Green Bloggers Digest

Don't Just Save a Tree, Replant a Whole Forest

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:03 GMT

A "plant-a-tree" campaign doesn't necessarily leap to mind as the pinnacle in innovative cause marketing. In fact, when I first heard about Government Solutions Group, a company that facilitates cause-related marketing between brands and state parks, it conjured images of elementary school students filing into fields with their seedlings tucked inside paper cups for a group planting. I had no idea of the magnitude of GSG's work and how strategically sound their programs are in authentically uniting brands with a cause that literally touches every community, every generation and just about every environmental issue you can think of from water to wildlife. Shari Boyer, CEO, took some time to expand my view on state park programs, and share her unique insights on how to effectively align your brand with a cause that's as close as your own backyard.... -- CLICK HERE to Continue Reading and Comment

AIG Closed Climate Change Program Last Month

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:50 GMT

Last month American Insurance Group (AIG) closed its climate change program, which included keeping an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. The only thing left is the Global Marine and Energy division, but nothing that directly tackles climate change. The Global Marine and Energy division contains some of the “company’s most robust portfolio of renewable energy providers,” as a New York Times article put it. AIG has not released an official statement about closing the climate change program, so the reasons why it closed it are only speculation. However, according to Treehugger, “It's assumed that it was a budgetary decision--clean energy is deemed too risky, too low on reward right now.”... -- CLICK HERE to Continue Reading and Comment

Esurance: Creating Innovation with a Paper-Less Model and a Cartoon Character

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:10 GMT

Esurance was founded in 1999 during the peak of the dot com boom. It was the first auto insurer to offer its services exclusively online, from quotes to purchasing to communications to policy documents. As the company capitalized on a technological revolution, it helped create an innovative new business model, one that is inherently greener than rivals, in an industry that has been seemingly anchored in institutionality and tradition. "Beginning with the online model, the environmental message was baked into the product," said Joann Lee, Community Relations Manager for the insurer. ... -- CLICK HERE to Continue Reading and Comment

Close but no Cigar – Companies Report Sustainability Performance in Record Numbers but Remain a Minority

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:06 GMT

More companies now than ever – a record 1,000 organizations – are reporting their sustainability performance to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the GRI reported Tuesday. But while this 46 percent increase from the previous year is good news, it is not, GRI Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen emphasized, adequate for addressing the global environmental crisis. ... -- CLICK HERE to Continue Reading and Comment

Chido's Blend: Fair Trade meets Ecological Efficiency

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:00 GMT

Chido Govero, a young woman from Zimbabwe, just won the Sustainability Award at the 2009 Specialty Coffee Association of America conference. The association celebrated her contributions to sustainability and innovation within the coffee industry. The award is not only a critical success for Chido and her partners at the ZERI Foundation, it is also a triumph for sustainable development.... -- CLICK HERE to Continue Reading and Comment