A bold venture
Thanks to Mario
Hum… futerra, another “sustainability communications” agency that provides services for companies how to avoid incorrect green-speaking. So that’s all? Reliable sounding communications make a product or company green?
“On April 15, 2008 in San Francisco, Green Works brought together an English reverse graffiti artist and a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker, to create an environmentally friendly work of art and a film about a philosophy of clean.”
“San Francisco’s Broadway tunnel is a highly traveled thoroughfare in the heart of the city. Over 20,000 cars, trucks, and motorized vehicles pass through it per day. Its walls are caked with dirt and soot, and lined with patches of paint covered graffiti from days gone by. It set the perfect canvas to create a beautiful work of art showcasing the talents of reverse graffiti artist “Moose”, and the power of Green Works plant based cleaner.”
via: s2k - Reverse Graffiti Project
update: keep in mind that this just a campaign for an us major brand! A nice one though…
“LobbyControl ist ein gemeinnütziger Verein, der über Machtstrukturen und Einflussstrategien in Deutschland und der EU aufklären will.”
Sehr, sehr lobenswertes Projekt, welches aktive Aufklärungsarbeit in Form eines Blogs, Printpublikationen, Events und Studien leistet. Besonders angetan hat es mir natürlich die Studie über Greenwashing in Deutschland.
Ich wünsche mir viel mehr öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit bezüglich den Einfluss von Unternehmen und Marken auf Politik und Gesellschaft. NGO’s wie LobbyControl leisten meiner Meinung nach einen unschätzbaren Dienst - und sei es auch nur die Dokumentation. Ich bin sogar der Meinung, dass der Umgang mit Marketing aus Sicht des Konsumenten ein Teil der Schulbildung sein sollte. Auf Grund der enormen Vernetzung von Politik, Medien und Wirtschaft, sowie der rasant Ansteigenden Relevanz neuer und/oder alternativer Werbeformen wird es immer schwerer, tatsächliche Absender und Hintergründe von Informationen zu erkennen - und schliesslich soll uns ja die Schule dabei helfen, als mündige Bürger durch das Leben zu gehen. Naja, nur so ein Gedanke.
In diesem Zusammenhang möchte ich auch auf die Online-Aktion für Lobbytransparenz in Europa hinweisen, bei der es um mehr Transparenz in der europäischen Entscheidungsfindung geht. Macht mit!
“Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a conference hosted by UCLA covering a variety of business topics related to sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and ‘green’. This panel looks at how marketing executives are devising strategies for shaping and managing their brands’ eco-friendly profiles.
I videotaped the ‘Green Marketing Strategies’ session, and broke up the hour discussion into 8 segments for the viewing pleasure at your pace and interests:
- Opening & Introduction
- Consumer Profiles
- Greenwashing
- Branded Content & Connecting with Customers
- Power of Kids & Parents
- Cause Related Strategies
- Q&A - Internal Buy-In
- Q&A - Pricing Considerations
Moderator:
Beverly Macy, Managing Partner/Co-Founder, Y & M Partners, LLCPanelists (from left to right):
Joe Hartnett, Principal Consultant, Hartnett & Associates
Brenda Lynch, Senior Vice President, Rogers Group
Barbara Manconi, President & CEO and Founder, VERT Brands”
That’s what Mario Vellandi said.
As you can see, the marketing-guys are getting more and more involved into green issues - well, i know that’s not fairly new - the big thing is: it’s getting harder to seperate the companies that really care from the greenwashing others…
“One of the hurdles to making sustainable products is figuring out what the term sustainability means for different materials and ingredients.
Jason Pearson, president and CEO of GreenBlue, a research and design institute, spoke with GreenBiz Radio about how companies are using metrics such as recyclability and renewable energy when determining the quality of products, and what efforts are underway to make cleaner supply chains.”
Again we provide you an insight into how industry treats and thinks about sustainability.
“brought to you by bp” - thank you ;)
via: ClimateBiz
Update: Take a look at the Future Supply Chain Study as well, which [...] “presents a new integrated supply chain model that takes into account sustainability parameters such as CO2 emissions reduction, reduced energy consumption, better traceability and reduced traffic congestion, as well as traditional measures like on-shelf availability, cost reduction and financial performance.”
Some miscellaneous articles coughed up by my rss reader today:
Finally, Walt Handelsman sums it up:
Picture by newsday.com / Walt Handelsman
Picture by Treehugger
Last week i stumbled upon several sites with some interesting artcles and news about greenwashing. Due to the lack of time for blogging, you’ll get them as a single link-list right now:
OK - all quite usa-focused, i guess everything is transferrable to the rest of the globe, though. So, what’s the conclusion? Both sides are aware of the problems, hopefully the companies seriously start “cleaning up their acts, not just their images” some day…
Das Thema geistert ja schon länger durch the interwebs. So mehr und mehr Provider und IT-Firmen rüsten ihre Rechenzentren um. Energieeffizienz ohne Performanceeinbußen - kennt man ja aus der Autoindustrie. Die Computerzeitung hat einen sehr interessanten Artikel darüber verfasst, welcher Chancen und Möglichkeiten aufzeigt, aber auch nicht mit Kritik spart.
Schmunzeln musste ich gleich schon bei der Einleitung, in welcher es heisst, dass Unternehmen 60(!)% ihrer Ressourcen dank eines sinnvollen IT-Einsatzes einsparen könnten. Es scheint wohl noch wirklich viele eMail-Ausdrucker da draussen zu geben… hehe.
Hier gehts lang.
Eigentlich wäre zum Thema Nike ein längerer Beitrag, wenn nicht gar eine eigene Page angebracht. Vielleicht kommt das auch noch, aber soweit erst einmal in Kürze:
Nike bringt sich im Gegensatz zu den meisten direkten Mitbewerbern immer wieder mit grünen und nachhaltigen Projekten ins Gespräch. Die machen das sogar echt gut - nimmt man z.B. Adidas zum Vergleich, die es gerade einmal schaffen EINE grüne Line einzuführen, in welcher sage und schreibe EIN jämmerlicher Flip-Flop enthalten ist. Haha!
Und wenn man sich ein wenig näher mit Nike beschäftigt, klingt das alles sogar höchst innovativ für ein Majour Fashion Label aka 90’s Sweatshop Satan (remember those days?). Da gibt es zum Beispiel einen Fahrplan, neudeutsch Roadmap, für eine kontinuierlich fortschreitende ökologische Umwälzung aller Produkte. Nike hat sich das Ziel gesetzt, alle Produkte Schritt für Schritt möglichst klimaneutral zu fabrizieren. Dafür haben sie ein mehrstufiges System (silver-star to platinum-star) entwickelt. womit sie ihre eigenen Produkte ratifizieren. Angeblich wird daraufhingearbeitet, dass eines Tages alle den besonders erstrebrenswert grünen Platin Status erreichen. Nachzulesen u.a. alles hier.
Den Anfang machte sogar der aktuelle Air Jordan, immerhin das Flagship unter den Sportschuhen. Es gibt auch einen umfassenden CSR Codex - Nike was founded on a handshake - der zumindest in good old germany seines gleichen sucht.
Bemerkenswert ist ebenfalls, dass die Liste grünem bzw. sozialem Engagements sehr lang ist - vom Basketballplatz aus recycleten Sportschuhen, hemp clothing, network-building (connecting low-income demographics), und und und… bis hin zu Nike’s neusten coup:
Nike Trash Talk.
Also ein Nike Zoom, aber komplett aus recycletem Material gefertigt. Klick.
Das alles ist ja schön und gut, ABER (ja, jetzt kommt das große “aber”) warum muss ich dazu elektronische Kilometer weit googlen, um das alles zu finden? Warum werde ich mit solchen Aktivitäten nicht gleich als allererstes auf nike.com begrüßt? Warum erfahre ich da nichts aber auch gar nichts ohne (in diesem fall reale) Kilometer in Nike Town bis in den allerletzen Winkel des Ladens zurückzulegen?
Dazu ein Zitat von Charlie Gower (Blogger aus UK) :
“Nike recycle old shoes and turn them into basketball courts. This was something they started a while back and was featured quite well in the press. The argument whether this is worth doing is not the issue here for me it’s the fact that this big perspex box is away from all their customers. On the third floor (customer services) there is nothing else. No one is going to see this box or know they can give their trainers back. Why isn’t it in the foyer of Nike Town for all to see? …How complicated must the internal politics be that one day they can make sustainable shoes and the next day they hide away another sustainability service in the depths of their shop?”
Das trifft es ziemlich auf den Punkt. Wie kann es eine Firma wirklich ernst meinen mit ihren CSR/Greening-Aktivitäten, wenn ebenjene nach dem gehörigen Presserummel, der jedesmal erneut seine Wellen schlägt, in die Abstellkammer verbannt werden? Schon komisch… wahrscheinlich wird am Ende doch nicht langfristig gedacht und nur das Geld gezählt, das jetzt dafür flöten geht.
Anthropocentrism:Very crucial term / way of perception to examine for yourself.
“Anthropocentrism (greek:anthropos, human being / kentron, center) is the idea that, for humans, humans must be the central concern, and that humanity must judge all things accordingly: Human beings must be considered, looked after and cared for, above all other real or imaginary beings.” (via Wikipedia)
One alternative to this way of perceiving offers the Gaia Hypothesis, which understands the earth as one living organism, thus the human being as an integral part of the whole system, being embedded in it and dependent on it. You find this understanding also in many indigeneous cultures and you could say that it is embedded in our collective unconscious.
The anthropocentric way of perceiving must ultimately lead to self-destruction, since it results in separation and isolation from nature / the earth, and the earth forms the very basis of our existence.
deutsche Wikipedia: Anthropozentrismus, Gaia Theorie
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA):Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new socio-economic model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants and animals – while substantially reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers. It is also a method for small-scale commercial farmers and gardeners to have a successful, small-scale closed market. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables, sometimes also flowers, fruits, herbs and even milk or meat products in some cases.
via Wikipedia
CSA Artikel in ‘Lebendige Erde’/pdf (deutsch)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):To tell the truth - it’s just a marketing-concept. But the first one, that forces companies to seriously get involved in doing ‘good things’ for society, because the risk of massive damage to a company’s image by not fulfilling the public expectations is too high. It’s the advancement of the german phrase: “Tu gutes und rede darüber!” (Do good things and talk about it). More officially:
“Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.”
via Wikipedia
Deep Ecology:Deep ecology is philosophical movement that considers humankind as an integral part of its environment. The term was introduced by the norwegian philospher Arne Naess.
‘Yet, in deep ecology we ask if a society meets the basic needs of mankind, like love, security and access to nature. We ask what kind of society, what kind of education is beneficial for life on this planet as a whole, and then we ask what we have to do to impose the necessary changes.’ - Arne Naess
Notable advocates of deep ecology are amongst others Stephan Harding, Dolores Lachapelle and Joanna Macy.
deutsche Wikipedia: Tiefenökologie
Ecological Footprint:
Ecological Footprint analysis attempts to measure human demand on nature. It compares human consumption of natural resources with planet Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate them. It is an estimate of the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate (if possible) the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste, given prevailing technology and current understanding. Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how many planet Earths it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle. (via Wikipedia)
Global Footprint Network (lots of info)
Measure your Ecological Footprint (international)
deutsche Wikipedia: Ökologischer Fussabdruck
101 things you can do to reduce your ecological footprint!
Gaia Theory:
The Gaia Theory understands the earth as one living organism, thus the human being as an integral part of the whole system, being embedded in it and dependent on it. You find this understanding also in many indigeneous cultures and you could say that it is part of our original, intuitive way of perceiving.
deutsche Wikipedia: Gaia Hypothese
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO):
A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Effects of genetically modified organisms are, next to the loss of biodiversity and possible, not yet known effects on our health, the dependency on GMO-corporations and their products.
More info: www.saveourseeds.org
Great documentary: Life Running out of Control / Leben ausser Kontrolle (e+d)
Greenwashing:
One of the dark sides of fake CSR:
“‘Greenwash’ is a pejorative term that some environmentalists and critics use to describe the activity of brands and corporations that portray a positive public image of putatively environmentally unsound practices. Greenwashing can take many guises ranging from lies of ommission to misleading labelling systems; from empty mission statements and voluntary codes of conduct to sustainability reports that offer only partial disclosure and transparency right through to the arbitrary sponsorship of good causes and events. […]”
take a deep dive at: psfk
Leapfrog Hypothesis
bases originally on a classical marketing term called “Leapfrog Strategy”.
Wikipedia says:
“This strategy involves bypassing the enemy’s forces altogether. In the business arena, this involves either developing new technologies, or creating new business models. This is a revolutionary strategy that re-writes the rules of the game. The introduction of compact disc technology bypassed the established magnetic tape based defenders. The attackers won the war without a single costly battle. This strategy is very effective when it can be realized.”
Ezio Manzini adopted it onto the 3rd world technology-development and named it “leapfrog hypothesis” in which developing countries jump over the environmentally most damaging stages of industrial development.
It’s about soft infrastructure - such as, especially, mobile phone networks - which is installed despite the absence of hard infrastructure (such as roads, or nation-spanning power grids).
Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS):
LOHAS can be be described as the result of different movements around the world, which try to improve the quality of life in a holistic and sustainable way - i.e. Slow Food. Yet, LOHAS is not a people’s concept but rather a marketing-term. It is a term seen from the point of view of an advertising agency, that understands LOHAS-consumers as a demographic. However, LOHAS is not an advertising fake at all, but can meanwhile be seen as a growing community of ‘green’ consumers. It might open venues for the flow of information and knowledge concerning sustainability, which inevitably will bring up the confrontation with the nature of consumerism itself.
That’s what Wiki thinks:
“LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability that refers to a demographic defining a particular market segment related to sustainable living, “green” ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively upscale and well-educated population segment. The LOHAS market segment in year 2006 was estimated at $300 billion, approximately 30% of the USA consumer market. According to the New York Times, a study by the Natural Marketing Institute showed that in 2000, 68 million Americans were included within the LOHAS demographic. Author Paul H. Ray, who coined the term “Cultural Creatives” in his book by the same name, explains that “What you’re seeing is a demand for products of equal quality that are also virtuous”.”
via Wikipedia
deutscher Wikipedia Artikel (etwas kritischer)
Paradigm/Paradigm Shift, (deutsch: Paradigma/Paradigmenwechsel):
“A paradigm can be seen as an entire constellation of beliefs, values and techniques, and so on, shared by the members of a given community” (Kuhn) Thus a paradigm shift will change the way the individual perceives reality.
The term originates and was bound to science, but you will hear and read it more and more often referring to the shift from a reductionist, linear way of perceiving towards a holistic, systemic way.
Auf deutsch kann ein Paradigma als ‘vorherrschendes Denkmuster einer bestimmten Zeit’ bezeichnet werden. Ein Paradigmen Wechsel verändert somit die Art und Weise, auf die das Individuum die Realität empfindet.
deutsche Wikipedia: Reduktionismus, Holismus
Peak oil is the point in time at which the maximum global petroleum production rate is reached, after which the rate of production enters its terminal decline. If global consumption is not mitigated before the peak, the availability of conventional oil will drop and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically. M. King Hubbert first used the theory in 1956 to accurately predict that United States oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970. His model, now called Hubbert peak theory, has since been used to predict the peak petroleum production of many other countries, and has also proved useful in other limited-resource production-domains. According to the Hubbert model, the production rate of a limited resource will follow a roughly symmetrical bell-shaped curve based on the limits of exploitability and market pressures.
[…]
Optimistic estimations of peak production forecast a peak will happen in the 2020s or 2030s and assume major investments in alternatives will occur before a crisis. These models show the price of oil at first escalating and then retreating as other types of fuel and energy sources are used.
Pessimistic predictions of future oil production operate on the thesis that the peak has already occurred or will occur shortly and, as proactive mitigation may no longer be an option, predict a global depression, perhaps even initiating a chain reaction of the various feedback mechanisms in the global market which might
