Green News for the week of 7.29.08

At a time when green movements are sweeping the nation, the country’s fourth-largest city has the worst recycling program of the US’ 30 largest cities. to the New York Times, “Houston recycles just 2.6 percent of its total waste, according to a study this year by Waste News, a trade magazine. By comparison, San Francisco and New York recycle 69 percent and 34 percent of their waste respectively.”

And interestingly, Houston’s mayor blames the unfriendly green vibe on Texas’ reputation for doing things its own way.

“We have an independent streak that rebels against mandates or anything that seems trendy or hyped up,” said Mayor Bill White, who favors expanding the city’s recycling efforts. “Houstonians are skeptical of anything that appears to be oversold or exaggerated. But Houstonians can change, and change fast.”

Also:

EPA official directs staff against speaking to investigators or reporters.

Amtrak’s popularity rises with gas prices, says the Environment Report.

Students for green universities, reports the New York Times.

Green News for the week 7.21.08

Trouble for the “fresh scent” industry.  The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports on a University of Washington study claiming that scented fabric sheets, plug-in fresheners, and other scented detergents expose consumers and the environment to dangerous chemicals not always listed in the ingredients. Yet industry reps dispute the study as “misleading.”

Also:

The Dark Knight is called out for anti-green shooting methods, according to Plenty

British global warming film rebukes notion that climate change is dangerous, the NY Times

League of Conservation Voters presidential candidate Barack Obama

News for the week 07.14.08

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s new organic cooking show, Emeril Green, premieres this week on Discovery Communications’ Planet Green channel. The show will be set in Whole Foods stores across the nation, scoring major PR points for the wildly popular health food chain. But at least one blogger says the show’s green advice is ho-hum. For PRWeek’s previous coverage on Planet Green click here.

Also:

PR crises could loom for the meat industry as the USDA sets to retailers in meat recalls, reports the LA Times.

Treehugger reports that former Intel CEO, Andy Grove, pushes for alternative energy.

Morgan Freeman is the latest celebrity to become a face for the Sierra Club.

GCI (which announced last week that it had merged with Cohn & Wolfe) recently released its first global study of IT decision-makers and found that some regions and companies still need to be convinced to carry a green message. Paul Walker, the agency’s EVP of digital media, talked to Target Green about the survey and the agency’s proposed next steps.

Target Green: What prompted you to do this study?

Paul Walker: We felt like there was a lot of money being spent in green by enterprise IT brands. But a lot of them were asking questions about how strategic to be and whether they were going to get a return, and whether it was sustainable.

TG: What were you ultimately trying to learn from the survey?

Walker: The question was, is there a profit potential for green products in the IT space?  We wanted to get a global perspective on that because our hypothesis was that this was not a one-size fits all question or market. The way that someone looks at the environment in North America is wildly different to how they might look it in China, India, or Italy.

So, we knew there were some global considerations that really weren’t being taken into account because of lack of research. We wanted to be able to create a roadmap to being successful by understanding the executives that are more open to green products and what media channels are best to reach them. And we found executives that are more open to the green message and more willing to adopt green products do depend on different channels to get their information.

TG: Your findings were not a one size fits all, but was there a consistent thread of information for those in green IT?

Walker: First, there is a great opportunity here. Clearly, companies in different markets around the world are willing to pay a premium for green products. If you get really smart about how you go after those markets there is a chance for a company to increase its profits from its green offerings.

But the PR function has to work very closely with the chief marketing officer and the entire marketing department to exploit it. This is partially because of point number two - “one size fits all” doesn’t work. We see a lot of technology brands try to do dry, global, green programs that are really North American-centric. But the payoff will only come if the companies get really smart about how they implement these as global campaigns. For example, India is hot. India is open to green products and they are willing to pay a significant premium for those.

TG: The survey finds that nearly 25% of Germans believe buying “green” products has no real impact on the environment, generally twice that of any other country. Because Germany is often considered a green-friendly market, did these results surprise you?

Walker: Well, in Germany is where the green bar is set. They’ve legislated so many green standards and companies have to meet so many requirements that those in German market have just come to expect that if you’re going to do business in Germany you’re going to [have to meet stringent requirements]. But Germans don’t feel like they should have to pay for it because it’s a way of life. I think Germany might foreshadow the way this practice goes over time. Eventually brands and companies in various countries are going to come to expect that you’re living up to certain green standards.

Read more »

Home Depot recently kicked off a national program, where consumers can recycle compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in store, a first for any major retailer. Sans agency support, the program was launched with an exclusive in the , and has been primarily promoted through outreach to local markets through print and broadcast media, in addition to its Web site, in-store signage and announcements, according to Ron Jarvis, Home Depot SVP of corporate communications. Environmental groups have also been reached through blogs, such as treehugger.com and greendaily.com.

Green news for the week of 07.01.08

Just as maybe the biggest summer weekend gets under way, the Washington Post examines the environmental and health hazards of sunscreen. Chemicals in sunscreen have been linked to hormone-disrupting activities in lab tests and low birth in infant girls, according to the article. John Baily, chief scientist at the Personal Care Council, a trade association that represents sunscreen manufacturers told the Post the ingredients in sunscreen are FDA-regulated and the one in question is only found in “very, very low levels that may be showing effects in animal or cell culture testing. All evidence that we have is that it’s not a risk to health.”

Also:

Companies have learned: Sex sells, green sells, reports the Seattle Times.

Jimmy Carter’s former press secretary speaks to NPR about why the presidential candidates aren’t talking conservation.

Eco-friendly lodging gains