I spotted ‘Vancouver’s 2010 Streetcar’ on a testing run at the Granville Island terminus today. Aside from the visual stopping power of this sleek modern Bombardier train, an equally sleek transit advertisement on its side is what caught my eye.
“The climate is right for trains.” it boldly proclaims. I like this statement. It’s quick, clean and leverages the Global Warming issue without being heavy handed. And I couldn’t agree more with the logic. But some of the largest transportation decisions by the Province would seem to indicate that our leaders think otherwise.
We can begin with the Sea to Sky Highway. Though a beautiful piece of asphalt to drive, it would have been a much more forward thinking decision to upgrade the rail line and provide a high speed link that would enable car-free recreation and commuting for all the bedroom communities that are springing up along the route.
The twinning of the Port Mann bridge is another example of trainless decision making. Although it has been claimed that this solution offers ‘room for future rail’, one UBC study points out that we could have a whole regional rail network for the same price. http://www.thetyee.ca/News/2009/03/25/LightRail/
So cheers to the new streetcar, even though it only travels 1.8km, (a distance the average person can walk in about 20 minutes)
What do you say we take up “The climate is right for trains.” as a new rallying cry, and try to get Victoria on board?
To find out more about our new streetcars, (and get even more jealous of municipalities that have a real rail system) go here: http://www2.bombardier.com/Vancouver/index.html

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ever since I first laid eyes on the Orion Slave Girl from the original pilot episode of Star Trek, I knew. Now the research backs it up.
A study recently called Eco-Insights, released by Earthsense, identified women as the green market’s most important movers. If you have a green brand, take note:
“Women are more likely than men to take actions such as donating money or time to an environmental group and boycotting products/brands with poor environmental reputations.” says Earthsense in their Echo e-newsletter. “They also are more likely to … go out of their way to buy brands they believe in.”
A few more highlights on the greener sex:

Top reasons for buying green food products: Taste (49%) and Ingredients (40%)

Top reasons for buying green personal care or household products: Ingredients (22%) and Health Concerns (20%)

Top three sources women trust for green info: Friends/Family/Colleagues (55%), Online search engines (50%) and Television (41%)

Social Media ranked 10th at just 19%

Percentage of women who think companies are not taking enough responsibility for the environment: 70%

When it comes to saving planets, Kirk and Spock might be well advised to let the Orion Slave Girl take the helm. If you are marketing a green product or service ask yourself if you are doing enough to communicate with this important species.
Want to know more? Visit the earthsense.com or give them a call at 866.237.9108 / 315.579.0015.

This holiday season, Vancouverites may have noticed a trashy little ad campaign from Metro Vancouver encouraging them to re-think their holiday waste. These are transit ads at my local Canada Line station spied on my way to Oakridge Mall (OK, I’m busted – not all of my shopping takes place at the local handmade craft fair) The city also assembled an over-sized garbage-bag tree on a busy corner downtown. Here’s a link to a nice YouTube video they produced on that bit of street theatre.

In all, it’s a simple message, and one that resonates with me every year I see store shelves groaning under greater loads of tacky stuff I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Yet, it appears not all Vancouver shoppers agree. More on that presently.

First, a few Green Briefs Thoughts on the ads themselves.

The image of the Christmas-bow-clad garbage bag is a decent idea. It’s very direct and easy to see. It’s a bit stark on the white background though, and a cheerier font for the headline would have created even more contrast between the charm of the holidays and the reality of our garbage situation. I’m not sure the multiple bags execution works. It certainly looks a bit weird side-by-side as posted above. The real garbage tree downtown was a nice touch – assuming they didn’t use real bags fresh from the back of a truck.

On the whole, though, they could have made the campaign much more powerful by adding a human element. Imagine a small, cute child posing with the ‘trash present’. This would not only make the image more of a stopper, it would allude to the fact that waste is a long-term problem we’re literally giving our children every year.

Then again, not everyone seems to be on board with this message of waste reduction at all. The ‘garbage tree’ was picked up in an online news story by the Vancouver Province, and several reader comments gave it a Grinchy thumbs-down.

“Hey METRO VANCOUVER – hows about keeping your nose out of my business?” quipped one, (presumably unaware of the fact that garbage is everyone’s business)

Another reader went further afield. “Spent weekend Christmas Shopping in Seattle… no City Hall Humbugs…they closed main streets to have a parade and … handed out mulled wine in plastic glasses,  right on the sidewalk…” (Add carbon emissions to that person’s Christmas list)

If anyone from City Hall is reading this, please let me know what the response was to the campaign from your point of view. I’ll follow up with a few calls in the new year to see if there were any measurable results in garbage volume.

In the meantime, desr green Briefs Readers, have a very Merry Christmas, recycle what you can, drink the rest and remember that even the Grinch finally figured it out:

“And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

You clicked, you voted, you commented. Then I procrastinated. So before the data is dated, (not to mention the iPod prize) I am happy to present some of the more interesting findings from the Unicycle Creative Brand Survey 2009. And of course, reward one lucky clicker.

The objective was to find out where my readers think the marketing business is going, and learn a little more about where Green Briefs (and parent corp Unicycle Creative) fits into that picture.

First of all, this is not a statistically-perfect survey. For instance, we didn’t have a single “Big-Screen-Lovin’ Frequent-Flying Hummer-Driving UFC Fan” log-in. So our data is skewed more heavily toward the “Mostly Recycling Own-your-own-Starbucks-Cup Guilty Commuter” point of view.

Most of you thought “the cost of going green” is going to be the big sustainability challenge ahead, followed closely by “consumer education”. One of you said the biggest challenge would be to “Walk the talk when trying to stay in business.” That kind of summed up 2009 for a lot of sustainable companies, I suspect.

58.3% think the small agency model is ‘Alive and kickin’, while only around 30% give that status to the big agencies. And in a bottom-of-the-barrel race, 41.7% said the Infomercial business is also in fine shape – while almost same number said Telemarketing is dead as a doornail. Somebody tell those losers who keep interrupting me at feeding time.

A majority get business-critical information from trade-specific publications and business websites, though blogs rated fairly well in third place.

One of the most telling statistics was around emerging media. Almost 70% of you think rich media – Online Video, Flash, Webcasts, Podcasts etc – will be the most important to business moving forward. Second choices were split between mobile media, sponsorship and experiential media (street teams etc). One astute reader summed it up nicely: “ I see the MOST important as having a strategy in place that considers the vehicles above. Without strategy your can waste a ton of time and $…”

There was less common ground, however, when looking for companies who are doing  ‘green marketing’ well. Some responses:

“I think Mountain Equipment Coop is doing a good job because they have made it a core value of the company rather than an “initiative” of the company.”

“…VanCity is doing some things right… as is Whole Foods (although very exclusive price-wise), and BC Hydro”

“E squared = 0 !! When everyone is crying, “look at what a fabulous green job we’re doing”….no-one stands out!”

“I do appreciate the brands who ARE green vs. the brands who are jumping on the bandwagon. Method cleaning products vs. P&G product extensions.”

“Patagonia–walking their talk, full-product life cycle masters.”

“Green marketing is, buy and large, a scam. We need to reduce our consumption of virtually everything. “Marketing” by definition does move us down this road.”

On the Unicycle Creative agency services front, it looks like you get the most value when I’m working on strategy and the Big Creative Idea. Moving toward more rich media creative development also looks like a good direction. But I may have to have another look at a career in busking. I got more votes for “Drunken guitar playing at parties” than “Production / Computer Design”, and “Angsty home-recorded green garage-band songs by Lorne” was the #1 choice for iPod content. Hmmm.

Jaxon Craig handles the Official Draw duties with his usual impartiality and impeccable hair.

Speaking of which it’s time to announce our iPod winner. In a time-tested analog process, entries were placed in a hat and one chosen at random by a neutral party.

The winner is… Arno Apeldoorn, designer and computer wrangler extraordinaire. When reached at his offices in trendy Kitsilano, Arno was at a loss for words… “Wow. I want to thank all the people behind me – wait, that’s a lame speech. I’ll just take the iPod and go.”

The rest of you should be pleased to know, that although you didn’t win, at least you  were recycled.

The online survey was produced through SurveyMonkey – a very cost-effective service for getting quick feedback. Please email me if you’d like more info about it, or want to delve deeper into the data.

When I bought my new MacBook Pro, I knew there would be a few necessary accessories, such as cable adapters. I needed two – one to help the new firewire 800 port talk to my old Firewire devices, the other to ensure my screen output could speak VGA.
The Firewire adapter is made by a company called Moshi, while the monitor adapter is made by Apple. Now, I love Apple, and I appreciate that they are, among other things, working to eliminate toxic substances from their manufacturing. But when it comes to simple packaging, they have a long way to go.
At the store level, the packaging did a good job of expressing the simplicity and elegance of the Apple brand. A white-backed plastic bag presented the adapter like a minimalist piece of sculpture, all anchored by a formal black card which introduced it with appropriate gravitas. Ooooh. Aaaah.
But when I got it home I had to wrestle the card apart as it was held fast by some NASA-strength adhesive, which made even the thick, black-coated cardboard impossible to recycle. The plastic bag was likewise unmarked as blue-box worthy. The only piece of the packaging that was recyclable was the paper spec sheet – information which could have easily been printed inside the cardboard top piece, thus eliminating the need for it in the first place. Bad Apple.
By contrast, the Moshi Firewire adapter came in a tidy, compact, uncoated cardboard box. Which, as noted on the package itself, was made from recycled post-consumer waste. There was one piece of plastic which acted as the ‘window’, but this came apart easily for recycling. Nary a drop of glue to be fought. This package also featured a web address for Moshi, where I was able to learn more about their environmental initiatives.  Score one for the little guy.
Apple takes so many things to the next level. Why not environmental packaging? If anyone can make green beautiful and functional, it should be Apple.
Call me, Steve.

Apple packaging very trashy. Moshi not so much.

This fall, our family got Telus TV.
The promo deal sucked us in, our friendly installer managed to figure out how to wire both ends of a 1920’s apartment without stapling cable everywhere and now we can vegetate digitally. (Of course, the first thing I did with this marvel of new technology was use the PVR to record a Space Channel marathon of 30-year-old Star Trek episodes.)

But even as the system was being assembled in our home, I wondered about its footprint. In order to decode and deliver the signals for digital TV and broadband Internet, we took delivery of: two set top boxes, a PVR, a wireless router, a network router and a switcher.

I wondered, how much power do they use? Are all the electronics compliant with RoHS? (the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive or RoHS  adopted in 2003 by the EU that restricts the use of hazardous materials in electronics) What happens to these units when they needs to be replaced? And what happens to the leftover boxes, plastic and styrofoam after installation?

As I found out from their most recent CSR Report, Telus does recycle e-waste – more than 500 metric tonnes in 2008. They also re-use a lot of equipment, donating over 8,000 computers through the Computers for Schools program. And with an ongoing relationship with Tree Canada, they also pledged to plant a tree for every piece of wireless equipment recycled, and exceeded their goals, starting over 170,000 seedlings. All good green info which a lot of TV customers would probably like to hear.

But with their distribution of digital TV gear, there is a supply chain opportunity as well.

Several years ago, Wal-Mart single-handedly changed the detergent business when they refused to stock anything other than concentrated formula. And though not on the same planetary scale, I imagine Telus must be a large consumer of routers, switchers and the like. Could they ask for stronger standards? Work with suppliers like SMC and Scientific Atlanta to improve packaging and recyclability? After all, the Telus logo is on this equipment, too.

But they don’t have to go to such lengths to make a visible and real difference.  There is one simple piece of equipment Telus could add to the TV installation process that would save energy, and be a real demonstration of their ‘Future Friendly’ positioning.

And it would only cost about 5 bucks to make the future just a little friendlier.

Saturday night I attended the Corb Lund show at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. One of the best (and only remaining) mid-size venues in the city. The music was fantastic. Corb Lund (and his band the Hurtin’ Albertans) are a tight ‘alt country’ act that brings a genuine thinking person’s perspective to the dusty boot-stompin’ genre.

Too bad the same can’t be said for the venue. All drinks were only available in disposable plastic cups. Which, unsurprisingly, became a complete garbage fest. The Commodore was once known for its class as a local night spot. It now appears the economics of disposability have finally caught up with this venerable institution.

What made us wonder was the fact that behind each bar were stacks of clean glass, just waiting for frosty beverages. Our server implied that the band had requested plastic cups be used, as, in her words, ‘things get thrown’ at Corb Lund shows. Sounds like more of a security problem than a glassware threat. What’s more surprising is that such a decree might come from Lund, who sings many songs about the beauty of the land, the plight of the family farmer and even the vagaries of gnetically-modified canola seed.

And throughout the evening, no such projectile behaviour was in evidence. I’ll try to find out more, but in the meantime, will be voicing my displeasure to both the performers and the Commodore.

Anyone have similar experiences? Let me know.

I was unusually buoyant, (considering I was reading a government document), as I waded through the new 72-page PDF report –  Vancouver 2020, a Bright Green Future. This is the much-awaited guide to Vancouver City Council’s ambitious plan to be ‘a top-five global clean-tech city’, complete with a shiny new brand for our burg: ‘Vancouver Green Capital’.

It establishes 10 bold long-term goals modeled on Sweden’s world-leading approach to environmental objectives. (Excellent. As long as an Ikea hex wrench is included, we should be OK putting this thing together)  I’ll let you download the document for yourself and do your own reading, so we can get straight to work on the brand.
According to Mr. Robertson’s speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade, the positioning  ‘Green Capital’ is “… intended to signal that Vancouver means business, but not business as usual. The brand will be used in marketing the City of Vancouver, its businesses, people, and success stories to the world.”
Solid, as far as it goes. I think the logo and idea are strong, and I would love to see global headquarters moving into town. But to do that we first need to make it a part of our lives as citizens, as business owners and as a community. Here are three ways to do that:

Vancouver Green Capital

Idea 1: Let Vancouverites be “Green Capitalists”
A simple extension of this brand lets individuals claim ownership. Offer free cycling vests to commuters during bike-to-work week. Have a secret shopper team give reusable coffee mugs or shopping bags to people who buy local, organic or free-trade. Give high-quality water bottles to every family that signs up for a water meter. Let us wear our civic green pride.

Idea 2: Create a network and identity program for Vancouver-based businesses
This brand must be promoted above and beyond trade missions to China. It should be a proud label for all Vancouver-based green businesses. Start a web portal and listing with simple criteria for inclusion such as local ownership, green employee programs, recycling goals, etc. (Perhaps with a ‘green gold’ level for especially sustainable organizations) Then offer digital logos for use on web sites, emails, powerpoint presentations and advertising. Think of it as an Olympic™-style sponsorship program that is actually inclusive.

Idea 3: Host a Vancouver Green Capital Trade Fair
An annual event where local and green businesses get to network and show their wares. This should be a very affordable event, hosted in a public space, where everyone can see the Green Capital we already have.

So take these ideas, Mr. Robertson. With my compliments. If you want to talk more Green Capital, I can be had for the price of a fair-trade, organic latte.

Next time you reach for a frosty British Columbia ‘microbrew’, you may want to take a closer look at the fine print. Yesterday it was announced that Granville Island Brewing was bought by Creemore, itself a sub-brand owned entirely by Molson Coors.

Big brewers taking over small brands is nothing new. But this product is closely tied to an iconic geographic location, and their tagline cements the relationship. So when does remote corporate ownership become ‘Local-Washing?’ (Local-Washing is an emerging term that describes actions taken to make a brand, product or service appear more ‘local’ in origin or production than it actually is. Derived from ‘Greenwashing’)

At issue is a consumer’s right to choose a truly local product if they wish, whether it be to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping, to support their local economy, or just to know and trust their ‘food’ sources. Unless the Molson Coors global conglomerate plans to re-brand this once-local brewery, it will once again be up to the consumer locavore to wade through the obfuscation and discover who the REAL local players are.

Genuine local companies have even more at stake, as they compete on price with the big bad wolf brands in sheep’s clothing. A ‘drink local’ campaign or certification should be developed, with strict criteria for local corporate control. In the meantime, beer drinkers envisioning their local craft brewer carefully checking his hops recipe should have a look at the priorities proudly stated on the Molson Coors web site:

“Molson Coors began its next-generation Resources for Growth cost-reduction program early in 2007 and completed its original 3-year merger synergies program at the 2007 year end.  For both programs, the company exceeded 2007 financial goals, capturing more than $146 million in cost reductions.”

Simply put: if we drink the Local-Wash, the profits pour straight out of town.

Newspapers, blogs and on-line articles were alight last week with the rapidly-maturing story of how large wineries got caught selling wine made from imported grapes in the ‘BC Wines’ or ‘Canadian Wines’ section of the liquor store. The three winemakers, including the Ontario companies that make Peller Estates and Jackson Triggs, have been under fire for selling wines quietly labelled “Cellared in Canada” when in fact, the wine contains mostly foreign grapes.

Consumers–encouraged by some high-profile wine writers–have taken the winemakers to task, and the BC government has responded, saying they will remove the wines from the BC Product shelves.

Quoted in Marketing Magazine, John Peller, president of Ontario-based Andrew Peller Ltd., said his company has used “Cellared in Canada” since 1996 when the labels were approved by a national standards board.

“We pointed out to the government, ‘We can’t say these wines are a product of Canada because they’re not a 100% product of Canada.’” He said the board then told them to go with “Cellared in Canada.”

Peller also estimated that the average bottle has 30% to 40% Canadian grapes, and it was never his company’s intention to deceive anyone or confuse consumers. “Please don’t question our intention to be totally transparent and honest,” he said.

If you market a product or service, and are considering promoting your local content, make sure you are doing it transparently and accurately. (Would it be that hard to clearly state the percentage of foreign grapes right on the label? Or just bad for business?) Only time will tell how much underestimating their customers will cost Vincor, Peller and Mark Anthony. The stain of Local-Washing may take quite some time to fade.

Well, people are questioning it. Local has taken on a new importance in recent years, and faithful BC wine drinkers don’t read the fine print of packaging regulations.  When they go to the BC shelf, they expect local product. And when they don’t get it, the old ‘business as usual’ defense won’t cut it.

Consumers may not swallow this so easily, however. Fueled by righteous indignation and armed with all the tentacles of social media, a few well organized groups can start a movement.

Whether deliberate or not, this obfuscation of product origin has now become known as ‘Local-Washing’. A derivative of ‘Greenwashing’ (exaggerating a product’s eco-attributes) , ‘Local-Washing’ has its roots in a growing consumer trend – whether to reduce greenhouse emissions, support regional business or just have a better sense of where our products and food come from. Unfortunately, ‘buy local’ has now shown up on the radar of Big Corporations everywhere. Their usual response is to use the term, water down the definition, confuse the issue and hope consumers won’t pay much attention as they try to capitalize.

For instance, Frito-Lay’s new television commercials use farmers as pitchmen to position the company’s potato chips as local food, while Foster Farms, one of the largest producers of poultry products in the USA, is labeling packages of chicken and turkey “Locally Grown.”