This video made my day. It’s small, it’s real, it’s brilliant.

It’s a great example of how media is changing from something through which to disperse information to becoming a tool for (collective) action. It’s a little long, but worth the patience.

“As citizens and as consumers, we may not be able to wield a great deal of power. But when we do things together, our power is ridiculous!”

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

It is evidently striking that there are many, many companies and services that offer a ‘green edge’. I personally am very sceptical about such arrangements…but should we be?

If a normally non-green service can donate money to a worthy cause or initiative then should we be backing them over ‘conventional’ services. The question I think we have to wrestle with is this….”WE KNOW that its (normally) just cynical PR to get us to buy their product/service over that of a rival company…rather than a real desire to help make the world a greener place”. So do we allow ourselves to get suckered in?

Well. I think the best advice is always read the small print. Try and check out who they are affiliated with (if you are not sure, you could always talk with the Ethical Research Association). You probably wouldn’t be too happy if you were buying green car insurance from a company backed by Exxon! However, in general I think it is a good idea to use their affiliation as a rule of thumb. If they are affiliated with say WWF, Rainforest Alliance, RSPB etc (or an organisation that is a real bona fide environmental organisation) then you should use that service over a similar no green affiliated service. Well known green charities do not lend their names to ’shady partners’! However, if the so called green service is offering glib claims, like British GS did, of how their service is carbon neutral or helping to save greenhouse gases etc…then beware!

The best piece of environmental marketing communications to date (IMHO…)

When people don’t recycle, or leave the lights on, or driving their cars, the footprints they leave behind are to a large extent invisible and hence perceived to be intangible. That’s why one of the great challenges of environmental marketing is in brining to life the consequences of individual actions. This print done by Saatchi & Saatchi Copenhagen for the WWF does it rather nicely – it beautifully demonstrates that the survival of the forests is directly connected to what people consume.

The Green Marketing Manifesto, John Grant’s new book is out and everyone with an interest in the dynamics of green consumerism, the promises of sustainable business, the pitfalls of greenwashing and more should get hold of it.

So for celebrating both the launch of Green Guys Global and John’s new book I have one copy up for grabs! If you want a copy of the book, leave a nice comment below, tell me why you believe you should get a free copy and it’s yours!

Buy the book here