“Ethically-produced” will become the norm, soon enough

The Wall Street Journal ran a piece today about social responsibility asking, ‘Does being ethical pay?‘ (subscription required). There are a couple of bits worth repeating here. The first is a succinct definition of “ethically produced” goods:

“For our purposes, “ethically produced” goods are those manufactured under three conditions. First, the company is considered to have progressive stakeholder relations, such as a commitment to diversity in hiring and consumer safety. Second, it must follow progressive environmental practices, such as using eco-friendly technology. Finally, it must be seen to demonstrate respect for human rights — no child labor or forced labor in overseas factories, for instance.”

This definition underpins a broader shift towards a more conscious/benevolent capitalism here in America, which comes as a welcome change after a long, myopic focus on profit only…

Charge me extra for the paper cup, please

I think of myself as conscious, green-minded consumer, but I find myself using and throwing away paper cups all the time.

And I don’t think I’m alone: earlier this year at Lohas 11, a conference about “lifestyles of health and sustainability”, hordes of folks churned through paper cups for their coffee, tea, water, etc.

I must have used/tossed at least 20 paper cups over 4 days. What an insensitive brute!

Six months later, back in NYC, I still haven’t kicked the habit. Every afternoon, around 2 or 3pm, I wonder down to the local café and buy a coffee for $1.63 (this is New York). Each time, you guessed it, a new paper cup.

What’s up? I guess I’m lazy… but this is actually starting to bother me. So last week I held on to the paper cup and re-used it a few times. But then it got sort of funky…

What would change my behavior?

Maybe if someone offered or sold me an attractive, lightweight, reusable cup with good insulating properties (not the over-size, gaudy ones at Whole Foods). Moma Design Store, get cracking.

Visiting your local

Exactly one year ago the founders of The Intrepid Wine Company invited me to join their annual sourcing trip to Campania, Italy. Intrepid specializes in sourcing tasty wines from small, family-run producers.

I jumped at the chance to go. It was a wonderful trip, and my first real foray into the tantalizing world of wine and wine-making.

We visited a half-dozen producers in a week, each one more colorful than the next. Informal, semi-scheduled tastings often meandered into long, lazy lunches “en famille” (or whatever the Italian equivalent of that term is).

Put a wasp in your boss’s pants

Earlier this year I attended the Lohas 11 Conference (Lohas stands for “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability”).

In many ways it was a “eureka” moment: I came away determined to make a positive contribution (to the planet, no less!), both in my personal and professional life. (Click on the “Lohas” link in the right sidebar for a taste of the cool-aid).

In the rare instance when my good intentions slip, I can’t go astray for long because the good folks at Lohas manage to ping me with a weekly email newsletter, as if to keep me in line.

In spite of the email’s drab appearance when it shows up in my Inbox (”Lohas e-weekly” from “Lohas Admin”), it’s a handy round-up of what’s going on in Lohas-land and, of course, a reminder to employ my bountiful talent to good end.

This week’s newsletter referenced a new web service called justmeans.com - essentially a job board for people and companies who care about the planet and social justice. Here’s a quote from the article:

“In today’s world, it matters more what we are doing 40 or 60 hours a week in our day jobs than how we are spending two or four hours volunteering on the weekends,” said Martin Smith, CEO and founder of JustMeans. “The goal of JustMeans is to make it easier for people to understand the impact of their work and find careers in companies that want to have a positive impact on the world.”

While I can’t endorse a 60-hour work week, I get the feeling there are lots of people moving down this path, striving to get better alignment between their work and their values (maybe there’s still hope!).

It’s not easy, but neither is volunteering on Saturday after a long week in the office and, as Martin points out, you can probably make a bigger impact at work over the long haul.

(If you’re toiling away for a company that’s part of the problem (e.g. cranking out paraben-packed cosmetics packaged in harmful plastics) with no sign of redemption in sight, grab your boss and drag him/her to Lohas 12, make him watch Manufactured Landscapes and give him a pop quizz on Blessed Unrest. If that fails to put a wasp in his pants, find a new boss).

[Photo source: Labor Day hike on Slayton Pasture trail in the Trapp woods, Vermont]

Fiddling with the merch ain’t enough

Sorry folks, I’ve been slacking on the blog for the past few weeks.

But with good reason: I’m working on an exciting new project, playing around with my new Ricoh Caplio GX100 camera and snooping along old foot-trails in Vermont… basically, enjoying what’s left of summer.

Anyway, I did get around to reading the Times last week and noticed an article titled ‘Retailers Report Disappointing Sales Figures for July’. The opening paragraph caught my eye:

“The sluggish sales that have dogged the nation’s retailers this year are a result of two quite different sets of problems. Consumers are cautious: they are paying more for gasoline and watching their home values fall. And the stores just do not seem to have the merchandise that people want to buy.” [my italics]

Cutting through the clutter with good brand alignment

I’ve seen this brand on the shelves at Whole Foods for a while and finally bought some (granola) last week, except Fresh Direct got the sale because I was feeling lazy.

The stuff tastes good, although it’s not quite as good as my mother’s hearty mix (I had to say that).

Anyway, it’s worth visiting their web site if you’re a marketer interested in good brand alignment.

The site is a natural extension of their clean, fun packaging and does a good job communicating the essence of the Bear Naked brand community:

Here’s a good Lohas resource

Here’s a useful link to download many of the presentations from Lohas 11 (Lohas stands for “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability”).

Lohas is a large, growing and increasingly important slice of our consumer economy, as noted in my previous post, ‘13 Takeaways from Lohas 11‘.

The presentations cover market size, trends, marketing tips, guidance for investors, etc.

I wish more conference managers would do this (hopefully more presentations will be added over the coming weeks).

Even if your’s is not a “green” company, the implications of Lohas are significant so it’s worth spending some time understanding what’s what.

13 take-aways from Lohas 11

For those of you who like lists, here are 13 takeaways from Lohas 11.

I compiled this list from notes I took attending talks by the following individuals:

Paul Ray - Founder, Cultural Creatives Research and Co-Founder, Integral Partnerships
Dixon de Lena – Co-Founder, Integral Partnerships
Peter Russell – Futurist, Author, Philosopher
Chris Van Dyke – CEO, Nau
Gary Hirshberg – CEO, Stonyfield Farm
Joel Makower – Founder, Author, Greenbiz.com

It was a mad scribble, so I may have misquoted folks here and there. Please let me know if this is the case and I’ll do some clean-up.

1. “Green”, “sustainability”, “corporate social responsibility” and “values-based purchasing” are part of much larger, multi-faceted cultural shift towards more conscious living (being not having, belonging not longing…)

Enlightened US cities taking the green lead

80% of the US population lives in urban areas. Not surprisingly, 75%-80% of our resources are consumed in urban areas as well.

So it follows that the fight for climate change will be won or lost in our cities.

This means that city officials will play a pivotal role, hopefully using smart public policy to help educate consumers and promote sustainable business practices and innovation.

Based on my recent visit to Lohas 11, enlightened US cities like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and New York are making excellent progress in this area.

Finding your place in the conscious economy

This is a second post in a series on Lohas, because it’s fresh in my mind after Lohas 11, which took place last week in California.

As noted in yesterday’s post, Lohas agenda and values have moved from fringe to mainstream over the past decade. Much of this progress has been driven by a rise in the number and relative influence of America’s Cultural Creatives (now about 30% of working US adults, or 55 million).

However, there’s been a dramatic surge of public interest in recent years around “green”, “sustainable” and “corporate social responsibility”, giving birth to a legitimate conscious economy. As Ted Ning states in the Lohas Journal, “we have seen 2006 and 2007 become banner years for Lohas awareness and practice”.

Why this sudden embrace of Lohas agenda and values by the mainstream?

Contemplating Lohas

I’m up in Vermont contemplating Lohas 11, a conference which I attended earlier this week in Marina Del Ray, California.

The two-day conference was attended by a disparate band of ~800 business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, city officials, media and curious bystanders like me.

The mood at Lohas 11 was upbeat given America’s new-found love of all things green.

One gets the feeling that the conference’s well-meaning organizers, juggling an expansive identity and agenda, have harpooned a whale.

For the uninitiated, Lohas stands for “lifestyles of health and sustainability”. Natural Marketing Institute defines Lohas as follows:

“[Lohas] refers to a wide range of industries, corporate activities and products/services that are designed to be environmentally conscious, sustainable, socially responsible and/or healthier - both for people and the planet.”

The big beauty dichotomy

Much of New York’s attitude about “beauty” is summed up in this excerpt from a recent article by Natasha Singer in The New York Times Magazine:

“No we are witnessing the war on anti-aging. Once a fact of life, aging is emerging as a malady to be fought with the same vigor as, say, cancer.”

To be fought being the operative phrase. Modernists (NYC is full of them), are always fighting to acquire, to win, to defeat, to gain.

This sets up a huge dichotomy with the folks embracing the natural, “aging gracefully” movement, one which advocates working with nature as a means to well-being.

Singer refers to these folks as “people who busy themselves with occupations other than the Sisyphean fight against wrinkles and bulges”.

But where are they? I hear so much about lohas, but I wonder, do any true devotees live in Manhattan?

(Next week I’m heading out to California to learn more about lohas and I look forward to sharing my learnings on the blog.)