Cut the Greenwash!

Monday, May 19, 2008 | 1 p.m.

If I hear another commercial espousing a company’s “Greenhood” by offering carbon offsets, I think I’ll puke!

Land Rover says it cares about the environment so much that it will plant a tree for every vehicle sold to help offset the carbon emissions of that vehicle. I recently rented a car at Enterprise and was asked if I wanted to pay an extra $1.25 to help offset the emissions from the car I was renting. Perhaps offering a low emission or alternative fuel vehicle would be more appropriate. Or better yet, how about investing in research and development for a vehicle that doesn’t use fossil fuels? Or how about investing in alternative transportation methods that would make the buying or renting of a vehicle unnecessary?

A carpet company sales representative recently came to my office to present a wonderful product–a new 100% recycled carpet tile. I was really impressed until I saw the sales representative leave in his Hummer H2. As I watched him drive away, I wondered if the product really lived up to its billing.

Almost everyone has jumped on the “green” bandwagon. That’s the good news! But are these companies really interested in the environment, or is being “green” just the new chic and a way to gain more market share for their goods and services?

I recently received a very large, very thick, direct mail piece from a company touting its sustainable approach to design. The piece was printed on 90% post consumer material, so I suppose the company is “green.” While I appreciated the beauty of the marketing piece, it probably was the wrong medium to tout its “greenness.” To me, the message was lost and, quite frankly, so was the company’s credibility.

There is a very large, new town being planned approximately 60 miles north of my hometown of Las Vegas. This new town will use water pumped from a couple of rural counties hundreds of miles away. The town is expected to eventually house 150,000 people and will include 17 golf courses. The homes are being advertised as ENERGY STAR¹ homes, and the clubhouse is being touted as a LEED² Silver building. One of the engineering firms working on the project recently asked our firm if we could help it integrate sustainable strategies into the piping and pumping design for the water transmission system. Piping water from rural farmland to a new town in the middle of the desert sustainably. What an oxymoron!

I’m not a Birkenstock-wearing, organic farming, sage tea drinking environmentalist (OK, I like sage tea), but even I can see through this greenwash. All is not lost, however. There are many new companies that are matching their values with their actions.

Borrego Solar Systems in El Cajon, California only uses vehicles that use biodiesel. And it only buys from companies that produce locally or utilize alternative fuel vehicles for shipping. Earth Mama Angel Baby from Clackamas, Oregon only uses recycled containers to package its organic line of products for pre-natal and post-natal women and their babies.³ New Belgium Brewing’s entire Colorado brewery is 100% wind-powered, making it the first brewery in the United States to be fossil-fuel free.⁴

These companies have found a way to be true to their beliefs in the environment. But I’m even impressed by little things like receiving an electronic version of a marketing flyer or a newsletter. I even make a point to read them just because I appreciate the effort.

Here are some things to consider for your company:

If you are saying you’re green, then act that way. Remember that your actions always speak louder than your words. Align your green message with the beliefs and values that you are willing to live.

Don’t just feel good, feel good about really doing something. There are many things you can do that of which you should be proud of. Remember the old-turned-new-again saying–Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

If you are really green, you won’t need to promote it. If you have aligned your practices with your belief in environmental stewardship, it will be self-evident. If your brand is self-evident and authentic, people will already know of your green values and you can save that marketing dollar for something more important and purposeful.

I’d like to hear from you:

• Can you share examples of (green) companies walking the talk?

• Have you considered being (green) as a value and not just a marketing strategy?

• Do you believe that you can be (green) and still be profitable?

Until next time …

Craig

 

¹ ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that rates and promotes energy efficient products and practices.

² LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design developed by the United States Green Building Council, a program that rates buildings by their environmental and energy conserving strategies.

³ BusinessWeek Small Biz Magazine, Mission Possible by Anne Field, December 2007/January 2008 edition.

⁴ Stirring it Up, How to Make Money and Save the World, Gary Hirshberg, Hyperion Publishing, January 2008.