Photo credit: Imagine5, the environmental storytelling platform
To grow support for rewilding, we must reach beyond our usual circles. However, traditional environmental communications often unintentionally target those who are already engaged. Instead, we can turn our attention to the large portion of people who care about the environment, but don’t identify themselves as environmentalists. This broad, new audience holds the key to mainstreaming rewilding and nature recovery.
In a Global Rewilding Communicators Network session, Robert Langkjær-Bain of Imagine5 shared how human-centered storytelling can help connect with new audiences. By sharing stories that resonate, grounded in culture, with accessible language, and spotlighting unexpected and relatable messengers, we can show that a wilder world is the most exciting future we can build together.
By meeting people where they are, we can make rewilding feel relevant, accessible, and actionable for many. We’re sharing practical tips to make it happen.
A meeting of the Global Rewilding Communicators Network, with Robert Langkjær-Bain, joint editor at Imagine5.
The Global Rewilding Communicators Network holds seasonal sessions to spotlight partners and their work, exchange ideas, discuss collective challenges, and share communication tools. Our goal is to connect and support rewilding communicators worldwide, foster collaboration, and learn from each other, so together we can amplify the rewilding message, inspire more people, and build momentum for systemic change.
Inspired topics are warmly welcomed! Get in touch with our team if you’d like to be a guest speaker or if there’s a specific topic you’d like covered! If you’re a communicator working in rewilding, conservation, or nature restoration, sign up to stay informed about upcoming meetings.
On November 11, 2025, we had the pleasure of learning from Robert Langkjær-Bain, joint editor at Imagine5. If you care about breaking out of the environmental bubble, you need to know about Imagine5’s work. This environmental storytelling platform is on a mission to inspire a greener life, not through guilt or gloom, but by telling positive, culture-forward stories that make sustainability look like the most exciting, desirable choice.
Robert unpacked key storytelling techniques that can breathe new life into our narratives and make them land with entirely new audiences.
Robert Langkjær-Bain, joint editor at Imagine5, understands the need to reach a broader audience and find creative ways to include a large part of the population; people who care about the environment but don’t consider themselves environmentalists. Credits: Imagine5
Engaging with a new audience: who do we really need to be talking to?
Unintentionally, environmental communication can sometimes feel like preaching to the choir. We’re speaking to people who already care, already understand, already act. But what about everyone else?
Considering the current state of the news, we might easily think that people who care about nature are still a minority.
Statistics show a different story: 80% of the global public wants stronger action on climate.
More research revealed that 63% of people in the US are worried about climate change! But there is a dark side: only 36% talk about it.
People are concerned, although they may care quietly or do not know how to help.
This is where Imagine5 focuses their energy: on what they call “the willing and able.” These are people who are genuinely concerned about the environment, want to help, and have unique skills, energy, and motivation to transform into actions that can make a real difference. This vast cohort has huge potential to create positive change, but they don’t necessarily identify as “environmentalists” or “wildlife nerds”, nor do they take part in the nature community. And yet, they could be our greatest allies…if we learn to speak their language and interact with them.
How to Reach the Broader “Willing & Able” Audience?
How can we open up dialogue with people who don’t consider themselves environmentalists? You might be trying to reach these people already, but are your ways of communication really engaging with them? Let’s find out!
1. Lead with culture, not climate
Here’s a key insight: the people you want to reach don’t necessarily want to read another article about the environment. So don’t lead with that.
Think about what they’re already interested in: sport, art, food, film, music, travel. Culture is the gateway. By weaving environmental messages into cultural content, you meet people in spaces they already love and trust. A story about a chef exploring regenerative ingredients, an athlete funding green energy, a musician inspired by nature… These create entry points that feel inviting instead of intimidating.
This magazine is about everything but climate, even though climate is our whole reason for being here!
Robert Langkjær-Bain, joint editor at Imagine5
Slowly but surely, we can make the conversation around climate mainstream, inclusive, and (dare we say it…) exciting.
2. Focus on light green content
Imagine5 asks a simple question about every story they create: Is this light green or dark green?
Dark green content is for hardcore environmentalists, demanding, and full of jargon. It speaks to those already deeply rooted in the movement. On the other hand, light green content is easier to digest, less demanding, and accessible to a broader audience. By prioritizing light green content, we can open doors for people who care but feel detached or overwhelmed.
What does this mean in practice?
- Avoid unexplained jargon. Terms like “COP,” “net zero,” or even “biodiversity” might be second nature to rewilding practitioners, but they’re often misunderstood or mistrusted by the general public. It never hurts to explain jargon in other, more approachable words.
- Clear language broadens support. To underscore just how impactful the above statement is, a study by More in Common in the UK found that while statements like “It’s important to reach net zero” garnered support of 55%, clearer statements like “It’s important to balance carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere with the amount we remove from it” garnered a hugely positive 69%.
- Show, don’t tell. Use concrete examples that can lead to a better understanding of the point you’re trying to make. For instance, a term like ‘ecofeminism’ might not be well understood, but sharing the story of a particular woman in Africa who will suffer more than a man due to climate change will leave a stronger impact.
- Strong headlines. As Robert put it: “If you lead with the nuance, people don’t really listen.” Start simple. The depth can come later, once they’re engaged.
Even “rewilding”, a term that’s gaining traction and captures people’s imagination, still needs explanation. Most people have heard the word but don’t know exactly what it means or how it differs from traditional conservation. Meet them where they are. Explain it in ways that are relevant to their lives.
3. Choose unexpected messengers
When you picture an environmentalist, who do you see? Now find the opposite. That’s your spokesperson.
As Robert says “someone who cares about the environment can look like a chef, a footballer or a musician.”
By putting the spotlight on non-obvious environmentalists, you signal to your audience that protecting and caring about nature isn’t just for ecologists. It’s for everyone. These people will reflect the diversity of the movement.
Pick protagonists who are relatable, likeable, and can introduce the topic from a fresh angle. Unexpected messengers like drag queen Pattie Gonia or the story of a fourth-generation Georgia farmer, who has stepped away from traditional methods, will help connect with whole new audiences.
“Radically traditional” features fourth-generation farmer Will Harris, who left behind what was expected of him and adopted an organic approach to keep the land in good health. Credits: Imagine5
Lead with the human, the relatable, the accessible. If you’re telling a rewilding tourism story, for example, feature the unlikely travelers, not just the expected wide-eyed birdwatcher. Show experts in more personal settings (e.g., a scientist in their kitchen instead of their lab) to make them look more human and less intimidating.
Unexpected messengers help people see themselves in the story. And once they see themselves, they’re in.
4. Rethink your visuals
Strong photography matters; it creates emotions. But here again, it might be good to think outside of the box!
We often default to nature photography. Nature is beautiful and the natural star of the show! But getting out of the usual nature scenes might prove helpful! Show people. Show moments. Show life happening in and out of nature.
Imagine5 did a story on Alex Honnold, the legendary free solo climber who also helps address the climate crisis by investing in solar panels. Instead of showing him only climbing cliff faces (which could make him look cool but ultimately too different, too extreme for most people to relate to), they also filmed him at home with his kids. This makes him more vulnerable and human, and thus, when it came to speaking about his story with climate change, it made it more relatable, too.
When you humanize the story visually, you make it accessible. People stop seeing environmentalism as something “other people” do and start seeing it as something they could be part of.
Alex Honnold – rock climbing legend and founder of The Honnold Foundation, which works to expand equitable access to solar energy worldwide – pictured in a different setting during Imagine5’s interview, this time at home with his family. Credits: Imagine5
5. Meet people where they are
Robert brought a different perspective to how we see and approach our audience. “You probably wish your audience understood more, agreed with you more, knew more. But that’s not where they are. And that’s okay. Meet them where they are.”
If someone is engaging with rewilding at all, even if they don’t fully understand it, even if they’re just curious, that’s a gift. Don’t respond with “you’re not getting it” or “you’re doing it wrong.” Instead, respond with “yes, and…”
Respect where they are. Meet them at their level of understanding. And invite them in by giving them something they can do.
One of the biggest barriers to engagement is the feeling that big conservation and rewilding projects are too far removed from daily life. How can an individual possibly contribute?
The group discussed the power of highlighting small, accessible actions such as suggesting rewilding a back garden, supporting local nature restoration, and making different food choices.
Give people something they can do in their lives. That’s how you turn concern into conversation, and conversation into action.
What this means for rewilding communicators
Rewilding naturally captures the imagination. People can be immediately captivated by the abundance, wildness, wonder, and hope. By example, Imagine5’s recent story on the reintroduction of Tauros in Denmark has been a top-performing post in terms of reach.
As rewilders, we have something powerful to share: a vision of a world that is wilder, more abundant, and more alive. That vision doesn’t have to stay in scientific journals or conservation conferences. It can live in culture magazines, Netflix shows, Instagram, restaurants, in design studios, and in conversations at dinner tables.
The pursuit to scale and mainstream rewilding is an ambitious one; but by harnessing storytelling, we can “rewild hearts and minds”, as according to the core principle of rewilding. Storytelling helps us to move people from inspiration to support to action.
Rewilding stories are potent by nature. When you combine it with a strong headline, great imagery, and an angle that will interest a larger audience, you have a recipe for success. Credits: Imagine5
Key Takeaways – 5 Storytelling Tips for Reaching New Audiences
1 – Know your audience (and it’s not just other environmentalists): Stop preaching to the converted. Identify and speak directly to the persuadable middle – people who care but don’t yet act.
2 – Keep it light, clear, and hopeful: Avoid jargon, overwhelm, and gloom. Lead with simple language, relatable stories, and what’s working.
3 – Use unexpected messengers: Choose spokespeople outside the usual environmental bubble, such as chefs, athletes, artists, and farmers, to reach diverse audiences
4 – Humanize your visuals: Show real people and everyday moments. Let audiences see themselves in the story.
5 – Meet people where they are: Never give people the impression they are not qualified enough to participate. Invite curiosity, build from what people already know and offer easy ways to get involved.
We walked away inspired to shake up our approach: try new angles, elevate unexpected voices, and meet new audiences exactly where they are.
We hope you’ll feel the same and want to experiment with human-centered storytelling outside the environmentalist bubble, rework one piece of content to be more “light green,” or dare to explore new aesthetic environments.
Our next Global Rewilding Communicators Network session will be in early 2026. Make sure you’re on our list to be kept in touch!
Credits: Imagine5
Learn more about Imagine5 and explore their inspiring stories at https://imagine5.com/ and follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn.
You can watch the replay of the session here.