Do you know your communication footprint?
Boston, October 1 and 2
Workshops, September 30
First 300 Conference registrations receive signed and dedicated Peter Max limited edition poster.
Keynotes: Lester Brown, Joel Makower, Tyler Elm - Michael Harrison
Anticipate Risk
· Get the keys to an effective sustainability strategy. Learn how to Grow, Expand and Defend your Brand.
· Learn to measure and report your sustainability metrics.
Get tools. Get Active. Get Real.
SPECIAL WORKSHOPS:
Design for Sustainability
Sustainability 101
IntertechPira for Printers
Conference
Speakers
from companies like:
ValueNews Network
Corporate Watchdog Radio
IMC2
Consumers Union
Terrachoice
Greenseal
Core77, Inc
Umbria Inc.
SRI World Group
Fortune Money Group
Advertising Age
Praxair
The Carbon Disclosure Project
ArcWire.org
MediaPost
Leo Burnett USA
Credit360
Draft FCB
Horizon Media
Roughstock Studios
Aberdeen
Change
Ogilvy
Harvard University |
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Greetings!
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 Carpe Diem
Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens have "outed" and expressed an idea that big business doesn't want bandied about in polite conversations. I say, more power to them.
"The requirement for coal fired power plants and gasoline driven cars is past. Get with sustainable power sources and do it now."
Wow, do you think they could have picked bigger, more entrenched, better-financed opponents? Hardly.
First, foremost and always, scientifically, ethically, and morally they are dead right. That fact always increases the sting of the insult to the barons of industry. They look dumb and reactionary in the bright light of truth.
With this push toward sustainability there are two underlying and important changes to watch.
1. Climate changes have accelerated beyond earlier estimates - The pace of arctic melting has increased substantially, moving climate warming toward the point where the warming feedback loop establishes itself and things get much worse much faster and perhaps out of human control.
2. The push-back will increase - In light of our resolve to cap Green House Gasses. Nay sayers and opponents voices will rise to a shrill intensity in all media.
Expect to hear much more about:
· "Clean coal" This is a pure fiction. It is like saying clean untreated excrement.
· "Sequestered CO2" Sequestered CO2 held in what? Old coke bottles? Highly unlikely or effective over time when you consider we currently dump 7 Billion tons of CO2 per year into the atmosphere from thousands of geographically distributed power plants.
· We can't build a power grid to distribute solar, wind, and geothermal power. Utter hogwash.
There will be a lot of work for Advertising and PR firms as both the Power and the Automotive industries shed their current products and scurry to tool-up and transition to a non-fossil fuel tomorrow.
If any country is excellent at this type of conversion, the drive and enthusiasm of the U.S. work force has been equal to the task in wartime and peace time and every time. If we really put our minds and backs into the task we'll have jobs and wealth flowing into the USA faster than at any time in the past.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to recapture world markets. Recognize it for what it is; the potential for a huge gain in wealth for us all.
So, Get Tools. Get Active. Get Real. Participate.
Lisa Wellman, CEO, SustainCommWorld
You can sign up to receive the Pickens Plan
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TECH MARKETERS TAKE NOTE
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Do "green" products and marketing matter in the enterprise technology industry? According to GreenFactor,the first global "green" enterprise IT study released today by Strategic Oxygen, GCI Group and Cohn &
Wolfe, "green" products are not only highly important for the environment, they are potentially profitable:
More than 70 percent of the global respondents said they "probably" or "definitely" would increase their preference for a brand's "green" products if they were convinced of the positive impact on the environment and business.
Almost 60 percent said they would expect to pay a premium for "green" products. While there are significant "green" IT opportunities, GreenFactor also highlights some major challenges, according to Michael Gale, CEO, Strategic Oxygen. "There are statistically significant differences between countries, so many of the 'green global campaigns' being implemented by IT brands today will not be successful. Plus, the C-suites and their IT groups are not in-synch and really don't believe there is a 'return on green'"
"The bottom line is that 'green' IT marketers are going to have to be really smart about how they go to market," added Paul Walker, president, GCI Group. "They need to target the right countries and the right 'green advocates' in the C-suite with credible value propositions.
For further information on this study, click here.
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EMPLOYEES WANT CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
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Corporate leaders confronted by the twin challenges of peak oil and rising environmental and social concerns have an ally in their employees, if they can just figure out how to help those employees harness their concerns for the brands benefit. New research by Fresh Marketing reveals most employees have embraced the principles of corporate social responsibility: They want the change, and they are looking for ways to bring their values to work.
Key findings from the "2008 Corporate Sustainability Employee Study" include:
· Only one-third of businesses are taking sustainability to the core of the firm so far.
· Fifty-four percent of employees remain confused over how environmental and social impacts are addressed or feel that they are kept in silos.
· Nine out of 10 employees link brand reputation to addressing
environmental and social impacts, yet 83 percent of companies have not fully incorporated their corporate responsibility performance into business metrics.
· Most employees want more education and resources on corporate sustainability, as only one in 10 feel completely prepared to address such social and environmental issues on the job.
· Employees ranked GE, HSBC, Intel, J&J, Marks & Spencer, Nike,
Patagonia, Starbucks, Timberland, Unilever and Wal-Mart as among
the more socially responsible companies.
The study found that three-quarters of employees questioned reported that management is indifferent at best to helping gain the tools and knowledge they need to address these issues.
To reach Fresh Marketing, click here.
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| "GREENEST "ADULTS THE MOST TECH SAVVY
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 MRI provides magazine audience and multimedia research data, releases data from Survey of the American Consumer in the spring and fall. In the spring surey of '08, they addressed "green" market segmentation, attitudes and environmental action.
The "greenest" of the segments is composed of Green Advocates. These are the most ecology-minded people: they recycle, drive hybrid cars, buy organic foods and actively preserve the environment. They tend to be older ad more likely to embrace technology. They are opinion leaders who research and read product reviews before buying technology. They are 65% more likely to give technology product advice about what they've learned to others.
Green Advocates are also 41% more likely to completely agree that technologyhelps make their life more organized; 36% more likely to be fascinated by newtechnologies; and 30% more likely to completely agree that computers are a goodsource of entertainment. They are also 24% more likely than the average U.S.adult to prefer to use the Internet when booking travel and 23% more likely to be comfortable conducting day-to-day banking online.
To learn more about this study, click here.
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