I’m often asked by many businesses if they need to be “100% green” to reach the green and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers. I quickly respond by indicating to them that to reach a consumer who makes purchases based on their core values, you need to understand that consumer first. It reminds me of the saying, “seek to understand, then be understood.”

These consumers (LOHAS and green) do not expect you to be perfect. In the same respect, they expect you not to pretend to be entirely green if you’re not. For example, don’t claim to be helping improve people’s health on one hand then be polluting the waterways with chemical-laden products on the other hand. I often talk about transparency. This is not only important, but critical to capturing LOHAS and green consumers as customers. They want to know that your company shares their values and ideals.

I recently conducted another interview with Conde Naste’s online magazine, portfolio.com on the subject of eco-marketing to the mainstream consumer. I thought it might be a helpful topic to share with you today since eco-marketing is so often misunderstood.

Eco-marketing, green marketing, etc.—whatever you call it, you need to either understand the marketplace or hire an expert who does. Not “getting it” in this arena could lead your business to spiral in a downward motion quickly.

Here are some important rules to live by in eco-marketing to mainstream consumers:

1. You need to minimize sacrifices that consumers make in order to buy and use green products and services. If you don’t, you’ll never get them to purchase your product or service.

2. Environmental attributes are important--the more attributes the better. Don’t forget to list benefits for your attributes as well.

3. If consumers face a trade-off with product attributes, the environment always loses. Keep-in-mind, green and LOHAS consumers will rate the environment at the top of their list often, yet the product needs to perform equally or superior than a conventional counterpart for them to even consider it.

In today’s discussion, we’ll talk about my six steps to marketing green. I shared some of these in an article I wrote for Enterprising Women Magazine.

Be seen as credible when marketing green, when you follow these steps:

1. Determine your goals and who you want to reach. If you are looking to reach the green leaders who have stronger green values, you’ll want to concentrate on publications that speak directly to them such as Utne or Mother Earth. If you are looking to reach more of a mainstream consumer who is just getting interested and some LOHAS consumers, you could focus on the Discovery Channel.

2. Tell your story. Green consumers need to be able to identify with your company’s brand and the products and services you represent. By telling your story, they’re able to tie in their values with yours making your message better resonate with them.

3. Be real and authentic. Disclose everything everywhere—on your website, in your collateral material, in your conversations, etc. Even if the truth about products and services you offer is not-so-pretty, disclose it anyway. It will prevent you from becoming greenwashed (The practice of companies making their products appear to be environmentally sound when they are not.)

We’ll cover the final three steps in my next post. Until then, stay true to your green message and initiatives.

Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends

Colette Chandler

I’ve written so many articles on green and LOHAS marketing, that I thought it was time for people to really understand how to define green marketing. You may wonder why now I would be defining green marketing as opposed to defining green marketing in my first blog post.

Now is really the perfect time, especially because there is so much chatter about green marketing in the media.

Green marketing can be defined as marketing your business, brand, product and/or services in an environmentally friendly manner. There are many different ways you can be environmentally friendly or green.

Here are some of them:

In my last thread, I discussed with you the overall definition of green marketing and the fact that various consumer groups define it in various ways. I’ll be devoting our next discussion to how green consumers define green marketing.

To green and LOHAS consumers, green marketing is defined as reducing your carbon footprint (look to my last blog post for a full definition) and doing more than just using recycled paper and recycling your materials and at the same time making the world aware of your efforts. It’s not just about talking about how green you are, but really showing the impact of your green efforts. How have you impacted society as a whole? How much waste have you reduced? How have you educated people to be better environmental stewards?

We’ll be continuing our discussion in the definition of green marketing to mainstream consumers as we’ve already touched on how green and LOHAS consumers define green marketing. If you didn’t have a chance to read my last two posts, you’ll want to do so as I go into the overall definition first before diving into these consumer groups.

Green marketing is still considered fairly new to the mainstream or mass market consumer so they define green marketing much differently than niche markets such as core green or LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers.

Mainstream consumers define green marketing as both positive and negative depending on their level of understand and to which consumer group they belong.

When you define green marketing, you should consider how you can define green marketing both internally and externally.

Let’s focus now on the internal aspects of green marketing.

We all know the word “definition” means: to provide a thorough description of. Paired with “green marketing,” I am referring to how you provide a description of your green marketing efforts internally and externally.

This could be accomplished in a multitude of ways just from an internal perspective.

Think about:

Communication – What form of communication do you need to use to more accurately define your green marketing efforts internally? Is it better to communicate via word-of-mouth, a newsletter, an email, a meeting, signage, etc. Think about it. If you are trying to communicate your green marketing efforts, would it really be best to hang a lot of signs throughout your office? Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I would think so.

There are so many possible ways we could define green marketing internally. In my last thread, I looked at how to define it in your communication, visually, medium, frequency, and venue.

Let’s take a look at some other ways to define green marketing internally that might not be so top-of-mind.

Source – What source are you using to define green marketing internally? Are you using a non-green paper source and a company that prints with chemicals versus soy inks? If so, does this truly define green marketing to your external customers? How about looking for sources that best represent and define green marketing or teaching your existing sources how to be a little greener.

It’s too easy to forget that how you define green marketing is both an internal and an external process. If you focus on it internally by using a greener medium to communicate your message, you could easily undo your efforts by externally sending your external message to your customers in a wasteful way by mailing too much information.

Here are some things to consider when you define green marketing externally. You’ll notice some of the modes may be the same, but the way you define them is far different.

Communication – How are you communicating with your customers to best define green marketing and your efforts? How often will you need to send them information? Is it possible to communicate more regularly via email and send 1-2 catalogs, brochures, etc. per year? Would that better define green marketing and your efforts?

Events – What types of events better define green marketing and the message you want to deliver? How can you ensure your event is green and defines green marketing in your efforts? Could you provide leftover food to a shelter? Could you compost it and provide it to a local garden center? What about the marketing materials for your event? How could you best define green marketing in those materials? I’ll cover green meetings in a future post.

In my last couple of posts, I looked at how to define green marketing both internally and externally. I addressed everything from visual communication to events. I’d like to take some time to dive deeper into both subjects and address some subjects more in-depth as well as answer various questions I often get asked.

Why is it so important for me to define green marketing internally?

When you define your green marketing efforts you do so by demonstrating how green your brand truly is. The first true experience someone has with your brand may be the moment they step foot into your office or pick up the phone to call you. It’s true that they do get a “sense” of your brand from the moment they see your name and marketing piece or ad. You really drive that experience home when they see how you define green marketing and your efforts internally. Let me give you some examples.

It’s time to dig even deeper into how we define green marketing and our eco-friendly efforts. If you missed the beginning of our discussion, you’ll want to read my previous posts on this discussion. I’m spending some time addressing another question on how to define green marketing.

Why is it so important for me to define green marketing through all of my communications efforts?

It’s important to green and LOHAS consumers that you understand them—their lifestyles, values and that you’re willing to communicate to them. Transparency is critical to gaining them as customers. This is why you need to define green marketing through all of your communications efforts—both internally and externally.

For instance, if you are looking to communicate to your employees, do you do so through signs, distributing memos or via email?

We had a pretty in-depth discussion in my last couple of week’s worth of posts on defining green marketing internally and externally. I’d like to take some time to carry that discussion to another level—alliance partners.

Many people do not consider that joint ventures/alliance partners as an expression of their brand—their company. Who they align themselves with tells people who their brand is and what they’re about. To define green marketing in this manner the right way only makes business sense and cents—it can make you money.

Think about it. If you define green marketing and your brand by aligning yourself with a company that is not truly eco-friendly, then what are you saying about your brand?

Are you saying it is okay to be wasteful?

Aren’t you telling consumers to trust you and trust what you tell them?

Recently, I was having a discussion with a colleague on “green” products. The conversation turned to Clorox’s newest green product, Green Works. We both thought this product was too good to be true.

It’s Clorox’s first entree into the green and LOHAS marketplace. I’ll be honest, when I first heard of this product; I thought for sure that it was one of the many so-called green products trying to compete in this marketplace, but with little substance.

After reading further on this product, I learned that Clorox has actually created quite an environmentally safe product that claims to be equal to if not superior than many in the marketplace both green and non-green.

Here’s what I learned:

In my last post, we discussed Clorox entering the green and LOHAS marketplace with its Green Works product. I want to examine how they introduced the product and how you can do the same thing with your product or service.

Clorox knew that there name was synonymous with the word bleach. Think Clorox; think bleaching your clothes, counters, etc. And, we all know bleach is a chemical that is not very good for the environment—at least that is the perception in the marketplace. Bleach companies do not support this theory, though.

Regardless, in order for Clorox to gain market share, they needed to gain trust with both green consumers and the mainstream consumer groups buying green—not an easy feat. Clorox already has an established name in the mainstream marketplace, but green consumers are much harder to accept a company such as Clorox and I assume they knew that.

In order to get buy-in, they needed to:

We’re continuing the discussion on Clorox’s newest product, Green Works.

In my last post, I looked at the first two things that Clorox needed to do to gain buy-in with both mainstream consumers buying green and green and LOHAS consumers.

In this post, I’ll be looking at two other things they needed to do to gain instant credibility.

Remember, in a store, there is much competition and consumers spend sometimes seconds deciding which product they will pass by. I’m in the minority in that I actually read labels similar to the LOHAS consumers.

3. Find a way to build trust quickly with green consumers. Product labeling is one of the most effective ways to market to green and LOHAS consumers. It’s one of the things they trust the most, if you know how to use the right language. Although Clorox uses the word, “natural,” a commonly misunderstood word, they explain it by listing ingredients and using the logo from the Sierra Club to gain instant credibility. As I explained in my last post, the Sierra Club has indicated that they have never endorsed any other household cleaning product.

Prior to writing this blog post, I have spent the last 2 or so hours pouring over consumer magazines at Barnes and Noble. Why, you might ask?

I like to have my pulse on what is happening in the green and LOHAS marketplace. Going through magazines looking at articles and the green and LOHAS ads is just a way for me to do informal research to see what is being talked about, advertised and marketed.

After perusing around 30 magazines including, but not limited to: Oprah, Discover, Sierra Club, Experience Life, Health, Mother Earth, Discover, Organic Spas, National Geographic, Dwell, Kiwi, Natural Solutions (formerly Alternative Medicine—we’ll talk about this new trend in a separate post), Weight Watchers, Real Simple, Real Travel, Travel & Leisure, I found some common themes. I’m not sure that I would call them trends.

Here is what they are:

In my previous post, I had mentioned some of the themes I saw after perusing 30+ magazines the other day. If you missed this blog posting, you might want to read it before reading this one.

I’m devoting this post to this same topic because it is so important to know what is happening in the marketplace. It’s something I’ll be addressing in Maine in a couple of weeks at their Lodging Management Institute conference. I’ll be there for a couple of days, February 6-7.

After reading these magazines, I really was surprised to see companies touting green benefits without any perceived endorsement to back up the claim (well, I cannot really say surprised).

Maybe they are not familiar with the new trend…greenwashing lists.

We’re continuing our discussion on some of the themes I saw after looking through about 30 consumer-oriented magazines from travel to beauty to health to the environment.

As I mentioned in my last post, greenwashing is something that is continuing to happen to companies everywhere and greenwashing lists are one of the newer things that have emerged.

It’s really no surprise when you have some companies and manufacturers such as the car manufacturers claiming to be green when they are not. Granted, there are leaders in this industry and definitely laggards. The laggards know it and are trying to catch up, but unfortunately they are greenwashing sometimes without knowing it.

How?

They are claiming to have the lowest emissions to use ethanol fuel, etc. while polluting the environment in other endeavors.

Really, competition drives this greenwashing trend. Companies are trying to keep up with their nearest competitor and be the one to say, “we have the cleanest, lowest emission, gas-free, vehicles on the market.”

Some industries and businesses do not want to believe that greenwashing exists. They want to pull the covers up or totally ignore it saying it’s wrong. Whether it is or isn’t is not the real issue. The issue is how do you handle it?

Here are some quick ways to handle getting greenwashed:

I just spent the last 2 days traveling and speaking at the Maine Inn Keeper’s Lodging Management Institute workshop on green marketing for their inns. It was a whirlwind trip and well worth it.

While I was conducting my two-day workshop about green marketing, I mentioned to them that they could create an in-room guide book teaching people how to maintain their healthy, ecological (environmentally friendly) lifestyle while on the go.

You see, the most challenging thing for the eco-traveler is how to help them keep that consistent lifestyle and not have to compromise it while traveling. It is something very hard to do. We all know how we often abandon certain lifestyle habits while on the road—whether it is to indulge in that steak or eat a dessert.

Yet, it really would be much easier for the green consumer (eco-traveler) to not have to make these sacrifices at all—to have healthy, organic food options, “experience” vacations, and products that they could use that meet their lifestyle (soap, shampoo, etc.)

If you missed my last post, I discussed my trip to Maine and about connecting with the eco-traveler. I  also mentioned I’d discuss the healthy lifestyle part of the equation for the green and LOHAS consumer.

Before I go further, for those of you who are just starting to read my blog, LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, a consumer who balances their personal health with their environmental concerns and concerns for society as a whole. You’ll often see me write about the LOHAS consumer in my posts so that you understand this is the consumer driving the green trends—green movement.

In this $200 billion plus LOHAS marketplace (predicted to be $420 billion in just 3 years!), there is one sector called “Healthy Lifestyles,” it encompassed organic food among other things.

This $27+ billion marketplace is the one aspect of green that companies often overlook; the second aspect is one of the other ones, “personal growth.” Personal growth is the mind, body, spirit connection for the LOHAS consumer—think yoga, fitness and weight loss.

My last two blog posts covered eco-tourism and how to help people stay healthy on the go as well as why there is this connection between green and health.

Think about it—would you want to breathe air that you knew was extremely polluted and would cause health problems? Probably not. Neither do these consumers and they also realize that their health can be impacted by their environment and what they eat.

In our research, LOHAS consumers indicated that they can control many health problems by the food that they eat. If the foods that they eat are full of pesticides, full of preservatives, and grown in soil that is polluted, will this allow them to keep their health in tip-top shape, they do not believe so. This is why there is a large connection between health and the environment and why you’ll often see green expos having a health component to them.

Here is something else to consider, if you are trying to appeal to the LOHAS consumer and green consumer, and you’re in a situation to either source locally grown food that is non-organic versus sourcing and offering nationally grown organic food, what do you do?

In my last blog posts I talked about the connection between health and green and the need to understand both to reach LOHAS consumers. This post, I wanted to concentrate on the importance of front-line training.

It doesn’t matter where I am speaking or to what industry I am talking, I seem to hear the same needs—“my staff doesn’t seem to understand how to communicate our green efforts” or “doesn’t seem to understand how to connect with the green consumer.”

Obviously, this is a challenge if you are looking to attract this consumer to your products and/or place of business. If your staff just doesn’t get it, then you’ll lose them for sure to someone else who does.

So what do you do?

In my last post, I talked about the importance of training your front line people to understand the green and LOHAS consumer. Since this is such an important subject, I’m continuing it in this post.

Once you truly understand green and LOHAS consumers, then think about what you are doing that fits in with their values and philosophies. What would keep them coming back to your facility and/or buying your products and services?

• If you serve food and beverages, are their some healthy eating options, especially organic and localized food choices?

• Are you operating in an environmentally friendly manner? Wind turbines, solar energy, low-flow toilets and shower heads (if you have that type of facility), composting, etc.?

• Are you using environmentally friendly products in your facility? Think about the soaps, lotions, hair items (if you provide them) cleaning supplies, water, etc.

• Do you use at least 30% recycled, post consumer waste paper and only when necessary? Do you print with soy-based inks?

In my last two posts, I discussed the importance of training your front-line people to understand the green and LOHAS consumer so that they stay your customer. Now that you understand the consumer and know how to ensure that their values meet yours, now it is time to communicate it to your staff.

Sometimes the communications piece is the one piece that is forgotten or neglected. Why? Because either it is thought that the staff already understands and automatically knows what it is you are doing or that it is not that important—consumers will just know.

Guess what? They won’t just know. Make it easy for them and train your staff what you are doing regularly.

Here are some ideas that you can employ:

In my last three posts, I talked about the importance of front-line training for your staff to more effectively communicate your environmentally friendly (green) efforts. Whether you are a hotel, B&B, retailer, medical office or any other type of business, this would apply.

Your front-line people could be the receptionist, secretary, cashier, scheduling person, manager, concierge, front-desk staff, etc. It really doesn’t matter who is on the front-line, it only matters that you teach them how to understand what you are doing that will attract green and LOHAS consumers and keep them patronizing your facility or place of business—buying your products and services.

I just met with the corporate health and wellness department of a hospital today. Initially when we spoke about training, they thought that they should only include their sales people, then realized that everyone needed to be trained to better understand the consumers, how to approach businesses with their health and wellness solutions, how to best present the information, etc.

Now that your staff is trained on how to better understand the green and LOHAS consumers and you communicated to them what you are doing in this arena, it’s time to communicate it to your customers. It’s ironic that you can come this far, then forget or neglect to effectively communicate to your customers your green essence. I often asked myself, “how could this happen?” I often found that companies fell into one of these categories:

A. They assumed that their customers already knew what they were doing.

B. They were doing it because it was part of their value system and thought communicating it was too showy.

C. They incorporated green practices out of necessity—pushed by a vendor, supplier, corporate office, marketplace, etc., and didn’t feel customers really cared about this.

Regardless of how you as a company fell into this, it’s critical that you effectively communicate what you are doing to your customers—this starts with your staff.

So now that your staff understands who these consumers are, how do you effectively disseminate this information to your customers?

In this post, I want to cover the most effective ways to communicate to your customers your green efforts. If you missed our beginning discussion on training your front-line staff, then you may want to read some of my earlier posts on this topic before reading this one.

When your staff knows what you are doing, it makes it a lot easier to more effectively communicate to your customers how green you really are or striving to be. So how do you effectively do this?

First, you want to develop a process of communicating this information to your customers.

Here are some ways to do this:

• When you make the changes to a greener facility or greener products and services, find ways to allow your customers to get involved and make a difference alongside you. If you are in the hospitality industry, this could mean asking guests to throw things away in the recycling bins, asking them not to have their linens changed every day, etc. Think about what other ways you could get your guests involved in your efforts.

• Explain what you are doing or about to do and why you are doing it. This information can easily be posted on your website, be sent via email, in guest rooms, posted in your office, etc.

• Every time you make a change, build into the process the method you will use to disperse the information to customers and when you will do this. Your customers will get used to the methods you use and know to expect new updates in 3 weeks on your website or via email. Additionally, keep a “green or LOHAS” section on your website with updates if you are undergoing a lot of changes that will impact how they buy, use, etc. your products and services.

If someone told me that ecotourism is thriving in Mexico, I’m not sure I would have believed it. Not that this wouldn’t be possible, but that it wouldn’t be the first place I would think about ecotourism. Yet, there are ecotourism hotels in Mexico as in other parts of the world. Matter-of-fact, some of them are quite impressive and really speak the language of the green and LOHAS consumers.

One particular resort that just contacted me after reading my article in Sustainable Travel International’s newsletter was Playa Viva, a resort and residential community located in Zihuatanejo (see wah tah NAY ho) which is located in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, near Acapulco.

The green resort really sounds quite amazing when you read what it offers on the website. What happened to them is similar to what is happening to many green or non-green resorts and businesses alike, they assume that everyone understands their language.

Now, I want to first say that I have no idea if this green resort wants to attract the mainstream consumer or just green and LOHAS consumers. What is apparent is that they are in the company of other ecotourism hotels in Mexico. I am not sure if they are a resort, residential community or both and I am an informed consumer.

We talked about ecotourism in my last two threads discussing what it is and how the terminology is misunderstood. I found it interesting that the phrase, “ecotourism hotels in Mexico,” was one of the most often searched terms relating to green travel or ecotourism.

Today, it’s much easier to find ecotourism hotels in Mexico and other places around the world. You can go to websites such as rezhub.com or Ecohotelsandlodgecollection.com. Literally, you will not have a problem finding these resorts on the web or in magazines related to travel and ecotourism. It’s amazing how quickly we’ve seen this evolve just in the U.S. alone.

When we came out with our research in Ohio in 2005, companies were not ready to discuss green anything, at least not most of them. The cutting-edge ones were ready to take a look, of course. Today, this has changed. It’s the reason that I emphasize the need to be as clear and concise as possible on your website and in your marketing tools about your green resort or green business. People don’t have time to figure it out.

Recently, I spoke as a panelist on emerging trends for a state conference. My talk (I had 20 minutes to present) was focused on emerging green trends. Right after I spoke and the floor was turned over to the audience to ask questions, I was asked a question that made me stop and say, “hmmm.” The question was, “I’d like to learn green so I can consult on it like you do. How can I learn it quickly so I can start consulting?” Now to me, this is a loaded question and one that is quite challenging to which to respond. The question really makes a good discussion so I decided to blog about it.

So, what does it really take to become an expert in any given field?

To be an expert, you need to be knowledgeable, right?

You need to have experience doing about which you are talking.

You need to know what works and what doesn’t work.

In my last blog post, we talked about becoming an expert in green and I asked a question, how can you show or demonstrate to your prospects and customers that you are in fact an expert in this green and LOHAS arena? This question pertained to our discussion on a question that arose during my presentation as a panelist at a statewide conference. If you didn’t have a chance to read this blog, you might want to read it before reading further.

To show your prospects that you are in fact an expert in green and LOHAS, you need to do some of the following:

1. Offer a product/service that meets their values—it appeals to their ecological lifestyle. This helps show that you meet their green/LOHAS value system.

2. For LOHAS consumers, you need to offer a product/service that offers solutions to common health concerns, staying healthy while on-the-go and maintaining a healthy weight.

In my last blog, I talked about showing you are an expert in green and LOHAS. This discussion will be on demonstrating your greenness or LOHAS behaviors. I call this proving it—proving you are green.

I just spoke at a luncheon talking about this subject—how to prove you are really a green brand. So, what does it take to provide you are an expert in green and LOHAS?

Here are some things that you can do to prove it:

1. Prove you are neutralizing your carbon footprint. What is a carbon footprint? It’s the personal/business greenhouse gas emissions that result from your technology or just going about your daily life. These contribute to global warming. If you can prove you are neutralizing your carbon footprint by purchasing carbon offsets, you are in turn putting your money to good use by contributing to a program that combats global warming. This is just one way to prove you are an expert in the green and LOHAS arena.

If you have been following the news, you’ll have heard that the FTC is stepping up its plans to update green marketing claims. It’s really about time considering it was last updated in 1998.

The rules are changing for marketing green, but are they really? Earlier this year, January 8, the FTC held its first of a series of public meetings to examine carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates that claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one place to offset emissions elsewhere. Even though some age-old standards were in place, have the rules really changed?

Not really. The rules are the same and if you follow the rules you won’t have to worry about these in regulations when marketing green.

What are some of them?

My city, Columbus, Ohio is involved in green initiatives like many of the other cities throughout the U.S. and world. Considering Columbus was considered the least sustainable city out of 50 states in the U.S., it only makes sense. I think consumers are ready for it and wanting to learn more so they can get involved.

Of course there are many classes of consumers, we have conducted research, yet what I share below is what I have encountered through personal experiences, not based on our research:

1. Those who understand and what to do more

2. Those who don’t understand green and want to learn more to see how they can get involved

3. Those who don’t understand green and want to learn more, but are unsure how they’re involving will matter, except for global warming.

As I write this, Starbucks just announced that it Improved its Lattes, Rewards its Customers, Fights Global Warming, etc. As a part of this effort to have greater transparency and dip its toe into the social networking arena—it launched www.starbucksidea.com .

If you go to this site, you’ll see that what Starbucks really wants is feedback for how it is doing overall. And trust me, they are receiving it on everything from being more green to how to offer a better customer experience.

What have they done?

They have become transparent as a corporation—something that I feel is rare, though, on the rise in corporate America. With greater transparency comes real solutions offered by your most precious investment—your customers—the people who make our break your establishment.

In my last post, I talked about Starbuck’s latest announcement on how it is combating global warming, improving its lattes and getting involved in social networking. This announcement lends itself to a second discussion on its partnership in coffee-growing regions in Asia, Africa and Latin America to prevent deforestation and thereby combat global warming.

As a part of this effort, Starbucks has designed a "sustainability seal that will appear on bags of sustainable and ethically traded coffee." It will be on coffee and whole-bean espresso sold in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2008,” according to an article in Advertising Age.

As soon as I read this the first thing I thought was, “I hope they are going to not only use a seal, but also explain what it means.” I often talk about the confusion of seals, certifications, terminology, etc. There are just too many for consumers to really understand or remember. I was just speaking about this to an association yesterday in Cleveland, Ohio.

In my last two posts, we discussed Starbucks latest announcement about its social networking site and its commitment to combat global warming with its “sustainability” seal on its coffee.

I had mentioned that it is confusing to use a seal that most consumers don’t understand. I think sustainability is being used more often today than it was even last year, so the comprehension level has increased, especially in the LOHAS and green arena. Though, I still wonder if people fully understand the complexity of sustainability and why a company would use that kind of seal.

Do you think that people will believe that Starbucks is using it for the greater good or do you think that people will think that it is another tactic by a corporation to appear more green?

Xerox recently unveiled the first Sustainability Calculator to help people pinpoint opportunities to reduce their overall environmental impact while reducing costs. The focus is on measuring the impact a company’s document technologies have on the environment then measures the environmental benefits that could be achieved in terms of energy and paper use, solid waste, water, air and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s one fact-based way for them to be able to know their carbon footprint.

 I spent the last day shopping for a computer for my office.

I am looking for a more environmentally friendly laptop that offers the world and is green as well. I want it to be lightweight, yet offer a full-size keyboard, be powerful, yet, be energy-efficient, and so forth.

I’m amazed at how long it has taken me to find something with all of these things. What I am more amazed by is that there is really no site that rates the computers, educates me about my options, etc. There are quite a few sites with educational informational that offer me great advice, yet don’t tell me what to buy.

I would think there would be an opportunity for someone to step into this space and create this type of site. I am sure consumers and business people like me are looking for the same thing and not able to find it. And, they want the computer to be just as good as their less energy-efficient model, yet better on the environment.

When I say the term, “greenwashing,” I’m still amazed at how many blank stares I get, especially from people and companies that have green products and services. Some believe that it doesn’t exist and others think it is not something about which they have to be concerned.

Recently, I spoke at an association luncheon. One of the attendees emailed me after the luncheon indicating that she volunteered to write an article on greenwashing within her industry and wanted me to help her put the article together. It was a great opportunity to set the record straight on greenwashing, if it is dangerous—I choose to use the terms, “irresponsible” and “unethical,” and how to avoid it happening. This article is for the promotional product industry. As you know, there has been a wave of green promotional products, so this is quite timely.

Often times when I speak, I mention my easy to use system for attracting and retaining green consumers: Get it, Do it, Prove it and Use it. I made it this simple so companies of all sizes could understand the steps it takes to understand green and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers. I find the simpler, the better. That is why I want to talk about the Precautionary Principle.

The Precautionary Principle requires you to prove something is safe before it is introduced into products or practices. The idea is to err on the side of caution. It ties in nicely with the “Prove it,” step of my process and supports the theory that it is not enough to say something is environmentally friendly or healthy, you have to prove that it is too.

In my last post, I talked about a zero-waste philosophy and campaign, if you missed that discussion, you may want to read it now.

Now that you’ve created this philosophy and started down the path, you need to realize this is a process and not an overnight thing. I am not even sure if it can be done 100%, but you can at least start reducing your waste.

So how can you get the word out and why would you want to do this?

This reminds me of a conversation I just had with the owner of a green facility. She told me that she spent years thinking that she shouldn’t talk about her facility being green, people would just know.

Today, she is quite disappointed that she didn’t get the word out as it has been a tough road. She’s one of the few, if only, green facilities in her state. This is a great example of why you need to talk about what you are doing.

Whether it is your zero-waste efforts, your green and health initiatives targeted to schools or ways to reduce energy usage and more.

How will people know you are doing these things unless you talk about them?

I was just reading a recent article that businesses were getting ready for this year’s Earth Day by filing for green-themed trademarks.

Apparently, last year the trademark office saw a 10% spike in trademarks since 2006.

Here is a list of the words used most often in trademarks within the green branding arena*:

• Green — 2,400

• Energy — 1,200

• Clean — 900

• Earth — 900

• Eco — 900

• Organic — 700

• Environment — 450

• Planet — 400

• Friendly — 180

*Numbers are approximate

Apparently, this sudden green surge caused a gridlock in the trademark office. Many companies filed for almost-identical trademarks at the same time, according to a recent article in Adage. According to the article, these me-too filings will either not merit legal protection or will be very weak trademarks.

I find this quite interesting because consumers are already confused by the current terms, certifications, seals, etc.

In my last blog post, I discussed the trademark office becoming gridlocked by the surge of green trademarks.

Does this mean that there are greener products in the marketplace requiring these green trademarks or even more greener brands than ever before?

To consumers, this just means more confusion.

Not only are multiple companies’ trademarks quite similar, let’s face it, there are few truly original ideas today, there are similar green and LOHAS products in the marketplace. They all tout similar benefits.

Many companies spend plenty of time and resources developing “the best” green trademarks that they feel will make them one step closer to capturing more green consumers.

Unfortunately, this is not enough to attract and retain these green consumers. In fact, in my opinion, it might alienate them. Why?

Earlier today I attended an excellent, local awards ceremony put on by SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio). The events honored the most environmentally friendly businesses in our area. Ed Begley Jr, the environmental activist and well-known actor, was the keynote and delivered a powerful environmental message. He spoke about how each one of us has an opportunity to make an impact no matter how small it may be. He spoke about talking less and taking more action, something from which many of us could benefit (me included).

The reason I mention this event is that this particular company, SWACO, a company that finds new uses for trash, and creates recycling and reuse programs throughout the area, thought outside the box to create an amazing event. By creating this event, they managed to position themselves in the green leadership category within our area. They did this by thinking outside the box, being different, being innovators, and being catalysts for change.

If you read one of my earlier articles you’d remember me talking about Xerox’s new thought leadership approach. This is exactly what I am talking about here. SWACO positioned themselves as change agents and you can too by just thinking outside of your cubicle, office, charts, etc.

There are thousands of companies claiming their products are green, how can you rise above the clutter to make sure your green products and services are noticed?

You can tell times have changed. I remember back to when my company produced its research report looking at consumer attitudes toward the environment, health and wellness. The sales of hybrid vehicles in the state as well as the U.S. was so insignificant that we decided not to even mention it in the report.

A recent article in the Associated Press indicated:

While U.S. car sales are down, more hybrids are being driven off the lot.

According to new data, hybrid sales jumped 38 percent last year, even as overall vehicle sales dropped 3 percent. One analyst said the rising cost of gasoline may affect some buyers, but fuel prices aren't the main reason hybrid sales are going up.

Instead, he said, sales are probably higher because buyers have more options—many sedans and utility vehicles now have hybrid counterparts. The analyst also said hybrids have been around long enough for consumers to trust the technology.

While sales are going up, hybrids comprise only 2.2 percent of the market share. Keep-in-mind, even 2% market share is a significant increase. I would assume this would continue to rise each year as the market continues to shift its mindset toward helping the environment and prices continue to come down.

Green is about transparency, being authentic and being real. Without that, you really have nothing.

I recently spoke about authenticity—a great trait to have as a leader. The more transparent you are as an organization—making people aware of your environmental initiatives, products and services, the more likely you will avoid any greenwashing.

Greenwashing means you are claiming that your products, services, etc. are environmentally sound when they are not.

Some companies are getting caught with their pants down—way down—when they claim that there products are environmentally friendly and consumers call them on it. This means they ask them to prove it.

Prove it? Since when do I have to prove it?

In my last blog post, I talked about green jobs and how the timing is right to create more jobs especially related to the environment.

What I want to talk about in this post is timing.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Blue Green Alliance knew the timing was right to launch their Green jobs for America campaign. They knew this because they were aware of environmental climate and consumer awareness was on the rise. Had they tried to launch this type of campaign even a year earlier, in these same states, I am not convinced it would have succeeded. Why? Because the awareness wasn’t there from a consumer or business standpoint—at least not to the level it is today.

In my last post, I mentioned timing being a critical part of any marketing and communications effort, especially a green one. What I want to talk about here is green perception versus green reality. So, what do I mean by green perception versus green reality?

Green perception is that a product or service is being perceived as green. This could be because it is new to the marketplace and people have not investigated it yet. It could also mean that others have claimed it is green—possibly the press. It could also mean that it was rolled out in a marketplace newer to green products and consumers don’t know yet what they don’t know. Whatever is the case, the perception is that it is green.

Green reality on the other hand is just the opposite. It means that in reality your product is green. It doesn’t mention to what degree, but means that it has some green elements. Maybe it is biodegradable or recycled or even marketed in an environmentally friendly manner. Maybe 1% of the proceeds are going back to 1% for the Planet or another charitable organization. Whatever the case, the reality is that this product or service is green.

Why is this important?

In my last post I talked about green perception versus green reality and the importance of proving your green claim. In this post, I’d like to discuss with you the “why” of your green claim. The why behind your features.

Why would someone buy your product or service? Why is important to them? How does it fill their need better than your competitors’ product or service? What makes it more environmentally friendly? What environmentally friendly features are better than your competitors?

Once you determine all of this and answer the whys, make sure you prove the whys as well. This is something I just touched upon in my last blog post. Proving that you are green is one step to answering the “why” behind your green claim. It is often easier than you think, yet often forgotten about it or left out of the equation.

I recently returned from the Green Earth Expo in Orlando. I went out there to speak and moderate and I have to say I was impressed by the quality of the show. There were over 400 exhibitors, all, mostly green or eco-friendly. There were hundreds of seminars and one day was specifically for businesses to come and learn about green subject matter. I had a great discussion with a company introducing hydrogen energy solutions as well as others on everything from green payment processing solutions to Florida’s first ecohome.

Although my trip was quite a whirlwind, I only spent about 2 days there, it was well worth it and I encourage you to attend it or other green expos in your area. They are great resources for other businesses, to educate consumers on environmentally friendly solutions, water conservation, solar energy and so forth. Additionally, they are a great place to exhibit if you are a company wanting to connect with the green and LOHAS consumer. You’ll definitely find them at a show such as this. The more environmentally friendly exhibitors, the more green and LOHAS consumers you will find. If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you’ll know that connecting with green consumers can be challenging. That is why I tell you about all the different ways to do this.

I was talking with a business person the other day at a sales organization. He indicated to me that they only cover surface selling for organizations; they do not go as deep as we do. I cannot tell you how odd I found this conversation.

I found it odd because any type of sales training you conduct needs to be applicable to the current market situation. If an organization just offers a canned presentation, how does a sales person within an organization apply it to the trends in their marketplace? How do they respond to the green trends and allow their clients to use their vehicle to reach these green consumers?

My conversation with this individual became more interesting as he indicated to me that they do not cover “marketing tactics such as green.” I know I must have asked him to repeat himself as I did not think I was hearing him correctly, “marketing tactics such as green?”

Yes. That is what he had said. He really thought that green was just a tactic.

A couple of weeks ago I ran across a printer at an expo in Florida that was not only an environmentally friendly (green) printer, but taking the concept to the next level. I was so impressed with what they were doing that I thought I would mention it so other printers and companies could get ideas of how to really incorporate green into your marketing and operations.

The printer, Aloma Printing, was deemed a non-hazardous waste producer by the EPA for recycling chemicals and products that are harmful to the environment. They also use soy and vegetable inks with low VOCs, environmentally friendly (green) paper, etc. Very impressive, though I know other printers are doing the same thing.

Here is where the real difference is:

Earlier in my career, I used to advise clients on advertising in various vehicles including yellow pages. I remember asking the yellow page companies at that point (5-8 years ago) if there were any “green” or “LOHAS-type” headings or categories in which to feature my clients’ products and services.

At that time, there was nothing, at least in my marketplace. Boy, times have changed. I came across a company called Green Directories that actually is a green yellow page directory. And they are not the only one, type in “green online yellow pages” in any search engine and you’ll see the environmental yellow pages and the sustainable yellow pages. Co-Op America also offers a green vendor directory as a member.

In one of my previous blog posts I mentioned the idea of resorts going green. I am revisiting this topic because I am amazed by how many more resorts have gone green to standards that surprised me.

Amelia Island Plantation is on its way to becoming one of the largest green resorts in the state, according to Green Program Director Bill Di Stanisloa.

According to a recent article, they have made sweeping changes in the way business is conducted there, including the installation of low-flow plumbing in hotel guest rooms, the introduction of starch-based biodegradables for disposable containers and green lighting throughout the property.

Conservation has always been important at the Plantation, Di Stanisloa said. The resort instituted a tree conservation program in 1971 and, according to Public Relations Manager Leigh Coulter Beal, 75 percent of the area's original tree canopy remains in place. This to me was quite impressive especially since some resorts were probably not considering this in 1971.

Other things they are doing to take green even further?

As I am writing this blog post, I am still in Baltimore, Maryland after speaking at the American Academy of Urgent Care Conference.

Of all people to speak at this type of conference, you would think I would be last on the list. Normally when we associate the phrase “urgent care,” we normally do not associate it with “wellness.”

Yet, the Conference planning committee had the foresight to include me in the line up of speakers understanding that wellness is the direction that many Americans (and many other parts of the world) want to head.

As I write this blog post, a new green certification program has been launched. The American Consumer Council has just announced the launch of its Green C Certification Program.

The Certification program is designed to recognize companies and organizations doing their part by practicing Corporate Social Responsibility and incorporating environmentally friendly business practices.

According to the company’s press release, to earn the Green C Certification designation, companies need to adhere to the program’s comprehensive criteria (see www.americanconsumercouncil.org ) and describe their environmental practices and CSR policies in detail.

An independent team of certified auditors verify and validate the contents of each application. Applicants are formally recognized by ACC and issued a three-year certification from the non-profit American Consumer Council and its Consumer Green Council, which administers the Green C Certification program. The idea behind it is to reward companies for not just claiming to be green, but implementing the highest green standards and social responsibility.

Even the book publishing industry is capitalizing on the greening rage—in a good way-- with green being the new color at its annual BookExpo America conference in LA. This trade show generally draws around 30 thousand editors, booksellers, publicists, agents and the like to gain additional exposure.

Businessweek reported that this year’s event even included some workshops on Climate Change, Buying, Packing & Publishing Green and a keynote address from Thomas Friedman; the New York Times writer whose book, Hot, Flat and Crowded will look at the impact of globalization, population and climate change.

From what I read, Tyson Miller from the Green Press Initiative gave a workshop on the environmental trends related to the book industry. Apparently, the production of one book results in 8.85 pounds of carbon emissions. Considering 25% of the books fail to sell (many people do not realize this), increasing the use of recycled paper could have a dramatic effect.

I have to say that I was quite impressed to see that the use of recycled paper by publishers has gone from 2.5% in 2004 to 13% in 2007. The goal in this industry is 30%--saving a billion tons of greenhouse gases according to Tyson Miller.

Today was the first group marketing coaching call I conducted for my Consumer Trends & Profits Homestudy Course. I offer five months of these group coaching calls as a part of this program as well as two, half-hour consultations via phone.

This first call focused on understanding the trends and knowing your target market. What I made sure of on the call was that I addressed all of the various industries that I knew where represented—lodging, resort, coaching, retail, healthy products, and so forth.

I wanted to make sure that I addressed as many industries as possible. I also wanted to make sure that I explained why I was talking about the NOMADICS© consumer or the mainstream consumer. The reason I explained is because my Course is designed to teach people how to communicate your value and effectively market to green and LOHAS consumers with ease. Yet, I had one person who left one of my teleseminars the other day because she heard me mention NOMADICS© and she thought I was ignoring the LOHAS consumer when in fact I was putting everything into perspective.

Why am I telling you this?

Recently I received an invitation to join a group within Linked In called RC Green Tree. Since I had never heard of the group, I inquired about it from the owner/founder. What I uncovered I want to share with you… a neat concept long overdue. A concept that really speaks to the integrity of green and instills the trust early on.

According to his website, "RC Green Tree is a forum where like-minded consumers and retailers sharing the same philosophies and beliefs, come together to make a difference. The tree provides a one-stop shopping for consumers looking for eco-friendly products and services. Everything from apparel to food, to home furnishings can be found in one unified place."

The other day I stopped by a booth at a consumer show. One of the women at the booth found out that I was in the green marketplace and speaking at the show and offered me a lapel pin. The pin said, “Go Green.”

What I liked about the pin was that it indicated, “Changing the World, One Office at a Time.” It also indicated on the package of the pin, “this is a recycling initiative for all Celebration, Florida businesses. Join the Celebration Committee… It included contact information and mentioned, “make your commitment today.”

Not only did this pin take the green concept further than many, the company, who’s booth I visited, indicated at the top that they were proud to be a sponsor of this effort. One of the VP’s even provided their contact information to get involved.

This is what impressed me. It wasn’t about just “going green,” but really getting involved and getting others involved in the efforts. Really making a difference.

Within the last year, I’ve spoken to more businesses who are afraid of going green and communicating it, especially the latter. They are afraid that consumers and businesses will scrutinize them even more than before and they will not be able to live up to their standards. Because greenwashing lists increased in number during this time as well, businesses are also afraid of being on one of these lists.

Is the fear founded? Yes and no.

In the last couple of years, we have seen a surge in green conferences and trade shows. Of course all of them sound wonderful and many of us want to attend as many as possible. Unfortunately, this is not possible.

I started thinking this would be a good topic to blog about after having one of my Consumer Trends & Profits Homestudy Course participants ask me about how to determine which green conferences are best to attend.

1. Attendance – One of the first recommendations I will make is to research the trade show you are thinking of attending, especially if you are thinking of exhibiting there. I came from the trade show management industry and I will tell you just because a conference indicates that it is planning to have 50,000 in attendance, this may not be the case. You need to understand how they count their attendees. Do they count a person who attends a conference Thursday-Saturday as three people or one? This may sound odd, but there are different ways of counting attendees. Also, does this conference and show attract the right type of attendee who will buy your products and services? The worst thing would be to show up at a conference and have attendees show up who are not your ideal customers. Maybe you offer a more LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)-oriented product or service that is more holistic and mainstream consumers would never buy it. If you don’t ask the right questions of the show organizers, you might end up exhibiting at the wrong show.

In my next post, I’ll continue this discussion on what to look for when attending green conferences.

Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends

Colette Chandler

In my last post, I talked about getting to know the green conferences. We are continuing this discussion with talking about the history of the shows and budget.

2. History – Does this conference or show have a history? Has it been put on before? If so, how many people attended? How many exhibitors? Get a good sense of if it has a history in attracting green attendees and why has it been so successful? Find out if it is the leading conference in the area if you want to stay local. If you are looking at targeting the entire nation, look at other similar conferences and see which ones draw the best selection of your target audience. Remember, conferences can say what they want, you need to do your homework to make sure you find the best selection of green and LOHAS consumers, if this is who you are targeting.

As I write this post, I am in the airport in Florida waiting for my flight back home after speaking at Florida’s Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau Conference. As I look around me in the Gainesville airport, I see the renovation that is going on. Although I have not seen signs to this regard, I hope that Gainesville, like many other facilities, is renovating green.

As a consumer, sitting in the middle of this construction, I am concerned about breathing in the fumes, etc. from the construction process. It would be nice to know that I do not have to worry about that.

Am I alone? I think not.

In my visit to Florida just recently, I stayed in a gorgeous hotel that is one of the leaders in the green marketplace. Even though they were one of the leaders in green and had been for a while, I was challenged to find any information to this regard on their website. It was only later, after I was staying at the facility, that I discovered just how green they were.

What happens often, that I talk about, is that facilities forget to talk about their green efforts. What they are doing to conserve water, their in-room recycling programs and the level of certification they reached. Some feel that this is just something they should do. Others feel that consumers will figure it out.

What I always advise is that you need to get the word out about how your facility is doing its part to conserve natural resources and combat global warming as well as educate consumers how they can do their part as well.

I just read in Delta’s Sky magazine that Delta and Northwest are merging and the merger should be finalized later this year. The article, written by the CEO of Delta, talked about how the level of service will increase, there will be more direct flights to Europe and the rest of the world, increased customer service, etc. It talked about WHY they are combining the airlines.

I thought this was a great article that could be easily duplicated in most any industry when introducing new green facilities, products, services, etc. I thought that it only makes sense for a CEO or President of an organization or company to make that commitment to be green and talk about it publicly. Talk about WHY the company is committed in this direction and what their plans are going to be.

Why is this important?

I’m a traveler, both a consumer and a business traveler. People are surprised when I mention my remembrance of riding the double-decker 747 planes, duty-free shops onboard, and aisle ways that you could even roll your bag down. Back then, kids received playing cards & airline wing pins, food on flights was expected, and the cockpit was unlocked.

Times have changed.

As a traveler, my goal is to stay healthy while traveling. I do what I can to protect myself by arming myself with the right food and nutrients. I’m not perfect, but my goal is to seek out as much healthy food options as possible.

Think I am alone? I’m not.

Many consumers are looking for the same sort of thing. Why do I bring this up?

In my last post I talked about the intersection between green and health and the need for people to stay healthy on the go. I concentrated mostly on the airline industry and soon realized we need to look at some of the other industries within travel and tourism as well.

Recently, when I was traveling, a storm started brewing in the area, after seeing how dark the sky was getting, the airline delayed my flight. I was stuck in a very small airport for about 3-4 hours. Now this would have been fine except the airport was renovating so there was no food and no Internet capabilities. I have no disrespect for smaller airports. I really do not mind them—as long as I am able to have some amenities that help me maintain my healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately, this airport had a vending machine full of junk food and a pop machine.

I was starting to get hungry, but I knew I couldn’t eat anything in the machine. As I watched other people in the airport and talked to many of them, they were faced with the same dilemma. My thought kept coming back to what an opportunity this was for both the airline and the airport to differentiate themselves.

Green energy spending is on the rise. According to the latest article in the BBC, “global investment in "green" energy surged ahead in 2007 and has continued to grow this year despite turmoil in financial markets, a report says.

Rising oil prices, concerns over energy security, climate change worries and growing government support were behind the rise in green power spending ($148bn (£75bn), up 60% from 2006), it said.

Wind energy got the most investment but solar power grew fastest as a sector. This presents many opportunities for companies with products and services within this arena to get their message out in front of consumers who are looking for solutions.

In many of my blog posts, I mention the importance of integrating green throughout your organization and corporation. I talk about how green cannot be a marketing or advertising tactic but something that is embraced throughout your organization by your employees as well.

Microsoft is one of the companies to embrace this philosophy especially with its new employee incentives to improve energy efficiency. Microsoft began charging its business units based on the amount of energy consumption of the servers that host the services as opposed to basing the charge on the amount of floor space required to stack the servers that their services used. As a result, the company got rid of equipment it was not using. The corporation saw a 22 percent improvement in the energy efficiency of its data centers according to a recent article.

And Microsoft is not alone; Dupont is another company that was able to cut their energy usage.

I figured it was a matter of time before green office stores emerged. Now I am not just talking about office supply stores that carry green products, but ones that have integrated a green philosophy into their overall store design and concept. Office Depot leads the way with its first prototype in Austin, Texas.

Not only will it have a smaller environmental footprint, but it is supposed to be using less energy and water in its daily operations and increase its recycling efforts in addition to being LEED-certified.

What I found interesting was that the company is not just expanding its offering of green products, it is also educating its customers why  particular products are green and how they can make sustainable product purchases a part of their daily lives.

Here are some of the highlights of this greener store:

I recently spoke with a Convention and Visitors Bureau that represented a well-known tourist destination. The organization was talking to me about creating a survey to help them better understand green and LOHAS consumers.

They wanted to understand what made them choose a green destination and theirs over others. What amazed me is their level of understanding on what things (perceivably) hurt their environmentally friendly destination such as cruise ships. What I was impressed with was that they were willing to ask people what they suggested they do about it after I recommended it.

By KNOWING, not guessing what drives LOHAS and green consumers to make choices on green products, services, destinations and so forth, you are one step closer to securing them as loyal customers. And greener customers such as LOHAS consumers have a tendency to be more loyal and support the same brand over and over again as long as it supports their values and ideals.

Green business certifications are definitely on the rise.

Conduct a quick search in Google and you’ll generate pages upon pages of results linked to green business certifications. If you are a green restaurant you can be certified by the Green Restaurant Assocation, by your state to be a green business, LEED-certified, certified to conduct green meetings by the Green Meetings Industry Council, be certified in your industry as a green-certified expert, and the list goes on.

Green certifications are definitely on the rise. But, how do you make sense of it all and know which direction to head?

Since there are various shades of green, it can make it challenge to quantify or define green. There really is not standard definition—part of the reason the FTC is conducting their audit of the green rules and standards.

So how do you know what certification is best suited for your business?

First of all, you’ll need to decide what green consumer you are most interested in. Many of you reading my blog for the first time may be surprised to learn there are different consumer segments within the green consumer space. Do you want to reach the consumer driving these trends, the influencers and the early adapters of everything green?

In my last post I discussed the rise of green business certifications and how to know which direction to head. In this post, I’ll be continuing my discussion and helping you understand this green certification and what it is designed to do.

Green is the rage and because of this, consumers do not trust many environmental claims and messages. A true challenge for those who are authentically sustainable as a company and organization. Many core green consumers, LOHAS, feel that businesses do not always need a piece of paper saying they are green-certified to show they are a good environmental steward. They’ll be able to tell by your philosophy, actions, and so forth.

For instance, did you know the Co-op America has a “Responsible Shopper” section where they talk about companies’ not-so-responsible actions. Consumers can quickly access this information. Additionally, I walked into my local nutrition store and saw a pocket book on the exact same thing. Many of these websites and tools are now in place to offer knowledge and insight into which companies are green and which are greenwashing.

Am I saying that green certifications are a waste of time?

In my last couple of posts, we discussed the overall green certification programs, why they are on the rise and how to make sense of it. I’d like to view this discussion showing you how to scrutinize the various green certification programs and decide with which ones to align your business.

If you decide that green certification is what will enhance your already green brand, then you need to decide which green certifications to choose. This can be a daunting task, since all programs look good on the surface. Here are some of the questions you need to ask to determine if this aligns with your brand.

1. Is the green certification backed by a reputable company, agency or organization? How long has this entity been in existence?

2. What is their criteria for choosing who gets certified? What is the application process?

3. How often are certified businesses reviewed? What do they have to do to get re-certified?

If you tried to find a green network group even three years ago, they were hard to find, especially in certain cities. Today, you can open up most any business publication and see listings for green network meetings. You can Google green or sustainability network groups in your area. You can join social green network groups online such as the Green Business Facebook Group—I know about this one since they hosted one of my teleseminars.

Let’s face it. Green networking is everywhere. Pretty easily, you could join 20, 30, maybe even 40 different green network groups statewide, citywide, industry wide and globally. As more and more of these groups emerge, it makes you wonder where everyone was congregating before this. Where they just thinking they were one of the few that thought this way?

In my last blog post, I mentioned the emergence of green networking groups. Really this is not a new phenomenon, but growth within this category. When I thought of the title for this post, I thought of the idea that networking in any capacity really is connecting for a real-time conversation. Normally, we think of this in-person, but it can be virtually as well.

I really see green networking groups as having a great goal of pulling together a lot of like-minded people whether on a personal or business level. These people share stories, conversations, ideas, and work toward the greater good of sustainability for their industry, city, state or so forth depending on the focus of the group.

I have noticed quite a few of these groups popping up in my state, especially citywide ones. What I am surprised by is how challenging it was to find these groups locally. Once I found out the title of the group, then I was able to carry over that title to each city within my geographical area.

I recently was connected with an organization that really gets it. They understand what I call the ‘missing link between green and health.” They understand that sustainability and health really should go hand-in-hand. To whom am I referring?

Healthy Together, an organization out of Florida, specifically, Tampa Bay. This organization is about creating healthy communities, creating work-like wellness programs and understanding the link between health and the environment.

This is one of the few organizations I have seen that understands this missing link and they are doing something about it to truly create a difference. Other organizations and companies can do the same thing by just taking a step in the right direction.

Here are some suggestions:

1. When planning any events, think about how you can incorporate healthy, local cuisine. Think about not only the planetary aspect of reducing waste and using biodegradable/reusable products, but also the health implications—toxins emitted into the area, etc.

In my last blog post, we discussed the missing link between health and sustainability—health and the environment—we talked about organizations that are making a difference and what you can do to show your internal and external audiences that you get it. Here are some additional things you should consider:

1. When you roll out a health-based internal policy such as banning smoking, make sure that as a company you are not using your chemical-laden products to create an even unhealthier environment by polluting the waterways. Think about how to make an impact across all aspects of your company.

2. Consider what your company can do to encourage workers to stay healthy and care about the environment. Think about what type of programs you can put in place to help. Can you create a community-based health initiative or simple exercise initiative to help get your employees working with people within the community toward a common goal of putting their health first? What about a similar initiative involving creating a healthy community for all of us to live? Could you create or get involved in local clean ups, recycling efforts, creating art on trails, expanding natural reserves and planting trees?

To really understand the missing link between health and the environment, you need to know what you can do as a person, company and organization to create a healthier lifestyle, healthier community and healthier environment for yourself, your employees, your customers, etc.

As you are doing this, you need to tell people about what you are doing so they too can join your efforts. There are plenty of individuals, consumers and business people alike, that embrace a healthier, greener lifestyle and will support your efforts as a company and organization if they believe you are doing it for the right reasons. This is where effective communication makes a difference.

Knowing how to effectively communicate with consumers, especially green and LOHAS consumers on all levels helps make your mission and/or initiative real and authentic. It also helps you as a company and organization create greater transparency and be regarded with higher integrity than those you just create these types of program and initiatives just as a marketing, advertising or communications ploy.

The other day I discovered a boutique that had some interesting art and household items. Paintings from local artists were hung on the wall, cards from local artists were available for sale and so forth. I also noticed some soy candles that mentioned essential oils in their descriptions.

When I inquired about if they used all essential oils, the sales clerk had no idea. The candles were made by a local individual and packaged in glass containers that appeared as if they had been re-purposed. These candles fit the bill to be more environmentally friendly, especially if they contained all-natural ingredients. I found it rather interesting that they ingredients were not listed and that no one knew if they were all natural.

What a potential lost sales opportunity.

In my last blog post, we discussed the store I recently discovered and some ideas of how they could include products that meet green and health standards and appeal to the consumers interested.

So what else could this store do to show their commitment versus show that they are obvlious to the entire green trend?

How about sharing with consumers the store behind the store and how they chose their products.

Share with them how local artisans can get their goods and services displayed, show how featuring local artists and buying locally cuts down on excessive shipping costs and supports the local community.

What about connecting with a local farmer’s market and offering their customers a special shopping day at the store? What about having a day where the local artists can meet the customers and featuring local, organic, gourmet appetizers.

The other thing that comes to mind is having a class where they could show patrons how artists take existing products and re-purpose them—a local retail shop comes to mind that re-purposes their fabrics into scarves and other items.

Think about how you can carry this philosophy through to the way you operate.

Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends

Colette Chandler

Some of the top social networks have green components.

Take Myspace.com and Facebook and even LinkedIn. They all have green groups within the social networks that allow you to connect with green and LOHAS consumers.

Social networks, although in their infancy, are a great way for you to personally connect with consumers who may share your values and are looking for information, products and solutions that support their values and lifestyle. The Green Business Facebook has hosted a couple of my teleseminars in the past, offering me a way to extend my message and information to a group of people I may not have otherwise met.

The bonus with a social network is that you can actually get instant feedback from the group members as to if they will participate in a seminar, workshop, etc., and on your products and services. I have also noticed business owners connecting with other business owners on their products and services.

The longer you spend time in the communities, the more opportunity you have to keep these consumers and individuals engaged with your brands. These individuals are looking to learn more about issues, products and solutions that help them live healthier lifestyles.

SRB in their Green Social Networks Report indicated that network members generally interact with brands and social networks in the following ways:

A recent article in the UK’s Climate Change newsletter caught my eye when the headlines read, “Greenwashers Smarten Up.” So much has been covered on the topic of greenwashing that I wondered what would come next.

The article reinforced the fact that European regulations are tough and getting tougher with Europe now requiring advertisers and marketers to adhere to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Guidelines that you can access by clicking here:

http://www.cipr.co.uk/environmentalcomms/pdfs/CIPR_Environmental_Sustainability_Guidelines.pdf

There are also ISO10421 for guidelines as well. Here is the link to their guide,

http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=23146

With all of these regulations and guidelines on green, it makes quite a few companies nervous to make a move. What you basically need to know is how to adhere to what you can and cannot say. I come back to the same statement I always make, “be comfortable where you are and where you are going.”

Why do I say this?

In my last blog post, I talked about UK’s environmental regulations for environmental claims made in advertising and marketing. I know it is the topic of conversation not just in Europe, but also in the US and other parts of the world. The U.S., although, reviewing the regulations, have not cracked down as hard on violators as in Europe, who is fining companies and organizations that they feel are greenwashing. I talked how to find out about some of the newer regulations. I now want to talk about some other interesting tidbits that I found in the article in the Climate Change’s newsletter. So much of what they said applies to the U.S. as well.

Here is what the author said as quoted in her article and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Guide:

"Claims should always avoid the vague use of terms such as ‘green’, ‘non-polluting’... they should avoid linking vague descriptions, such as ‘friendly’ or ‘kind’, with words like ‘earth’, ‘nature’, ‘environment’, ‘eco’ and ‘ozone,’” the CIPR advice says. CSR Europe’s guidelines concur."

I also recommend that words such as “natural,” “sustainable,” and “green” be avoided unless explicit information is supplied as to what you mean by using these terms. They are getting too overused and just not understood. Eco-friendly is another one that really means nothing since it is being applied to any and everything under the sun whether it is environmentally sound or not.

As I write this post, this week was the launch of the investor advocacy network, which promoted an end to forced child labor in its cotton harvest. Reportedly, Uzebekistan used hundreds of thousands of children, ages 10-15, for manual labor. This group of socially conscious shareholders, pension funds and human rights advocates banded together to push the Uzbek government to enforce International Labor Organization child labor conventions, in an news release distributed by Corporate Responsibility Wire.

Why am I mentioning this in my green marketing blog?

Because this same thing can happen to any country, company and brand that does not take the responsibility for actions that others do not deem as socially responsible. This not the first time this has happened and it will not be the last.

Unfortunately, we've seen the same actions happening with false environmental claims. Sooner or later, people will have to explain their actions and this will result in not only bad press, but also lost integrity and even customers. When the word gets out that a company or brand or even a country, tried to promote something as environmentally sound when it was not, consumer loyalty will be lost.

Watchdog groups continue to grow to ensure we are responsible.

A recent poll of 1,000 adults by ABC News, Planet Green and Stanford University found Americans still think global warming is the biggest environmental problem facing the world — but not as much as they did a year ago.

According to Greenwire, “25 percent placed climate change atop their list when asked an open-ended question about environmental concerns. That is an 8 percent drop from a similar poll conducted in April 2007 but still much higher than the 16 percent who responded with global warming when asked the same question in March 2006.”

“Air pollution (12 percent) and energy problems linked to oil and fossil fuel dependence (11 percent) ranked second and third in the poll, essentially the same places they have been in for the last three years,” reported by Greenwire.

Here are some of the other reported results of the poll:

Major retailers are continuing to dive into renewable energy sources to power their stores.

JCPenney is the latest one adopting renewable power sources that deliver both environmental and business benefits, J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) announced plans for solar and wind power projects that will supply electricity to 10 stores and one distribution center. The pilot projects represent the next step for JCPenney in its efforts to leverage new technologies and engage its 155,000 associates in innovative energy programs, according to an article in the LOHAS Journal.

The retailer also plans to obtain ENERGY STAR certification for at least 200 stores, according to the same article.

This is a nice step in the right direction for yet another retailer to go down this environmental path and show exactly what it will mean.

In the article, it was mentioned that “the systems will help avoid emissions of approximately 146,000 tons of carbon dioxide over their 30-year expected lifetime, which is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by more than 800 cars.”

Recently, I have noticed quite a few companies offering to plant a tree if you respond to a certain offer—Citibank and Delta to name just two. Delta was one of the first offer travelers the opportunity to offset their greenhouse gas emissions of a particular trip by allowing Delta to plant a tree when they choose to fly with them. Citibank is offering to plant a tree when you choose to go paperless with your statements.

Both of these offers make sense. What I like about Citibank’s offer is that they will plant a tree on your behalf, not asking you for more money to do something good for the environment. In Delta’s case, you need to contribute additional money that will then go to an organization that plants trees.

I really think that if you want to do something to show your commitment to the environment, you need to not charge people additional dollars to do it. Yes. You can offer additional programs that allow people to participate in a recycling effort or a tree planting effort, but do not sell it as if you are doing something for them. Show your commitment by planting trees for x number of flights or x number of times a month. Whatever it is, you need to show your commitment as a company, a brand, and a product or service first, to get consumers to buy-in.

Recently, I had a conversation with a media entity starting a green initiative. They wanted to launch it quickly and without really any great depth. What do I mean by this and why would they need to have depth? All green initiatives have to have a degree of real, authentic commitment on behalf of the entity launching them. In this case, it is the media company. If you as an organization are looking at launching a green initiative, you automatically draw attention to what you are doing as well, whether you intend to or not. You are now scrutinized for what you are or are not doing so now it’s time to step up to the plate. It’s time to create greater depth and look at how you are doing things. Let me give you an example:

One TV station with which we worked decided that they wanted to create a green initiative. I helped them create it, structure it, put the advertising requirements in place, etc. to ensure their program had real integrity for all of its advertisers. I knew without this, they would not be able to secure the greener companies as advertisers.

I advised them on how they as an organization would need to create greater transparency and tell people what they were and were not doing to support the environment. Fortunately, they embraced this advice and did more than I had ever imagined. They looked at most everything they could do at a local level:

In my last blog post I talked about creating green initiatives with greater depth. The reason I wrote about this is due to my seeing so many media companies creating programs that I feel are not the most responsible. Programs that offer to deliver “empowering green claims” to which companies can attach themselves and their brands. Unfortunately, this opens up most any company to being greenwashed, especially when consumers expect that company and brand to best represent that green claim. It can quickly destroy the integrity of any company almost overnight with prospects, customers and the press. I have seen it happen, especially in the case of the press.

This is why I started working with media companies to create deeper, green programs that allowed them to not only attract greener consumers naturally by the type of content, but also attract the right advertisers that really practiced what they preached in regard to their environmentally friendly efforts.

Plastic water bottles will soon no longer need to be added to our landfill. Bio-Plastics Film Inc., has created an additive making its bottle completely biodegradable, according to its recent press release. 801 Packaging is the first North American Bottling Company to utilize the revolutionary Bio-PET Additive, that will make 801 Packaging's Water Bottles not only recyclable, but fully biodegradable when disposed, according to this same release.

The company is anticipating this will aid them in becoming a world leader by implementing "Green Technology" in their manufacturing process. What is most impressive is that not only will the bottle be kind to the environment, the company is introducing new biodegradable shrink film for the case packs, degradable corrugated pads/trays, and biodegradable pallet wrap. They really seem to be committed to reduce their entire footprint as much as possible putting them at the forefront of conservation.

On August 27, 2008, the state of California, Department of Insurance, introduced one of the most unusual green initiatives I have heard of for insurance. It’s a pay-as-you-go plan designed to reward people for driving less by reducing their insurance premiums.

As early as next fall of 2009, new regulations will make the new option feasible. By encouraging consumers to drive fewer miles, and thus reducing their insurance costs, the new insurance option could help reduce both greenhouse gases and vehicle accidents.

It’s been introduced as a green insurance option. That has some inherent green benefits built in. I just wonder is it really a doable option for parts of California where public transportation is not so readily available? It will be interesting to see how successful this program is and if other states adopt it.

I think introducing any programs to reduce greenhouse gases are great as long as you can get consumers to buy in. That is the key. A great program with no buy-in is about the same as a mediocre or bad program with great buy-in.

We are officially in the midst of a recession. I remember hearing President Bush say quite a while back that he would not confirm that we were in a recession, though, today we know we are.

Businesses are running scared; some are closing their doors, while others are doing the bare minimum just to get by. I get it. The challenge is in the midst of this recession, fear can drive the wrong behavior, which can then drive even more behavior that could kill our businesses sometimes overnight.

People are definitely cutting back, yet if we have any hope of coming out of this recession, we need to think ahead to ways to make our cash flow positive and do good for the world while still being able to keep our doors open. We need to use our green side in a good way to help us rise above the clutter and be heard.

Because everyone is cutting back, it is easier to get your message out in front, especially for green businesses. Believe it or not, there are still consumers who will spend on green products and services, sure, they are looking for a value and will not spend frivolously. But if your product is superior and is environmentally friendly, then you may want to think about really understanding these consumers willing to buy greener products and services in the midst of a recession.

I just read the newest headline that people who buy organic foods are not necessarily always wealthy.

To me this is of no surprise and to those of you who understand the LOHAS consumer, this should be of no surprise to you as well.

We know they are driving the health and green trends. They’ll support local and organic products and services and spend 20% more than the average consumer. Remember, to them, it is not about convenience, it is about maintaining a certain standard of lifestyle that meets their values.

Many people misunderstand this consumer and misunderstand this organic trend. They think that only the wealthy buy organic. Now, research does show that people who have a higher income do have a tendency to buy more organic foods and products. That is one of the things that our study saw even in 2005.

At the end of October, I will be speaking at ONEgroup’s conference.

Who is ONEgroup?

They are a certified, organic, skincare company based out of Australia, with reps spread out throughout the world. This company is one that really gets the fact that their reps need to have knowledge of how to sell organic products and understand the consumer driving the organics trends.

Of course they know their products, they also know that there reps need to be armed with a total understanding of how to move organic products, especially in a down economy.

As I write this post, congress has rejected the proposed $700 billion bailout plan. Financial analysts agree that we are in the midst of a bear market and even though yesterday, the Dow dropped the lowest it has in history, at the end of every bear market, is a bull market.

Why am I telling you something you already know?

Because regardless of how challenging our economic conditions seem to be, one thing is constant, our ability to react or not react to the situation.

Fear is definitely something that can cause us to pull our money out of the stock market and keep it close to home. Fear is also something that can cause us to stop marketing and stop learning and growing as individuals and business people.

What we do know is that a turnaround bailout plan is unavoidable and may have even happened by the time you are reading this post.

Home sales may be down, but homeowners are doing more green home improvements than ever. They may not be updating the whole kitchen, but they are doing the small jobs that count for saving energy and money, such as weather-stripping, caulking those breezy windows, buying CFL bulbs and insulating their bathrooms and water heaters.

Home Depot reports in a New York Times article, that, in addition to green repairs, people are also stocking up on pellet fuel before winter hits.

Could the retail sales of pellet stoves rise as well? I do wonder as I know last year when I looked at pellet stoves, it was still challenging to find them. Only wholesalers and retailers off the beaten path carried them.

Will we see more retailers starting to carry these, 90%+, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly stoves?

With the wave of environmentally friendly products for just about everything including your home, consumers are starting to add more eco-friendly options into their remodels or new builds. Concrete or cement is one that is touted as environmentally friendly and often used for countertops. I just read an article that makes you realize that sometimes the process hurts the environment, though, the final product may not.

According to the Climate Change Newsletter, about 2.5 billion tons of cement are produced every year, which amounts to almost 0.3 tons for every person on the planet. By 2050, global production is expected to reach 5 billion tons as housing booms continue in countries such as China and India.

Making cement is a very carbon-intensive process. The process creates CO2 in two ways: by driving carbon dioxide out of calcium carbonate (from limestone) in a chemical reaction inside cement kilns; and by burning large quantities of fossil fuels to heat the kilns to the 1,450C necessary to generate the chemical reaction.

For every ton of concrete produced, the chemical reaction releases 0.6 ton of CO2, with up to another 0.3 ton generated in the burning of the fuel to heat the cement kilns.

I speak and train regularly in the hospitality industry. Green is getting to be a very popular topic and I am asked to speak on how to be effective in marketing and communicating to green and LOHAS consumers. LOHAS consumers are the ones driving the trends.

What I have found is that that the hospitality understands what it takes to go green, but not as much on how to effectively market and communicate to these consumers. The issue is that if you become a green facility and do not market or effectively communicate that you are green in the right way, you can lose the consumers.

Worse yet, you can hurt the state as a whole. I am a firm believer that states that go green within the hospitality industry should really have a budget for green training on how to market and communicate to green and LOHAS consumers. If they do this, they will be able to attract and retain more green tourists. If they don’t train hotels, inns, CVBs, etc., they could lose tourists who may not know they are green at all.

It seems like every day we turn on the TV, there is much doom and gloom about how bad or economic situation is. The media exposure alone can make any sane person think they should think twice before they make any move. Too much exposure to the media can cause a little paranoia, I believe. I’ve seen business owners and executives alike, hugging the purse strings even closer, for good reason. Though, I still have to say that we all know marketing in a recession will help you rise above the clutter and continue to pull ahead of other businesses even after the recession has ended.

Marketing in a recession does make you work a little harder, though, I think we all become much too complacent in a good economy. There is still business out there, you just may need to dig a little deeper and push a little harder. Since I am sure you have heard enough of the doom and gloom, I’m going to focus on what you can focus on—the positive, green opportunities:

In my last blog post I talked about marketing in a recession and how to think differently and realize that although some products and services are not selling, others are. I want you to think about how you can re-adjust and think differently realizing that people are still buying green products and services and will still pay more.

We all know consumers buy for emotional reasons and in a recession, consumers don’t buy for emotional reasons. In a recession, emotions are running high and you need to be aware of this so your approach gets results.

The truth is the consumers within the general population, we call them the mass market consumer, are still not convinced that green products are as good as traditional, non-green ones. Now this has changed some with the help of larger, more recognized brands producing good, solid, green products that can be trusted. Yet, consumers in the general population are driven by price and if your price is higher, they may think long and hard about if this purchase really makes sense for them. You have much more convincing to do. Convenience is a big driver to this audience so if you can show how more convenient this product or service is and pair it with a product or service they are already using that is not as convenient, you might just make that sale.

People still do not realize that the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer exists and that they will stay pay 20% more in a recession. If you truly get to know this consumer, you’ll understand why this is. My research report, that offers a baseline for the entire Midwest, will help you better understand this consumer and what influences them to purchase. Click here to learn more.

LOHAS consumers are driven by their value system. Their value system is driven by their passion for the environment, their health and wellness and social issues. As long as this value system is in place, they will seek out products and services that help them fulfill their healthy, green lifestyle.

In my last post, I talked about marketing in the midst of a recession and how you need to understand the truth of why people buy and how they buy. In this post, I’d like to take time to discuss with you some of the most common mistakes companies make when marketing to green and LOHAS consumers. These mistakes should definitely be recognized and avoided at all costs. Because there are so many mistakes to cover, I’m going to cover this in my next post as well. Here we go:

• Assuming consumers know it’s green –

I was talking with a company the other day who indicated that although they asked their printer to put on the back of their business cards that it was printed from recycled paper, he indicated that since he only prints on recycled paper (is a green printer), it is not necessary. People will automatically know. This is a small example of a mistake that could be compounded by assuming this every time you rollout a green initiative or service or product, I see this happen too often with greener companies who have been in these waters before and with green vendors advising their clients not to worry about it.

• Assuming all consumers think and act the same -

We’re continuing our discussion in the costly mistakes companies make marketing green. If you are just reading this post now, I recommend you go back a couple of posts to the beginning of our discussion. Here are some of the additional mistakes companies make. After you know these, hopefully, you won't make them at all…

• Aligning with the wrong vendors –only as good as the company you keep.

If your vendors do not support your mission and values and value them they may not realize the need for shipping things in an environmentally friendly manner. When I started working with my printer, I had to teach them to do things in an environmentally friendly manner.

• Not thinking through promotions to ensure it matches your campaign –

I want to spend some time talking about why green initiatives don’t work and what to do about it. Although I covered the most common, costly mistakes companies make in this marketplace, I still think it is important to cover why green initiatives may fall short of your goals or not work altogether.

First things first, if you have a less than stellar environmental or human rights track record, you need to deal with these situations first before you head down the green path. Today, consumers can find out pretty quickly if you failed to comply with federal regulations on an environmental mishap or if you “accidentally” engaged with a vendor who did not practice fair trade labor practices. Consumers can find out about you with the click of a mouse. So don’t pretend that these things didn’t exist. Deal with them first by acknowledging what you are going to do to mitigate these unfortunate happenings.

To regain marketshare, computer manufacturers are greening their computers even more just making them energy efficient. Considering it costs just 3 percent more to produce a new, green PC and Forrester Research Inc’s study said that 25 million shoppers say they would pay more for green PCs, creating a green PC only makes good business sense. In July, Dell created one, its greenest PCs (it indicated) ever—the Studio Hybrid. The computer is clad in bamboo.

Green PCs cut energy costs 21 percent per year by adding a new power supply system that only costs $20 more, according to Hewlett-Packard’s Kirk Godkin. He is the senior product manager for corporate PCs.

The latest research suggests that a business that buys 2,000 would spend $40,000 more but each desktop saves $6 to $35 in energy costs annually. Companies that leave computers running around the clock would save $50K and recoupe their investment overnight, according to Godkin.

We’re living in a constant state of knowing. Consumers know a lot more than they once did and they are getting smarter every day. I think the Internet and getting information in real time has a lot to do with it. It is the same thing that is feeding the state of panic some consumers feel they are in with the current economy and the media painting a picture of doom and gloom.

Because consumers are smarter, you’ll no longer be able to say something is good for the planet and that will be enough. They’ll want to know why is it good for the planet? What makes it good for the planet?

This means that you’ll need to make sure you’re in the know as well.

• That you know what consumers want from your green and health products and services.

• That you know consumers will make the connection with something being good for them and good for the planet. They’ll want to double whammy.

• That you know what terminology they best respond to and what terminology sways them from purchasing.

• That you know how to engage them from the start and keep them engaged before, during and after you sell them a product or purchase.

I recently attended an event that recognized competitiveness in manufacturing. It was put on by a company that specialized in consulting for the manufacturing industry, MAGNET. The event, held in Cleveland, Ohio, was quite well-attended in the midst of challenging economic conditions and in a city where jobs are not as prevalent.

It wasn’t enough that this event had top notch food and a well-orchestrated event, complete with cheerleaders and a marching band, but also that they were able to pull this off in a challenging economy, and have a packed house.

I was glad to see that the event recognized competitiveness in the green arena. I think it was the first time. Nonetheless, a local and international manufacturer was selected as the winner, Shearer’s Foods. Being a snack food company consistently operating machinery, their goal was to track and reduce overall consumption of electricity, water and natural gas by converting from a manual data tracking process to a real-time electronic monitoring, leading to a 50% reduction in water usage/discharge and a 3% reduction in electricity.

I just conducted a teleseminar on How to Market and Sell Green in a Down Economy. It was a topic that I felt was timely and needed during this tough economy. I was also asked about this subject regularly.

I spent 60 minutes talking about the consumers who are more willing to spend dollars on green products and services even in the midst of a recession. Believe or not, there are consumers still willing to spend 20% more for products and services they believe in. And, they’ll spend this money even if the economy is down. What you need to understand is that they are value-driven, not driven by price. Sure, just like any other consumer, they may have less money so they may buy less, but they will still pay that premium. To whom I am referring?

LOHAS consumers. Consumers with money and a conscience who balance their values on health, the environment and social issues. They are concerned and interested in a company’s environmental and social responsibility record. But the LOHAS consumers are not the only ones you can target for green products and services…green brands. Did you know that 80% of consumers show some green motivation, according to the latest NMI study?

• DRIFTERS (24% of all U.S. adults): Driven by trends, DRIFTERS are currently engaged in sustainability though their behaviors are not deeply rooted. They are price sensitive and are more likely to be eco-concerned if affected personally. DRIFTERS’ behavior has shown some of the most dramatic increases over time.

• CONVENTIONALS (26% of all U.S. adults): This very practical segment does not have green attitudes but does have some “municipal” environmental behaviors such as recycling, energy conservation, and other similar behaviors. This segment’s behavior is driven more by cost savings or a desire to waste less than by environmental consciousness.

Green drinks is a group of which I just became aware in my hometown. From what I understand, this group with international and local chapters are set up in various cities around the world. If you go to the green drinks website, here is what they say:

"Every month people who work in the environmental field meet up for a beer at informal sessions known as Green Drinks.We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. Just say, "are you green?" and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there. It's a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network.

These events are very simple and unstructured, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity. It's a force for the good and we'd like to help it spread to other cities. Contact your local node to get the latest info about coming along.”

In the midst of a recession it’s especially important to ensure your campaigns are green initiatives are successful…there is little room for error. This is why I am going to devote today’s discussion to why green initiatives don’t work and what you can do about it. I am going to talk about how to quickly and affordably get on the right track to consumer acceptance, sustainable sales and business profits.

So why might your green initiatives not work:

If you look around you’ll notice the whole world (or so it seems) has gone green. If you believe everything you read, you’ll think that everyone is buying green. This is not necessarily the case as I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts entitled, “Why Green Initiatives Don’t Work.”

The key to getting consumers to want to buy your green product or service lies in the value you create. Not just any kind of value, but the “authentic green value. Sure, you’ve all heard about creating value for your brands. What you may not be familiar with is what value really means to the consumers who care most about your green and/or LOHAS brand.

Why do they choose to buy it? Convenience? Price? Environmental features and benefits? Each reason they choose to buy dictates which consumer you are targeting. Make sense? It needs to because the value you create as a brand is not necessarily the value some consumers consider as valuable. Additionally, they may not even believe the value proposition you lay forth. Consumers driven by convenience may not consider it a value that you have more environmental attributes than your competitors. If the product is more convenient for them to use, they’ll buy it for that reason first, then everything else is a bonus—if it is believable. That is where authenticity comes into play.

Think outside-the-green-box. It should be a bumper sticker on every car (maybe not..it might be too tacky) reminding people that it’s time to think outside the green box. Consumers are thinking outside that green box and asking for more green attributes and benefits. Green products of the past are not today’s green products.

So the question is…if consumers are thinking outside that green box, why aren’t companies?

To me it lies in the idea that no one wants to innovate, especially in a down economy. It’s too risky. But is there a way to think outside that green box without too much risky innovation? I am convinced there is.

Throw aside your old green thinking and bring in some new thoughts on how you can make it through this next 1-2 year recessionary period. And even be profitable. Believe it or not, there are companies who are increasing sales—despite all of the hardships we read about in the paper or in online journals.

It appears that the health and green connection is taking more shape, especially in Japan. The hot water bottle is more popular than ever—it came back in fashion this past month. Interestingly enough, it is being used as a way for families in Japan to save on their energy costs. The hot water bottles are becoming quite a fashion statement though, with a slew of handmade covers being made available some even being targeted at children.

President-elect, Barack Obama has already indicated one of things he will be focusing on is creating more green jobs. It is no surprise that this is a focus for other companies throughout the nation. Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world, is working with its suppliers to create a green-jobs incubation program in the U.S. The company has formed a Green Jobs Council and more than 30 of its suppliers are participating in it—Bp Solar and General Electric to name a couple.

In the meetings, it was discussed that the catalysts for the creation of these jobs was increased customer demand as well as the need for leadership in sustainability programs. It was also recognized that barriers might hinder the process due to the present economic climate. Additional capital would be needed as well as people needing to be trained in these new green jobs.

Consumers are continuing to shop, despite the necessary cut bucks they have had to endure, and they are putting their conscience into it as well.

A recent annual study by Deloitte indicates nearly half of the 13,000 consumers polled said they’d be willing to pay more for green gifts. This was up from 17 percent last year.

This really is no surprise considering general consumers are becoming more aware of how their decisions have an impact on the environment and something as simple as forgoing a bag is something they can do to make a difference. The study also indicates a significant number of people are willing to pay more for green gifts and supplies.

My hunch and educated guess would be the availability is up. It’s easier to find green gifts in the main stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, etc. When we conducted our study in 2005, the first in the Midwest, main consumer groups indicated that lack of availability was one of the reasons they did not purchase greener products.

In my last post, I looked at the latest study by Deloitte indicating holiday shopping is becoming a little greener. There are some other aspects of the recent study I’d like to comment on.

The study did indicate that thirty-eight percent of those polled said they will use fewer bags this year compared to 27 percent last year.

I’ve noticed many retailers trying to get clients to forgo a bag altogether, one such retailer is Substance for Fashion Conscience People. The owner, Christina Getachew, feels that providing yet another reusable shopping bag is wasteful and asking people to forgo a bag is very effective. And I have to agree. Although I think it is great to provide reusable bags, I now find I have an over abundance of them which could be deemed as wasteful as well. Every time I speak at a trade show or attend a conference, I receive not just one, but numerous ones.

Retailers such as Substance can follow the lead that Getachew has taken and so can other businesses. By merely not having to go to the expense to purchase a multitude of bags, you can cut money off your bottom line and put it to good use as Getachew does. When consumers decide to forgo a bag, she makes a donation on their behalf to education-focused non, profit, Donors Choice.

In my last two posts, I talked about holiday shopping becoming a little greener. I’d like to continue that discussion relating it back to current research and studies. If you did not read my last two posts, you may want to read them before reading this one to help you better understand the premise of this ongoing thread I am posting.

In this Deloitte study, twenty percent of the respondents said they will purchase more eco-friendly gifts this year. And, 14 percent are expecting to buy more organic products. Although the study did not segment out which consumer groups are responding in what way, I’d suspect that the 20% percent of the respondents would fall into the LOHAS category or at least one of the other greener consumer segments. That 20% is pretty close to what percentage of LOHAS consumers are in the nation and since we know they are the prime purchasers of green products and services for themselves and for family and friends, they would most likely be the target indicating they will purchase more eco-friendly gifts this year. One thing the study did not indicate is the definition they provided to the respondents for the term “eco-friendly.” Did they even provide one at all? The term is so misunderstood that using it freely might create potential confusion from the get go.

Historically, in the past, major retailers such as Macy’s, Kohl’s, Bed, Bath & Beyond, etc. were known for couponing and sales. Consumers often realized they did not need to pay full price for many things and waited for the sale. It wasn’t too often you noticed a specialty shop couponing or offering many sales, if any at all.

Green or LOHAS-oriented retailers are no different, few couponed and offered much on sale. Many because of the small-scale of their shops and others just to keep their value intact. And, it is known, that LOHAS consumers will spend 20% more for products and services that meet their value system. Other consumer segments such as Naturalites also have a tendency to shop based on values as opposed to many mainstream consumer groups driven by price.

Of course, a recession changes things a bit. Even the consumers willing to spend more, will spend it, but they may not have as much to spend so they’ll choose wisely where they spend those dollars. Sustainlane has started to address this with a couponing approach. Sustainlane, known for its Green Ad Network, Angie’s List of sorts for green products and services, created a way for smaller, greener, LOHAS-oriented stores to get in front of new consumers by offering them a way to save. They call it their GreenSaver, an online source for green deals.

Stevia natural plant-based sweetener, is getting a line extension of sorts into Rebaudioside A, known as Reb-A. the food and drug administration approved it as the first all-natural zero calorie sweetener, to be adopted as a key ingredient in mainstream food and beverage production. And the industry has not wasted any time. Coca-cola and Pepsico are rolling out products this month that will feature the sweetener as a more natural version of their existing one. Their plans are to extend it into their existing brands as line extensions to include Sprite, Odwalla, SoBe and Tropicana. It is yet to determine how they will be marketing these new products.

A recent article in Advertising Age indicates that there is some speculation that the addition of this sweetener could make it confusing for the beverage industry to market the product. Some of the products such as Sprite’s Green product will be marketed as having “50% fewer calories than regular sodas.” Others will have no calories at all.

The Green Brigade, a public radio website, reviewed and selected the 2008 greenwashers of the year. I’d like to recap it with my comments, of course.

Fiji, the bottled water company, was listed at the top, although, there is no rhyme or reason for this according to the review. Here is why Fiji is on their list, according to the website. Fiji’s numbers in one year:

5,500 miles per trip from Fiji to Los Angeles (the closest Fiji Water destination point in the US)

• 46 million gallons of fossil fuel

• 1.3 billion gallons of water

• 216,000,000 lbs of greenhouse gases

Their bottles are made from PET plastic with a 12% recycling rate in the US. These water bottles are often refilled by consumers releasing the chemical DEHA, considered to be a carcinogen.

Keeping all of this in mind, Fiji just release its green campagin and launched its fijigreen.com website indicating “every last drop is green.” This is a pretty bold and far reaching claim. The company has made a significant effort toward reducing their carbon footprint and is committed to become carbon negative by 2010 by:

• Reducing its packaging by 20% and increasing recycled content—keep-in-mind that PET can only be recycled in limited areas.

This is the time of year for hitting the slopes—the ski slopes that is. Choosing your ski resort can be challenging. I just ran across an interesting blog, Inspiring Women Travelers, talking about the Ski Area Citizens Coalition and how they have created a Ski Area Environmental Scorecard.

They base their scores on things such as energy efficiency, renewable energy credits and using cleaner fuels. They voted for the top ten and the worst ten—I wouldn’t want to be on the later list.

Here’s their current top 10 for this year:

1. Aspen Mountain Ski Resort – Colorado

2. Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort – Colorado

3. Sundance Resort – Utah

We’re in the midst of the New Year and it is time to forget about old, bad behavior and actions and focus on some new ones — some new rules. The rules I am referring to are for the green and LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) marketplace, though they could be easily used for most any marketplace. I covered these and my other 6 rules more in-depth in this month’s newsletter. Click here to sign up and read the entire article

1. Stay true to your claims. Consumers are becoming more and more educated on what it means when green claims are made through articles, the new administration, and regulations. In order to be successful in the green area, you need to stay true to your environmental claim and not spend unnecessary dollars and time trying to convince people that your product, technology or solution is green when you have very little to back it up.

I presented my session on how to effectively sell to green consumers who care and become one of the “in” brands at the National Retail Federation.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that 150-200 attended my session, the room was just about full and the conference was as well attended as last year. From what I heard, there were about 15,000 major retail executives (and those supporting the industry) in attendance and about 585 exhibitors.

This really was good testament to me that retailers are doing everything they can to educate themselves on how to get ahead despite the current economic climate. They were learning about new ways to look at consumers with my session on Holistic Green Retail Strategies and other sessions such as how consumers make unconscious decisions. I’ll talk more about that in my next post.

What was interesting to me was that the majority of the attendees were from outside the U.S. I am not sure why this surprised me as green is more of a global trend being embraced by many countries—some being further ahead that the U.S.

I wrote a white paper for the event on “Creating Authentic Green Value.” If you’d like to receive a copy of it, please email me at cchandler@marketing-insider.com. It is focused on retailers, yet would apply to most any type of industry to justify why being green is not enough and why many green initiatives don’t work.

Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends

Colette Chandler

After conducting my seminar at the National Retail Federation’s conference this past weekend, I attended a very interesting session on conscious versus unconscious behavior from consumers. It made a lot of sense that consumers say one thing and do another. I think we all know that this happens sometimes.

This particular session focused on neuromarketing and a research study that involved brain scan technology. Martin Lindstrom was the speaker and talked about research that involved asking people what they think about a brand, then scanning their brand and finding out that they think one thing and say another.

The research revealed that the warning label, “smoking kills” actually increased people’s craving for cigarettes. Also, the research indicated that sponsorship ads that involved images that were recognizable and did not include logos, were more effective than ads with logos.

Now what does this mean? Does this mean that we should never trust what consumers tell us? I don’t think so. Much research is valid, but we do need to understand what this research means and it supports that people buy based on their values, attitudes, behaviors, etc. Sometimes we don’t know what they are and it is up to us to find out either through brain scanning software (which can be expensive) or by getting to know them.

Green consumers are some of the most misunderstood and often overlooked. They don’t always trust and believe in ads and I would suspect that they would be the ones to recognize a brand they trust without a logo versus one with one.

As I mentioned in one of my last blog posts, I spoke at the National Retail Conference where Office Depot and Best Buy spoke about their results with their greening of their operations. I am asked quite often what type of results companies should expect from going green. I always like to share what others say:

I thought of you as well as your associates when I listened to a presentation from Office Depot, Best Buy, RecycleBank and Terracycle on the ROI on going green. Here is some information I gathered that might help you in your efforts if or your customers decide to go green.

• Best Buy reported

A 101,036,793 utility bill savings

364,000 tons – carbon reduction which as a result of their waste being recycled. This was equivalent to saving 2.7 million trees and removing 247,000 cars from the road

• Office Depot reported

Apple is focused on its green aspects of its new MacBook, the latest notebook from Apple. It boasts that it is “free of bad chemicals like mercury and “uses less than a quarter of the electricity needed to run a light bulb.

Apple was actually fourth from the bottom in the ninth Greepeace guide to green electronics, published in November of 2008. So I would imagine after this latest MacBook, there green rating would rise.

In Greenpeace’s report, they only make three demands for manufacturers of electronic goods:

I just a recent article in a magazine (E-Environmental Magazine) about how employees can help their employers save money while helping out the planet. I immediately thought that was a great idea and a way to prove their value and do something that makes a difference. We know the economy is tough and companies need to save every penny they can—the more they can save, the more opportunity to keep the valuable employees employed.

In this article, it mentions that businesses waste precious resources such as water, energy and paper products. It also suggests what types of things businesses can do to get started down the green path. Here they are:

As I write this blog post, I am traveling to Louisiana for a week long series of speaking engagements. As I have been traveling in airports, it has occurred to me that there has to be a better way to comply with the security regulations of no water or beverages allowed through the security check point and being green.

It is known by many that plastic water bottles have a 12% recycling rate, though, recyclable ones are on the horizon. Yet, we are left to purchase bottled water if we want more than a quick sip when we travel. I keep thinking there has to be another solution out there that we just aren’t seeing.

Sure, bottled water is a huge money maker for many restaurants knowing you have to buy it if you are thirsty before or after your flight. I used to remember seeing drinking fountains in airports, but I am noticing this has gone by the wayside—at least they are not as prevalent. So what is the answer?

As companies continue to look for ways to reduce expenses and minimize their environmental footprint, they naturally turn to their meetings. Greening a meeting is really nothing new, yet it is front and center due to green being top of mind and because it can save dollars. The Green Meeting Industry Council not only holds a yearly conference on this subject, but also has chapters throughout the nation holding their local educational meetings.

This year’s conference, February 24-26 in Pittsburgh, where I will be speaking, is promising to help companies, organizations, facilities and the like understand how to move from sustainability to action. I’ll be speaking on the 26th on the health and green balance and connecting with the consumers and businesses who care most.

My session will help businesses industry the connection between green and health and what consumers and business expect from green meetings. I chose this subject because I find there is often a disconnection between green and health at meetings especially in regard to the food. Businesses may choose to “green” the meeting by not using paper plates or paper napkins yet may never consider that greener foods is local and organic if possible.

In my last blog post I talked about the Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference. I thought it was fitting to talk about how to green your next meeting. Keep in mind these are 8 simple tips to help you think and act in the same direction:

1. Do your homework. If you’ve never organized a green meeting, read up on it or attend an event such as the Greening the Hospitality Conference I mentioned in my last blog post. The Environmental Protection Agency and Green Meeting Industry Council has a lot of information available on their websites.

2. Find out about your clients’ mission and values and how a “green” meeting might help them drive their message home. Sometimes, the person involved on the client side doesn’t even know it’s an option or even something to consider.

3. Use it as a marketing tool. If you really want to differentiate yourself from other meeting planners, offering something they don’t will definitely set you apart, especially if you are more knowledgeable.

In one of my previous posts, I talked about how companies are educating consumers on green building and remodeling, yet there is lack of availability in various markets to be able to really remodel green on your own. A new green flagship aims to change this. Once just a resource for remodelers and builders, the Green Depot decided to expand to retail after she watched a "very pregnant" woman make the trek to her warehouse in in the hottest part of the summer, looking for some VOC-free paint for her new nursery.

Obviously someone who pays attention to what the marketplace needs—something all of us need to continue doing especially in the midst of this challenging economy.
The company does offer the ability to order the products online, though, the company’s physical location in NY. Hopefully, this company or others will see this same need to open other retail locations supplying green home improvement products.

In this economy, we need to look for signs that we need to provide solutions to consumers looking for them. We know that despite the economy, consumers will still pay more for goods and services that meet their needs. We also know that if we can offer value-priced goods, that we can appeal to more of the mainstream marketplace. If you conduct a quick search on Google you’ll see green bargain sites appearing—a newer concept in green that allows consumers the opportunity to trial products and services.

Think about how you can offer a service similar to this Green Depot who in the midst of this challenging economy, launched a new line of products and services geared to consumers looking for ways to be green their homes. Remember, greener consumers would rather shop local.

I’m continuing our discussion from our last blog post, if you didn’t read it, click here to do so.

I heard every day how companies are not spending money. Do you want to bet? Companies will spend on solutions that help ensure they are not out of business. For instance, if I were a manufacturing company, I’d spend on a green assessment to look at how more environmentally friendly my business could operate to save me money to use toward securing more business.

I’d spend on a green marketing and communications assessment helping me position my company as caring about the environment, especially if this helped me attract better talent and talent who might be healthier, keeping my healthcare costs down.

I’d spend money looking at my carbon footprint if I were rolling out a service or product that was being touted as green.

Why?

For those of you who know me or know what I’m most passionate about it’s the intersection between green and health. I feel this is the missing link, it’s the reason I speak about it regularly and created my newest speaking topic: Creating the green and health marketing balance©

It’s been a popular topic for all of my national speaking engagements including my keynotes. I would expect it will be as popular for international ones as well.

I really think it’s time for the green groups and the health groups to marry each other and combine their households.

Yet, I see few groups, organizations, companies who truly understand this marriage and that it is a match made in heaven. It only makes sense that the green side work with the health side of things. It all balances out in the end. Let me explain...

Everything we do that is moving toward being more environmentally friendly impacts our overall health and wellness. Our environment impacts the air we breathe, what we put into our bodies and so forth. Research has even shown that since 90% of our time is spent in buildings, green buildings could help companies reduce 58 billion in sick time. I heard that great statistic from L. Hunter Lovins.

Yes. I understand we are building more green buildings and many of the builders understand this. Why then aren’t more of the green business groups working with the health groups toward a common goal? Doesn’t it make sense?

As I am writing this blog post, Seventh Generation just unveiled three new natural cleaning products— Natural Fabric Softener Sheets, Auto Dish Pacs and Rinse Aid Seventh Generation Unveils Three New Natural Cleaning Products to Detoxify, Green Spring Cleaning.

In a market of economic uncertainty, they are introducing three new products that are not really a necessity for consumers. Let’s face it, we can live without dryer sheets. Sure, you’d walk around shocking everyone and looking like the bride of Frankenstein, but you don’t have to have them. Yet, here is their great way of telling you WHY you need them:

Did you know?

The European Parliament recently officially endorsed extending the EU's eco-label plan to new products, including processed food. They are one of the few to create these type of standards.

The EU assembly backed the Commission's July 2008 proposal to revise the voluntary eco-label plan with an overwhelming majority . The revised legislation aims to widen the number of products covered by the plan and reduce costs by cutting administrative red tape.

Under its eco-label plan, the Commission sets individual criteria for each product group before awarding the Community flower label.

Currently, over 3,000 products including detergents, paper and shoes have received the recognition.
Food products will not only be assessed according to their production processes, but also a lifecycle approach, including the environmental impact of transport, the agreement states. Moreover, the Commission will consider only awarding the eco-label to organic products, to make it easier for consumers to navigate the label jungle.

The Parliament refused to budge on excluding products that contain substances that are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or otherwise hazardous to the environment.

It’s really about time we’ve seen this type of labeling happen. Hopefully, this continues to plant seeds for other countries to follow suit, especially the U.S. I agree that the more regulations we have, actually the easier it will be to market green products to consumers. You’ll spend less time proving your product is green and be able to spend more time educating and selling the consumer on why your green solution makes the most sense. I applaud the EU for creating these new standards for their eco-label.

Here is a list of other eco-labels that exist:

Although research on whether or not eco-labels effect consumer behavior is a little dated, its relevance is not. As a matter-of-fact, it is even more relevant today than it ever was considering the economic climate and the need to spend less dollars and make a green product valuable enough that customers purchase again and again.

In 2004, a Danish study analyzed the effect of the Nordic swan eco-label on Danish consumers' decision. It drew the following conclusions:

• Consumers were willing to pay 10-17% more for eco-labeled toilet paper and detergents;

• The market share for the Nordic swan labeled products is estimated to 6-7%;

• When there are more sustainable alternatives on the market, as e.g. reusable dishcloths instead of kitchen paper, consumers will not pay extra for eco-labeled products;

• Consumers have confidence in the label.

Compare this to the U.S. study by NMI in 2007:

I just learned about a timely grant, the EILEEN FISHER Business Grant for Women Entreprenuers. Apparently, this grant evaluates applicants on the social consciousness, sustainability, innovation, environmental impact of their business, intended use of grant money, and alignment with the mission of EILEEN FISHER.

During the 2008 grant cycle, more than 125 business women from across the US, including start-ups, applied for the grants via the company's web site. Grant applications were reviewed by 13 members of EILEEN FISHER's volunteer Business Grant committee, which is comprised of employees from various departments across the company, including wholesale and retail.

Manufacturers are increasingly faced with new environmental regulations and push from consumers to become more sustainable. In fact, one of the fastest growing consumer segments, LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumers demand it before they will buy a green/environmental product. Yet, it is challenging for companies to know where to start in this challenging green arena.

How green is really green?

What can they say about being environmentally friendly and a conscious business?

What advantage will this allow them in the marketplace?

As I write this post, I am in a plane returning from the WBEC conference in Mississippi, where I keynoted. I’m in a plane full of people with no vacant seats, probably due to the reduction in flights. I attended this conference that still managed to attract and draw a crowd of $200+. How?

Not being satisfied with the number of registrations that were coming in on their own, they were proactive and called everyone personally to invite them to the conference. And I have to tell you this was one of the best conferences I ever attended. What I saw and heard was refreshing.

In the midst of this recession, we’re seeing a lot of trends one of them being consumers investing more than ever in their own gardens for produce to save money.

It makes sense as this is a way for consumers to save dollars and do something for the environment, especially if their garden is grown without pesticides.

Many companies are prospering because of this. Companies such as Scotts who makes gardening products and seed companies are able to capitalize and so are others. Anyone who makes a product that would contribute to building a produce garden and a green one would prosper in the economy.

Who else would?

When I was keynoting at an event recently, I learned about a company that distributes insoles that help people who stand for long periods of time relieve their back pain or any other pain for that matter. The company that distributes the insoles, Happy Feet, LLC, positions the insoles as “personal mats” for the feet.

I really thought this was an ingenious way to allow corporations to see the benefit of using these personal mats over the large mats they need to use in their factories.

Upstate North Carolina has one of its first totally green homebuilders. This is new in itself, but what I found more interesting was that builder indicated the homes will not cost you more. In this economy, that is what many consumers want to hear.

These green neighborhood near downtown Greenville, called the Elements, is for multi-families something you do not see as often as single-family, green communities. Here are some of the features of these new homes:

• All the trim on the walls comes from trees that were cut down on site.

• Increased insulation resulting in a savings between 30 and 50 percent to code built homes

I often run across new companies that do not really understand the concept of sustainability and green, yet understand enough that they know it is important. They know that they want to embrace it, yet they do not really understand what it means to be green. I ran across one such company the other day who had the best intentions, but needs to better understand the concept of green before they are accused of greenwashing.

I learned of a new doctors office that was more holistically-minded and green. They were marketing these two positioning lines on their website. It was quite attractive to many consumers in a state that did not have many holistically-minded doctors and really no green medical offices such as this. When I checked out the practice, I noticed that although they had a handful of green features, there were many other things they did not embrace. They mentioned being holistic and having green furniture and carpeting, plus no VOC paint, yet when you went into the bathroom, the soap, sprays, etc. were all chemicals. There was definitely a disconnect of what being green really meant. They went so far as to invest in some green furniture and carpeting, etc., yet the simple things such as soap and cleaners were forgotten and not understood, yet they professed being totally green.

This particular business had the best intentions just as anyone else does, they just didn’t understand the concept of what green meant. They didn’t understand that eliminating chemicals was a huge component of the equation.

Could they be greenwashed?

In my last blog post, we talked about Shell being put on trial for in New York accused of playing a role in the killing of Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. If you missed our discussion, see my two prior posts below this one.

In the past month, since we’ve rolled out some new green marketing assessment tools, I’ve been asked what makes companies and corporations successful in marketing green products, services or green initiatives.

The reason my company originally developed green marketing assessment tools was to help organizations, corporations and companies determine if their roll outs would be successful in the green arena. I realized quickly that everyone needed more education and then rolled out my Creating Authentic Green Value Webinar series, http://www.marketing-insider.com/secrets_of_green_brands_webinar/

There is so much to learn in this ever changing green and sustainability marketplace. One thing is for sure, though, certain rules still apply.

• Education is paramount to make customers aware of what you mean when you indicate a product, service or brand is green/sustainable. The more education, the better in my opinion.

• Knowing your customer and that not all green consumers and business think and act the same

• Knowing how to effectively position your message, when to say what, what to say in general

• Determining where you can position your company in the over-crowded green marketplace to allow it to rise above the clutter and not be one of the “me too” generations

• Knowing what else you need to work on internally to be successful in launching a green campaign and how your message should follow your greening process

• Knowing what the trends are in the marketplace, which are here to stay

What doesn’t work:

I just returned from 4 days in San Francisco. I love the west coast, but with the reduced number of flights, it seems to take a while these days. I spoke at the WBENC Conference for certified women business owners.

The conference was well-attended, in fact, they ended up with so many late registrations that they ran out of food! I guess it is a good problem to have. Although there numbers were down, they still ended up with close to 2000 attendees from all industries and an exhibit floor packed with corporate vendors. This is another conference that had me wondering if we were really in the midst of a recession. There was an event at every corner — Luncheons, breakfasts, dinners and receptions. From Wine Country receptions to senior executive receptions, food, drinks and deserts were aplenty.

When I was checking out, I spoke with the front desk person at the Hilton San Fran who indicated he had a hard time believing it was a recession as their hotel had been sold out for 3 weeks straight — 2000 rooms.

I spoke on creating authentic green value and received some great questions from the audience members on how to create it and how to get around costs when selling higher priced green projects.

Has the FTC had it with greenwashing? You might think so since they recently charged Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.”

If you read some of my previous blog posts, I indicated that I thought we were getting closer to fining companies for false green claims as they do in Europe.

Kmart and Tender have agreed to settle the cases against them; the case against Dyna-E will be litigated. The testimony states that with the recent growth in “green” advertising and product lines, the agency will continue its efforts to ensure that environmental marketing is truthful, substantiated, and not confusing to consumers.

This basically means, get your facts straight and make sure you are truly green before you put it out there for the world to see.

Here is the story on the above retailers and why they were charged:

I just read an interesting article today in my local business publication about sales. The author talked about how people blame the economy as opposed to their product or service. I started thinking about this and how it applied to marketing and selling green products and services.

I can no longer count on my hands how many times people indicate to me that their green product or service is not selling because of the recession. My question is, “are you sure about that or is it because you don’t know how to market or sell it?

Here are some other questions to ask yourself before you blame the economy for your woes:

1. Is it the economy or has your green product or service just run its course? Maybe your product or service is obsolete. Maybe there is an another product or service that filled the gap you once occupied (or tried to occupy) because you didn’t know how to secure your positioning.

2. Is it the economy or do you just have bad customer service? Have you scaled back so much that your customers can no longer be serviced. Remember, people expect their dollars to go farther because they have less in a recession.

In my last blog post, we discussed trusting yourself and your green and natural products. We’re continuing this discussion. If you missed this article, scroll down below this post to read it.

Other ideas to know if your product is the problem or it is your perception is to:

A. Look at your competition and see what is selling and what isn’t. Just make sure they are targeting the same audience. It should give you a sense of what customers are buying overall.

B. Survey your customers before rolling out a new product. Before you roll out a new product, unless your customers demand it, test it on them first. Ask for a sample customer group, a focus group of sorts, and tell them you will send them one of your products in exchange for providing feedback. This will save you a lot of time and energy from producing something that won’t sell.

My company often gets asked to come in and wave our magic wand to tell someone they are green or sustainable enough to print their brochure talking about it. I say this tongue and cheek because we were asked not that long ago to do this.

A company wanted to produce a brochure stating how green their products were. They wanted my company to come in and do a quick little assessment and tell them they were green enough to produce this brochure. The challenge was that they had never had any type of sustainability platform, no guiding principles, no audit on energy usage, etc., etc. Knowing this, I knew in order to be able to accomplish what they wanted, my assessment had to be even more in-depth than I normally did so that I would prevent the company and really my company (oh yes, consulting firms and agencies can be greenwashed as well) as well from being greenwashed.

A recent study by EcoAlign testing 1,000 consumers’ awarenwess indicates that consumers know green energy-related terms are positive, but less than one-third could correctly match the terms to their definitions. Also, fewer consumers chose correct definitions than those who were questioned in the first EcoPinion survey in October 2007.

Green Biz Reports:

In this year's survey, 80 percent chose the correct definition for "clean energy." But that's a drop from 86 percent getting it right in 2007. The same thing happened with the definition for "demand response." Sixty-nine percent got it right in 2009, but 73 percent got it right in 2007.

When it came to other terms like "peak pricing," "budget billing," "flat pricing," "time of use pricing" and "fuel supply pricing," consumers were either very knowledgeable about what the terms meant or were practically clueless about them.

The report suggests that, due to consumer misunderstanding of some terms, to stop using industry terms like "demand response" and "peak pricing" when communicating with consumers. Even though those concepts are important when it comes to the smart grid, consumers did not understand them and even made negative associations with them.

The report also finds that consumers could use some education when it comes to understanding the benefits of the smart grid. When asked to identify who or what they think will benefit the most from the smart grid, 31 percent of those surveyed said the environment would. And when asked to identify who would benefit the least, consumers said government, residential consumers and utilities would reap the fewest rewards from smart grid investments.

What does all of this mean?

It means make sure you talk to the lowest common denominator—speak to the people who least understand to ensure everyone gets it, especially if trying to appeal to the masses.

Colette Chandler

Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends