spending time in nature actually help anything? It might help me, but it doesn't help anything else.

Sara Thomas: So what we've found, with the research and with the studies is that when you spend time in nature, when you make a connection to the natural places and spaces that are within your community, you want to protect it, you want to take action. So, the next step from spending time with nature, from experiencing it, from building empathy, we really then can make conscious choices as consumers, right? So, the next step would then be choosing sustainable forest products when you're in the store, looking for responsibly sourced items or supporting companies who prioritize conserving nature, right? The second step would be using your voice, contacting your elected officials about conservation legislation, support policies that protect natural resources, advocate for funding at all levels of government. Right? Your personal story, your walk through your community, the use of your local park, which becomes a part of your narrative about why protecting nature is so important. So, when you call your elected officials office and say, I really want you to continue funding international conservation funding, this trickles all the way down to our community, and here's how I value that, right? You have a first-person narrative that helps you connect with the issues that you care about and that you're talking about.

I would say the, you know, the third opportunity is always to partner with organizations like us. WWF has the expertise and global reach to create systematic change. Individual actions matter. Collectively, they are 10 times as powerful, right? Through experienced conservation groups, we can amplify your impact. So, coming together to sign petitions or taking action as a whole unites us and we are that much more powerful. Beyond those individual actions, I think, you know, people can support in other ways, but most importantly, it is really just seeing yourself as part of the solution.

I think when people understand that nature needs all of us to work together, that's when we can create this large-scale change that our planet really needs.

Seth Larson: Well, Sara, where can people expect to see the ad that we showed today, and other supportive ads related to the campaign? And how long will we be engaging in this campaign for?

Sara Thomas: I hope that people will see our materials and ads across a number of different channels. And I would love it if you did, if you could take a picture if it's safe. If you're in a car and you're driving, please don't take a picture of a billboard. But they will be up on billboards, at bus stops, we'll be showing them on tv, in a number of different magazines and online channels, certainly in social media. So, if something resonates with you. We'd love to hear about it and show us where you're seeing yourself in nature.

Seth Larson: Yeah, love that. And I would encourage our listeners to drop a comment in the comment section of this episode on YouTube or Spotify. And we'd love to hear your feedback there as well. Sara, thank you so much for talking to us through this campaign today. I think this is fun behind the curtain looking at how something like this comes together.

We all see ads and ad campaigns in our lives for various products or causes, and don't always get a chance to hear about the thinking that goes into putting these things together. And I really appreciate you walking us through that today.

Sara Thomas: Thanks so much, Seth. I'm excited about this one and I really hope it helps us all together.

Seth Larson: Me too. Thanks, Sara.

Thanks to Sara for joining today's episode. It was great to get a behind the scenes look at how WWF's new Nature Needs Us Now campaign came together, and I hope you'll take Sara's words to heart. Let's all try to view ourselves as part of the solution for our planet and take whatever steps we can in our own lives to both appreciate the gifts that nature gives us and do our part to preserve them.

Thank you for listening and together let's keep building a more sustainable future.