We are re-branding a 30-year-old organization and using a decidedly sustainable market position. It’s a green marketing message that they are dedicated to achieving and backing up through their operations and service offering. However, the client’s board asked a great question: How doable is this?
We explained that their greening will be a work in progress: You can’t achieve it over night. As long as they were diligent and had a strategic path to follow with realistic milestones, their sustainable positioning would stand strong.
While we’re experts in green marketing and sustainable advertising campaigns, we often look to other resources to help our clients become more operationally sustainable. Recently, I came across an excellent post on GreenBiz.com written by Deborah Fleischer titled, “8 Tips for Getting Your Sustainability Project off the Ground.”
Deborah was quick to reply to my email requesting more sources to help clients become operationally greener. She wrote,
“For companies just getting started, I think the key is identifying the low hanging fruit that will both generate green results and save money, while at the same time allocating some time and resources to develop a more strategic approach to issues such as product design, packaging, logistics and engaging stakeholders, employees and their supply chain.”
Three books that she recommend are:
Green to Gold
“A great overview of case studies and tools available to business.”
Strategies for a Green Economy
“A good source for inspiration and insights from Joel Makower on building a business in the green economy”
The Truth About Green Business
Deborah pointed to this review of the book. From the site:
“With 40-plus years in consulting (after training under Buckminster Fuller) Friend has the background and credentials to author a book that is thoughtful and pragmatic in its approach to helping businesses reverse years of inattention to become sustainable.”
The article in GreenBiz.com is a terrific read. Her main points are:
- Look at the big picture and identify your company’s greatest impacts
- Land some quick wins – go for cost savings
- Be authentic
- Develop internal partners
- Engage your stakeholders
- Engage employees
- Develop a communications strategy
- Develop a long-term strategy
Thank you, Deborah, for your fast and ready help in identifying more green resources for us to help our clients in their mission for sustainability. I’ll be eager to share the new green marketing campaign, which will launch this Fall.
Deborah Fleischer is the founder and president of Green Impact, providing strategic environmental consulting services to mid-sized companies and NGOs who want to launch a new green initiative or cross-sector collaboration, but lack the in-house capacity to get it up and running. She brings expertise in sustainability strategy, program development, stakeholder engagement and written communications.
