Hello – if you’re reading this you’re probably taking the lead for your organisation in the Zero Ocean Plastics Challenge.
Good work, and thank you for helping us reach our goal of 1 million ocean plastics saved!
This challenge could fizzle out, or it could change the lives and culture of your organisation. Let’s see if we can help you get more of the latter.
Step 1: Register your organisation for the challenge
You’ve probably already done that, but here’s the link just in case. It’s a once-off registration fee of $350, you can pay by credit card. Once you’ve joined, you’ll get a welcome email.
Step 2: Download the Good Empire app and create an account
Here’s the link in the App Store if you’re on an iPhone.
Here’s the link in the Google Play Store if you’re on an Android phone.
Create your account, it’s pretty quick and simple, and then have a look around! The FEED and the ACT tab are the ones you’ll be interested in now.
You’ll see the Zero Ocean Plastics challenge in the ACT tab – that’s the open version of the challenge, that anyone can join.
We’ll be creating your own team version of the challenge in the next couple of days.
You’ll also see in the feed, a whole lot of posts that other people and organisations have made. That will give you some idea of how different people are taking action in the challenge.
Step 3: We’ll set up your challenge
Once you’ve created an account in the app, let me know and I’ll set up you as an admin for your organisation.
While you’re at it, could you email me two versions of your company logo? One main logo (png is fine) and another square version (this is what we’ll use in the app). That’s all we’ll need to set up your challenge.
As an admin, you’ll be then able to see your organisation’s version of the challenge in the ACT tab as well.
Step 4: Assign a Challenge Lead
The Challenge lead is essentially the project lead for this Challenge. They’re ultimately responsible for driving engagement and impact, with our help. They’ll be our main point of contact throughout the challenge.
This will probably be you, but if it’s not, let me know who that is, and get them to follow steps 2 & 3.
Step 5: Create a Challenge Team
Ideally this is a team of 3-5 internal champions that are going to be your key advocates, help the Lead organise everything and drive engagement and impact.
It’s a good idea to get key leads from within your organisation on board the Challenge Team if you can, to drive advocacy throughout the company. But maybe you already have a Sustainability Team or a People and Culture team and they might be well-suited.
Maybe it’s just you – that’s okay, we’ve got your back. But a Challenge Team will help.
Here’s an example of how you might communicate this to potential Challenge Team candidates:
“Hi Audrey – we’ve joined (Company) up for this Zero Ocean Plastics Challenge this summer. It’s an awesome initiative with a mission to gather, unite and empower 10,000 people to save 1 million ocean plastics, and we want to get our whole team involved, and our customers and community as well. We’re putting together a small Challenge Team to help run it, and I’d love you to be part of it.”
We’ve created a custom Challenge Invite Deeplink for you – this is what you use to invite anyone to join your challenge.
It should have been emailed to you separately. If you don’t have it, or can’t find it, email us and we’ll resend it to you.
You can email this link to your Challenge Team – all they have to do is download the app (see links in step 2) and then click on the Challenge Invite Deeplink, and they can then join the challenge.
Step 6: Set your Challenge Goal
Your challenge is linked to the “master” Zero Ocean Plastics Challenge, so all your impact counts toward our goal of 1 million ocean plastics saved.
But you also get to set your own Challenge Goal. That’s basically how many ocean plastics you and your team/customers/community want to aim to collect.
Your challenge goal is defaulted to 10,000. That’s assuming 100 people take part (more than once hopefully!) each picking up 100 bits of plastic.
If you want to change your goal, let me know, and I’ll edit it for you.
You can also change it at any time, so if you think 10,000 is easy to reach, maybe you leave it, and you can up it to 20,000 or 100,000 once you’ve hit it. Or start with 1000 to give your team encouragement.
Step 7: Challenge Team take action
Now you’re all set up, it’s time to trial the challenge and take some action.
You and your Challenge Team should get out and do your own plastics hunt. This is to get familiar with the app, see how it all works, and start with your first bit of impact and content.
You can do this together or remotely, whatever is feasible. Get out to a beach, river, creek, stormwater drain, or even just the gutter – anywhere you find plastic and rubbish lying around, where it is vulnerable to making its inevitable way to the ocean.
Bring a bag (reusable or compostable), gloves if you like (again, reusable or compostable), pick up whatever you find, then lay it out and count your haul.
Open the app, click on the ACT tab, find your challenge, click on it, and then click the “TAKE ACTION” button, or the ⅁.
That brings up the record function – this is to capture your proof of action, and to inspire others. You can just film evidence of your haul, or even better, film yourself speaking to camera, talking through what you found, maybe you can share what’s recyclable and what isn’t. Maybe you can share how you feel, what it’s made you think about.
Then hit the record button again to end your capture, and you’ll be taken to the caption and counter screen.
Write something – this will appear on your post (like a Reel or a TikTok), and then enter how many bits of plastic you collected.
Click submit and you’re done!
You can then share your post if you like, there are a bunch of options native to your phone.
You’ll see your post in the FEED tab. You can also comment on your fellow Challengers’ posts, give them some encouragement.
Okay – now you’re all set up to start to invite your team and maybe your whole community.