I was reading the Internet tonight and came across an interesting website, called “the great green list.” The Great Green List describes itself as “the fastest growing human edited library of environmentally focused information on the Internet.”
My company, Grossman Marketing Group, was included in the Green Marketing section. Here’s a quick link to the page:
http://www.greatgreenlist.com/Green-Marketing-111.html
The site features a number of “green” resources. Check it out!
In further news that renewable energy is a good thing for an organization to adopt, see the news below about Dell, courtesy of GreenBiz.com
OAKLAND, Calif., April 3, 2008 — Energy from wind and landfill gas sources now completely powers Dell Inc.’s 2.1 million square foot headquarters in Austin, Texas, the computer maker said Wednesday.
Dell’s announcement of a deal with Waste Management and TXU Energy Wind Power is part of its bid to achieve carbon neutrality at its owned and leased facilities this year.
Waste Management’s Austin Community Landfill gas-to-energy facility will supply about 40 percent of the power needs at Dell’s headquarters, with the remainder coming from existing wind farms in the state through TXU Energy.
Dell’s Austin Parmer Campus also is seeing an increase in green power, from 8 percent to 17 percent, through Austin Energy. The company’s Twin Falls, Idaho, facility is also powered completely by wind and solar power.
In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, the company said the contract is for a little more than 80 million kilowatt hours per year. Dell declined to say how much the contract was worth, but predicted that green power, which now sells for a slight premium compared to conventional power, could one day sell more cheaply.
Retrofit projects across Dell facilities, such as deploying power management systems and replacing inefficient lighting and air conditioners, save the company $2 million a year.
The news comes just days after the company said it would close a desktop PC manufacturing plant in Austin and lay off as many as 8,800 workers as part of a massive restructuring plan designed to save the company $3 billion during the next three years.
Below is an article I recently submitted for publication to the Association of Fundraising Professional’s newsletter about green marketing for not-for-profits. Nevertheless, the lessons discussed are applicable to for-profit businesses as well.
****
Nearly every day, when we open a newspaper or magazine or turn on the news, we see and hear something about the importance of being “green.” There are many reasons for this, most notably the acceptance of global warming as fact. Global warming has gone from a term used in the scientific community to a national issue on the minds of tens of millions of Americans. 2007 was the year when most citizens began to take notice and take action, and they are increasingly demanding that the places where they work, companies from which they buy products, and organizations to which they donate make significant and sustained efforts to address environmental issues. These efforts must cut across all facets of an organization, from energy conservation, to recycling initiatives, to waste and water use reduction.
One of the most active conversations that we constantly have with our clients in the not-for-profit world, particularly those in development and communications, is how they can show their donors, prospects, and constituents that they are acting in an environmentally-conscious way. In addition to implementing some of the operational business practices mentioned above, we highlight their collateral as a valuable tool in this effort. Quite often, their mailings and other marketing pieces are the principal vehicle through which they communicate with their key stakeholders and thus provide tremendous opportunities to connect in focused ways.
Each new project is an opportunity to deliver a values-laden message at a time when environmentally-sound practices are one of the hottest topics on the political, social and business landscapes. In fact, according to recent national polling data, the environment was a top-five issue with Americans, behind the economy, Iraq, and healthcare. For that reason, in addition to using marketing and fundraising projects simply as a means to discuss a specific topic (i.e. an event, annual appeal, etc), it is important to think bigger and bolder. Therefore, we make strategic recommendations on how to produce these pieces in environmentally-friendly ways, which strengthen the relationship between the organization and the donor. This is a critical part of the mission of fundraising professionals, and we are working closely with not-for-profit clients all over New England to make that goal a reality.
Research demonstrates the importance of the environment to prospective donors. According to a 2007 Gallup poll, 83% of respondents said that they believed the environmental record of an organization is an important factor when deciding to buy one of its products. According to an environmental survey published by Cone LLC, a cause branding firm headquartered in Boston, 93% of Americans “believe companies have a responsibility to help preserve the environment” while 91% of Americans said they “have a more positive image of a company when it is environmentally responsible.” There is no question that this data applies to not-for-profits as well.
Not only does incorporating sustainable business practices into your organization make good business sense, it is also the right thing to do. Manufacturing of all kinds, including the creation of collateral, requires large amounts of electricity, traditionally produced by fossil fuel-powered generators. The combustion of fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Therefore, one of most effective ways to address the environment with your marketing communications is to produce your materials with renewable energy, specifically wind power. Any number of third-party reports highlight that wind power resonates very well with end consumers – who make up your respective donor bases.
Therefore, we made the strategic investment in early 2007 to power our envelope production facilities with 100% certified wind power, using Green-e certified renewable energy credits. We offered envelopes made with wind power at no extra cost, and the program took our industry by storm. Some of our initial customers included: American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Boston University, Common Cause, Federation of American Scientists, League of Conservation Voters, National Park Foundation, Partners Healthcare, Project Bread, Tufts University and WBUR. Over the past year, we have worked with approximately 75 clients to produce more than 120 million envelopes with wind power, which has saved more than 33,000 gallons of oil!
In addition to the wind-power envelope initiative, Grossman Marketing Group now offsets 100% of our energy use in all of our facilities, so can help our clients make all of their printed collateral with certified wind power, at no extra cost. In addition to renewable energy, we have come up with some very simple tips to “green” our clients’ collateral projects, always with the bottom line in mind.
We recommend that once clients make the decision to make their collateral more environmentally-friendly, they clearly articulate this to their constituents. We work with our clients to translate the environmental savings into very simple and easy-to-understand terms so your donors can fully grasp the positive contributions you are making to the environment. You should never hesitate to explain the work that you are doing – whether it is on the back of an envelope, or in a section of your annual report or newsletter. Clear communication and transparency are absolutely critical, as they will allow you to use your environmentally-conscious approach as a way to differentiate your organization from your competition and establish a competitive advantage.
Below is an article from GreenBiz about the law firm, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP’s green initiative. I have heard from some of my company’s legal clients that they are starting to see RFPs for legal work contain a section on the firm’s sustainability measures. Definitely a connection between “green” business practices and the bottom line!
Source GreenBiz.com
LOS ANGELES, March 24, 2008 — Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP unveiled last week an initiative to boost energy efficiency, reduce waste and improve its bottom line.
The company wants to be seen as a leader in sustainable business practices within the legal community. The firm plans to enroll in the Law Firm Eco-Challenge program from the American Bar Association and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and make energy efficiency improvements based on internal survey results.
“More corporations and organizations are paying attention to ‘green’ initiatives and expect that their law firms do also. The firm’s Sustainability Program supports the commitment to practices that our clients are adopting and implementing,” Visser said. “Our initiative has also been well-received internally, as it strengthens and celebrates the firm’s community and social responsibility. Our attorneys and staff are proud to be part of a firm that is concerned with sustainability issues.”
There will be an internal website dedicated to its sustainability initiative and a blog, to be created with its Global Climate Change practice group. The initiative, led by Partners Randolph Visser and Rafael Muilenburg, encourages its personnel to help identify new ways to foster sustainable business practices.
In early March 2008, my firm, Grossman Marketing Group, announced that we had delivered more than 100 million envelopes made from certified wind power to our clients for their direct mail programs. Here’s a link to a Somerville, MA blog:
The New York Times published an interesting article on the growth of the wind power industry. Definitely a good read for people who are interested in renewable energy.
Please note – photo courtesy of The New York Times (photographer: Brian Harkin).
****
February 23, 2008
The Energy Challenge
Move Over, Oil, There’s Money in Texas Wind
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
SWEETWATER, Tex. — The wind turbines that recently went up on Louis Brooks’s ranch are twice as high as the Statue of Liberty, with blades that span as wide as the wingspan of a jumbo jet. More important from his point of view, he is paid $500 a month apiece to permit 78 of them on his land, with 76 more on the way.
“That’s just money you’re hearing,” he said as they hummed in a brisk breeze recently.
Texas, once the oil capital of North America, is rapidly turning into the capital of wind power. After breakneck growth the last three years, Texas has reached the point that more than 3 percent of its electricity, enough to supply power to one million homes, comes from wind turbines.
To read the entire article, please visit the following website:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/business/23wind.html
I’m excited to be speaking later this week to members of Harvard Extension School’s Environmental Management Program. Here’s a brief blurb on the event as well as link to the school’s calendar. A video of the presentation will be available later this spring:
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/alumni/events/
Going Green: Environmentally-sound Marketing Solutions
Friday, February 29
5:30–7:30 pm
Grossman Common Room
51 Brattle Street, Cambridge
Learn how companies can strategically and successfully “go green” in a discussion led by Ben Grossman and Steve Grossman of Grossman Marketing Group. Grossman Marketing Group is a leader in the field of environmentally-sound marketing solutions and offers sustainability audits and advice to help companies “go green.” Originally founded as Massachusetts Envelope Company in 1910 by Maxwell Grossman, the company is in its fourth generation as a family-owned business. Refreshments will be served, and this event is free and open to all HEAA and HESA members. No tickets or reservations are required.
I recently came across an interesting site that features a directory of “green” papers for the print industry. My firm has used New Leaf paper frequently for our own communications as well as specific client projects, and have always been pleased with their quality:
Tandberg, a visual communications firm, collaborated with research firm Ipsos MORI to conduct a study on corporate environmental behavior and the impact on brand values. The report has some very interesting figures.
Here’s a link to the report:
http://www.ivci.com/pdf/corporate-environmental-behaviour-and-the-impact-on-brand-values.pdf
Here’s a brief summary of the report from Tandberg’s site:
Consumers and employees reward green companies
How is ‘going green’ really affecting the way we live our lives? Does it impact the products we buy and the companies we work for? How can new technologies help us? And what is the best way to go about making a positive impact within our workplaces?
To answer these questions, TANDBERG teamed up with research firm Ipsos MORI to survey people’s attitudes in 15 countries. This survey is one of the largest global research projects into consumer attitudes toward climate change and its impact on corporate brands.
BBMG, a national marketing firm, has published an interesting report (in conjunction with marketing partners Global Strategy Group and Bagatto) on “conscious consumers” and the impact they are having on marketing.
According to BBMG, the report “combines ethnographic research in three U.S. markets with a national survey of 2,007 adults to reveal how companies can reach, inspire and motivate today’s
savvy and values-driven consumers.
Below please find a link to a PDF of the report:
http://www.bbmg.com/pdfs/BBMG_Conscious_Consumer_White_Paper.pdf
Sustainable Ink 