by Mark Bellissimo
April 21st, 2009
As a consumer and as a business professional, you can’t escape the economic news today. And for environmental marketing, it’s clear this has been impacted. First, the subject matter of the environment itself has taken a backseat to global economic news. Second, with a drop in consumer confidence, many purchasing decisions in general have been curtailed, environmental products or not. Third, low prices and coupons have taken center stage in shopping and purchasing of goods and services, not exactly good news for many environmentally friendly products which tend to include a cost premium. On the surface, these factors would seem to favor a wait and see perspective, looking for economic improvements before resuming any major environmentally based initiatives. Yet, possibly the most opportune time to test the robustness of your environmentally based messages is now—if you do it in a disciplined manner that emphasizes real value-based benefits. The reason is, sustained marketplace success for environmentally sensitive products isn’t any different than that of products or services in general: those that deliver best on their relevant brand promises will reap the rewards. Like the housing boom, getting caught up in the recent hype of the environment has led some marketers to simply slap “green” labels on products without truly exploring both the real impact on the environment and that of the consumer expectation in purchasing them. So, consider today’s economic environment as a weeding out period of weak environmental promises. Become one of the strong propositions. Start by ensuring yours has real environmental benefit. Then, make sure this benefit meets real customer needs your brand can address. If you have to rationalize this, you are fooling yourself. Lastly, be careful to discern whether there is real value in the proposition for your customer. Consider using the opportunity of today’s marketplace to do this, as consumers need to see your environmentally-based proposition not as a luxury, but as a value based benefit they are willing to pay for—there is no better backdrop than today’s economic conditions to experiment within.
by Chris Seiger
April 21st, 2009
Most people have heard of Earth Day but have no idea where or when it started. The story begins with Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. While the idea of environmental health was the goal, how it was to be achieved was a bit different from the kinds of thoughts that Earth Day conjures for most people these days. Neslon’s agenda was more about population stabilization, which he viewed as critical to environmentalism. More people use more resources and create more waste, and so on. Curbing immigration was one of the population controls he supported. Regardless, his timing was good – the environment was a top-of-mind issue. For example, five months before the first Earth Day, the New York Times ran an article by Gladwin Hill (who led an interesting life himself) which reported on the rising fear of “global cooling.” Ah, the good old days. Nelson actually patterned Earth Day observances after Vietnam War protests and rallies. The April 22 date was chosen to maximize college student and campus participation since it did not fall on exam days, spring breaks, or holidays. Oddly enough, April 22, 1970 would have been Vladimir Lenin’s 100th birthday, which prompted conspiracy theorists of the time to suspect the event to be cover for a communist attack. It was also the birthday of Julius Sterling Morton who founded Arbor Day in 1885 in Nebraska. In any case, on April 22, 1970, the very first Earth Day was observed by some 20 million Americans with the goal of a healthy, sustainable environment. Groups of people who had been fighting separately against things ranging from oil spills and corporate pollution to wildlife and wilderness development had the epiphany that they all shared a common value – the environment. Today, Earth Day observers number in the hundreds of millions worldwide as we work toward a cleaner, healthier world for everyone.
by Chris Seiger
With all the buzz about hybrid cars, electric cars, and natural gas and hydrogen-powered cars, it should not surprise us when some new fuel technology makes headlines. We’re probably not accustomed to seeing it happen with aircraft, though. Continental Airlines just tested a 50/50 mix of jet fuel and a biofuel that originates with algae.
Read the whole story on the BBC News website.
by Kent Graham
December 2nd, 2008
You don’t have to wait for electric cars to “drive greener.” By following these tips for reducing your vehicle’s fuel consumption, you can be friendlier to the environment – not to mention your wallet.
- Limit idling (no matter how small your vehicle, idling gets you 0 mpg)
- Avoid quick starts and stops (can improve fuel efficiency by 33% at highway speeds and 5% at city speeds)
- Slow down (every 5 mph over 55 mph reduces mpg by up to 10%)
- Lighten your cargo load (every 100 lbs. reduces mpg by up to 2%)
- Turn off air conditioning (air reduces mpg by 20%)
- Use cruise control (a steady speed can boost fuel efficiency)
- Tighten gas cap (loose caps cause fuel to evaporate)
- Keep tires properly inflated (can improve mpg by over 3%)
- Rotate and align tires (misalignment hinders fuel economy)
- Give your engine a tune-up if it’s due (can improve mpg by 4%)
- Replace dirty air filters (clean filters can improve mpg by as much as 10%)
For more tips on improving fuel efficiency, visit www.fueleconomy.gov.
