Comments on: Public Relations and Green

By: Sebastain Hill

Sebastain Hill — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:49:57 +0000

I think audiences and the media are getting tired of the “10 Easy Ways to Go Green” pitch. The challenge for media professionals now is to come up with creative and engaging ways of telling and retelling the sustainability story. It has to be made relevant to the current economic environment and appeal to an audience that may not see global warming and sustainability as a priority issue.

I saw a video on Siemens’ website that showed how a small mid-Western town was going to be transformed by the opening of a wind turbine factory. It had interviews with the mayor, shop owners and regular folks on Main Street about how this was going to change their lives. The video humanized the company’s sustainability story and showed how it was creating what this community needed the most… jobs.

By: Mario Vellandi

Mario Vellandi — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:47:31 +0000

Hi Cindy, thanks for stopping by.

Indeed the green news out there can seem like the world is truly becoming a better place. But these are just best practices from a selected few out of an entire industrial landscape that has a long way to go. To make journalism better, there should be more stories on how things “really are”.

By: Cindy Haas

Cindy Haas — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:18:36 +0000

I agree there is a lot of green noise out there. I read Adrian Gonzalez’s blog today (ARC analyst) about a report just released by the Carbon Disclosure Project and he makes a really good related point. Research about what companies are REALLY doing and focusing on related to climate change indicates that we are still in an early adopter phase…despite all the green “news.” http://logisticsviewpoints.com/2009/03/06/more-green-supply-chain-news-and-asteroids-too/

By: Mario Vellandi

Mario Vellandi — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:38:38 +0000

I hear you. In assuming each incremental change is a major story and will “save the earth”, part of the injustice is that some people will really believe these actions are unique and substantial, when similar initiatives are being performed across the industry. Part of the responsibility then lies on reporters to provide context in the larger scheme of things (in relation to the company’s whole supply chain or industry benchmarks), or make a rounded story from multiple parties’. This is best carried out from media outlets (or a division thereof) focused on environmental management.

And on creativity in messaging, it’s an art indeed. But like you pointed out, writers need to consider competitive and similar stories so that a degree of freshness is maintained. Giving reporters a bit of comparative value also helps them frame why your story stands out.

By: Joel Makower

Joel Makower — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:16:41 +0000

Thanks, Mario. You’ve raised some good points. As I’ve tried to make clear in the book, we need to modulate between the hype and reality of green. One big problem is simply, imho, the lack of creativity on the part of the PR community in promoting companies’ green actions, products, and services. They assume that each incremental change is a major story and will help “save the earth.” As a reporter — and, thus, a consumer of all this PR output — I continually roll my eyes at the lack of forethought, context, or perspective these releases offer. And if I see one more release with a headline or lead sentence with some version of Kermit’s 1970(!) lyric about it is (or isn’t) easy being green . . . well, don’t get me started.

Joel Makower, Executive Editor, GreenBiz.com
Author, “Strategies for the Green Economy”