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Sustainable Standards, the Backbone for Greenwash Free Marketing
2008-02-16 20:02:00
Are you new to the whole concept of Sustainable Standards ? Here's a quickie course in what they are and how SMaRT fits into the mix. You can also download the PDF at: Download smart_sustainable_standards_101_2.15.08.p df | View | Upload your own
More About: Marketing , Free , Greenwash

Corporate/Product Sustainability, Can you Prove it?
2008-02-15 18:51:00
Over on Sustainable Life Media, Matt Heinz has a great post on Best Practices for Successful Eco-Labeling. He boils it down to what we've been saying here and here, to be perceived as the genuine green article at some point you have to prove it. In Matt's words: "What are you claiming on your green labels, and how can you prove it? Can you summarize those proof points on the label itself? Has a credible third-party endorsed your sustainability practices? Could their logo be placed within your label to add credibility?Think carefully about not just the claim you make on the label, but how that label’s contents help prove or validate the claim. Think as well as about how the label could be a starting point for that proof. For example, include a short, user-friendly URL on the label inviting customers (and prospective customers) to learn more about your sustainability claims. That URL destination can have all kinds of one-way and two-way information – updates on progressiv...
More About: Product , Corporate , Sustainability , Prove

Why SMaRT vs. C2C you ask?
2008-02-13 00:42:00
[The following is in response to questions posted on the TreeHugger Forum. What's the difference between SMaRT and C2C?] Dear Alan I am a specifier and joined the SMaRT team in 2001 to “fight” greenwashing and streamline product searches for truly sustainable products.  Rather than compare the two [it’s impossible since C2C is not transparent] let me describe attributes that have kept me and my passion on the development committee of SMaRT all these years. 1.    The biggest difference is that SMaRT is a Consensus-based.  MTS developed SMaRT using an ANSI process which incorporates a wide array of stakeholder participation.  Using this process is a conscious effort that requires all-day, every-day effort to achieve.  MTS sought and got the participation of manufacturers, environmental NGOs, local government, national government with different areas of authority, specifiers, and academic institutions.  You can’t have the “fox watchi...
More About: Smart

Sustainable Mortgage-Backed Securities - the Cure for the Common Stimulus P
2008-02-07 02:23:00
Sustainable Mortgage -backed Securities (SMBS) are a good idea at the right time-- that's why I have been working with MTS to get support for this path-breaking concept. Let me explain why-- in plain English. What are Sustainable Mortgage-backed Securities? Why does the market need them now? Giving "credit" where credit is due. What are Sustainable Mortgage-backed Securities? Simply put, mortgage-backed securities and the other complex financial instruments that have been flooding the news, cut up and redistribute a pool of financial payments to better meet the preferences of investors.  Think of a mortgage-backed security as a bolt of cloth-- the cloth is cut up and made into different garments (trousers, suits, skirts), and the clothing is then sold to consumers with specialized preferences.  The mortgage-backed security achieves something similar by cutting up and redistributing payments from a pool of mortgage loans to investors with different invest...
More About: Common , The Cure , Mortgage Backed Securities

Sustainable Marketing - are Bloggers "Buying" what You're Saying?
2008-02-05 20:16:00
Toyota's 17% of the conversation, captured talk about their green image. GM's 6% of the conversation, captured talk from skeptics and neutral responses. Just who are the market influencers? How do they think? Are they buying what you're selling? Is your green message resonating as authentically as you had hope? Are you ready to back it up? Last week, Umbria Listens put on a timely webinar that captured not only the state of the blogosphere, but the state of things to come when creating a tipping point for market influence. The full webinar is free to download at their site. Umbria is a research company that scans social media. For this webinar they scanned for key GREEN phrases like eco-friendly, Sustainable , green... and then analyzed the discussions around them. Here's where it gets interesting - they can also get a good idea of if the writers are male or female and part of the Gen X, Y or Boomer crowd. It's not an exact science, but it's an indication of things to come. ...
More About: Marketing , Buying , Bloggers

Leanne Tobias
2008-02-02 02:07:00
Leanne Tobias is founder and principal of Malachite LLC, an advisory company that specializes in the selection, development, financing, leasing and management of green real estate investments. She is exploring the creation of a green real estate fund and is a member of the advisory board of the Green Building Finance Consortium.  *** In addition to her work with private clients, Ms. Tobias is an internationally recognized speaker and author on sustainable real estate who has spoken on green real estate investment for the United Nations, Harvard Business School, Princeton University, the U.S. Green Building Council, the Urban Land Institute and others. Her work on sustainable real estate investment has been featured in IPE Real Estate, the premier real estate publication for European pension investors, and in  the Urban Land Institute’s authoritative Green Office Buildings: A Practical Guide to Development.  Ms. Tobias’s green real estate projects have been feat...

Sustainability Standards for Wood Are Critical
2008-01-26 00:03:00
Leading Environmental Groups Emphasize that Sustainable Product Systems Must Cover Wood , be Transparent & Consensus by Doug Pierce, AIA, LEED AP, Perkins+Will, SMaRT Sustainable Product Committee Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Wood is the only system with a mandatory chain of custody to prevent illegal logging and deforestation which cause 25% of climate change according to the Global Canopy Programe led by Oxford University.    See Environmental Group Letter.  Download sfc_final_letter_10.31.07.doc
More About: Standards , Sustainability , Critical

Sustainability in the Corporate Culture
2008-01-24 23:14:00
Companies need to have Sustainable practices, and with that you will get Sustainable products. The vice versa is not true - just because a company makes a Sustainable product or two does not make it a Sustainable company. I could list several examples where companies that are considered "leaders" in the green movement are directly or indirectly some of the largest polluters in their region or state. One of the key issues is "how" Sustainability is viewed in the corporate culture. I would like to offer a couple of simple questions to ask to really determine whether a company is sustainable or not, but first we must define Sustainability. What is "Sustainability"? "Sustainable Development" is a term first used in the UN-Chartered Brundtland Commission Report on Environment and Development. It is the practice of responsible use of limited space, scarce natural resources, and respecting the fragility of eco-systems while minimizing the environm...
More About: Culture , Corporate , Corporate Culture

Forbo's Marmoleum Makes a Sustainable Entrance at Sundance
2008-01-24 06:07:00
The Stars at the Sundance Film Festival learned what REAL Sustainability looked like last weekend in the form of Forbo's Marmoleum Flooring. While many other companies brought products that might have contained organic ingredients, Forbo's Marmoleum was the only one that could prove that it was Sustainable throughout it's entire manufacturing process. That was a big surprise to most of the celebs and media attending the Sustainability Suite. [Forbo has one of the world's largest factories just outside of Amsterdam, Netherlands, to help earn Sustainable status it went from 6% wind power to 100% wind power covering 100% of the facility's energy needs.] Marmoleum played a "walk on" role, as the flooring for the portrait studio where stars went for their official Sundance portrait. The photographer was impressed with how fast it went together and more impressed when he found out how sustainable it was based on a life cycle assessment. He chose "Serene Gray", for it's neutr...
More About: Entrance

Mary Hunt
2008-01-24 02:13:00
Mary is the editor for Smart Solutions and an effective advocate for both consumers and corporations, educating both on how to achieve a shared vision of Sustainability. Her background includes a rare blend of marketing consumer goods and intangible services balanced with manufacturing processes via Crossroads Mall, HBJ Insurance Corporate, Lawson Software, and over 200 industrial accounts. During her 10 years with (now) ThomasNet, she directed companies through the transition of print advertising to electronic marketing via CDs, websites, e-commerce, e-drawings and eventually webinars. This is the environment where standards reign and manufacturers always go to the highest standard to keep their competitive edge. High standards are critical to Mary for a second reason, she added Social Media to her e-mix - going from static, one-way communication to a more transparent and trusted, two-way conversation. Mary knows that “Social media” has no tolerance for greenwash marketin...
More About: Mary , Hunt