Earth Day Mixed Marketing

Happy Earth Day! For whatever reason, I never thought to explore the origins of Earth Day – something I just accepted as a yearly occurrence since I was a child. According to Wikipedia, the first Earth Day in 1970 was designed as an environmental “teach-in” on university campuses around the country.

More than 40 years later, what has Earth Day become?

Well, it certainly is a bit more visible. And it seems global, both of which are fantastic. But I wonder if we’re headed down a path where Earth Day becomes a “Hallmark holiday,” designed to generate commercial sales and absent of the original organizers’ intent.

As someone who is entrenched in “Corporate America” every day, maybe I’m experiencing this from one particular lens. Since I’m not in a school setting, I don’t know if educators still use today as a touch-point for teaching. There also does seem to be a lot of media this week that aims to educate the public about our fragile planet. In my opinion, however, the loudest Earth Day voices are the corporate ones. Has Earth Day gone corporate? If so, is this a good or bad thing?

Let’s take a look at some Earth Day messaging from the private sector:

Starbucks – Long a leader on all things CSR, Starbucks is offering free coffee to patrons who bring in a travel mug today.

Levi Strauss – The jeans pioneer is continuing to promote its Levi’s Water Tank facebook game, which draws the connection between global access to water and the amount of water that it takes to create and wash a pair of jeans.

Whole Foods Market – Almost synonymous with planet-friendly, Whole Foods is not using any disposable bags today, instead encouraging customers to bring in their own reusable bags and offering some at a discount.

BCBG – The fashion retailer has a collection of items that benefit the Sierra Club. Its “Be Chic, Be Green” campaign is visible online and in its store windows. Some of the products feature recycled materials. Others just seem to look cool.

Microsoft – The company is sparking discussion about the connection between technology and environmentalism through its blog post about cloud computing.

Old Navy – In a partnership with TerraCycle, the discount fashion house is encouraging customers to bring in old flip-flops that will be recycled into playgrounds.

No doubt, hundreds of companies are also focusing inward, encouraging employees to connect back with Mother Earth. Virgin America, CA Technologies and Verizon are three companies whose employee programs are also generating some good buzz.

On this Earth Day, it’s almost impossible to ignore the corporate voices that encourage me to recycle a little more, reduce my disposable containers or conserve energy. And whether it’s the Corporate or the Responsibility in CSR that’s driving these messages, I don’t think it’s doing any harm. I just have to remind myself that maybe a better way to celebrate is actually going outside for a hike instead of ordering a new jacket made of recycled materials.

Sustainable Wool Farming

Or ... who'd have ever thought my career would put me in such close proximity to sheep?

A few weeks ago, I went to Australia and visited several wool farms that practice sustainable land management. I learned all about the dangers of over-grazing, how both summer and winter native grasses help sustain food supply throughout the year, breeding techniques that eliminate the need for certain chemical treatments, the benefits of combining a flock of sheep with a flock of cattle (or a few alpaca!), natural ways to reduce soil erosion and that you don't call paddocks "fields."

In contrast to one of the farms we visited, the neighboring field used conventional techniques, including chemical pesticides and infrequent paddock rotation. The differences in the two fields was staggering. One was lush, with knee-high grasses and the other had only little shrubs and very short grasses.

The visits were very interesting and I learned a lot more than I ever expected to. My visit was initially to explore animal welfare issues in the wool industry, but took a truly educational turn once I had the chance to meet with farmers who are committed to improving the land they inherited from their fathers.

Coming into the trip, I didn't realize that the farms were family-run businesses, often passed down through several generations of farmers. At each farm, we were warmly greeted by the farmer, his wife and their adorable children. Over coffee or tea, we discussed issues like sustainable farming, wool prices, yarn quality and animal welfare. Then, we'd have a chance to actually see the paddocks, the sheep and field conditions.

The people I had the fortune to meet were so welcoming and open and generous that I feel very lucky to have spent time with them. For each of the three farms I've visited, it's clearly a family affair with wives and kids contributing to the overall well-being of the farm. It's actually a very idyllic lifestyle and one that's much simpler than the faster-paced city life I'm used to.

When we discuss wool and garments at work, we really don't discuss the human element of the farmers who toil away day after day and whose entire livelihoods depend on raising high quality sheep. We also don't get the chance to see how sustainable farming techniques can help replenish a countryside that has been exploited for generations before - to see how a new way of thinking is turning the land back to a lush, grassy landscape. And we certainly cannot see how much the farmers truly care for their flock and how animal welfare is an important element of how they run their business.

Sustainable Facilities: Taking a Deeper Dive

It's said that buildings (the construction and maintenance of) account for nearly half of the United States' greenhouse gas emissions, so companies that commit to environmental sustainability should look to their real estate portfolio for opportunities to reduce their environmental impact. Since we don't manufacture and since we're not in the extractives industry, the majority of my company's environmental footprint comes from the operation of our real estate portfolio.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert in buildings and facilities management. Our Real Estate team has been exploring energy management technologies, alternative energy generation, water conservation tools and lower-impact construction techniques for years. Stepping into my job as the company's sustainability strategist, I've been playing catch-up and learning about the impact that "greening" our facilities can have.

Last week, I accompanied our head of facilities and a facilities manager at one of our locations to a day-long seminar on sustainable corporate real estate in Washington, DC. I was a bit apprehensive at first, since I don't have expertise in facilities management and I wasn't sure that the level of detail being discussed would hold my interest.

However, I was pleased at the seminar's balance of inspirational thought leadership and practical implementation tips. It's not often that I attend a conference or event where I walk away with some new ideas and ways to bring them to life.

And while we've done a fair amount to make our facilities more sustainable (including Energy Star and LEED certification), I know there's a lot more that we can do. Our primary challenge, like many other companies, lies in the fact that we don't own all the buildings we occupy, so we have to work with landlords who may not be open to our sustainability suggestions. Furthermore, we're rarely the sole tenant in a building and sub-metering isn't available in most commercial buildings yet. It's therefore impossible for us to understand the impacts (from an environmental and cost perspective) that sustainability initiatives potentially can have.

Nonetheless, it seems like there are some interesting tools out there to help practitioners with "greening" their real estate portfolio. A few that I'm planning to review in the near future are Energy Star's Portfolio Manager, Tririga's TREES software (despite a horrible, horrible experience with Tririga at my last company) and another proprietary system used by one of the presenting companies.

In addition, I learned a lot about green cleaning, alternative workplace strategies and some pretty cool new technologies. All topics that, a few years ago, I would never have guessed could contribute to my success as a CSR practitioner.

Greenbranding?

There's no question that McDonald's golden arches represent an iconic brand. The bold arches on a red backdrop are ubiquitous around the world and signify a variety of things (positive and negative) to consumers everywhere.

Some might associate the logo with happy childhood memories and cheerful television commercials (Who doesn't love Ronald McDonald? Or, at least, the Hamburgler? Robble Robble!). Others may view the logo as a corporate behemoth that has industrialized food and agriculture, dive-bombing a nation's nutrition. A few may also view McDonald's as a pioneer in partnering with environmental nonprofits such as Conservation International, the Environmental Defense Fund or the Natural Resources Defense Council.

It seems this last opinion is one that McDonald's hopes to strengthen in its customers' minds, at least in Germany. By changing the red background to green, McDonald's wants to signify a more environmentally friendly brand, one that innovates in the corporate sustainability space and seeks credit for its progress.

The McDonald's CSR journey is well-documented in business school cases, articles and its own publications. I've had the opportunity to meet many members of the company's CSR team and I can tell you that they take their responsibility seriously and are among the most well-intentioned practitioners I know. Even though I knew of much of the company's work, its Global Best of Green 2009 publication was an eye-opener for me and I was impressed by (and jealous of!) the wealth of ideas that have bubbled up from its employees around the globe.

But I still have to question the company messing with its branding. Does the average consumer truly believe that McDonald's is making honest strides at environmental sustainability? Did the company consider the economic value of its brand equity in making this change? Is it wise to drastically alter the brand promise in one region of the world, but not in others? Will consumers still care about sustainability in a few years?

I don't claim to be a marketer or an expert when it comes to branding, but I'm skeptical of this move. As a CSR practitioner, I'm excited to see a company take on this type of change in such a big way, so I hope my initial misgivings are proven wrong!