Anyone who is committed to the environment doesn’t have to stick to the streets or demonstrate with signs: A Carinthian shows how he inspired people in over 30 countries with garbage collection videos on the Internet! The project will soon be touring throughout Austria.
Anyone who thinks that there are only dull dance videos on the short video platform Tiktok is wrong! Important topics have long been discussed there – for example environmental protection! And the interest in it is enormous, as the “Planet Matters” project proves. With over 3 million followers and over 200 million views, the “Planet Matters” account is the second largest environmental page on Tiktok – worldwide! The origin of this successful project lies in Carinthia. Two years ago, Felix Krainer (23) from Velden launched the social media initiative to free public places, beaches, waterways and green spaces from plastic and other waste. “Mixture of entertainment, youthful pep and positive atmosphere” “Currently, the topic of environmental protection is associated with something negative,” says the 23-year-old, who has been using social media since he was 16. No wonder, climate adhesives always cause dissatisfaction among Austrians; NGOs often try to generate attention with shocking photos. “We have a different approach! Our videos are a mixture of entertainment, youthful pep and a positive atmosphere – that’s how you take people with you!” And the numbers prove him right. Last year, the Carinthian was in a different place every month and with the help of the “Planet Matters” community Garbage collected. “Sometimes we were on a different beach every day and cleaned it – so I asked myself: Why don’t I do the same in Austria?” April 5th & 16th: Vienna April 17th: Eisenstadt April 18th: Graz 19th April: Klagenfurt April 22: Bludenz April 23: Innsbruck April 24: Salzburg April 25: Linz April 26: Bruck an der Leitha April 30: Villach And so his Austria tour came about. For 14 days, the team travels through the federal states with the ÖBB and does something good for the environment together with school classes, companies and communities. Under the motto “Littery goes viral”, not only the regional collection campaigns but also creative video productions are set up, which are shared on the million-strong TikTok channel. “In this way, we inspire people in over 30 countries around the world and achieve a domino effect through the power of the community,” says Krainer, describing his motivation to “Krone”: “My motto is, ‘Don’t point the finger at others, but be active yourself “And this commitment is also paying off: In October 2023, the project was awarded the Austrian SDG Award, Austria’s most important sustainability prize, by the Senate of Economic Affairs.
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