So, do YOU think it’s easy being green?

It really can be.

However, green marketing and marketing green are actually two different areas; it’s with this blog and section of my Website that I’m now going to cover both. However, since there are so many topics in both arenas and there’s so much confusion and misconceptions out there, I really felt the need to clarify a few things for you as I get started! So here goes:

I’m passionate about the fact that in general, we’ve lost sight of ourselves and our home. There’s a microsite I’m currently starting called It’s Not Just My World! (http://www.notjustmyworld.com) that covers all things environment and whole health; I’m also partnering with a client to develop an entire set of regional online/offline communities around the United States (at least we’re starting with the US) covering the same, with the vision of… you know what? I’ll tell you about THAT on another day very soon… but stay tuned; it’s coming Summer 2010!

Either way, I’ve found that my passion for our personal and planetary health flowed right into my marketing business, and though I have clients across a broad range of industries, I’ve attracted many in the environmental (aka “green”) and whole health arenas. Funny how that happens, right? So, at the end of 2009, I sat back and thought about it, and it came to me: As business owners, we really ALL have the opportunity to contribute towards the improvement of ourselves and our planet.

Definitions: Green Marketing vs. Marketing Green
Anyway, let me start with some clarification, so you understand where I’m heading:

Green Marketing
There are various definitions of “green marketing” out there, and I don’t really care for most of them – in fact, I would say that a majority of them should actually be what I call “marketing green” (see below).

At the heart and truth of the matter,  REAL green marketing is when the products/services a company provides are environmentally safe to our planet and to us. That’s why I typically include whole health disciplines when talking about this topic – because the fact of the matter is, part of the reason we’re in such dire straits is because we’ve gotten into the bad practice of not just ignoring what’s good for our planet, but we seem to have forgotten what’s good for the body, mind, and spirit, too!

This is why I laugh when I see these huge efforts via an entire marketing campaign put out by a big player in consumer junk food products (which shall remain nameless here, but I’m sure you can think of a few), talking about the company’s extreme “green marketing efforts” – whether it’s electric cars for delivery, uniforms made out of recycled/earth-friendly materials, or packaging made out of biodegradable containers. OK, so that’s all well and good in itself, but in actuality, let’s face it, folks – a fast food joint can be in the middle of an untouched field of wildflowers in a remote, virgin village – no matter how “green” the location is, the product itself is still poison.

Here how I equate it: It would be like going to a cancer treatment clinic to buy cigarettes. Are the cigarettes any less dangerous to you because you bought them someplace that could cure (or at least alleviate) an ailment that would be onset by the cigarettes? Think about it. If you hop from my professional viewpoint to my personal one, I would say that if  one of those mammoth consumer-targeted companies stopped throwing away all the money they use for these outlying efforts and marketing to show “how good they are,” and instead put the money into the research, development, and ingredients to actually improve the standards and health effects of their products, they wouldn’t even need a huge campaign – word would spread like wildfire!

So back to the point: Don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad that a company puts forth efforts in its workplace and surroundings. But that’s marketing green efforts or marketing in a green way. Green marketing, in its pure form, would simply be bringing products or services to market that are good for the environment and for us.

Marketing Green
Marketing green is basically all of the other efforts besides what’s explained above! A vast majority of “green efforts” actually fall under this category, even though no one seems to be using it!Let me first get the bad side of this out of the way, in reference to what I said above – “marketing green” is often a program that’s deployed by a company primarily with the intentions of gaining market share and positive visibility by the media and target markets.  The bad part is that it can be a ploy – and it often gets me suspicious. What are they masking that’s NOT good for the environment and us?

So, to the point, my focus is not on this side of marketing green (though I’m sure I’ll be pointing some of it out in this blog when I see it); instead, I focus on the good side!

Here’s the good – I mean – great side: There are many, many products and services that aren’t at one end of the spectrum or the other, but are good, solid products and services, even if they aren’t fully “green”! So, when looking beyond that, marketing green has to do with the way you go about marketing your products and services.

Savvy?

In other words, what you use and how you use it to market your company are good examples. Here are some simple ones: Are your business cards printed on recycled paper, with veggie-based ink and low VOCs? Is your Website hosted by a provider that is sustainably powered – or, if you’re hosting your own Website, are you using low-energy servers and/or using sustainable energy to power them? Did you opt for a brochure printed on recycled paper and good print choices, or did you go one step further and keep it completely electronic? Are your promotional products made from recycled/recyclable material, and/or geared towards healthy practices? Were those shirts you had printed made from organic, sustainable material, in a fair trade environment?

These are just a few of the many opportunities you have to make a difference, whether or not your company is considered a “green” one! Just the fact that you care enough about the environment to take any baby step in the green direction speaks loads about your ethics and practices (of course, with the exception of doing is JUST to get visibility and attention, though I guess that’s a debate topic in itself, isn’t it?).

So that’s it in a nutshell. If you think this is all too much and a little overwhelming, don’t – and stay tuned: Remember that all it takes is baby steps! My goal is to help all business owners with whom I come in contact change their mindset to start to incorporate this “new” way of thinking in the way they build and market their company/organization, regardless of the products or services they provide. We’re creatures of habit – I know that – so I can I’ll continue to add to this “section” of the AboutFace Marketing Website as different topics emerge, and different interests are voiced in this arena. Also, I look forward to your feedback about green marketing elements and resources, too – I want this to be a resource area for anyone who is ready to “greenify” (don’t you love when marketing people make up words? ) the marketing of their company!

In the meantime, if you don’t think that baby steps can help, check out this really cool project spearheaded by the high-tech leader Cisco: One Million Acts of Green: http://www.greennexxus.com/omaog/index.aspx.

So you see, it really can be easy to be green…. 

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