I would first like to thank Max Gladwell for his blog entitled, Ten Ways that Social Media and Sustainability Align, which sparked the idea for this blog post.

At face value, social media and sustainability are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Social media is inherently intangible and lives online, while sustainability is concerned with the very real and tangible environment and earth. Yet when we drill down and examine these as human concepts, we get a sense that they are both involved in the same paradigm shift.

Most definitions for social media focus on its technologies; however this is a very static and limited view. At tcg we acknowledge that social media is a growing phenomenon enabled through adaptable technology; however, it is also about connecting people and facilitating collaboration, engagement, learning and the progression of ideas.

When it comes to defining sustainability, there are a number of definitions out there, which widely vary depending on who is talking and what their objectives are.

The World Commission on Environment and Development suggests that sustainability is defined as forms of progress that meet “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

I rather like the definition of environmental sustainability by Griffith University:

“Environmental sustainability refers to the environmental actions or impacts of what we do. In moving towards sustainability, we are attempting to reduce our ecological footprint or to tread more lightly on the Earth. This equates to reducing the amount of resources we use (and buy), the waste we produce and the emissions we produce. With every action impacting on the planets ecosystems, from the local to the global, the world is changing and it is not just the climate.”

Here are 10 ways in which we believe that social media and sustainability within organizations are aligned:

1. Shifting in the way we do things

• We are in the process of a global paradigm shift. The way in which we think about and approach business is changing. As with any paradigm shift, the process is gradual involving conflict between the new paradigm thinkers and the holdouts of the old paradigm.
• The rapid growth and change of social media has opened it up to scepticism, with protagonists suspicious of the technologies and the idea of open collaboration and the sharing of thoughts. This is a far cry from the closed, exclusionary and suspicious practices from the last century.
• The sustainability movement  is gaining in momentum, yet it does not make sense to individuals or institutions that are heavily invested and ensconced in their industrial mindset.

2. Grew from grassroots movements into having mainstream application

• Social media tools and sustainability practices both started as grassroots movements. For example, social media tools and applications, developed for social networking sites, have grown to have wider commercial uses. Think about how Facebook radically changed how organizations aggregate news stories and information through the introduction of news feed. The sustainability movement started out as a co-op for sourcing bio diesel fuel or sustainable produce and has escalated to achieving mainstream attention and buy in.

3. Real gains/viable alternatives

• In order to achieve buy in, both social media and sustainable practices have to prove they will provide real gains and provide viable alternatives. Organizations exist to achieve a return on investment (ROI), be it profit, achievement of social causes, etc. Both have the potential to achieve these objectives; however, this potential is largely misunderstood and miscommunicated.

4. Whole system thinking

• Social media strategies and corporate sustainability programs only work if there is whole system thinking. Merely adding a blog to your website does not constitute a social media strategy. Changing products’ packaging and labelling without addressing the whole value chain equally does not equate to a sustainable program. Also, for a sustainability program to work it needs to touch every aspect of a corporation. The authors of a program will be remiss if they did not take a whole system philosophy. The same applies to social media.

5. Specific problems, specific strategies, specific executions, specific resolutions

• There is no one size fits all strategy for corporations when it comes to developing a sustainability program or a social media strategy. Each organization has its own business rules, methods and objectives. Trying to reshape an organization to fit a predetermined strategy or set of tools and processes cannot lead to efficiencies or congruence.

6. Integration

• Once a strategy is put in place, all elements need to be integrated to allow for a flow of information, efficiencies of resources and a clear action path.
• Social media is a phenomenon enabled through adaptable technology. It is about connections, facilitating collaboration, engagement, learning and the progression of ideas. It also uses tools such as CMS, LMS, tagging, intelligent search, wikis, communication tools, etc. to connect and integrate all elements of an organization.

7. Internal buy in followed by external roll out

• For any social media strategy or sustainability program to work it has to be embraced internally by the entire organization before it can be rolled out externally. This includes education, discussion, participation and belief that both projects will bring real value. Once there is internal buy in, the program can be rolled out publicly with the benefit of sincerity and purpose.

8. Integrity

• Openness, transparency and a true belief and commitment are essential to both sustainability programs and social media strategies. An increasingly sceptical public are increasingly capable of spotting opportunists.

9. The future

• Both sustainability programs and social media strategies are about changing the way we do things now so that our organizations survive and flourish in the future. Adapting the way we use our resources so as to ensure we allow for the regeneration of resources for future production makes sense, as well as the way we communicate, learn, share and disseminate information so we keep up with people’s learning styles, expectations and technology usage ensures we are heard, now and in the future.

10. Mutually enabling

• Rolling out a sustainability program within a corporation takes hard work, determination, communication and commitment. Social media tools and applications help with the integration, communication, learning, participation and momentum. Once these elements are sorted out internally, the same social media tools and applications can be used to externalize the message and objectives. Adopting a social media strategy within and organization so that it truly integrates all elements only works if it follows a sustainable model. Tagging on bits of technology, or trying to participate in social media externally to the organization cannot lead to lasting or holistic results.

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A few years ago I would have put this down to a publicity stunt. I was verging on anti consumerism and toying with the idea of boycotting large companies. Now, I applaud this initiative whole-heartedly.

For every person who decides to boycott a company like Tesco’s, there are tens of thousands who choose to shop there. The only way people are gong to change their consumption habits is if they are given viable alternatives to the way they consume now. The greatest opportunity to do that is through organizations that touch the greatest amount of people. The single most effective method of changing the way we consume is to change the way we produce.

The majority of people are driven to consume based upon price, availability, convenience and habit.

Organizations such as The Rocky Mountain Institute have known this for years and as a result have spent their energy on engaging producers and researching viable alternatives to the way we produce, yet we are only now seeing the start of the shift.

This idea has been rattling around in my head for a bit, but the person who first articulated it for me in a way that brought it all together was Carl Pope from the Sierra Club. I was attending a talk at the ad:tech conference in San Francisco in April this year entitled Green Marketing in the Digital Age and he was one of the panellists.

Carl was defending Sierra Clubs decision to attach their seal of approval to Clorox’s new Green Works cleaning products label. He asked the audience if they had ever heard of several “green” products that Sierra Club had put their label to in the past. Most people had not. The reason given by Carl was they had all had the best intentions, they were formed on the best principles with the soundest eco practices, yet they had failed to take off because they did not have the backing of mainstream distribution and marketing, nor the muscle or financial backing to produce on a scale that made it a viable prospect cost wise for consumers.

“Green” products have to stop being a sub category. They need to be brought into the mainstream to compete with all other products. For this to happen their case has to be built upon established rules of business offering competitive advantages over other mainstream products. They need to be available, affordable and convenient. These are the principles that Tesco have built their empire on.

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We apply this mantra to our lives with gusto. This same philosophy applies to our approach to the environment and sustainability. “Yes, I want to be green, but it must not inconvenience me. It must not stop me from living the lifestyle I am striving for.”

Supporters of the environment and sustainable practices find themselves selling the financial benefits of “going green” over and above the obvious moral and global need to change the way we abuse the environment and those third world communities that slave to meet our consuming need for cheap imports. We have found that in order to save the environment, we needed to give it a face. The face we have chosen is the face of the individual consumer. This is an easier sell.

There are many real and compelling added benefits to “going green”. The savings for organisations can be enormous. The reduction of waste, streamlined work practices and supply chains, employee health and moral…. all these make for a compelling argument. The personal or organizational savings have become the “Green Story.” A green revolution is being staged, but the central characters are not the ice caps, the Amazon Forest and global warming. They are profit, corporate efficiencies, and immediate personal and family health benefits.

No wonder there is a growing green scepticism, a green fatigue. The message we are communicating is a self-serving message. Green means money. It is linked to profit and manipulation. Our very principles are being toyed with and not very subtly either. Yet this is the world that we live in: You are not gong to change people’s habits without first showing them a personal benefit.

So how do we counter this scepticism? What should we, as Green Advocates, be doing to ensure that the message gets through? Is it just a means to an end? Are we diluting the message through this cynical approach?

“Going green” should not be a means to an end. Rather, we should direct and formulate persuasive arguments to our audience that are based in integrity. By all means use the economic “hook”—but your audience must truly buy into a holistic sustainability and green practices paradigm.

This is especially relevant for organizations that have already chosen to adopt green practices. It does not matter what their motivation is, the role out of their green practices has to be well executed if it is to be believed by their customers/stakeholders. For that to happen, the organization has to be sincere and they need to communicate that sincerity. Here are a few checkpoints that an organization can look to implement when “going green”. To a lesser degree we could all do well following these principles.

1. Be Transparent
2. Define your green story
3. Create an internal Green integrated communication plan
4. Crete an external Green integrated communication plan.
5. Implement your strategy in a phased approach
6. Have measurable data that can account for the company’s sustainable efforts and green product claims
7. Above all, do not lie or mislead.
   Here is a link to tcg’s Landmines to Avoid when Going Green one pager that maps this out in more detail. 

   http://tcgagency.com/about/LandminesToAvoid_080416.pdf

   There is a tension between our necessity to educate through stealth and the absolute need to keep the green message intact. The messenger has to be squeaky clean or the message gets tainted too.

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But first, here’s a little background. Last Thursday, April 17th, I led an Exchange Series panel at the SF ad:tech Conference entitled Green Marketing in the Digital Age – Establishing Credentials While Sidestepping the Landmines. Focusing on methods of leveraging technology and digital media to become part of the Green Revolution, it featured the expertise and advice of Carl Pope, Director of The Sierra Club, Michela Abrams, President and Publisher of Dwell, and Matt Kohler, Senior Brand Manager for Clorox’s new Green Works Global line.

The panel reaffirmed my gut instinct: That people are eager to learn new ways to help both their clients and themselves how to successfully be sustainable and get the word out. And this was the right crowd to be invested in such a discussion. When I asked how many marketers were present, +-90% of the people in the audience raised their hands.

My 15-minute PowerPoint presentation appeared to set the stage well. I deliberately created a ‘sexy’ template to show the room that a Green Story is not about a stale bowl of granola — far from it. Sustainability is about: Smart Style. Simplicity of Story. Sanguine and Sublime Sense.

My fellow speakers embodied these attributes fully. Carl Pope of the Sierra Club is always a pro speaker. He has spoken to U.S. Presidents as well as many international leaders. He is thoughtful, deliberate and absolutely clear. When he spoke, the room went quiet.

Michela Abrams of Dwell is always a brainchild on matters of publishing. She quotes publications statistics effortlessly. As the newly appointed Chairperson of American Publishers, she wants that community to be ‘in the know’ when it comes to being proactive with sustainability movements.

And Matt Kohler was a surprise. Though a young man, he was articulate, confident, and thoughtful beyond his years. He is certainly clear that initiatives like Clorox’s Green Works line is the positive movement forward for companies no matter what their focus.

The discussion was appealing to the marketing community due to its simplicity and its practicality. I was approached by over 30 people afterwards—passionate, smart people who are proud of their organizations and wish to make stronger strides in the green movement: companies like The Gap, Adobe, Intel, and Cisco. I began to make plans to speak at other events almost immediately after the discussion ended.

I could, and hopefully will, travel with this panel. We definitely got the message across.

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One of the things that tcg, an agency full of multifaceted, complicated people, does best is simplify a client’s green story. Yes, we’re all unique and complex here, yet we have the same goal when it comes to green: That it’s a simple methodology and philosophy that you can incorporate into your life and business. It has to be practical. It also has to make one feel good, and hopefully it has to save cents.

To me, Sustainability means Simplicity. Period.

When someone comes to us to help them tell their green story, we integrate both marketing and sustainability, tailoring the strategy to the organization’s specific objectives. We help them create an effective green marketing plan that will help them build their business, all within a sustainable framework.
I’m not surprised that many businesses are intimidated by the prospect of going green(er)—they don’t realize how easy it is, and how it can save them money and benefit their bottom line.

Sustainability Development means:
Economic Growth
Ecological Balance
Social Progress

All three are interesting to businesses. A business case and then the long term foundation has to be built. And all has to be anchored in integrity.

Initiating change in any sense is challenging, especially when it comes to “greening” your lifestyle and/or business. It’s something many people think about doing and yet—for one reason or another—don’t do. It’s like anything you mean to accomplish but constantly put off. You don’t do it because you don’t look forward to the process. You think it’s going to be difficult, confusing and complicated.

But here’s some news for you. Greening is simple. It’s rewarding and makes sense and cents. It means incorporating sustainability into the small details of your daily routine. Becoming an eco-citizen. And it’s far easier than you might think.

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That’s ok, too. Every business wants to succeed, and the process of going green improve your bottom line tremendously.

tcg helps businesses of all sizes green their practices with our pro bono tcg: Green Prepare program. Just talking about it with clients or potential clients helps them realize there is such a system available and that the process does not have to be cumbersome. I feel really strongly that tcg: Green Prepare is something that tcg is ethically bound to do as a green communication agency. We’re well-equipped to demonstrate how easily and efficiently the certification process can be implemented and the tcg: Green Prepare program encourages them to green their business practices and hopefully receive green certification in the long run.

I actually created a version of this program in Zimbabwe in 1990 and it did incredibly well. We helped motivate major global organizations including Johnson & Johnson, BP and Sheraton Hotels. We did this by showing how we could motivate consumers to support their brands if the companies showed they were trying to do the best they could with their own sustainability practices. I recreated this same program here in the US after our agency went through the Green Certification process. I realized we needed to help simplify the benefits of becoming Green Certified. tcg: Green Prepare program is provided to generate awareness that any company can be more efficient, and to show them how to do so by offering our tcg: Blue Step program that works for any size office, in any state, in any country (depending on their access to green products, of course). We promise to recognize anyone if they sign a promise they have implemented 3 of the 12 steps listed by sending them a tcg: Blue Step recognition certificate. And of course, tcg: Green Prepare educates and informs on how and what one would need to know in order to become Green Certified.

Download the tcg: Green Prepare white paper here to find out more.

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