Green Watch: Greenwash

According to a survey from Global Market Insite, 42 percent of all Americans are willing to spend more for products made from socially and environmentally responsible companies. 

When corporations and companies see statistics like this, they see an opportunity to raise prices and profits by either becoming socially and environmentally responsible, or use advertising to imply that they are socially and environmentally responsible when they are not. So is the birth of greenwashing. As defined by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc., greenwashing is:

 "the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service."

Yesterday at a meeting with a potential client, the point was raised that while the clients offered the most organic and natural product in their market, their competition was getting away with posting greenwash labels and assertions.

While frustrating to most in the environment sector, there are things that can help the average, casual environmentalist fend themselves from being washed with green fallacies.

Watch for Meaningless Symbols

We see them all the time.  Charming little symbols that promote a products "environmental" aspects.  Some of these little logos do carry some merit.  Others don't.  Like these:

This little doohickey might imply that the product is doing its part to save our quickly depleting ozone layer, but the fact is that CFC's (or chloroflurocarbons) have been legally banned for over 30 years.  

Did the Product Come from the Garden of Eden?

Many times advertisers will place their products in geological formations and environments to signify their environmental friendliness.  Just because a Hummer is placed in the Amazon Rain Forest does not mean it is forrest-friendly.

The Rhetoric of Washing Green

As a culture, a normal person will see more advertisements in a day than their grandfolks saw in their entire lifetime.  Because of this, many advertisers will attempt to get their target market involved and employ sneaky wording to imply that they are environmentally acceptable.  Take a look at this Fiji advertisement:

Fiji asserts in their advertisements that “every drop is green.” However, in just one year, Fiji uses 46 million gallons of fossil fuel, 1.3 billion gallons of water and 216 million pounds of greenhouse gases to deliver the bottled water to American destinations. Just because they donate a fraction of their goods to environmental agencies, does not mean that “every drop is green.”

These are just a handful of examples of some of the aspects of greenwashing in American ads.  For more information on the subject, Futerra Sustainability Communications has a great "Greenwash Guide" and Terra Choice has made their write up on greenwashing public here.

 

And by the way, do you know what is the antithesis of greenwashing?  This. 

Yin & Yang - www.OneTribe.com

Our gifted designers have created a short video called Yin & Yang that encompasses the spirit of OneTribe.com.

If you haven't checked our site, please do!

One Tribe Creative Launches OneTribe.com, Global nonprofits to receive 50% of all apparel sales

As many of you know, each year One Tribe Creative donates much in services for nonprofit organizations.

Wanting to find a way to utilize our talents to not just brand these organizations, but to help them raise much needed mula, we came up with an idea.  Today, after two long years of fitful development squeezed between the projects that pay the bills, is the culmination of that idea — our closet personality so to speak.

Click on the picture above and enjoy, and don’t worry, we’re not asking for the shirt off your back, just to put one on.

For more information, here is the press release: 

"A new internet apparel site gives an unprecedented 50 percent of its sales, not merely its profits, to five partnering, global non-profits designated by the site’s customers.

OneTribe.com sells high-quality, artistically designed, eco-friendly T-shirts as a way to bring much-needed funds to such important and globally diverse non-profits as Child Helpline International and PeaceJam. Each shirt displays a design specially created to symbolize one of the five organizations. Half of every sale goes directly to one of the profiled nonprofits immediately upon purchase.

OneTribe.com is a social enterprise arm of Fort Collins, Colorado-based One Tribe Creative, a branding and marketing firm for socially responsible organizations.

“We developed OneTribe.com to be a new model of social enterprise, one that offers consumers the opportunity to give as much as they gain, and to support the humanitarian efforts of these organizations in a significant way,” says Paul Jensen, owner of One Tribe Creative. “It is also our goal to tell the stories of the organizations, and to promote a strong and enduring connection between consumer and nonprofit.”

OneTribe.com chose its first five participating nonprofits on the criteria that they represented a diversity of global regions and causes, had a proven track record of accountability and results, and had no political or religious connections or agendas.

Grassroot Soccer (Africa), Global Village of Beijing (China), Child Helpline International (Global), WaterPartners International (Global), and PeaceJam (USA/Global) met these criteria and will receive financial support from OneTribe.com. For a closer look at the nonprofit organizations that OneTribe.com supports, please see a description below.

To ensure quality wear for the consumer, and less wear on our planet, T-shirt designs are developed by One Tribe Creative. The shirts themselves are produced by HT Naturals, which makes the shirts from an eco-textile fabric blend of bamboo and organic cotton. Every T-shirt is then screen-printed by Go West, a firm that uses wind-power and eco-friendly citrus- and soy-based products. All small orders are shipped in recycled cereal boxes collected by local schools that receive 25 cents per box for their efforts.

Paul Jensen adds: “We believe that in our humanity lies all we share. It is what can bring all our diversity and division together. OneTribe.com will further this conviction, and as it grows, expand awareness and financial support to these and many other global humanitarian organizations.”

Get to Know Global Non-Profits

Let me first begin today's blog by apologizing for the long hiatus.  I missed this site and One Tribe Creative like the deserts miss the rain.  

Now that my sabbatical is over, I would like to introduce you to five global non-profits that represent the diversity of global regions and causes, have proven track records of accountability and results, and possess no political or religious connections or agendas. In other words, these global non-profits are making our planet a better place.

Child Helpline International

Child Helpline International is a global network of phone numbers that helps protect 11 million children each year in more than 150 countries.  By connecting children to services that already exist, this powerful resource supports the most marginalized children all over the world. Street children, victims of child labor or sexual abuse, or disabled children can call a toll-free number anytime, anywhere for any reason, and CHI acts as a one-point contact that facilitates instant access to support, advice, active intervention or just a listening ear.

Global Village of Beijing

Given the harsh environmental realities in China, Global Village of Beijing (GVB) was established in 1996 as a mechanism through which government, nonprofit organizations and businesses can work together for the environment and to help the public understand its role in this environmental movement. One of the first nongovernmental organizations allowed in China, GVB has risen to international recognition: In 2000, Sheri Liao, founder of GVB, received the Sophie Prize for environmental action and also became environmental adviser to the Beijing Olympic Committee. GVB’s main projects include the production of television programs about environmental issues, organizing media workshops and journalist forums, developing green communities, and hosting public activities on sustainable development and consumption.

Grassroot Soccer

All the loyal readers of this blog will be familiar with this non-profit.  For those who might have missed the numerous blogs we've posted, Grassroot Soccer is a South-Africa based non-governmental organization that integrates the cross-cultural appeal of soccer with evidence-based HIV prevention and life skills programs that equip African youth with the knowledge, skills, and support to live HIV free.  Grassroot Soccer aims to educate over 1 million your by World Cup 2010.

Peace Jam

After discovering an appreciation for Desmund Tutu's nonviolent efforts in a Denver Latino gang, PeaceJam founder Suvanjieff envisioned envisioned a foundation in which Nobel Peace Price laureates work shoulder to shoulder inspiring youth.  PeaceJam, launched in 1996 in Denver, connects youth with Nobel Peace laureates to inspire them to initiate global service projects.  So far, more than 1 million global service projects have been launched by 600,000 youth.  The projects help youth make a positive change in themselves and their communities and the world.

WaterPartners International

WaterPartners' vision: the day when everyone in the world can take a safe drink of water.  A U.S.-based non-profit organization, WaterPartners provides clean drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries.  Since its inception in 1990, WaterPartners has transformed hundreds of communities in Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Guatemala, India, Kenya, and the Philippines with access to clean water and sanitation.  By forging partnerships with carefully-screened partner organizations and offering innovative financing methods through its WaterCredit Initiative, WaterPartners empowers local communities to develop and sustain solutions to their own water needs.

So why these non-profits and not others?  If you feel we need to tell another non-profit's story, let us know.  Until then, there is more on these non-profits later this week...

Tip of the Hat: Grassroot Soccer United

One Tribe Creative would like to give a big congratulations to Ethan Zohn, international-soccer player turned winner of Survivor: Africa, who finished his 500 mile trek from Boston, Mass. to Washington D.C. while dribbling a soccer ball to raise awareness for his non-profit organization, Grassroot Soccer. Have a look:

In 2002 Grassroot Soccer was created after realizing the connections that soccer creates between people. Based on an interactive soccer-themed HIV prevention curriculum, Grassroot Soccer hosts 8-week camps in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia that provide children aged 10 – 18 with the knowledge, life-skills and support to live HIV-free. 

Grassroots Soccer is striving to enlist 1.25 million African youths into the program by 2010.  To date, approximately 3,000 students have successfully completed the program.

One Tribe Creative and Grassroot Soccer have teamed up for a special venture that will begin in January. More on that later....

Sprig Toys Getting the Holiday Nudge

One Tribe Creative client and Fort Collins-based toy company Sprig Toys was featured on The Today Show for their environmentally responsible all-terrain toy vehicles.  These road-rides are not only comprised of recycled wood and recovered plastic, but also use kid's kinetic energy to power the bells and whistles.  Have a look:

Also, Laura M., editor of BabyBuyProducts.com guided me to a very informative podcast with Sprig Toys co-founder Justin Discoe on his progression from matchbox car maker to creating a line of toys that are socially and environmentally responsible.

Everyone here at One Tribe Creative have got their Sprig Eco-Trucks for the little ones and they love em'!

One Tribe Creative is Decking the Halls With Sustainability

With holiday season in full swing, sustainability can get lost in the plum pudding. Allow One Tribe Creative's fourth newsletter to lend a helping hand during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

 Click here to go to newsletter!

In this issue, we highlight three companies that provide gifts and guides for your own sustainable sleigh ride. From green body care to toys that Santa would be proud to have in his bag, these organizations are all on the “good” list.  

Do you have any suggestions for green gifts?  Let One Tribe Creative know!