A Fine (and Sustainable) Wine

As the first carbon neutral winery in the United States, Parducci has become a leader in environmental sustainability for wineries. Founded in 1932 and bonded in 1933, Parducci is the oldest winery in the Mendocino County and in recognition of their continued dedication to social responsibility and environmentally sound practices, Parducci received California’s highest environmental award, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in 2007 & 2009. Owner Tim Thornhill, who will be the Luncheon Keynote during next week’s Good And Green®-The Green Marketing Conference, gives us some insight into the brand’s environmental mission, what exciting things are on the horizon and what—if he absolutely had to choose—are his favorite Parducci wines of the moment.  More>>

GreenGraffiti’s Water Footprint

During a time when we hear a lot about carbon offsets, I am hearing more and more about companies offsetting their water usage as well. One such company is GreenGraffiti®, an environmentally friendly form of outdoor advertising. According to its website, GreenGraffitti® “is one of the first companies in the world to compensate for our water footprint and contributes in a unique way to a healthier environment.” Of course, water is a big part of the GreenGraffiti process—with the help of a template and high pressure water sprayer, the company places advertising messages via the cleaned out dirt on sidewalks. For each liter of water they use to produce an expression, they invest in a water harvesting project that provides one liter of clean drinking water in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil.  More>>

The Clorox Company’s Road to Sustainability

As brands continue down the road of sustainability, they often run into some unexpected learnings—The Clorox Company is no exception. During this year’s Good And Green®-The Green Marketing Conference, November 17 & 18, at the Chicago Cultural Center, Bill Morrissey, Vice President, Sustainability for The Clorox Company, will be sharing what the brand has learned on its own journey to sustainability, illustrating how some of Clorox’s best results were achieved when the company moved beyond conventional sustainability wisdom. Patti Minglin recently asked Mr. Morrissey to share some of his insights on how this brand continues to be a leader of the environmental movement and what he is most looking forward to during Good And Green®.  More>>

Mom Goes Green

Moms are a powerful consumer—spending an estimated $1.7 trillion in annual purchasing on everything from diapers and toys for the kids to food, cleaning products and appliances for the home. A recent Mom Central survey found that 81% of these powerful consumers consider themselves to be ‘green’—with 35% purchasing green products all the time and 39% being green when it is most convenient.  Yet, 93% of today’s moms are still looking for more green products on the market.   

As we prepare for next week’s M2Moms®-The Marketing To Moms Conference, October 21 & 22 at the Chicago Cultural Center, we asked Maxine Wolf, CEO and publisher of KIWI Magazine and moderator of the conference panel titled “Mean Green Mom Machine”, why the mom consumer should definitely be a part of your brand’s green marketing strategy.  More>>

Motivating the Mainstream:  An Interview with Suzanne Shelton

The Shelton Group is one of the few ad agencies in the U.S. entirely focused on the greening of mainstream consumers—a topic they have been digging into through ever-deepening levels with the firm’s proprietary consumer studies—Eco Pulse, Green Living Pulse and Energy Pulse. How do ‘Mainstream Green’ consumers differ from those who are a little more engaged with the green movement? The Shelton Group’s president and CEO Suzanne Shelton, who will be leading a workshop during Good And Green®-The Green Marketing Conference, sheds some light on the Mainstream Green consumer and what exciting offer the Shelton Group has in store for one lucky brand attending Good And Green®!   More>>

Seeing Green: A Look Inside the GfK Roper’s 2009 Green Gauge® Report

In light of the state of the economy, marketers have been carefully watching the changes in consumer behavior—especially when it comes to their enthusiasm for all things green and sustainable. Which consumers are pulling back from green, whose commitment is holding firm and which consumers will lead us to a greener place beyond the downturn? In good times, marketers have relied on GfK Roper’s Green Gauge® Report to inform green innovation and communications; today, the report can help them navigate beyond the downturn to a brighter and greener future. “The environmental marketing community is faced with an increasingly complex set of questions about the impact of the economy on consumer behavior,” said Holly Heline Jarrell, Group Managing Director, GfK Roper Consulting and GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. “Will the current downturn temper consumers’ green enthusiasm? Can green product innovation be sustained in light of the recession? Does the downturn represent a bump in the road or an insurmountable obstacle for eco-friendly brands?”  More>>

Record-Breaking Do-Gooders

For several years now one of the most popular features for National Geographic Kids (NG Kids) has been a department in its pages dedicated to cool/wacky/weird Guinness World Records. “The GWR department has always been one of the most popular with our readers,” says Rachel Buchholz, managing editor. “So, we thought, since our readers like to read about the records so much, why don’t we try to engage them and set some records ourselves.”   More>>

Green Goes on Tour:  A Look at the 2009 National Clean Air Green Tour

The 2009 National Clean Air Green Tour has recently come to an end. The mobile marketing initiative that visited more than 60 cities across the U.S. to educate consumers on the latest advances in sustainability gave visitors hands-on experience with some of today’s top brands that support environmental awareness (think Bayer Advanced, Scott Naturals, Michelin and Lowe’s). As he prepares for the 2010 season (and his upcoming wedding), founder Jim Paar spoke with Good And Green® E-ssentials editor, Patti Minglin about the success of the 2009 season, why the strategy works and what we can look forward to seeing in 2010.   More>>

Get Green Racing Shifts into High Gear

You can’t escape the popularity and excitement of NASCAR and although the racing organization as a whole continues to work on its sustainability initiatives, Get Green Racing is the first green NASCAR racing team. Set to launch later this year in the Nationwide Series, the has created a winning combination for the planet and for racing. As the team’s sustainable business consultant, Kris Moorman recently spoke with Good And Green® E-ssentials editor Patti Minglin about the team’s purpose, sponsorship opportunities and how fans will be getting involved with the environmental mission.   More>>

Green Goes Back-To-School

As the clock continues to tick towards what some are calling “the most wonderful time of the year”, the minds of most moms are turning from activities of summer fun to school supplies. Carolina Pad, a company that specializes in beautiful school, office and arts and craft products, has a line of school gear that is not only beautiful, but also includes an environmental education component that reminds young people about everyday actions they can take to become even better stewards of the environment.   More>>

Just Cause:  Finding the Right Cause-Marketing Fit

What makes a good cause-marketing campaign? We asked John Rooks, President and Founder of The SOAP Group (Sustainable Organization Advocacy Partners), a creative communications firm specializing in architecting brands and promotions that activate sustainability and social justice, to give us some insight into how brands and organizations can create the perfect cause-marketing partnership. Plus, we give you some of today's most noteworthy cause-related campaigns.   More>>

The “Green” Side of Evian

Evian’s latest campaign, “Live Young,” tells us to drink more bottled water in order to live a more youthful life. And whether you like the roller skating babies or not, it is one of the more innovative campaigns coming from the bottled water industry—an industry that has not only been hit by the economy, but by the ever-growing number of more eco-conscious consumers who are forgoing plastic bottles in lieu of something that is a bit more earth-friendly.

We tend to think of all bottled water as “bad” from an environmental standpoint, but is it? With Evian’s latest campaign front and center with consumers, marketers and brand strategists, we thought we would look at the “green” side of Evian to see just what the company is doing to help our planet.  More>>

Brands Take A Walk In The Park

Consumers will connect with environmentally conscious brands this summer at State Parks across the nation through the 20% For Parks program and visitor guides. More than six million visitor guides were published and shipped on June 1, 2009, making it one of the largest outdoor, recreational publications. Sponsors--which include brands such as Odwalla, Coca-Cola and Geico--pay for the production and shipping of the State Park Welcome Kits and parks receive a 20 percent cut of net proceeds, plus the guides.   More>>

Battle Of The Mainstream Media

There was a time when the only environmental-themed programming we saw on television was the “crying Indian” commercial from the Keep America Beautiful campaign. Now mainstream media companies are creating everything from shows to websites to entire channels—all in an effort to connect with the ever-growing number of socially-conscious consumers. Below is a brief summary (we didn’t have room to include all of their good works) of what some of the top mainstream media have done to inspire and engage us to make a difference in the world. Who has inspired you?  More>>

It Isn't Claiming To Be Green

The FTC is getting series about green claims and its attempt to crackdown on greenwashers is leading the organization to update the policies of its Green Guides (which were first written in 1992). Brands big and small should not only be aware of these policies, but demand their vendors do the same. Case in point, Kmart.   More>>

The Eco-Dad Factor

There is a shift in the parenting paradigm that has created a new parenting partnership. It’s known as “The Dad Factor” and understanding how it relates to our own messages of sustainability is an important lesson for all brands. As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day, we have asked father, popular blogger (www.naturalpapa.com), former natural foods industry executive and self-described “treehugging dirt worshiper” Derek Markham to give us some insight into Eco-Dads. More>>

What Marketers Should Know About Environmental Law
As the chair of the Sustainability and Climate Change Practice for Katten Muchin Rosenman, Nancy J. Rich not only knows a lot about environmental law, but has great insight into how these policies and rules affect today’s green marketing efforts. She recently spoke with Good And Green E-ssentials about the importance of knowing environmental law facts and how the Obama administration is doing with their current environmental efforts. More>>

The Serious Business of Playing Outside
Playing outside is serious business—especially for the folks of the National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There™ initiative. With studies showing that a daily dose of outdoors improves children’s physical, mental and emotional well-being, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is hoping Be Out There will inspire families across America to open the door and get outside!

There is a an underlying motive for the organization that has built its very foundation on helping protect wildlife—the more children get outside the deeper appreciation they will have for wildlife and nature. Meri-Magaret Deoudes, senior national director, corporate relations for the NWF recently spoke with Good And Green E-ssential’s editor Patti Minglin about the Be Out There initiative and how brands can get involved with the movement. More>>

Mom Central Study:  Moms and Organics

As we all get ready to celebrate the Moms in our life on May 10th, our friends at Mom Central sent along an interesting study regarding moms and organics. Even in difficult economic times, we know that Moms make their children's health and nutrition a priority. Mom Central asked 1445 Moms to tell them what eating organic means to them. More>>

Inspiring A Movement:  Ted Ning gives us insight into this year's LOHAS Forum

“LOHAS not only talks about green, but goes beyond green,” says Ted Ning, executive director of LOHAS Conference and executive editor of LOHAS Journal and lohas.com. LOHAS “Social justice, healthy living, personal development, the environment—it’s a larger umbrella that embodies all these different facets.” 

And nowhere are all these different facets more clear than during the annual LOHAS Forum, an event that brings together top-level business leaders, entrepreneurs, celebrities and non-profit executives to discuss how to successfully approach the LOHAS consumer with their products and services. Says Ning, “It expands upon how do you connect with green consumers via green marketing. How do you bring yoga practices into business? Where is the organic food industry going? How do you enhance your overall company vision and provide your staff with that vision?” More>>

Happy Earth Day!

As we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement, brands large and small are using the day as a way to promote their own eco-friendly initiatives and inspire consumers to take small steps towards living a more sustainable lifestyle. Here is just a small sample of what some brands are doing during Earth Day 2009.

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Eco-Friendly Spring Breaks

While the traditional spring hot spots like Panama City Beach and Cancun are still drawing the attention of today’s youth, the list now includes such exotic destinations as Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Appalachia. Sound like an odd combination? Not if you are one of the growing number of eco-conscious students looking to use their time away from studies to lessen their impact on the environment and help preserve the planet. In a recent article for About.com, Sarah-Jane Wilton of STA Travel said, “We are finding that each year, more students are looking beyond the wet t-shirt competitions and beach scene of Cancun, and instead seeking out a different type of experience (and) even volunteering.”  More>>

The Green Leaders of Sports

Since 2003 when the Philadelphia Eagles launched its Go Green campaign, the world of professional sports has embraced the environmental movement in a very big way. From minor league favorites to national teams to entire organizations, the greening of the sports industry has become more than just a trend as teams large and small do their part to save the planet—and encourage their ever-growing fan base of followers to their part as well.

Here is a look at some of the green leaders in sports.  More>>