What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

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  caddit10/28/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Slashdot ran a similar item where they concluded IT specialists are much more concerned about orange(security) than green(environment). Makes sense.

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  dyun10/28/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  I think it is really strange that you write "[t]hat???s right ??? the whole push to do things virtually and plugging in is actually worse for the environment, as a whole, than getting in our cars or taking an airplane."
  
  We can more easily control where our energy comes from then replacing a whole world's fleet of cars and airplanes. That is what clean energy technologies are all about. For example in California, we have a ballot measure that would mandate that 50% of our energy come from renewable technologies. Not everyone is using coal and its clear that we are inevitably going to move towards cleaner if not 0% emission technologies.
  
  yes, I agree the "green" movement in marketing has gone way overboard and it doesn't really mean anything anymore. I just think it is irresponsible to proliferate ideas that make any kind of energy waste OK in the same breath as criticizing a marketing trend.

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  paultroberts10/28/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  If that's true, why do you have a GREEN LOGO?

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  GreenManEducates10/28/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  not sure about your article.
  I just started a website recently that is targeted as schools and kids to do something for the environment.
  www.greenupthegardenstate.com
  we have gotten a great response and a term is needed to initiate the environmentalist reaction to a new generation. Green is that term.

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  detanrep10/28/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  It's true that the environmental term "Green" has become a catch-all, overused and often politically abused term that has blurry meaning to consumers. Sustainability and "Carbon-footprint", although less used fall into the same catagory but to a lesser degree.
  It's easy to understand why consumers are unsure and confused as they hear "experts" bandy these terms about. Ususlly the "experts" speaking loudest are selling something. Also to help confuse consumers there is often conflicting scientific data backing up different points of view. A good example is the general belief that anything paper is evironmentally better than anything plastic which is not always the case.

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  ndlicht110/28/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Its about time somebody pointed out that this term has virtually no meaning at all unless you are referring to the color of money in the US.
  
  Business speak again strikes out

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  rmsimons10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  I don't think that "Green" in PR use is dead
  just yet but it is definitely being driven
  towards a big brick wall at quite some speed.
  
  Just take a look at what happened with the term
  "eco-tourism". The entire world suddenly
  offered their existing touris products as eco-
  tours, completely taking away the power of the
  words.

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  gonca.telli@...10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  We should also think about what environmentally friendly is. For example if we are talking SMS messages that has no paper waste. Can we say this is environmental? If there are alot of "beeps" or "ringtones" around us we could say we have a uproar problem of the environment.

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  ErinKMcNeely10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  If the perception of "green" is convoluted to the public then WE need to do a better job of publicizing ALL that "green" can be. How wonderful to have a word that can evolve into meaning as many things to do with sustainability, conservation, recycling, re-using, re-purposing, and responsibility! We call ours GoGreen at the office...and we are looking for that one thing that appeals to someone so that they will participate. It might just be recycling their soda cans or using less paper towel. I like the big idea of "green" because it can mean something to everyone. Other words are great too...because they are specific and help tie things down for someone. But anyone, everyone could and should be "green" in some way...because it all counts and it all matters and it all can work. We (me and others with my company)have worked very hard to just make our employee population very aware to think "Green" -- in some fashion or form, FIRST. How nice to have a word that we can tout to mean more -- like "love" or "the spirit of Christmas" -- makes it open to include so much more!

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  fintroop10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  The use of a "green" qualification must be related to an environmentally safe process and product, considering all the lyfecycle from raw material to recovery or discharge.
  
  The only information that appears on the packaging as well as on the marketing communication is mostly structured on the "sellability", the attitude to be sold, by simply skipping all the others info related to product. That's the problem.
  
  The conversion is a matter of culture and this will take time to modify the attitude to consumption...but this not means some people today do not have the opinion that trying to reduce the impact of our lifestyle is a remarkably action, also for the next generations!!!!
  
  Financially speaking if one has discounted all life to its present value in terms of good, with no reasoning about what does it mean for the future...no value creation in the long run could ever be created.This is an ethic value before an economic one.
  
  We are living in an irrational way, depleting resources while reason could lead to a better way of consumption.
  
  Green need to be explained to people ...but information has its costs and consumer do not want to pay for.
  
  Energy is directly affecting the wallet and this is immediately perceived ....
  
  Once again an immediate advantage is prefered to a long term one...
  
  We must reflect on our choices.

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  Bob Wileman10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  An attempt to politicise a common sense approach to economical use of resources and the consequences of their use, in order to convert an attitude of "I can afford it therefore I can use it" to one of "I can afford it, but I will use it sparingly and usefully."

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  jmasters@...10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Quite a claim to make with no data cited to support this. I would like to see that data.
  
  "That???s right ??? the whole push to do things virtually and plugging in is actually worse for the environment, as a whole, than getting in our cars or taking an airplane."

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  fhagie@...10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Avoid labels. Market and sell customer value.

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  GreenCPA10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Your remark that a virtual meeting is worse than getting in a car or taking an airplane doesn't make sense and deserves a retraction.

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  CarolBlaha10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  I will challenge you-- you cannot show me one-- ONE company that cannot play the "green" card. We didn't just chuck out our plants, etc and become green overnite. I was a youngster in Pgh where the mills routinely dumped waste water in the river- which would would be shut down with a bunch of wooplah. My masters thesis was on this and I was sure of my thought process but was still surprised/ Today a product has to be long wearing, etc etc and "green". Everything is Life Cycle analysis, and (as a founder of the CO Chapter US Green Bldg Council) can say-- that is where we will separate the "greenwash" which is a term quickly becoming overused and passe-- to understanding LCA and eco isolationism. You can't just recycle and use child labor. You can't have a product that can be legally washed down the sewar that creates medical problem to those who manufacture it.
  
  LCA is the future of green marketing. I started writing an article on this by request from another source-- it has grown to a 3 part article. First, on FTC requirements- its the friggin law-- dont make claims you can't support. 2nd on LCA and 3rd on "green purchasing" a standard developed by GSA that is developing into an industry standard. If anyone wants the link when I finish-- let me know and let Bnet know so they'll reprint.

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  jongreer10/29/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Thanks to everyone for their comments. To clarify, I didn't say that one virtual meeting used more energy than getting a car and going to the meeting. I said that in aggregate, coal-burning electricity generation plants create more CO2 than the transportation sector. I'm waiting for Suzanne shelton's slides for the back-up info but it was something like 2-1 -- Coal-burning plants generate 30+ percent of the CO2 to about 15% for transportation. So if we all switch out of our cars and plug in to the electric grid, yes, without a doubt, it would be worse for the environment -- unless we replace coal-burning with less harmful ways of generating electricity, like wind, solar and water.

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  mastiazaran10/30/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  GREEN works! Not only in the US but also in Mexico City. I found that people who do not speak English relate the word and color to Eco friendly products and/or systems.

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  AlejandroMoreno10/30/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Thanks Jon for clarifying. However, besides the fact
  that we're still waiting for Ms. Shelton's hard data to
  back up this "claim", what about the following?:
  
  Is Ms. Shelton saying that we should:
  
  * Go back to faxing instead of e-mailing?
  * We should drive down to the store instead of shop
  online?
  * We should fly to corporate meetings instead of
  having teleconferences and webinars?
  * We should print out letters, documents, receipts,
  invoices etc and give them to the mailman instead of
  e-mailing?
  * What about all the additional waste we generate
  when we travel, have in-flight meals or meals on the
  road/fast food, the paper, plastic utensil and food
  wrapping?
  * Renting cars, the maintenance involved, extra fuel
  consumption and pollution
  *The towels and linens we use at hotels/motels, their
  washing, often with chlorine bleach, and the
  subsequent cleaning of the rooms with water and
  usually non/green chemicals,
  *Taxis and shuttles and all that generates
  *Sending invoices via Fed Ex instead of digitally, ergo
  generating more demand for petroleum based
  combustible-driven transportation?
  
  It would be better to go back to business as usual?
  
  I find it hard to believe that all of us taking our cars
  and getting in airplanes would somehow be better.
  
  If you've calculated your carbon footprint lately
  (http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/individuals/cat
  egory/Carbon%20Calculators/ just one of many sites),
  you would know that just one average flight a year
  kicks your carbon footprint WAY up, not to mention
  what the jet plane trails apparently do to global
  warming: http://www.contrails.nl/contrails-
  research/temperature%2002.htm
  
  I certainly don't have as much business expertise as
  you or Ms. Shelton have, but if I am interpreting her
  and your statements correctly, coming from someone
  with as much clout as you two have, my gut tells me
  your statements quoted above are at best, highly
  irresponsible given the large audiences you both speak
  to and the fields in which they move. So I'd like to
  sincerely extend an opportunity for you to
  communicate with future leaders of Sustainable
  Enterprise at the Green MBA program and others, and
  clarify your statement intentions for us, and most of
  all, give you a chance to correct me if my
  interpretation is wrong, in this public forum.
  
  Respectully,
  
  Alejandro Moreno
  
  Green MBA, Class of 2010
  Dominican University,
  Marin County, CA
  
  www.greenmba.com

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  jongreer10/30/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Suzanne Shelton did not make the 'plugged in' statement in the last paragraph of my post. That was my interpretation of the data she presented.
  
  As to the challenges to that statement above: sure, having one conference call appears to be much 'greener' than getting on a plane and going to the meeting. But for that one hour meeting, are you factoring in the massive communication infrastructure that has to be maintained 24/7/365 for your convenience so you can just pick up the phone? Don't you suppose that takes electricity generated by a power plant?

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  valeriehg10/31/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  I think the term "green" is a great marketing idea. It has achieved a lot of recognition and created a lot of momentum for people to become more environmentally conscious. We have started a Green Team at my office.

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  amandablake11/21/08 Report as spam
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  RE: What Consumers Really Think of Green PR

  Wow... I actually answered green.