We received an announcement, the other day, from Scott at Eco Active America:

I am pleased to announce that we will be having the EPA’s 40th Anniversary Celebration and Award Event on December 2nd at Club Nokia. We will have celebrities, famous musicians presenting awards and playing music throughout the event. We would love to have your company be part of this event. This is an event not to be missed.

The e-mail goes on to explain why it is “not to be missed.” The event takes place at the luxurious (and Green-certified) Club Nokia, and is catered by the famous chef, Wolfgang Puck. There will be two “Green Carpet” arrival events, where “Green celebrities” will walk to show their support for the EPA. Awards will be given, drinks will be served, and a large dance will wrap up the evening.

Organizers expect about 1,200 people at the closed event, made of “a very select targeted audience including and not limited to actors, politicians, high profile business owners and dignitaries.” It will be broadcast live online for those not invited.

Proceeds support RainTrust, an organization designed to preserve rain forests while helping impoverished countries.

So how socially responsible is this event, and how much is just greenwashing? Green PR expert John Pilmer of PilmerPR answers that question in the following Social Responsibility Minute. Hear his thoughts and share yours below.

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Many events claim to be “socially responsible” or “green.” They may use energy-saving lights, use recycled paper, or donate a portion of revenues to a worthy cause. But how much energy is used traveling to the event? Are the green efforts economically sustainable and sensible to stock-holders? How likely are people to attend if you make them jump through hoops?

There is a lot to consider when planning a socially responsible event. Corporate social responsibility and green PR expert John Pilmer of PilmerPR breaks them down into the “three-legged stool” or “triple bottom-line” of sustainability: Planet, People and Profits. Here is counsel below in the first installment of the Social Responsibility Minute:

Learn more at PilmerPR.com, or schedule your free 30-minute consultation.

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80% of the world’s largest companies now have a Corporate Responsibility Report per a recent article in the Moscow Times. In previous entries we have discussed that Green PR is a subset of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Now CSR is being shortened to a term I like quite a bit more, Corporate Responsibility (CR). I think CR is a better umbrella term which encompasses the triple bottom line of CSR: Planet, People, Profits.

In tough economic times some companies find themselves trying to justify budget for going Green or socially responsible programs. As often as customers will listen,  I share the PilmerPR philisophy that CSR should be woven into the very fabric of who we are as a company.  This article I read today in the Financial Times does a great job of exploring the issues around commitment to CSR in today’s economic environment.

PilmerPR CR mantra: “First be good, then talk about being good.” In that order.

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After his recent release of the tech thriller Green Spin on Amazon.com, author John Pilmer released the following to clarify his position on our stewardship regarding the environment. A fan of entrepreneurial business and green initiatives, John believes both business and sustainability can prosper in harmony with each other.

“People, Planet, Profits: the ’triple bottom line’ of sustainable Green. Not mutually exclusive, but interdependent, these three must all be present for any initiative to have staying power,” John Pilmer said. “Recent human history shows that extremes that weigh greed over Green have led us to our present where the ocean ecosystem is at risk and whaling boats are attacked by eco-terrorists, where pollution is rampant and extremists thwart the expansion of alternative energy because of a displaced lizard. When we balance the equation, we have found sustainability for corporations, stockholders, communities, people and the eco-system we depend on for survival.”

Read more at GreenSpinBook.com.

Today’s news from Energy Solutions in Utah is good news. I am pleased with this decision to nix importation of foreign nuclear waste into Utah or the U.S. for that matter. There is already a big Green PR blunder waiting to happen the first time one of the n-Waste carrying trains is derailed or attacked by terrorists.

Perish the thought, what kind of media torture would be applied to stakeholders for the first ship containing n-Waste to sink or spill in the ocean – due to natural causes or terrorists. You might look to the gulf oil spill to get a flavor.  Just imagine the headlines, “International Outcry Over Nuclear Waste Offshore Spill” or “UN Wants Energy Solutions to Go Get That n-Waste 2 Miles Down.”

As a Utah citizen I applaud this move. As a guy seeking a sustainable future for my children, I applaud this move. As a public relations professional I definitely think it’s the smart thing.  For now, we need the benefits of nuclear power along with clean coal, solar, wind, CNG, biomass, etc. We need them all.  However, transporting international n-Waste across the ocean is one more risk we need not take.

PilmerPR.com
LinkedIn group: Office of Sustainability
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ILLUMRA's european wireless, battery-free light switch is fully powered by the motion of flipping the switch.

PilmerPR prides itself in helping Green businesses gain local, national and international attention for their innovations. Over the past couple of months, PilmerPR has helped one such local company get attention for its new products.

As the economy begins to recover, Orem-based ILLUMRA, a producer of wireless battery-free controls, announced it has hired four new employees, and is further expanding into the $470 billion European electronics market.

“We have been watching these folks for months as they have started to get some big-time customers,” John Pilmer, president of PilmerPR, recently told Deseret News. “They have been in bootstrap mode for 41/2 years, and they are starting to turn a profit.”

PilmerPR introduced Deseret News to ILLUMRA after telling them about the technology. As a result, the paper published a prominent feature story about the Utah company in their Saturday edition. You can read the full article here.

All ILLUMRA products (light switches, LED dimmers, sensors and more) are completely self-powered, using no electricity from walls or batteries. Some products, like their light sensors, are solar powered. Others, like their light switches, are self-powered by technology that converts the motion from the press of the switch into an electric pulse, transmitting a wireless signal to ILLUMRA receivers. (In other words, the energy used to flip a switch is all the energy it needs to transmit the signal.) Some products are even powered by temperature changes in the room. This represents major energy-saving technology coming out of Utah.

PilmerPR tracks hundreds of reporters constantly looking for Green stories to tell. Does your business have one? Contact PilmerPR and share it with the world.

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Today is Earth Day, which means you will probably hear a lot about companies “Going Green.”

Many executives and entrepreneurs wonder if it makes economic sense to do the same. How does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in any of its manifestations (“Green” being just one), affect the bottom line?

John Pilmer, APR, recently addressed this issue at the 2010 Entrepreneurial Business Conference at Utah Valley University. This year’s theme was “Prosper in Hard Times… Opportunities Await!” John believes that there are many untouched opportunities to be a leader in CSR and Green business.

Sections from John’s full presentation are available in the video below. He provides solid examples of Utah companies that are making a difference to both the environment and investors, why CSR makes economic sense, and how it can garner national media attention for your business.

For a personal consultation on how CSR and Green initiatives can help your business, visit our contact page.

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The average American produces 4.6 pounds per day. That means the whole nation produces 251 million tons per year.

Many people have ideas to reduce that amount. And despite a common conception, many of the ideas can be more profitable than the status quo.

Photo by Kristin Heinichen, Daily Herald

A group of BYU students, for example, found that Kenyans are often compelled to buy overpriced plastic bottles of water, or face deadly water-borne contamination from cheaper water sources. The ultimatum is not only terrible for their health, it doesn’t make economic sense.

From the Daily Herald article:

“Currently, people’s needs are being overserved,” [Marere co-founder Kyle] Freebairn said of water bottles, deeming them superfluous to the basic need of thirst. “If you give them a utility they don’t need, you are forcing them to pay a higher price point than their optimum need.”

The students are working to solve the problem by selling 17-ounce polyethylene bags of water for half the price of bottles. Kenyans just bite the corner of the bag for water. It reduces trash, saves lives, and will likely out-sell the bottled competition.

“Marere is financially sustainable, but socially we’re using business and capitalism and natural incentives to drive the quality of life up; it’s very rewarding,” [Freebairn] said.

A second company is making headlines by trying to eliminate trash all together!

That is ambitious goal of TerraCycle, a company that produces everything from kites to spray-bottles entirely out of trash. They call it “upcycling,” and it, too, is paying off. They already have big contracts with stores like Walmart, K-Mart, Target and Home Depot. The products work just as well as well as their made-from-scratch counterparts, and are even cheaper to produce.

Watch the video below about their compelling business model:

PilmerPR supports socially responsible business, and has helped many clients successfully promote green innovations. If you have a business, or know of a business, that is looking for effective Green Public Relations, please let us know on our contact page.

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The crowd of entrepreneurs attending today’s UVEF presentation responded enthusiastically to Todd Pedersen, CEO and founder of  APX Alarm. With 5500 employees, the company expects to knock on 10 million doors this summer as it gobbles market share in the home security market. 850,000 installations to-date puts APX in the top 4 companies in their industry.

If you think Todd is ready for a vacation, you would be mistaken, and don’t let his casual dress fool you.  I work out with the guy at Gold’s Gym. This guy is on fire with passion about life, family, and business. His down to earth approach to relationships communicates empowerment to others left elevated by his presence.  Todd is moving the company aggressively into the “energy management” space and plans on having 100,000 such customers by year end. [Now, that's energy efficiency that gets this cleantech PR guy excited.]

Todd’s secrets for success? Here are a few:

“I love stress… If I’m not stressed, it stresses me out.”

“I love problems.”

“Adapt non-stop- change on the fly.”

“Treat employees like gold…employees are the product.”

“If profit is your only motive, you are done already.”

Today’s crowd of around a thousand business, government, and education leaders heard the good, the bad, and the ugly about Utah economic recovery in 2010 and beyond.  While morning keynote and former Wells Fargo Bank VP, Kelly Matthews stated that “headwind issues will trump tailwind ones” this year in Utah, he also quoted comparatively positive unemployment (6.5%) inventory, sales,  and investment numbers that are among the strongest in the nation.

While Former Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Randal Quarles, talked about continued downside pressure in financial markets due to credit market meltdown and the spiraling  U.S. national debt (80% expected growth in 2 years), others expressed optimism.

David Chen, Chair for the Oregon Innovation Council, shared an outsider view as one seeing Utah as “an enviable place to be” especially compared to other struggling western states.  Governor Gary Herbert echoed this positive view pointing to growth sectors like hi-tech, cleantech, energy, biotech, financial, and healthcare. Having just met with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, he said California’s governor may know what it is like to be the “captain of the Titanic.” Utah in contrast, Herbert said, has third parties gushing about our state’s relative strength:

#1 Most Dynamic Economy – Kauffman-State New Economy Index

#2 America’s Healthiest State – Forbes

#3 Best State for Business – Forbes

#1 Expected Economic Recovery – American Legislative Exchange

Governor Gary Herbert says Utah economy "turning the corner"

Multiple speakers including the Governor and GOED director, Spence Eccles, agreed that the support and growth of entrepreneurship is critical to the state’s ongoing economic health. In my more private meeting recently with the governor and Eccles as the the Chairman of the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF), that point was driven home with the promise to promote an regulatory environment of limited government to allow entrepreneurs and the free market economy to thrive.

As a entrepreneur and business owner (PilmerPR & Junto Communications), my takeaway was appreciation for the state from which we serve a national clientele.

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