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Chobani Ad: Dear Alice

This short animated Choboni ad about the future of food production can be useful for exploring different environmental discourses, including pastoral, food, and sustainability. It can be used to generate a discussion about food, agriculture, eco-modernism, and mechanism.

Keep America Beautiful: The Crying Indian (1970)

This is a great media example for discussing environmental discourses and ideology. It utilizes the eco-utopian discourse (often represented by indigenous and First Nations peoples) to promote conservationist environmentalism, which aligns with anthropocentric environmental ideology.

Chipotle Ad: Can a Burrito Change the World?

Chipotle asks, Can a burrito change the world? What kind of environmental discourses are used to answer this? How does it describe farming practices? How does Chipotle back its claims? Can Chipotle legitimately claim they are changing the food industry? Discuss the meaning of the phrase at the very end: How we grow our food is how we grow our future.

Sun-Maid Raisin Girl goes to Hollywood

This advertisement for Sun-Maid Raisins is a strong example of the pastoral environmental discourse. It represents an idyllic version of farming that has a long tradition in Western visual culture. Discuss with students about whether or not this ad accurately represents the reality of industrial farming. They can research how raisins are produced and the conditions for laborers who pick grapes. They can also explore what kinds of beliefs about the environment are communicated in the ad. Finally, what do they think about the ad’s focus on celebrity?

HSBC’s Lumberjack Ad: Pitting Tree Sitters Against Loggers

This 2008 ad for HSBC portrays the conflict between tree-sitters (activists trying to stop deforestation of old-growth forests) and loggers. It closes with the phrase: “We recognise how people value things differently. So what we learn from one customer helps us better serve another.” Students can be encouraged to explore the environmental values being represented in the ad and discuss how it relates to HSBC’s financial policies and environmental impacts. This can also be used to explore and discuss differing environmental ideologies.

Audi ad: Norway says no way to Will Ferrell

Audi responds to the GM Super Bowl ad with it’s own version of an electric vehicle (EV) ad. It can be used to explore humor and corporate framing of environmental issues. It is suggested to be watched with the GM Will Ferrell ad and Norway’s response.

Will Ferrell’s Super Bowl GM EV Ad

General Motors and Will Ferrell make fun of Norway in this 2021 Super Bowl ad. It can be used to discuss the idea of green nationalism and conservatism. It should be viewed along with Audi and Norway’s response.

Ecosia Ad: Weird Search Requests

Ecosa is a search engine that donates profits to plant trees. It has helped plant over 120 million trees. The ad can prompt discussion on the environmental impacts of web searches and server farms. The ad can also be used to explore environmental ideology and environmental discourses.

Cadillac EV Super Bowl Ad: The American Dream?

This Cadillac 2014 Commercial is for their electric vehicle (EV) ELR Coupe. Explore with students how it represents the American Dream and its connection with class status, race, and gender. The ad is promoting an EV, but are the beliefs and values depicted beneficial or damaging to the environment? Compare this ad with Ford’s Upside: Anything is Possible ad.

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