Friends of the Earth badges and campaigns

Friends of the Earth badges & campaigns

Friends of the Earth (FoE)is one of the world’s most influential environmental organisations, known for its grassroots activism, bold visual language, and longstanding campaigns

The best-known campaigns have been for climate justice, biodiversity, and anti-pollution reform

Since its founding in 1969, FoE has used badges, pins, and wearable symbols to amplify its messages and unite activists across generations.

The Power of the badge

Badges have been a key part of Friends of the Earth’s identity from the start — inexpensive, creative, and designed for visibility on the street, in schools, and at protests. Whether promoting recycling in the 1970s, climate action in the 2000s, or divestment from fossil fuels today, these badges are a form of wearable protest.

Common themes in FoE badges

• Environmental Slogans: “There is No Planet B,” “The Earth is Our Home,” “Love Your Mother (Earth)” — simple, punchy, and designed to provoke thought.
• Campaign Specific: Badges tied to direct campaigns like “Dump Nuclear Power,” “Ban the Plastic Bag,” or “Climate Action Now.”
• Logo-Based: Many feature the FoE “circle O” symbol — a hand-drawn, broken ring representing the Earth — often adapted in different colours or with campaign overlays.
• Humour and Irony: Friends of the Earth has never shied from using wit to make a point, such as badges that read “I Recycle More Than My Ex” or “Bee Kind.”
• Kids and Schools: Brightly coloured badges for young environmentalists, including “Mini Friend of the Earth” or “Litter Hero,” used in educational outreach since the 1980s.

Types of Friends of the Earth Badges

• Pin-Back Metal Badges (1970s–90s): Small, circular, with printed paper designs under a plastic coating — common at stalls, rallies, and festivals.
• Enamel Badges: Higher quality, often used for supporter gifts or fundraising drives — designs include the iconic Earth ring in green, blue, or eco-silver.
• Stickers-as-Badges: Friends of the Earth also made wide use of sticker-badges for protests, flash mobs, and student campaigns — wearable, low-cost, and ideal for temporary display.
• Digital Badges: In recent years, supporters have downloaded FoE badge art for avatars and social media banners during virtual campaigns.

Major FoECampaigns and symbols

1970s: Ecology and Anti-Waste

Early FoE campaigns targeted industrial pollution and waste, with badges saying “Stop Acid Rain” or “Recycle or Regret.” The logo — a hand-drawn circle with a gap at the bottom — became a sign of eco-consciousness worn by students, punks, and scientists alike.

1980s–90s: Anti-Nuclear and Climate Warnings

As nuclear energy and early climate science took centre stage, so did FoE’s protest art. Badges like “No Nukes,” “Stop Climate Chaos,” and “Nature Doesn’t Do Bailouts” circulated widely. FoE worked alongside Greenpeace and CND, sharing visual styles and occasionally badge slogans.

2000s: Local Action and Global Justice

• Big Ask Campaign: Badges urged politicians to pass climate laws — many featuring ticking clocks or countdown visuals.
• Biofuels and Forests: Leaf-shaped and tree-themed badges became common, warning of the dangers of land grabs and monoculture plantations.
• Plastic Campaigns: “Plastic-Free Future” badges emerged with bold typography and ocean imagery.

2010s–2020s: Climate Emergency and System Change

• Climate Emergency Now: Black-and-red enamel badges with flame motifs became popular at rallies.
• Youth Climate Strikes: FoE supported student movements with custom badges reading “Strike for Climate” or “System Change Not Climate Change.”
• Just Transition & Green Jobs: Badges with gear icons, wind turbines, and green thumbs — symbolising both labour and ecology.

Badges as movement ools

FoE badges are more than fashion — they’re conversation starters and coalition-builders. Whether worn on a denim jacket at Glastonbury, pinned to a rucksack on the school run, or lining the walls of campaign HQs, they carry the legacy of the movement in miniature form.

Some activists collect and archive decades of FoE badges as a visual history of the environmental movement — a timeline of slogans, hopes, fears, and creative defiance.

FoE Badge Culture Today

• DIY & Zines: Modern branches encourage members to design and print local campaign badges — often handmade or risograph-printed.
• Eco Materials: Recent badge runs have used recycled plastics, metal-free fastenings, and plastic-free packaging to reflect eco values.
• Digital Downloads: Supporters can download badge graphics to print at home or use online — connecting global solidarity campaigns with local action.

Wear the Earth on Your Sleeve

Badges have long been the silent voices of protest. For Friends of the Earth, they’ve become visual declarations of care, resistance, and belief in a livable planet. Whether mass-produced or handmade, funny or furious, they’re acts of hope you can pin on — reminders that the movement for environmental justice is made not just of facts and policies, but of people who wear their hearts, and their Earths, on their sleeves.

Badges

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