Starting from scratch: how to free your municipality of fossil ads

Fossil ads, you see them next to the road, on television or in the newspaper. Big polluters use ads to disguise their pollution. Fortunately, more and more municipalities are now taking steps to ban fossil advertisements. But we are not there yet. That is why this toolkit was created by Greenpeace NL and Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising). The original version of this toolkit can be found here (in Dutch).

Start your local lobby campaign

Ask your municipality to:

1. Ban fossil advertisements from public spaces. This includes, for example, advertising on public transport, bus shelters, metro stations, tram shelters, large advertising banners on buildings and mupis.
2. Not to subsidise fossil industry events or activities.
3. Make it a condition for sports clubs and cultural organisations to stop accepting sponsorship from the fossil industry and the aviation and car industries.

How do you go about this?

1. Gather people around you who, like you, are fed up with fossil advertising. Together, you are stronger, activism is more fun and also - not unimportantly - politicians are sensitive to numbers. Who says something is also important. So do you manage to garner the support of that one well-known local entrepreneur or artist who enjoys a lot of authority? Then you start off on a 1-0 lead. Not in a local climate group yet? Look for groups in your vicinity and send an email to join.
2. Choose a party or councilor you want to approach first. This could be a political party you are a member of, for instance, or one that is making good progress on the climate issue.
3. Send an e-mail to a councilor. For example, you can use this example e-mail (in Dutch).
4. Is the councilor reacting positively? Then you can help them with a draft text for a motion or propose to change the local ordinance/local law.