The following is a guest post from our colleague, Graham Russell of SustainableOfficer.com, a new website that enables you to post questions and requests for information on sustainability issues and receive e-mail responses directly from your peers and experts in the industry.

Green and sustainable business is a hot topic. That’s good news: a rapidly growing number of business people are beginning to get the message that environmentally and socially responsible initiatives can reduce costs, drive technology and business process innovation, build brand equity and enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty.

That’s also bad news because when something becomes a hot topic, thousands of new websites, online newsletters and advisory services spontaneously develop, offering every possible variety of information (and misinformation) on the subject, much of it coming from folks who two years ago couldn’t spell sustainability and thought green business was what went on at golf clubs!

There is so much stuff out there on this subject that it’s possible to spend many tens of hours stumbling from one website to another or searching disorganized blogs and LinkedIn sites and still fail to get the answers you need. If you’re just starting down the path of thinking how best to initiate green or sustainability programs in your organization, you’re probably like a lot of others who are frustrated by this process and wondering how you can quickly find the specific information you need, get fast, relevant answers to your questions, and build a network of trusted peers and experts in the sustainability profession. Even seasoned practitioners of sustainability frequently encounter issues they haven’t seen before and have trouble finding a peer who’s been there, done that and who can help them avoid reinventing the wheel.

If you’re in this boat and it’s a big one, you might want to check out Sustainable Officer, an online information exchange and networking site created for those involved in developing and implementing green and sustainable initiatives in their organizations. Developed by a major Rocky Mountain business publication in collaboration with several local sustainability professionals, SustainableOfficer.com has built a large online community of sustainability experts and professionals who are engaged in a lively exchange of questions and answers on every aspect of green and sustainable business. Participation in SustainableOfficer.com is free and the site keeps the identity of all who participate private unless they choose to reveal it.

Once signed up as a member of the community, you can post an information request or question on any aspect of sustainability. A Site Moderator acts as gatekeeper to ensure that questions are relevant to sustainability, couched in terms that are concise and easy to understand, and not sales pitches disguised as questions. Questions are sent out daily to the entire community, members of which respond directly via e-mail to the requester with answers, advice, relevant information or other useful information. If responders like the information they receive, they can make direct contact with those who provided it and begin to expand their network of trusted colleagues in the profession.

SustainableOfficer.com is expanding its community nationally so that everyone in the sustainable business profession can quickly and easily reach out beyond their local community and tap into leading edge ideas and initiatives that have been developed in other parts of the country. You can learn more about how it works and see examples of questions being asked and answered, go to: www.sustainableofficer.com.

Check it out and let us know what you think right here at Green Marketing Blog.

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Our colleagues at Earthsense, a leading green marketing research company, have confirmed what we have been postulating for a longtime now. That purchase decisions continue to be more personal than planetary. In their article, Wendy and Megan wisely point out that you don’t stand before the frozen foods case and make your purchase decision based on the ice cap. You do it based on value, appeal, price and when it comes to food — taste, taste, taste. In their recent study, no matter what shade of green respondents were, taste came first. 

Food marketers take note. The taste proposition makes even more sense for green and organic food products because such a strong case can be made for pure, natural ingredients equating to superior taste. When it comes to food we are all Pavlovian. The sight of luscious foods and the aroma of good cooking actually make our mouths water. That’s something that should never be forgotten when you set out to market your food brands — organic or otherwise. Remember to paint emotional and memorable associations between your products and my taste buds.

Tell me how luscious organic veggies can be, fresh from the vine and unadulterated by chemicals and pesticides. Tell me that your organic berries are bursting with flavor and picked with care. Tell me how delicious your bread is when it’s made from organic wheat flour and taken fresh from the oven. Let me know that eggs from cageless, free range chickens are richer in taste than eggs that are laid in the dark in some factory farm. Those are some of the whys before the buys. And if you’re wise, you’ll remember what starts your stomach grumbling and your appetite increasing — and you’ll know what you need to tell me if you want to sell me.

What’s the why that makes you buy?

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Jennifer Woofter and Tracy Hanford of Strategic Sustainability Consulting invited me to present our webinar, KERMIT IS DEAD: Effective Messaging in the Maturing Green Market. If you couldn’t make it to my live presentation, thanks to Jennifer and Tracy, here it is to listen to at your leisure. If you are in the green biz or planning on it, you’ll want to download it. Kermit is dying to come clean from “It’s easy being green.”

Here’s what this webinar is all about…

At the beginning of the green revolution, it was often enough just to be green or bring out Kermit the Frog singing “It’s easy being green” to achieve a measure of success. But the green market has matured and grown well past the initial 19% of the population who support green and socially responsible efforts and initiatives no matter what.

As this market broadens, green marketers across the globe have observed that now it’s “Me first, Planet later.” And that shift of emphasis has deep implications for marketers who need to rebalance and recalibrate their messages to include the wider market. The fundamental question now is: How do you create effective marketing messages that motivate, educate and communicate a true promise-of-value and values to the 81% of the population that are interested more and more in earth-friendly products and services? 

In this free webinar, Carolyn Parrs, Principal at Mind Over Markets, a dedicated strategic green marketing communications company, will share insights that will help you refine and target your message, create effective materials and balance your messages’ economic gain and ecological benefits. You’ll learn:

How to bring your marketing message from the planetary to the personal, from cause to because.

The importance of relevancy in your marketing message.

Why education is everything when promoting green products and services.

The relationship building power of social media.  

This presentation includes case studies and examples of successful and unsuccessful green marketing messages.

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This post is part of our TAKE THE GREEN MARKETING CHALLENGE series. Here’s how it works: Send us your green message (logo, tag line, graphic, copy), and we’ll evaluate it. That means a green team of three (Art Director, Copywriter and Account Manager) will thoughtfully assess your brand and we’ll post the results here on our Green Marketing Blog. Then you can join in on the conversation too with your comments. Here’s ours…

Next up in our Green Marketing Challenge is Little Works a greeting card company. And with a little work, they could be doing a lot of good for their company.

We like the name because it is charming and a million miles away from Hallmark and American Greeting Cards — and that’s a good thing. One thing that you should think about is adding a descriptive line to your name so we know what you do. Little works could be anything. Miniature crafts, small collectible items, even baby clothes. You need to tell us right from the beginning that Little Works are beautiful handcrafted cards made by South African women. That can be the differentiator between you and all the other card companies around.

Here’s a tag line you can try on for size: Little Works Mean A Lot. We like this for a couple of reasons. It sounds like “little things mean a lot” which is part of the everyday jargon so it has a familiar and easily memorable quality to it. It also says that not only will your cards mean a lot to those who receive them — but also speaks of the “deep roots” embedded in each and every handcrafted card by the women who make them. It’s a line that has legs — meaning it works for you on a lot of levels.

IRV: Your line now, “Handcrafted cards so beautiful you won’t want to give them away,” actually is in contrast to what you want to achieve. You want people to give them away so why not speak in the positive? Reinforce that they are so beautiful you’ll want to share them and bring beauty to those you know and love.

Visually, please consider rescaling your cards on your product page. They are different sizes and some are hard to see. So much of your message is about beauty. We want you to show us cards that are beautifully presented, not just sitting there. Since they are handcrafted, also consider featuring a profile of the South African artists who make them. Who they are and what they are about is important to building a relationship between your cards, your artists and your purchasers.

NICOLE: Why not build in a bit of craft into your site? Consider the use of handmade paper and some of your images as a motif for the site. And most of all, remember that you are selling beautiful things so the site should reflect beauty in everything…colors, fonts, typefaces and the general layout of the pages.

CAROLYN: I like the simplicity and placement of your social media buttons. And your products are perfect for social media. Tell your purchasers to share the love and tell their friends about your company and your cards. Reward them for doing so. Send one of your cards by snail mail to say thank you. Your social media influencers, those that love your cards dearly and talk about it, can end up being your most successful media so use it well.

These little works to your message and site can bring about great works for all involved. With some tweaks and tweets, you can do it a little better. We wish you continued success with what you are doing.

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Last week, we posted here “Get Personal %$#&*!” about how green needs to go from the planetary to the personal to have a real impact. Well, boy did it get personal. We had such a rich conversation on a Linkedin Group called “Women Growing Green Business” that we decided to post the whole conversation here. All of the commenters are women. And since women make two thirds of the green purchases and write 80% of the personal checks, you’re going to want to read every word. There are some real jewels here, green marketers.

Now let me introduce our illustrious commenter cast.

JACQUELYN OTTMAN: Green Marketing Consultant and Author, Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation

WENDY COBRDA: Data Diviner and President & Founder of Earthsense, Green Market Research

DIDI LEMAY: Children’s Book Author

HOLLY CAUGHRON: President of Green Rising, Marketing for the Eco-Minded

ANNE MICHELSEN: Green sales writer and co-owner of solar and energy efficiency company Performance Energy, Inc.

ME: Carolyn Parrs, Principal at Mind Over Markets, a dedicated green marketing communications company and host of Women Of Green Podcast

And the conversation begins here…

ME: Sorry to sound like a broken record but here we go again. If green is going to have any real impact, you got to make it about me. Bring your message down to earth. Make it personal. I don’t eat organic pizza to save the planet. I eat it because it tastes better. I don’t wear eco anything because of a melting iceberg. I wear it because it feels better and I look great in it. But don’t believe me. This week in Joel Makower’s blog post “Me First, Planet Later” he reported: http://tinyurl.com/y4fqgtk

DIDI LEMAY: You are sooooooo right!! I guess it is a human thing- we care about us and if along the way we can help the planet -well that’s great. It’s got to fit into the lifestyle.

ME: Thanks DiDi! More Prius’ were sold when gas hit $4 a gallon than ever before. And when gas prices went down, so did their sales. But price isn’t the only motivator but it’s a biggy. For us green marketers out there, our job is to create compelling messaging that brings it all down to earth. More personal. Less planetary. That will help move the needle on green more effectively across the board.

WENDY COBRDA: My colleagues & I have been talking about this for the past 3 years. We call it eco-hedonism, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. While the word hedonist has some bad connotations, anyone studying human behavior knows that we naturally are drawn to things that give us pleasure and pull away from things that cause us pain.

I’ve just finished penning an article about the concept of LOHOE — the equally important complement to LOHAS. Instead of Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability — the great majority of people are motivated by Lifestyles of Hedonics and Economics, doing things that bring them pleasure and those actions are shaped in many ways by their means or economics.

For example, for the longest time, I’ve been a fan of Muir Glen fire-roasted canned tomatoes. While I’m not a gourmand by any stretch, I do enjoy cooking, and even more so when what I cook brings smiles of pleasure. On a whim, I tried those tomatoes and for years now, that’s all I buy (unless I can’t get them!) Why? Because they taste good. I appreciate that they are organic, I like the mission of the company, but I come back time after time because I like how they taste. The fact that I’m motivated by taste shouldn’t mar my eco-friendly choice.

I bought a clean diesel (VW TDI SportsWagen) last year. Why did I choose that vehicle over the Prius? I love the VROOM I get when I drive. It feels good to shift, it feels great to fill up less than once a week, and it doesn’t hurt that I get to park in the Carousel Mall’s “green only” parking spots close to the entrances. And, yes, it’s better for the planet, and that makes me feel good, too.

I think the days of holier than thou preaching about green are over. It is the manufacturer’s job to make better products that people will want to own and use. We have to stop making it hard for consumers to do the right thing.

Does that make sense?

DIDI LEMAY: Wendy, you talk about pulling away from things that causes us pain. For that reason, we clean the buildings we manage with chemical free cleaners. I have a condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. I’m actually the “canary in the mine” because if there are any chemicals around, I get an attack where my throat swells up and I can’t breathe. (I’ve been to the hospital many times because of cleaners, perfumes and cigarette smoke)

Here we are keeping more chemicals out of the environment and keeping me healthy. Talk about doing things for the environment with me in mind!

WENDY COBRDA: DiDi, you are so right. It makes total sense that you would seek out products that don’t cause you pain — and that avoidance of pain is the first thing that you are thinking of. You make me think of my DH who has a severe mold allergy. When we went house hunting he would know within a few minutes of stepping inside the home whether or not we could nest there. The nose, knows!

Speaking more about pain, my sister’s son was allergic (as in epi-pen carrying!) to milk and soy. He drank Rice Dream and Almond Breeze. Both are eco-friendly choices made to avoid the pain of death by milk proteins.

that she loved her milk so much that she decided to start drinking it again. Some people just can’t be helped.

ME: I love all the comments here. This is a juicy topic. One that deserves the light of day. Thank you women for speaking up! 

JACQUELYN OTTMAN: Carolyn, as you may know I have been saying this very same thing since my first book, Green Marketing, came out in 1993. It is so fundamental — and needs so much reinforcing, that I continue to publish on this topic; my latest on this just came out in Triple Pundit last week and more will be included in my latest book, due out this Fall.

I disagree that Joel Makower is talking about this same thing in the blog you quoted. He is saying, in essence, that consumers are out for themselves and don’t care about the planet or they would be buying more. What I believe is that people do care about the planet — that is evident– but when they go into supermarkets and put on their “shopper hats” they have to make sure that the products they buy satisfy their primary reasons for buying the products in the first place —getting clothes clean, buying nutritious and tasty food, etc. This is even more important in a recession when consumers need to ensure they are getting value for their money.

This doesn’t mean that they don’t care about the planet. For the entire 20 years that I have been tracking green marketing, environmental, and increasingly social, benefits have played an important secondary role in influencing purchases. (One of my colleagues coined the phrase, “The tie goes to the dolphin”.) Green then is the added source of value that can break a tie at the shelf. But, when truly integrated into the value proposition, green can enhance primary benefits —the organic produce that tastes better. That is true green marketing heaven!

Delighted to be part of this fruitful dialogue you started. Love to hear what others think about this. 

HOLLY CAUGHRON: Know your customer…ALWAYS! There is a spectrum of the green buyer from Dark Green … to anything BUT green! Some people feel threatened by the environmental message and you have to reach them through the value points. Because in the end, who wants to buy a product that’s inferior, even if it does help a good cause. Environmental businesses need to step up, keep improving and realize they have to actually provide a good/better product…luckily, I think they’re doing this beautifully.

…now all they have to do is market it properly!

ANNE MICHELSEN: What a great discussion! Jacquie, I think you’re right that people do have some concern about the environment. But I think the average person just doesn’t truly understand – doesn’t really grok in their gut -

a) just how messed up the planet is right now,

b) how incredibly intricate, complex and sensitive environmental systems (or human biology, for that matter) really are, and thus

c) how their own actions as individuals as well as the actions of governments and corporations really do make a difference, and

d) how what happens on a planetary, regional or local environmental level really does impact them personally.

To truly understand all this stuff (and I’m not pretending I do, either) requires some incredibly in-depth and abstract thought, and/or a high level of intuition. I think a lot of people either can’t or don’t want to go there. Maybe it’s too abstract or complicated. Or for some people it’s too disturbing. I see this a lot because my husband is very environmentally outspoken. Once he’s gotten someone to realize exactly how serious and complicated a particular environmental issue is, they typically get this look of comprehension and fear on their face and then back away and change the subject. Don’t want to go there. Easier to just keep taking out the recycling and feel good about doing one’s green deed for the day.

Y’all are so right, of course. Approaching people with what’s-in-it-for-them messaging not only hits them in their sweet spot, it simplifies the message and cuts out the confusion and uneasiness. When “the planet” is tacked on as an added bonus it becomes a simple – and excellent – justification for a decision already made. 

WENDY COBRDA: The problem, I think, is that for those who take environmentalism very seriously, it seems almost blasphemous to concede that doing something for the wrong reason isn’t as virtuous as doing it for the “right” reason. Does intent have to match behavior for it to count? That is the heart of the question!

ANNE MICHELSEN: Guess it depends how cool you think you have to be! Seriously, the cool thing is when even people who don’t have a clue how incredibly hip it is to be eco-aware start walking the walk just because it’s THE THING TO DO!

WENDY COBRDA: Ah…. making green colorless…that should be our ultimate goal. To make sustainable practices part of how we live. Not something just for the enlightened, educated and elite. To build everything from the ground up with the end in mind. That IS cool.

In a practical sense, I should not have to think about where the coffee is grown or by whom and what the cup is made of when I stop in Starbucks. I shouldn’t have to wonder if I’m buying a green version or not. (Of course, I could live on a mountain and grow my own coffee and drink it out of a reusable hand-carved coconut shell…. but this is real life, not fantasy.) But I digress.

Ultimately, I agree with you Anne, that it is very cool when it becomes part of our culture to do the right thing and for a new standard to emerge. As much as we need the eco-terrorists to jolt us out of our complacency, we need the eco-enthusiasts to celebrate our successes and to help make the message of sustainability part of how we simply do business.

Unfortunately, we’re not there yet. My interpretation of Joel’s post is that he sees what we do: most people (not the enlightened green) are simply trying to get through the everyday challenges of life and that is their main focus. You don’t need a fancy study or a high-priced consultant to tell you what you should know from observation. When people are worried about the basics, food, shelter, clothing, education, health — things that are not immediate threats hold less power over their actions. Getting through the financial crisis is first and foremost — the planet is surviving pretty well on its own thank you very much.

That sounds so cynical, but it is how people really feel.

Personally, the more educated I become about the issues, the more I want to actively seek out solutions that help me live my life — better. (And yeah, I did drink the green Kool-Aid — I believe that ultimately green is better.) But I understand how people who do not have the luxury of time to research or means to swap out to greener choices can be focused on alternative goals (eg. daily life survival!)

Jacqui’s work has always focused on benefits first, planet second. It is a message that needs to be repeated over and over…until we people can’t imagine why anyone would need to comment on it again.

Carolyn, great discussion! Thanks for starting it. What do you think?

JACQUELYN OTTMAN: Green is too complex? Purchase for this reason or that reason? The right reason or the wrong reason? People are just trying to make it through the day? Great points! Address them all by integrating green into all products so consumers don’t have to think about it. I always thought the ultimate “green marketing” simply snuck (sneaked?) green right past the consumer. Begs the question whether the markets—or the government should be the ultimate arbiters.

ME: I am delighted to see so many comments. Did we hit a nerve or what? Personally I think the word “green” will be obsolete in a few years. It will just be the way it is. It started with “cause” and went to “because” and we’re heading to just “be”. Get what I mean?

JACQUELYN OTTMAN: Carolyn, if not “green” then what? Needs to be simple, memorable — and easily replaceable.  What a fruitful discussion. Wonderful speaking with you all, some for the first time. So how do we get from “because” to just “be”? Will it just happen that way? Remember in the past there were entire ad agencies just focused on marketing to women!

ME: So the question on the table is: How do we get from “because” to just “be”? Personally I think it will happen all by itself. It already is. Green will just be the way it is. State and Federal mandates. Regulations. LEED certified will just “be” the way buildings are built. Then we won’t be calling it green anymore. OK, marketers and biz owners, Jacqui asked: If not “green” then what? We’re making history here.

Please join in our conversation! What do you think?

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This post is part of our TAKE THE GREEN MARKETING CHALLENGE series. Here’s how it works: Send us your green message (logo, tag line, graphic, copy), and we’ll evaluate it. That means a green team of three (Art Director, Copywriter and Account Manager) will thoughtfully assess your brand and we’ll post the results here on our Green Marketing Blog. Then you can join in on the conversation too with your comments. Here’s ours…

Our next challenge taker is the Natural Clothing Company. We’re glad you did because you need our help and it starts right with your name. Natural is a word that we think has completely lost its meaning and become generic.

We Googled “natural clothing” and got 97,000,000 hits. That’s proof that the term has become a bit overused. Now your tag line says “Organic clothes – great for you AND the planet,” so the question is: Are you selling natural or are you selling organic? If your clothes are truly organic, then be that. But you’re going to have to educate us why organic is better than natural. Consumers are still confused. And generally, people don’t know what organic clothing is. Education is everything here.

Tell us that cotton production uses vast amounts of pesticides and chemicals. Then go on to say how those pesticides and chemicals are brushing up against your skin, the largest organ in your body, when you wear conventional cotton clothing. Remind us that what we wear is as important to our health as what we eat. We think that is a story that needs to be told and can never be told enough if you want to change consumption patterns. Now most importantly, entice us with some fabulous organic fashions that we’ll want to eat up!   

NICOLE:  In terms of your visual logo, we were trying to figure out if the leaf (is it a leaf?) with your company name embedded is your logo or just the type treatment of your company name? Why repeat the company name twice? It shows indecisiveness. Pick one. Also, the type that is embedded in your leaf logo is hard to read. Your brand needs to be consistent and clear – and needs to be concept driven. Bottom line: Go back to the drawing board and figure what you are. 

In terms of your website copy, that needs a rewrite. It needs a personality and an ownable point of view. We think there is a lot to talk about. Take the leadership position on why organic fabrics and fibers are so important to the customer as well as the planet. You need to break out of the pack and say something new, exciting and real. What’s your company’s point of view? Here’s an idea for a position: “You are what you wear.” Now build on that.

IRV: Your copy says, “Look fabulous in 2010 and help protect earth with natural, organic clothes,” but you never show me anyone looking fabulous. Fashion (organic, natural or otherwise) is still fashion and people want to look great. Your photos and your models don’t look fabulous. Get a photographer who knows fashion and how to photograph people. What they are wearing will jump off the page. Fashion is always an emotional sell so excite my emotions.

Why not make the experience of shopping on your page fun and exciting? For example, why not be able to change the clothes on the models so you can mix and match? Allow your customers to choose dress pants with blouses. Use a cool display mechanism on your site to show your wares so your shoppers can create their own outfit. This will also showcase your large clothing selection.  Whatever the theme is, make it alive. Highlight your eco-fashion show by putting it up front and ditch the visual of the field. It’s all about the clothes anyway.

CAROLYN: Have your faithful fashion friends join in on the fun. Launch a “You Are What You Wear” contest and have your customers send in photos of themselves wearing your fashions along with a statement on how they are what they wear. Post that on your homepage and FlickR, and give out gift certificates for your new summer fashions as prizes. You bet they will spread the word for you. Word of mouse is the strongest advertising in the world.     

One last note, change your tag line. It’s as old and overused as yesterday’s fashions. People don’t buy clothing to save the planet; they buy it to make themselves feel and look great. Do some drilling down and we’re sure you can come up with a line that makes us all want to dress naturally and look great doing it. If you need some help, you know where to find us. 

Thanks Alina at the Natural Clothing Company for stepping up! 

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Attention Wind Energy companies. It’s not enough to talk kilowatts, wind speed and show me hunky shots of turbines. Make me fall in love. They say all love affairs begin in the mind first, and they are right.

Carolyn and our Art Director, Nicole, attended the Renewable Energy World Show in Austin recently. They noticed over and over again companies, big and small, basically spoke to the head but not to the heart of the issue. They need to remember that I have to say yes to the concept of wind energy first. I have to be willing to change my lifelong energy consumption patterns before I can say yes to turbines as my source of energy.

Tell me how old the use of wind as energy is. Think the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Tell me how practical it is now. Tell me that wind generation is easy to live with. That it is free energy. Tell me how tax credits and government programs are making it so easily affordable. How it will increase farm profits and decrease commercial and residential energy bills. Help make choosing wind a breeze for your customers. Then tell me why your version is better.

Wind Energy companies, do something that will make news. Challenge a school district to an energy audit. Show them how much they could be saving. But do it now and get your message out. The government is reported to be creating programs promoting green and alternative energy. That will begin to spike consumer interest. Make sure you have a message that will capture that interest. 

The time is now. Don’t blow it.

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