Go Green and Mean It
After 2.5 years in the proverbial African mud hut in Peace Corps, I decompressed for a few months by working as the head housekeeper for a dude ranch in Colorado. The general manager approached me with small placards she wanted me to place in every bathroom. “We love the environment,” the cards proclaimed. “Please reuse your towels to save water and energy.”
“This will save us money on the laundry service,” she said, “and it’ll make us look good.”
I balled my fists and put them on my hips before sputtering out the reply. “You’ve got to be kidding me! We don’t recycle; we don’t compost; we don’t do anything for the environment. I’m not putting these up in the rooms and lying to our guests!”
After we determined that my outburst was just shy of grounds for termination, she and I compromised. She let me start a recycling program at the ranch, and I put the cards in the room.
That was 1995, a few years before “An Inconvenient Truth” and the ubiquitous acceptance of the need for environmental awareness. As a freelance copywriter, many of my clients ask me to write articles or flyers about how green the company is, describing their recycling policies, energy savings, green marketing strategies, etc.
My question is still the same one I posed to my boss at the dude ranch: Sure, you have recycle bins near the main printer. But are you really green?
BusinessWeek listed a “Green Crisis” as one of its Ten Likely Events in 2008.
“There will be a backlash in the green movement after it becomes clear that many of the companies claiming to be green are in fact nothing of the sort,” the article states. “Businesses that proclaim they are ‘carbon neutral’ will find that such proclamations no longer carry much weight among far more skeptical media and consumers.”
More consumers are looking for proof of an environmentally conscious agenda by the companies they choose. Before your marketing department wraps your website in a green border, examine your company’s policies to make sure you pass the consumer green sniff test.
Here are a few tips for making sure you’re communicating a truthful message about your company’s green efforts.
- Don’t exaggerate.
Buying carbon offsets or wind energy credits can actually give you the “right” to say your company is powered by alternative energy sources even if you’re plugging your computer into the same power plant you always have. But companies like Native Energy can help you reduce your carbon footprint and spread a truthful message about your environmental efforts. - Write a green philosophy statement.
Put down in writing the things your organization does to reuse, reduce and recycle. If you’re just getting into the green scene, say so, but detail how you’re making changes. Post the information on your website, and be ready to share it with people who ask. - Share green tips with your audience.
Everyone wants to be greener these days. Share small tips on what you do to think green in your regular communication such as emails (try your signature line!), eNewsletters, promotions, etc. - Just the stats, please.
Spend some time calculating how much paper, energy and resource your organization’s green efforts have saved. This info can make a nice press release. - Participate in green events.
Organize your staff for a Saturday trash pick-up in your area, or volunteer for a storm drain cleaning project. Then let your clients know about your events and give them resources to participate as well.
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Claire (aka Little Miss) on 07 May 2008 at 6:59 am #
Excellent post, Beth. I think if more companies embraced virtual teams and telecommuting they could really consider themselves green. Think about the number of cars that would no longer be congesting the freeways and polluting the air. Not to mention the reduction in the number of office buildings being built in downtown areas and such.
Wayne on 21 May 2008 at 6:22 am #
I mostly avoid companies that tout “green credentials”. The green policies mean they have to charge way more; a clear sign that I should have shopped around for a better deal. Besides, I’m reading research now that suggests that global warming is a total scam, and even Penn and Teller have exposed that most recycling requires more energy than creating new products, all to prevent landfills from popping up in no man’s land in the desert. Green is losing its punch; its followers appear more dogmatic than they do intelligent, thinking people. Like all religions, the green religious cult will flash out soon when people decide to stop drinking the kool aid.
Laura on 21 May 2008 at 6:35 am #
Oh, the green washing!
Last year, I attended a marketing meeting at a company that is very big on pushing their environmental agenda.
Just about everyone at the meeting was drinking Dasani. Out of plastic bottles. Over the wooden conference table.
When I got the invitation in the mail to attend their “big green event” last month - it was stuffed with colorful little paper & ink animal-shaped do-hickeys. Apparently, the paper tigers underscore the idea that the company’s ad agency thinks wild animals are nice.
The hypocrisy is utterly lost of these folks and their ad team. Pointing it out made no difference.
They seem to feel that most people will repeatedly hear or see “Green” or “LEED” — and not look any deeper. Saying it over and over will lead to effective public brainwashing.
And I’m beginning to suspect that the greenwashers are right. They only need to repeatedly “say green” — and not “do green” to gain public love & trust.
But I sincerely hope YOU are right — and the backlash will catch hold and make a difference.
Simon Ghent on 21 May 2008 at 6:36 am #
Good article Beth.
I agree that a “greenwash” backlash will begin soon. Research from the 451 Group demonstrated that for many companies green policies are driven by a combination of economic, compliance, CSR or operational reasons. The drivers for change will depend on many factors however the majority are leaning towards economic or operational benefits before compliance or CSR commitments. The scepticism of many to businesses “green credentials” is therefore not unduly surprising.
I have recently set up a consultancy business that assists companies to identify and deliver tangible energy saving and environmental benefits. Honestly educating both the internal and external audience is one of the key elements to this process. Just paying for carbon “offsetting” won’t cut it with people for very long - it requires an in-depth and comprehensive cultural adjustment.
CarolBlaha on 21 May 2008 at 6:37 am #
Its not true that “green” companies charge more for their products or services. I was a founder of the CO Chapter, US green building Council. the truth is, we are many green attributes are built into our products as our manufacturing and building codes have evolved. Building and “green building” for example are becoming synonymous. Unfortunately, so has greenwash and as in the example above– eco-isolationism. I did my Masters thesis on green marketing last year. I think that buying carbon offsets is like buying a stairway to heaven. The funds are not regulated. Even some of their founders say planting trees (the most popular offset) does little to help the environment.
Consumers have to be wary and do their homework. As long as we are consuming we are leaving an enviro footprint. We must choose the product that is best for us.
Matt on 21 May 2008 at 6:42 am #
I think people are definitely waking up to the fact that Green can be seen as a pure marketing ploy and, much like we have seen with adverts, consumers are developing a sense of what is genuine and what is a pure, cynical exercise for percieved commercial gain. We have our own “Green Screens” now.
Terms like ’sustainable,’ ‘carbon footprint’ and ‘green’ are starting to turn people cold. Being green often does prove to be more expensive processes and as we are still very much in a profit and loss oriented world, such “benevolent” moves need to improve the bottom line.
The science may also be floored and people jumping on what has become a multi-billion dollar industry bandwagon. Are we too far in to admit the science may be wrong and all look terribly embarassed if not two-faced?
Ethical, open, honest and accountable is for me the way to go to work within a world oriented by profits and still be able to sleep at night. Nothing wrong with “green” and certainly nothing wrong with trying to do your bit. As long as your bit actually helps.
CarolBlaha on 21 May 2008 at 6:43 am #
Its not true that “green” companies charge more for their products or services. I was a founder of the CO Chapter, US green building Council. the truth is, we are many green attributes are built into our products as our manufacturing and building codes have evolved. Building and “green building” for example are becoming synonymous.
Unfortunately so has the greenwash. And, as the example above– eco isolationism.
I think buying carbon offsets is like buying a stairway to heaven. The funds are not regulated, and planting trees– the most popular trade off– even their orgs say it does little to help the environment.
I just did my Masters Thesis on enviro marketing. In a recent sting of over 100 grocery “enviro” claims– only ONE was honestly represented. Consumers have to be conscious. The movement is toward Life Cycle Analysis, and the Triple Bottom Line. When we get there, we’ll be on the right track.
I offer consulting on helping clients attain this.
Jennifer on 21 May 2008 at 6:59 am #
I understand why some consumers are hesitant of companies that lazily slap a green label on their products, but there are some companies out there who are striving to be environmentally friendly because being responsible and producing less waste is something they care about. The company I work for does provide a premium product, but we have since we started decades ago — and before we dedicated more efforts to being green. It will save us money in the long run, rather than cost us money and cause us to raise prices.
A business has the opportunity to make a bigger impact than one person recycling (while that is important too). As a whole, they can make a very substantial difference — and more importantly, encourage others to consider their green ways too. Already at my company, several employees have taken their environmental friendly ways home and inspired their family and friends.
Being green is more than recycling, it includes doing things more efficiently to reduce waste. No matter what one’s personal beliefs about global warming entails, being more responsible and less wasteful is something all of us can take a lesson from.
Marlena Corcoran on 21 May 2008 at 7:08 am #
I’d be more impressed by the cards asking us to conserve on laundry if the hotel offered a rebate for reusing towels and bed linens.
Jan on 21 May 2008 at 7:25 am #
This is similar to when a business will use the description “Christian” in their publicity. I always take that with a grain of salt. One local business, windows and siding, used to advertise heavily on television with that prominent in their ads. I knew someone that was a neighbor of the business owner and they said he was not a nice man. At some point in the past few years the ads disappeared and recently one of the local TV stations investigated claims of fraud and there was that business owner getting bleeped on TV while he pushed the camera out of his office and slammed the door. Evidently he’d been ripping off customers one way or another from the beginning.
I’m skeptical of claims like that, no matter what they are, unless I can see some evidence of the claim. But that can also be suspect. The business owner I mentioned had customer testimonials in his TV spots, but I found out later they were from friends and family, not from the regular joes out that got a raw deal.
As to the green label, I have to say the Johnson & Johnson commercials have my attention. The ad doesn’t say “we’re green” but tells us they run one of their manufacturing plants from power created by a landfill? Show me you’re green, don’t tell me and I’ll pay more attention.
Bob Glaza on 21 May 2008 at 9:40 am #
Excellent positive advice, Ms Z - walk the talk. The cynicism and skepticism of some remains a mystery to me and I’ve come to accept it. Forty years ago, environmental studies was part of academic study and that was about it. The researchers and scientists were pigeon holed into a category - tree huggers. Ecology might well has been a 4 letter word. Scoffing and sneering was in the vogue. At least today, the marketplace has carved a niche to have the conversation. It ain’t easy being green (my favorite color) but well worth it. Thanks for the post.
Varun badhwar on 21 May 2008 at 10:39 pm #
I see no problem in paying a bit extra for the green credentials, and wayne,no offence but its just not, Al gore thats been working for the cause of global warming but its a serious phenomena across the globe that should be addressed immediately so that earth can be a better place to live and efforts like these should be appreciated in every possible way. And, since you mentioned about Penn and teller, well people know what they have been doing. So, No comments.
Cheers,
Varun Badhwar
julian on 22 May 2008 at 7:21 am #
My friend was works for a green company called Steaz teas. They got organic and fair trade certification and all of their advertising says they are on a mission to do the right thing for the world and people.
It turns out the product is mostly sugar - after water its the top ingredient. My friend works there and wont even drink it or give it to her kids - she said many of the employees who are health conscious wont either because they know it’s all sugar with a green marketing spin . they even added drops of organic acai to their energy drink so they could list it on the container and ride the rainforest trend and acai health benefits. wake up! acai is purple and the drink isnt.
my friend needs a job, but feels guilty because the drink is marketed as healthy and good for the world and really it’s sugar water sold by the healthy beverage company - my advice to her was that people would look at the ingredients and see the truth - let the buyer beware. Bur she just told me something that made me rethink my advice.
I’m not sure this was the best advice. they use fair trade green tea, but it is listed so far down on the ingredients label, yet they put the fair trade logo on their bottles. And then, they added vitamin c to their carbonated, sugared beverages to get their sodas approved for schools.
Because of the certifications, parents think that their kids are drinking a good, organic nutritional product when in reality they are consuming organic sugar - 35 grams in a 12 oz bottle. And, the icing on the cake is that the owners drive huge SUV’s and are getting rich as kids and parents think that the are drinking a healthy , earth friendly product from a company that cares.
Let the next generation of diabetics beware. Greenwashing is everywhere and can have dangerous health effects.
Moonbeam McQueen on 22 May 2008 at 4:00 pm #
Excellent post, Beth. I’m impressed that you stood your ground with the dude ranch manager, and your tips on being ethically green are great.
Nikki on 23 May 2008 at 6:21 am #
Julian, sounds like a case of not just greenwashing but greentea washing.
MissKiss on 25 May 2008 at 10:47 am #
My B&B was state-certified last year as a green lodging property. We are at the bottom of the ‘green food chain’ in my opinion, based on what I know other inns are doing.
Solar power is out of reach as far as cost goes. Refitting the whole building with ‘on demand’ hot water is a dream waiting for the lottery to smile on us. We use passive solar in the winter and have quite a few deciduous trees that block the sun in the summer.
Even with the small amount we are able to accomplish: your registration form is printed on the back of whatever letter-size piece of paper is at hand; we grow our own flowers and herbs; we belong to a CSA; we don’t hand out bottles of water to guests, we filter the tap water and provide glasses for drinking; we don’t have an elaborate, wasteful buffet that ends up in the trash because anything you might have touched can’t be reused; no plasticware; limited paper napkins available; no plastic wrap on your drinking glass,
there is still way more that can be done that we just cannot afford. Because, guess what, you CAN’T charge more for green lodging, guests won’t pay it unless they see an advantage to staying in a green property over a ‘regular’ property.
I do quote our reductions on our website. How many thousands of gallons of water saved, how many kW hours saved, etc. We don’t shove it in your face, there is a short list in the guest book of what we are doing and how you can help, I post ‘home’ tips on our bulletin board so guests can take some ideas away with them, we ask guests for tips they use themselves.
Jlockley on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:00 pm #
I would say backlash has already set in. Sociologically, any trend which becomes universal is already in a downswing, and green has been abused both by ideologues and unprincipled marketers. When administrative bodies begin regulating it, it’s lost.
A local chef (Local is San Francisco) who is a highly responsible person found his restaurant so embroiled in a bureaucratic red tape battle (72 pages of documentation to become certified and then another 72 pages and a fine when a detail was noticed out of place) that he now loudly advises every restaurant to just do what’s right and possible and avoid the “movement”.
My years as one of the leaders of the local chapter of the best known sustainability movement brought home to me how much ego, false information and blatant self interest is involved in the organic and green community.
The fact is, as stated here, that having knowledge of what is right, you should do it. This was the case before the press pounced on greenity and began pommelling it to death with swooning adjectives and before Gore turned a valid scientific concern into chicken little hysteria.
Nice piece.
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