This past year has caused many of us to stop (quite literally) — reflect — and deepen our gratitude for things we previously took for granted, including our planet. As we grew increasingly stir crazy at home, how many of us found a much needed pause and peace in nature — whether on walks on your favorite trails, hikes on mountains or dips in oceans and lakes? Unsurprisingly, research from the Mental Health Foundation found that nature had huge impacts on people’s mental health¹. Going for walks outside was a top coping strategy and 45% of people reported being in green spaces was vital for their mental health.

As more people spent time outdoors and in nature during the pandemic, Audacy was there with them – through our collection of podcasts, shows, music and sports content via the Audacy app. It’s a familiar scene — once we’re done lacing up our hiking boots, we immediately pop in the ear buds to bring our favorite audio content along in the great outdoors. Audio is our trusted companion during our time in nature. It’s the only media you can take with you – the entertainment and extra stimulus we’re looking for when spending time hands free and sans-screen. And we expect this nature+audio relationship to grow even stronger for two reasons: environmental awareness has increased as a result of the pandemic²; and about 40% of people believe their increased outdoor recreation behavior is a habit they’ll stick with³.  

As we celebrate Earth Day – let’s also step into the opportunity to further connect with environmentally conscious consumers. Over 85% of Audacy’s weekly listeners are what we call Green Lifestylers. They are typically high-income listeners (annual HHI $75K+) who engage in eco-friendly activities on a regular basis. Green Lifestylers live their eco-conscious values in their purchase decisions: they buy organic food, pay more for eco-friendly products, and donate time and money to environmental causes.

Our fans love to follow environmentally friendly podcasts like Yoga Girl with Rachel Brathen and tap into Emma Chamberlain’s passion for sustainable coffee. We know how to engage these audiences authentically because respect for our planet is woven into all aspects of who we are and how we operate. The Environment is one pillar of our Audacy Serves social impact program, with efforts driven externally by our 1Thing Initiative and internally by our team of Sustainability Champions. Your favorite stations from Norfolk to Chicago to San Diego and everywhere in between give their time to take care of their local environments – and bring millions of listeners along with them. In all we do, we are connecting with people through content that resonates with them and helping them go deeper into their environmentally friendly lifestyles and aspirations.

As with many brands that we partner with, our passion for sustainability shines through.  Passion-driven audio content matters to people. Broadly and personally. People seek to do business with organizations that care about the environment⁴, and we connect with them.  Audacy is the place to be for brands who want to engage with environmentally conscious consumers across different audio platforms as they embrace nature’s mountains, lakes and everything in between.