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EarthFest 2010 Provides Environmental Inspiration – and Impact

Cleveland’s EarthFest 2010 at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Sunday brought out more than 12,000 people – despite the damp, chilly weather. It was a good day for sustainability communications and education.

And, yet, from an environmental impact, it was far from a tree-hugging utopia. Hundreds and hundreds of cars were in the parking lot (even though admission was free for taking public transportation), there were more than 175 exhibits, made from a variety of materials offering paper handouts, and the cleanup crews were seen regularly hauling large, fully loaded trash bags.

The purpose here isn’t to blast attendees and organizers. It would be hypocritical – I drove there, I handed out and picked up printed materials, and I contributed to the waste stream. It’s just a dose of reality for all of us, as we undertake sustainability initiatives and communicate them. The pursuit of an increasingly sustainable lifestyle is admirable, and individual and corporate commitments in this regard need to be incentivized and celebrated.

However – for most of us, at this time – expecting, demanding and pursuing perfection (zero waste or no environmental impact, for example) is probably not a good use of our limited time and resources.

On the other hand, it can be done, as proven by Colin Beavan, the author of No Impact Man.  But, is that how you want to live?

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Eco Pulse 2010: Green Is In, Even In Lean Times

One of the more interesting documents for sustainabilibity marketers is the annual Eco Pulse report, which is published by the Shelton Group, an advertising agency based in Knoxville, Tennessee that specializes in green and energy efficiency campaigns.

Just released, the Eco Pulse 2010 survey reports that 60 percent of American consumers say they’re seeking out green products and 66 percent say they haven’t curtailed their spending on such products despite the economic downturn. Only about 16 percent of consumers surveyed said they don’t have any interest in buying green products.

The survey also found that women are significantly more likely than men to seek out green products – although the percentage of men interested in green products increased between the 2009 and 2010 surveys, by 14 percent to 68 percent of men surveyed.

The increased interest in green products by most demographic groups comes despite the survey’s finding that the American public’s belief in global warming is declining.

The survey defines green products as being “more energy efficient, natural, sustainable, etc.” However, consumers in general continue to be confused by the terminology, and that leads to a lack of trust and green cynicism – and opportunities to improve communications.

For more information about the study results, a 500-page document that costs $5,000, visit the Shelton Group Web site. For various reasons, printing the document is not recommended.

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