Environmentally Conscious or Exploitative
By: Tom Mercer on 12 24, 2007
Happy Holidays to all.
Just wanted to check in and post a link related to a discussion we’ve been having on this blog the last week or so. The folks at MarketingProfs had a very interesting post recently about how hotels play on travelers’ emotions through environmental messaging rather than really doing the most they can to decrease their environmental footprint.
Well, as you know, we’ve tried to get beyond the marketing messages and get a better idea of concrete actions that both Hilton and Marriott have taken. We declared Marriott the winner.
First of all, I completely agree with MarketingProfs’ assessment of where the “green consumerist” movement is right now. There is a lot of marketing to play on people’s emotional response to environmental issues, but not enough substance, regulation, or knowledge of how to implement effective environmental change in products and services. (That’s note to say that the knowledge isn’t out there — it is, in many respects.)
Secondly, this gets at exactly what we’re trying to do with Simple Green Choices. We want to take the traveler’s emotion OUT of the equation and look at what travelers can do by making the proper choices and taking actions that lessen their environmental impact.
Reusing towels is a nice first action–it saves energy, water, and money on the hotel’s bottom line, but it’s a drop in the bucket. Let’s all be honest–with ourselves and with our customers.
8 Responses
I feel this is a phase that some movements get stuck in, but many eventually move past. First the ‘hardcore’ fringe people get interested in some thing - then the marketers pick up on it and water it down trying to make the largest profit - the final stage, actually educating people and doing something about (poverty, land mines, war, etc.) is the last stage, albeit the hardest to get to and through.
I agree, it’s important I think that we educate just as quickly as we monetize the important aspects of being a greener traveler. Thanks so much for your efforts!
When it comes to the emotionality of the “green consumerist movement,” I see similarities to the organic foods movement: Virtually ANYTHING labeled “organic” is seen as healthy, and marketers capitalize on that fact; despite its falsity. An organic cereal loaded with “natural organic evaporated cane juice” is still essentially a bowl of sugar. What’s needed is an information campaign, much like the one you’ve launched.
I commend what y’all are doing. It is important to raise awareness as well as remind yourself to evaluate your own behavior as a traveler. ‘Green’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ are terms that are way overused and can mean many things. There needs to be substance behind the surface.
Keep getting the word out and raising good questions! Thanks!
Great blog!
If the economics don’t work, recycling efforts won’t either.
As our little contribution to make this economics of recycling more appealing, http://LivePaths.com blogs about people and companies that make money selling recycled or reused items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources.
Hi,
LetsGoGreen.biz is an online company selling eco-friendly products to the homeowner. We have the products that let you “go green” at home. We have a full line of home water conservation items. Please let your members know about us. A link would be great. I would also like to speak to you about our fundraising program. You send folks to our site, they purchase products and you receive 25% of the sale. Great way to promote green products while you raise money for your site. Contact me via e-mail or at 770-480-2886.
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www.LetsGoGreen.biz
I really enjoy reading your blog, it always has great insight. But I am very frustrated with the fact that so few people are talking about presidential candidates and their thoughts on global warming. Now that it is down to just a few candidates I would think that this would be a bigger issue.
Live Earth just picked up this topic and put out an article ( http://www.liveearth.org/news.php ) live earth is also asking why the presidential candidates are not being solicited for their stance on the issue of the climate change. I just saw a poll on www.EarthLab.com that says people care a lot about what their next leader thinks of global warming. Does anyone know of another poll or other results about this subject?
Here is the page where I saw the EarthLab poll: http://www.earthlab.com/life.aspx. This is a pretty legit website; they are endorsed by Al Gore and the alliance for climate protection and they have a carbon footprint calculator. Does anyone have a strong opinion about this like I do? No matter what your political affiliation is or who you vote for this is an important issue for our environment, our economy and for homeland security.
You raise a very good point, Adrian. There is no doubt that politics are the most important lever in solving environmental problems and creating markets where environmental issues are built into purchasing decisions. The problem is that we feel that we have so little control over politics even in this democracy of ours, whereas we feel much more control over our daily life and decisions we make there.
I was listening to an interview with Bill McKibben on NPR the other day talking about his new book and new project: www.350.org. He said that the top three things that people could do to solve the problem of climate change were 1) politically organize, 2) politically organize, and 3) politically organize.
I believe that there are other things that we all should be doing, but it’s good to get that message in an election year, when clearly the near-term climate legislation hangs in the balance.