Project ideas to help you get started
Every Panda Ambassador project starts somewhere, and sometimes the hardest part is simply deciding what to do. This page offers a collection of project ideas and resources to help you get unstuck, think creatively, and choose an approach that feels meaningful and manageable for you.
Campaigning online
There is such a wide array of projects you can do online: from raising awareness to driving your network to take action on an important issue. The biggest power of digital activism lies in how connected we are with each other online even if we live thousands of miles apart or have never even met.
- Create mini video blogs of yourself giving detailed tips about how to reduce our plastic waste
- Drive your friends to sign an action on WWF’s Action Center by sharing detailed info, starting a hashtag, and sending personal messages inviting people to join the movement
- Start a PandaNation WWF online fundraiser
- Start an educational series of posts about an endangered species or conservation issue such as overfishing, illegal wildlife trafficking or climate change; prepare infographics and other eye-catching materials using tools like Canva.com
- Organize weekly documentary viewings and discussions: watch series such as “Our Planet” with friends using tools like “TeleParty”, then take 15 minutes to discuss what you saw
- Lead a Panda Ambassador Monthly Challenge and share the challenge with your network too
- Start a blog
- Do a livestream and share with your friends why you’re passionate about conservation and how they can help the cause too
And here are some resources that can help you get started:
In your community
Your community is one of the places where your impact can be the biggest. It’s where you’re surrounded by people who know and trust you, and where your passion will resonate the most. Here are some project ideas for you:
- Talk to local restaurants about how to minimize their food waste
- Start a WWF club on your high school or University campus, or that of your child
- Organize a river or beach clean up and invite local media to cover the event
- Organize a presentation or discussion about climate change at a community center, library or book club
- Reach out to a local school or university to give a presentation on topics such as ocean conservation, endangered species or WWF’s work broadly
- Start an environmental book club
- Lead a rally in your community
- Research recycling in your area and help your neighbors become better at recycling
And here are resources that can help you get started:
Reach out to your community
You can have a big impact on conservation when you bring others together for a cause. Here are some project ideas for you:
- Organize a silent auction benefitting WWF
- Host a WWF booth at a farmer’s market or community event
- Organize a conservation-themed trivia with prizes
- Host a screening of documentary film like “Our Planet” or “Before The Flood”
- Host a booth to recruit more Panda Ambassadors at a community event
- Start a Panda Nation fundraiser for your birthday, wedding or an athletic event
- Organize a dinner party fundraiser
Make your voice heard
As a conservation activist, you have a story to tell, and your voice can be a powerful driver for change. Think about the audience you want to reach, then pick an avenue to make your voice heard. Here are some project ideas for you:
- Write a letter to the editor or op-ed about the importance of climate action in your area, or sharing your story about why you care about protecting nature, or maybe featuring green tips for our homes
- Set up a meeting with your congressional representative in-district to talk to them about a conservation issue like illegal wildlife trafficking or climate change
- Start a series of mini-blog posts on social media about ocean conservation issues and WWF’s work on them
- Request a meeting with your mayor’s office to encourage efforts on reducing plastic waste
And here are resources that can help you get started:
Roll up your sleeves
You don’t need to be a trained conservationist to make a difference for nature, be it in your own backyard or in your community. If you are driven by a more hands-on approach to projects, here are some project ideas for you:
- Host a booth at a farmer’s market or community event showing people how to plant and care for native plants
- Organize a trash clean-up in your neighborhood or a nearby creek, park or beach • Host a workshop for art made from trash or repurposed materials
- Host a fundraising event for your birthday
- Help a school start a butterfly garden
- Talk to a local business about being more sustainable: help a restaurant limit food waste or a small grocery store cut down their carbon footprint
And here are resources that can help you get started:
Panda Ambassador Toolkit
Check out the full list of how-to guides, presentations, flyers, and hand-outs to help you get started.
© Courtesy of Talia Garrido