Sound Sustainability Strategy
Reading an article on Wal-Mart’s “sustainability” progress report reminded me of the concerns some companies have expressed about claiming to be Green “to early”. While I’m a huge proponent of avoiding the perception of greenwashing, the Wal-Mart approach makes sense for Green PR. Announce sustainable Green objectives, and then announce measurable organizational progress against the objectives. This builds credibility and goodwill, while appropriately publicizing your efforts in sustainability. Remember to invest more in actually “being” Green than in marketing Green. You may want to consult a professional communicator to achieve the right balance between “talking” and “doing” sustainability.
In recent discussions with a terrific Green leader, Portland based New Seasons Market, Marketing Director Helen Neville spoke about the fact that its “hard to be Green”, I mean really Green. Helen’s point reiterated by others is that we are all implementing sustainability on a “learn as you go” basis. People will make allowance for imperfection as long as progress is being made. Imperfection in Green is not by itself a reason not to publicize legitimate efforts, but actions speak loudly.
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