Just see our conversation in an earlier post about New York city’s sustainability initiative. It’s had positive impact on reducing traffic, increasing the fitness of New Yorkers through biking and walking, dampening the noise in Time Square, and increasing business. It’s even increased the life expectancy of New Yorkers by just over a year.

These are all wonderful sustainability efforts with a bi-product of helping clean the air. But that is lost on Pat and the multitudes of consumers like him who are legitimately cynical about greenwashing organizations.

Then yesterday I recieved an email from Hunter Richards about Software to Hold “Greenwashers” Accountable.

Perfect timing. In order to save me time (it was exhausting trying to keep up with Pat’s rants about my post on N.Y.) I asked Hunter if he would share some insights into the development of Enterprise Carbon Software.

From their site:

So, what’s the real reason for the move toward green supply chains? Do these companies really care about the environment, or are they just trying to win over consumers? We’re curious: would the eco-friendliness of a company’s supply chain affect your decision to buy their products? Before we dig into these topics, we want to know what you think.

Click on the pic to see how we became one of the first carbon-neutral ad agencies in North America.

The Business Marketing Association just launched a new 30 minute radio series on 1100 KFNX AM. The first show focuses on green marketing and sustainability with park Howell, president of Park&Co, and Derrick Mains from GreenNurture.com, a green solutions company.

Howell explores ways to avoid “Greenwashing” (Not walking your green talk) by creating green marketing about your sustainability efforts that is “Approachable,” “Believable” and “Doable.”

Derrick Mains, CEO of sustainable start-up GreenNurture.com, discusses his new online product that helps organizations become greener and more sustainable within. GreenNurture combines the power of social media with an easy-to-use enterprise software that encourages green conversations and actions by staff members. It’s all about micro-sustainability: coaxing and applauding self-starting green behaviors cubicle by cubicle.

Click here to hear the show.

Be careful. Less than reputable "green" claims will sneak up and bite you.

Über hyperbole is everywhere. Especially in green marketing. So how do you avoid the damnation of being tagged a “Greenwasher” by using false or disingenuous green claims?

My friend Michael Gold of Florida branding and package design firm, Gold Forest, sent me this great Marketing Green article this morning: “Just Tell the Truth.”

It seems like such obvious advice that you wonder why it even needs to be mentioned, let alone have an entire post written about the subject. Don’t we all know and follow THE social media buzzword of 2009: “Transparency!”

Apparently not.

In the article they cover the six sins of greenwashing:

1. The “Sin of Hidden Trade-off” This is like a 100% organic cotton shirt imprinted with a toxic dye.
2. The “Sin of No Proof” When consumers have no way of verifying a claim.
3. The “Sin of Vagueness” Be specific!
4. The “Sin of Irrelevance” Using meaningless claims like “CFC-Free.” Chloroflourocarbons were banned in the 1980′s.
5. The “Sin of Fibbing” Mark Twain once said, “A lie can run around the world six times while the truth is still trying to put on its pants.”
6. The “Sin of Lesser of Two Evils” Ever hear of organic cigarettes?

So how do you avoid greenwashing damnation? According to post author Gil Friend, president and CEO of Natural Logic, you assess which of your products and services are honesty worthy of green claims. You make sure your current green claims are sound, legal and informative. You ask customers what aspects of “green” are most important to them. And finally, you consider the costs and benefits of having your green claims formally certified by a third party.

What green marketing “sins” have you seen out there?

(Upon further research after I initially posted this article, I found TerraChoice, the environmental marketing firm that created the six deadly sins. And now they’ve added a seventh: “The Sin of Worshiping False Labels.” You can download the study findings here.)

Click on Mr. Praying Mantis to download my green marketing presentation from SlideShare

Are you trying to get the attention of the Millennial generation (ages 13 – 29)? If so, did you know that 76% of this powerful market feels that it’s important or very important for brands to get involved in the green movement, according to a recent study by Generate Insight? What about other consumer segments, like the LOHAS, Naturalites and Drifters? What are their sensibilities and tendencies toward greening their lifestyles and the companies and products that help them do it?

I just uploaded my iG.R.E.E.N. webinar presentation to SlideShare. You can download it to learn how to reduce your carbon & hype footprints for a greater engagement with these growing conusmer segments.

You’ll learn the four ways you can reduce the carbon footprint of your marketing efforts while becoming an ambassador for green:

1. Digital vs. Digits: Reducing ink and paper consumption with a digital strategy.
2. Buying Carbon Offsets: Offset the carbon your advertising efforts are creating with simple carbon offset purchases.
3. Greening Your Website: FREE and easy ways to carbon-optimize the operation of your website while becoming a proponent of online carbon offset organizations.
4. Tap Social Media for Marketing & Distribution: Strategies on how to use YouTube, Twitter, Blogs, Podcasts, Facebook, etc. for free video marketing distribution.

Part II of the presentation covers how to reduce your hype footprint and avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing, even if it’s inadvertent. I’ll show you the three-legged stool test we use for the greening of our clients and their messaging.

We look at several greenwashing case studies, including the Canadian Fur Council, Nestle Waters, and the “Clean Coal” industry. Plus we highlight folks who are doing it right, including Mini Cooper, Kohler Toilets, and MTV.

Again, here’s the link: “How to Reduce Your Carbon and Hype Footrpints” from the iGreen Virtual Conference.

Please let me know if you have any questions from the webinar, and of course, feel free to share it with your world.

I was considering this question the other day while mowing the lawn, listening to my iPod, when the best example of a personal brand rang through my ears: Johnny Cash’s, “Man in Black.”

Certainly every person willing to put themselves on stage has a strong sense of self.  And at the same time, they can leverage their personal brand to do great things. Johnny Cash knew his niche, and therefore his power: a bigger-than-life balladeer for America’s downtrodden.

Chris Brogan, a social media mentor, offers some great insights on personal branding. He has a free e-book, “Personal Branding for the Business Professional”. It covers:

1. Why Build a Personal Brand? A personal brand gives you the ability to stand out in a sea of similar products.
2. Hints About Brand in General: Remember that trying to develop a personal brand involves differentiating in a Coke vs. Pepsi world.
3. The Human Side of Brand: Brands are complex and not especially one dimensional. Donʼt try to be a one-note experience.
4. The Technology of Brands: How does Google come to accept you as the
   authority on something?
5. But How? Brogan offers 100 ways to build your personal green brand online.
6. Elements of a Personal Brand: Be yourself, offer value, join the conversation, and innovate, are just a few of his tips on how to build your personal brand.
7. Passion Drives Your Personal Brand: “Thinking and Planning Passion” is what fuels the best of what we do.
8. Passion is Rarely Aligned with What is Popular: If you’re in the current wave, ride it. But don’t seek out something to do based on the wave.
9. Passion is Hard to Fake: Authenticity matters!
10. Passion Includes Mistakes and Failures: Seek the edges and make a mark.
11. Passion Isn’t a Me Too Game: Be yourself all the way to the core.
12. What’s Next?

I’ve shared only some of the highlights for this terrific e-book, and I highly recommend you downloading and using the information in the PDF.

In a future post, I will look at a variety of personal brands that have many shades of green online. In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts on personal branding, especially as it relates to those people, products and companies that are attempting to brand themselves “green” in an ever-skeptical “greenwashed” world.

Also, I can’t leave you without sharing, “Man in Black”

“Man in Black.”

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought ‘a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen’ that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen’ that we all were on their side.

Well, there’s things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin’ everywhere you go,
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything’s OK,
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
‘Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.