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Cape Wind on Nantucket
UK Wind Power Reaches Milestone at BBC
Building Projects Carbon Reduction Webinar from US Green Building Council
I’ve mentioned the great Carbon Reduction webinar series from the US Green Building Council before here and there’s more coming up. On December 5th the series continues with the Building Projects Learning Track.
This webinar is presented in partnership with the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, World Resources Institute and CTG Energetics, Inc.
The Building Projects Learning Track is a three session series for building professionals to learn design, construction, and operations plans to reduce the carbon emissions on any building project.
You can register here. Cost for complete three-session Building Projects Learning Track for $200, or $80 per session. You can also sit in on any session of the USGBC Webinar series in the archive. All of the USGBC webinars are a great opportunity for business and building professionals to learn more about Carbon Footprint reduction and industry trends.
GreenXchange Global Marketplace Conference
The GreenXchange Global Marketplace Conference looks like it will be an interesting mix of presenters, speakers and ideas. The promoters call the event “the world’s leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of green innovation and technology.”
The focus of the event is on green tech innovations and how bring them to a thriving marketplace. There is an exciting lineup of speakers including Matt Peterson, president & CEO of Global Green USA, Michael Milliken, editor of Green Car Congress and Robert Biefeld of Sandia National Labs who are heavy in biofuel and biocrude research.
The conference will present 6 tracks focused on key markets including:
- Non-Renewable Energy
- Renewable Energy
- Air, Water and Waste
- Clean Tech, IT, Transport & Infrastructure
- Capitalizing Green Tech
- Climate Change Policy
The GreenXchange Global Marketplace Conference will be held December 10-11 in Los Angeles. Visit their website here to learn more.
How the Hydrogen Economy is Growing
The race for renewable energy is driving a new focus on hydrogen as a clean energy for home and transportation. Worldwide initiatives are fueling research and innovation to make hydrogen cost-effective and efficient. Here’s just a few of the latest headlines in the Hydrogen Economy:
Algae Hydrogen Balloon Fuel by 20/2 Collaborative: A group of Philadelphia-based creatives known as the 20/2 Collaborative have designed a unique concept that enables on-site production and distribution of biologically produced hydrogen fuel for vehicles…at Inhabitat
Leeds Researchers Fueling the Hydrogen Economy: Scientists at the University of Leeds are turning low-grade sludge into high-value gas in a process which could make eco-friendly biodiesel even greener and more economical to produce… at Environmental News Network
Carbon Neutral Hydrogen Breakthrough: A professor at Penn State has developed a technique that could make hydrogen production less costly on our water supply and electricity demand…at EcoGeek
Transportation Tuesday - The Volkswagen Space Up: A look at the new hydrogen concept car from Volkswagen…at Inhabitat
Transportation Tuesday - BMW Hydrogen 7: BMW’s Hydrogen 7 is a luxury car, not a concept, that says “hydrogen is the fuel source of the future” in luxurious style…at Inhabitat
Cape Wind Blows Back at Cape Cod Commission Ruling
If you have an eye on renewable energy you’ve likely been following the Cape Wind proposal for the first U.S. offshore wind-power farm. Cape Wind Associates LLC has proposed installation of 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound - a project that could potentially power nearly a half million homes with renewable energy.
An application by Cape Wind to bury connection cables - needed to tie in to the Massachusetts grid - was denied by the Cape Cod Commission in October of this year. The company has now challenging the ruling and asking that the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board review the decision.
There are a lot of different sides to this ongoing story which began in 2001. Proponents of the plan see it as an opportunity to save energy and money while weaning the state (and U.S.) off of foreign oil used for heating in the Northeast. Those who are opposed to the wind farm cite the threat to migrating birds and the region’s tourism.
It’s not surprising is that many opponents own property on the islands where the wind farm would be visible in the distance about five miles offshore. But the islands off of the Massachusetts coast have some strong renewable energy initiatives of their own. I think the opposition is as much an attempt to protect the surrounding natural beauty as a recognition that there are other alternatives to Cape Wind’s proposal.
If Cape Wind wins approval the project would move quickly and be done within two years. The number of homes that would be able to use the renewable energy is significant. The arguments for and against the proposal are both quite strong.
I see both sides of the argument. I’ve done bird field studies up and down the Massachusetts coast, including in Cape Cod National seashore, and the wildlife sanctuary there is a national treasure. I’ve also visited fenceline communities up and down the oil refineries of the Mississippi River and would much rather live within five miles of a wind farm.
Currently I live in Germany where wind turbines dot the shorelines and the inland landscape. I also live within five miles of four coal plants - one, under construction, will be the largest in Europe. I favor renewable energy over these other choices any day but the question remains is Nantucket Sound the right place?
There are so many questions and issues that arise from this project that it’s difficult to say what is the right decision but I’m thinking that this project may not be the best solution. I would really like to hear from readers - what’s your take on the Cape Wind proposal? Do you think it’s a wise decision to disrupt this region in pursuit of renewable energy?
Read more:
- Cape Wind Challenges Ruling on Undersea Cables at Reuters
- The Wind and The Willful at Grist
- Save our Sound Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound website
- Cape Cod Commission website
- Cape Wind website
Photo NREL
Greenest Host Solar Powered Web Hosting
The internet creates a tremendous opportunity to go green. Newspapers and magazines can be paperless, commutes to work can take place under one roof and overall a virtual existence can help businesses cut down resource consumption and energy use. But what’s behind the website is another important part of sustainable business. Today’s web hosts are offering more choices for businesses that want a sustainable web power solution.
Greenest Host is one company that is offering 100% solar-powered web hosting. It’s an important distinction to note that this company is running off of renewable energy and not just purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) or Carbon Offsets. Companies that use RECs or offsets still create pollution through energy use but Greenest Host uses clean energy. The company is situated in sunny San Diego and the data center is powered by 120 solar panels that generate an excess of power, day and night, year round.
Their plans are affordable and offer a wide range of web hosting solutions and support. By giving small and medium businesses a renewable energy solution, Greenest Host estimates that 2000 kWh of “dirty” electricity are saved every year. And they are on a mission to convert the web to clean energy. From their website:
We estimate that hosting converting even one million, of the more than 40 million personal and small business websites created annually, to green power — it would result in annual pollution reductions equivalent to:
- 2,000 passenger cars taken off the road
- 1,070,000 gallons of gasoline not burned
- 21,900 barrels of oil not burned
- 1,200 households not using electricity for a year
- 240,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
- 7,900 acres of pine forests storing carbon for one year
- 77 acres of forest preserved from deforestation
- 48 railcars of coal not burned
- 3,200 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled
Web hosting with renewable energy definitely adds up. You can learn more about this green small business solution at Greenest Host.
Stonyfield Farm Now 100% Organic
Stonyfield Farm is one of those truly green minded companies that has little to prove yet they just keep getting better. According to TreeHugger, Stonyfield Farm now carries the USDA Organic seal on all of the dairy products in its line which means they are 100% organic.
Stonyfield Farm has long been a beacon of sustainable business and an advocate for healthy food and a healthy planet. Among their forward thinking business strategies, Stonyfield Farm was the first dairy processor in the US to pay farmers not to treat cows with rBST, the synthetic bovine growth hormone. They donate an impressive 10 percent of profits to environmental organizations, offset 100 percent of their CO2 emissions and recently installed the largest solar array in New Hampshire to power their production plant.
Stonyfield Farm is a major proponent and supporter of farmers and organic farming providing funding, workshops, events and conferences. Their strong relationships with milk suppliers like Organic Valley/CROPP are helping conventional farmers convert to organic - a process that excludes use of chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides.
In a October press release, Stonyfield Farm President and CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg said:
This is the culmination of 25 years of work and passion, and just in time for our 25th birthday. This is a goal that often seemed out-of-reach, due to the scarcity of organic milk and other ingredients, but our strong supplier relationships - primarily with Organic Valley/CROPP - and their steadfast support of this company and our consumers made this monumental achievement possible.
Stonyfield Farm is such a stellar example of what a good, green business can be and their products are delicious to boot. If you’ve never tried their stuff I highly recommend you check them out. They are a great company that is making a big difference in their industry.
- Stonyfield Farms website
- Organic Valley/Cropp news at Social Funds
Via TreeHugger
EcoBuild America Conference & Exhibit Coming Soon!
The US Ecobuild Fall 2007 Conference & Exhibit is coming up soon, in December, and is a great opportunity to connect with the latest ideas and innovations in the green building industry.
From December 10-13, 2007, EcoBuild invites organizations, experts and professionals to see the latest in sustainable and environmental design, energy and renewable resources, green building practices, product and service innovations, and learn about best green building strategies.
The conference is in cooperation with groups like the Green Building Initiative, Green Mechanical Council and the Building Smart Alliance. Participating organizations include the Green Building Institute, Whole Building Design Guide, and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) among others.
Also part of the event are expert sessions with AEC Science & Technology (AEC-ST) with a focus on maximizing the benefits of information technology in regard to building information modeling, technologies, multiple-data format management and project life cycle automation and much more.
EcoBuild is for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential construction professionals. The event will be held December 10-13 in Washington, D.C. You can get all the info on this event at EcoBuild Fall.
McDonald's Puts Geothermal on the menu
A McDonald’s restaurant in Pensacola, Florida, will use one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly resources for heating and cooling: the latent heat within the earth. Commonly called geothermal, this “fuel” source is actually a geo-exchange process that uses a heat-pump to circulate a medium within the constant temperatures in the ground.
Like air-to-air heat pumps, geo-exchange systems work as reversible refrigerant systems. The ground can be both a heat source and a heat sink. In cooler months, a medium of either water or antifreeze is circulated in tubing to gather the latent heat from within the earth and use it to warm buildings. In summer, the process is reversed drawing heat from buildings and “sinking” it into the ground.
This isn’t the first time the fast food chain will use this renewable resource for heating and cooling. GreenBiz reported that McDonald’s also used this technology in a Michigan restaurant in 1997.
I had no idea McDonald’s had any sort of eye on earth friendly, energy efficient technologies. I’m a big fan of geo-exchange systems and currently researching this option for a house I’m designing for a client in CT. I am psyched to see this idea catching on and especially with a business as mainstream as McDonald’s.
- GeoExchange How it Works at the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium
- McDonald’s Restaurant Taps Into Geothermal at GreenBiz
Simon & Schuster Gets a Little Greener
Efforts to green the world of book publishing made headlines earlier this year when “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” publisher Scholastic teamed up with the Rainforest Alliance. Now, New York publisher Simon & Schuster is getting on the green bandwagon with help from the Green Press Initiative. The initiative will increase recycled content and the amount of sustainably harvested materials, or responsible fiber sourcing, in books.
Part of Simon & Schuster’s plan is to eliminate paper made from old-growth forest areas. This will be done by purchasing paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The publisher announced recently that by 2012 at least 10 percent of its paper would be FSC certified.
FSC in an international organization that acts as an independent third party to track “chain-of-custody” on wood products. The FSC label guarantees that the wood is from a certified well-managed forest that brings social and economic benefits to local communities.
According to the FSC, the U.S. is the:
largest market for paper products in the world, producing 90 million tons of paper annually and consuming about 100 million tons. Despite improved technologies for refining post consumer pulp, virgin fiber is still a significant requirement, as only 35% of current consumption is met by using recycled fiber; in addition, approximately 25% of recovered fiber is exported out of US markets. Roughly 25% by volume of timber cut annually in the US is used for paper production.
I think that any green moves by Simon & Schuster will make a positive impact given the sheer volume of the publisher’s market. Still, 10% FSC certified content and 35% recycled content (the current standard) leaves quite a bit of room for further action to reduce environmental impact. In a simple calculation it actually leaves more than 50% questionable fiber sourcing, which is significant. And it will apparently take Simon & Schuster 5 years to get to that point. But the new initiative is definitely a step in the right direction.
Here’s a couple of links if you’re interested in responsible fiber sourcing:
Chevy Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid SUV Snags “Green Car of the Year”
As strange as it sounds, the Green Car of the Year Award has gone to a monster SUV, the Chevy Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid. The sport utility vehicle was given the title last Thursday at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
While Chevy Tahoe wouldn’t necessarily be the first auto that comes to my mind for a “green” award, GM’s hybrid system, developed jointly with BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler, has apparently gained the accolade by offering U.S. consumers what they want: a full-size SUV with better fuel efficiency.
California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger told Environmental News Network “They’ve proven that they can make beautiful cars, strong cars, keep the size, keep the safety, and all those kinds of things, and at the same time be more fuel efficient.”
I find it all very interesting. A lot of the news around the “Green Car of the Year”, which is presented by Green Car Journal, points to rising gas prices as the need for a more fuel-efficient SUV. That and the fact that a third of cars sold in the US are SUVs. The new hybrid Chevy Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid SUV gets 20 mpg, not exactly a ground breaking number.
So, is it bad news that the Green Car of the Year goes to a full-size truck that is overused and underemployed? I have mixed feelings. Making a popular vehicle 25 percent more fuel efficient within a decent price range is a good idea. That is not really the problem.
The problem is that while this vehicle is innovative, the award, in my opinion, just reinforces the idea that we need to use this much gas. I know that these vehicles can serve a purpose and that we all can’t drive a Prius. I live in the real world and have worked in industries where people needed to haul trailers or supplies.
However, I have seen plenty of these vehicles (not the hybrid, the conventional ones) recently and NONE were hauling anything (aside from groceries), towing anything or carrying more than 2 people. So, while I applaud the technology and recognize it is an advance over the previous Tahoe, I think this award is just going to make using these cars below their capacity seem justified. And people will still complain about paying $3-4 per gallon even though that’s what they’ve been quietly paying in states like Hawaii for sometime.
Or, try this fuel consumption reduction incentive on for size: where I live in Germany we pay over $8 per gallon of gas - 73.8% of that is Ökosteuer - ‘ecotax’ or taxation with real environmental considerations included. Here’s how ‘ecotax’ stacks up in different countries:
I drive a VW Golf, mostly on Sundays. That’s because gasoline is expensive and has costs that ripple well beyond the pump, which I am charged for as the user of the resource.
I’m interested to know what you think about the Tahoe winning the “Green Car of the Year” - do you think this vehicle is a good choice? Do you think it’s green?
*You can see AutoblogGreen’s detailed report on the two-mode hybrid Chevy Tahoe here.
Carbon Forum America 2008: Carbon Market Trade Fair & Conference
Not too far off in February is the Carbon Forum America 2008 - “the benchmark setting event for the America’s Emerging Carbon Market.”
Carbon Forum America 2008 is the first US industry event which combines a Trade Fair with a Conference. The event comes at a time when the US is “seeing a strong shift towards voluntary carbon emission and an urgency among local governments to pass environmental legislation. The upcoming months will shape the future of the North American Carbon Emission market and legislation. Issues such as policy, market place and technology will be formulated and created.”
Carbon Trading is estimated to grow from $30 billion to $1 trillion in the next decade, according to the New York Times and expected to become the world’s biggest commodity by London’s Financial World.
The Carbon Forum America 2008 is organized by the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and Koelnmesse. The event will be held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California from February 26 – 27, 2008.
Visit Carbon Forum America for more info.
Green Designations Gaining Ground for Real Estate Professionals
Real estate professional have a responsibility to their clients to be knowledgeable about current issues. Today, those issues include energy-efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainable design. Two real estate designation programs are providing the resources, knowledge and certification to back the green real estate professional: EcoBroker International and Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals (S.T.A.R.).
EcoBroker: EcoBroker is a Colorado-based company that offers online courses in energy-efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainable design. Professionals who complete the curriculum earn EcoBroker designation. Since it started in 2003, EcoBroker has certified nearly 2,000 real estate professionals.
EcoBroker offers this on their program:
If you are a licensed real estate agent, earn the EcoBroker Certified® Designation while learning about the latest topics influencing the way your clients buy and sell real estate. EcoBroker helps you stay current with the growing green real estate market and the opportunities it presents. EcoBroker’s core curriculum offers innovative energy, environmental, and green strategies and tools for real estate professionals. Learn to reduce liabilities and increase buyer and seller satisfaction. Create competitive advantages in the marketplace and build business. The EcoBroker Designation is a positive and profitable way to differentiate yourself in today’s real estate market. Becoming an EcoBroker is a great opportunity for you to benefit your community and the planet, while broadening your base of training and earning more business.
S.T.A.R.: Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals (S.T.A.R.) is a certification program from Earth Advantage, a nonprofit green-building organization out of Portland. Earth Advantage has been central to the green building movement in the Pacific Northwest, including advocating for and securing a green home listing in the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS).
Here’s a snippet from Earth Advantage website about S.T.A.R.:
The audience for this program is realtors who want to differentiate themselves, and assist their clients in assessing the relative merit of homes in terms of energy and water efficiency, air quality and other “green” home features. Other professionals involved in real estate transactions such as title agents, inspectors, mortgage brokers and appraisers should also attend so they can more knowledgeably participate in transactions involving green homes. The training program will have relevance to both the existing and new home market.
Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals (S.T.A.R)
Personally, as a licensed realtor who has studied sustainable design, I am thrilled to see the industry embrace green ideals. Buildings are a primary source of waste, pollution and resource consumption. The more awareness that the real estate industry can provide and the more knowledge real estate professionals have the better it is for everyone. These types of designations are helping to mainstream the idea that green is good for people, the earth and the economy.
Green building is a multi-faceted endeavor that has environmental, economic, social and health implications. Here at Greener Assets, I look at the economic side of green. Over at Daily Tomorrow, I look at the science and health issues of green building (among many other topics) with the Monday series Green Building 101, which starts here and continues here. There are lots of green building links to check out in the blogroll at Daily Tomorrow, which I will be bringing over to this blog soon.
It doesn’t stop there, why would it? Green building is something I take very seriously so I also write about interesting green buildings and sustainable design over at Inhabitat. If you are interested in green building you might enjoy some of my recent articles:
You are probably getting the idea that this won’t be the last time Greener Assets digs on green building…and you would be right. It’s a fascinating and fast growing industry that is helping to solve many environmental issues while revving the economy and constantly presenting incredible creativity and designs. How could I possibly ignore that here at Greener Assets?
Tesco Products on the ‘Carbon Footprint’ Map
Attention shoppers, do you know where your light bulbs have been? UK supermarket giant Tesco has teamed up with the Carbon Trust to ‘map’ the carbon footprint of products that shoppers commonly purchase in its stores. The idea is driven by a rising consumer demand that is placing climate issues a priority in product choices.
Consumers are concerned with the embodied energy of the products they purchase. Organic and locally produced are two keys to reducing a product’s carbon footprint, both through sustainable farming and manufacturing and reduced emissions from shorter transportation.
The Tesco Carbon Footprint map is geared towards helping the company track greenhouse gas emissions along the supply chain to enable better informed decisions about the products they offer customers.
The Carbon Trust is a government-funded (UK) independent company that help businesses and the public sector cut carbon emissions and supports the development of low carbon technologies, like solar photovoltaic initiatives.
Two Companies That Are Changing Small Wind
Wind power is getting a lot of attention these days as a fast growing segment of the renewable energy industry. While many of the headlines focus on “big” wind - industrial wind power - there are several companies working to advance wind power for residential use or “small” wind.
Personally, I’ve daydreamed of installing a turbine for home use. Unfortunately, my last home was part of a community association where even planting a perennial required permission let alone installing a wind turbine. But two companies are making wind power at home a more feasible endeavor for homeowners.
Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution popped up on my radar last year with their vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) the QR5. This small scale turbine uses an elegant triple helix design to capture winds from all directions. It’s aesthetically pleasing but also quieter than most wind turbines. It’s applicable to urban settings and is central to the “greening” of major UK pub chain JD Wetherspoons, see Raise a Glass for Renewables at TreeHugger.
Inhabitat has a great write up on Quiet Revolution with lots of pics here.
Helix Wind
Similar in spirit to the QR5, Helix Wind’s Savonious 2.0 is also a VAWT but this turbine takes things even further into feasibility. Using long helical blade scoops, the Helix uses a unique design to capture multi-directional winds. Also a small scale turbine, the Helix operates at a low decibel level and is ideal for urban settings.
Also covered by Inhabitat at Helix Wind Turbine: Small Wind gets Smart.
Both of these companies are making it possible for homeowners to tap into wind power with cost-effective products that are visually appealing, quiet and versatile. You can watch Helix Wind’s You Tube spot below to see for yourself how small wind is being revolutionized.
Also visit online at Helix Wind and Quiet Revolution, both companies have extensive information on their websites.
Helix Wind Savonious 2.0 Video Link
Dole Gets Sliced for Pesticide Exposure
I haven’t been able to look at a Dole pineapple since I read Shark Dialogues
A group of workers in Nicaragua have brought a lawsuit against the company that says:
Dole Food Co. deliberately exposed unwitting Nicaraguan field hands to a pesticide that made them sterile so the company could boost profits on its banana plantations. - LA Times
The chemical in question is DBCP, the key ingredient in the pesticides Nemagon and Fumazone. Studies as early as 1950 linked DBCP to reproductive disorders as well as liver, kidney and lung disease. DBCP was banned in the continental United States by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1979. It’s use by Dole lingered in Nicaragua where DBCP was prohibited in 1981.
The current lawsuit dates back to worker exposure in the late 1970s. The workers have been pursuing legal action against Dole for decades amidst complex international laws. This past week jurors in a Los Angeles Superior Court found Dole and Dow Chemical Company, who produced the pesticide, liable:
for $3 million in damages to six Nicaraguan banana workers who were made sterile by exposure to the chemical DBCP…
Farmworker activists said the decision was the first from an American jury on liability claims over DBCP, which was widely used in Central America to destroy pests that attacked the roots of banana trees. Four thousand other Central Americans have lawsuits pending in Los Angeles courts and tens of thousands of workers have filed lawsuits worldwide. - LA Times
Two Nicaraguan courts had previously found both Dole and Dow liable for damages to workers in excess of $500 million but enforcing the rulings has been an uphill battle, mainly because the companies hold no assets in Nicaragua and fought the rulings - including a suit filed by Dole against workers and their lawyers in 2003.
- Barren Justice at Corpwatch
- Jury considers punitive damages against Dole at LA Times
Vote for Greener Assets!
Did you know that there are over 30 blogs on the business channel here at b5media? While Greener Assets is quite new, some of the other blogs have several years under their belt. So in the spirit of successful launch YOU can help Greener Assets make a great first impression!
First, the Business Channel is currently running an “apprentice challenge” between two teams, all business blogs. I’m on the ACES, who by the way have just won the first challenge - see the post here at Yielding Wealth. The PROS were just as clever in their post here at Startup Spark, but only room for one winner at a time.
The Business Channel editor Kelly Phillips is running the “apprentice challenge” from her blog TaxGirl. In addition to TaxGirl’s great tax tips and insight you will find updates on the team challenge, where to find the posts AND a poll where you can vote for your favorite b5media Business Channel blog. It would be such fun for me to see my votes go up so if you’re over at TaxGirl look for the poll and vote for Greener Assets!
Do Ethical Companies Survive the Buyout?
TreeHugger had an interesting post about the fate of small, ethical companies in big corporate buy-outs. The scenario has been playing out with some hard true green favorites taking on questionable parent companies - like Burt’s Bees, recently purchased by Clorox, and The Body Shop, who sold to L’Oreal last year.
In Lush Advice for Green Entrepreneurs, Bonnie Alter highlights some of the ethical ground rules that Lush founder Mark Constantine has used to avoid the big sell or sell-out. At the top of the list, “Do not sell shares to investors whose moral priorities may be different from your own.”
Lush sells “fresh handmade cosmetics” in 79 countries around the world. Although Lush products do contain parabens, they are not tested on animals, do not contain animal ingredients and are sold with minimal packaging. Lush is held by Mr. Constantine, his wife and just one other investor, Peter Blacker.
Constantine is hesitant of the stock market and critical of moves that some of his contemporaries have made, like The Body Shop’s founder Anita Roddick. The Body Shop forged an ethical, cruelty-free mission but is now in the hands of L’Oreal, a company that still tests on animals.
Still, Constantine hopes to continue to expand. The question is how. He has been wondering if “another kind of stock market” makes sense, one where the players are playing by the same ethical rules.
As far as consumers go it seems that first impressions can be lasting. For instance TreeHugger recently called Burt’s Bees a “Maine-based” company even though the company had moved to a factory in North Carolina long ago. Likely, the misprint wasn’t because the author was misinformed but rather because that’s sort of how we like to think about Burt’s Bees, as a quaint success story from the deep woods.
Companies that start with ethical, sustainable missions seem to have a lingering identity, even if the image of goodness has been bought and is distributed by someone else. However, consumer’s are savvy and as soon as news of a big corporate buyout spreads to long-time loyals - those that funded the success with their own values and money - the song will change with the tune.
It’s likely that commercial success will follow many of the smaller, value-driven brands that are absorbed by big companies. But is a trade of values for capital the only option? Green investment companies, socially responsible investing and corporate social responsibility are on the rise - and not just from companies who are buying into trends but from deep-pocketed, ethical pioneers. Soon, the current crop of companies giving in to questionable buy-outs might find that a better way was just around the bend.
More on Lush at Bath Bomber Makes a Splash
Five Values That Drive Conscious Consumers
Branding and integrated marketing agency BBMG, in conjunction with research partners Global Strategy Group and Bagatto, recently released the results of a national survey in Conscious Consumer Report to reveal how companies “can reach, inspire and motivate today’s savvy and values-driven consumers” in today’s eco-buzzed business world.
Consumers are seeking natural, unmodified products that are produced locally and rewarding companies that demonstrate socially responsible practices. The survey reveals five core values that drive the conscious consumer:
- health
- safety
- honesty
- convenience
- relationships and doing good
BBMG says:
America’s consumers offer a warning to business leaders and marketers looking to ride the green wave: either back your eco-friendly words with socially responsible actions or risk a backlash. In the first major study to combine field observations with a national survey on purchasing behavior and social values, increasingly conscious consumers are demanding that companies be transparent about their practices and accountable for their impact on people and the planet.
The lesson: today’s consumers are not fooled easily. If you’re claiming to be a green-minded, socially-responsible company, you’re going to have to back it up with a lot more than just talk.
*About BBMG: Based in New York City and San Francisco, BBMG is a dedicated to helping socially-minded organizations harness the laws of branding to stand out, build relationships, win loyalty and inspire action. www.bbmg.com
*About Global Strategy Group: Global Strategy Group is a leading strategic research firm specializing in indentifying the underlying factors that influence consumer and voter attitudes and behavior. www.globalstrategygroup.com
*About Bagatto: Bagatto is a Customer Insights Consultancy specializing in customer focused business, product, and service design research and strategy. www.bagatto.net