Spring 2009
Green Marketing By Megy Karydes

Article Resources

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
415.255.1108
LivingEconomies.org

CoOp America/Green America
800.584.7336
CoopAmerica.org

Eco-Wise
Austin, TX
512.326.4474
EcoWise.com

Two Fish Art Glass
Forest Park, IL
708.366.6800
TwoFishArtGlass.com

Sonya Hart, co-owner of River Forest, IL-based Two Fish Art Glass, has been practicing an eco-friendly lifestyle all her life. She has also been slowly convincing her partner to make changes within their lighting showroom, that are better for the environment.

To connect with other retailers who share similar business interests, Hart also joined Local First Chicago, a local network of independent retailers committed to building a thriving local economy. Local First Chicago is a part of the national organization—Business Alliance for Local Living Economies—based in San Francisco.

Marketing smarts

Hart’s example is a good one to follow. If you are a green retailer (or on your way to getting there), enrolling your business in organizations that promote green (and other socially-conscious causes) might help your store (and its brand image) with customers who might be skeptical about your green credentials. This, especially when some customers worry about “green washing”—a term used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

If you are interested in promoting eco-friendly products and practices, and in sharing these efforts with your customers, consider membership in business groups that promote local community activism or national associations that encourage networking with like-minded businesses.

Green networks

The business network, Green America, is another organization green retailers can consider for its services, connections and networking opportunities. Being a member also gives you a listing in the annual Green Pages directory which many customers use as a resource when looking for green retailers or services to support. The Green Pages directory is also available on their website as an online directory. Green America, which until recently went by the name The Green Business Network, is part of the larger non-profit organization—Co-op America.

Todd Larsen, media director of Green America, says the organization screens members to make sure they meet certain rigorous criteria. These criteria include a focus on using business as a tool for positive change and a commitment to sustainable business practices.

“Customers who visit a retailer and see our [organization’s] decal on their window will know that this retailer underwent a strict review process in order to get our seal of approval,” says Larsen. It’s a seal of reassurance to potential customers: They can feel more confident that the business supports their values.

Ann Bartz, program manager of Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, says the organization encourages locally-owned and independent retailers to work with each other and the larger community, and to focus on specific projects or programs that help. She cites instituting a community recycling program as a good example. “By working with other retailers and businesses, communities can share the cost of a recycling truck to come pick up recyclables weekly,” Bartz says. BALLE has many networks across the country including Local First in Chicago and Sustainable Connections in Bellingham, WA.

Walk the walk

Needless to say, you need more than membership in a socially conscious organization to really establish your credentials. Jim Holland, founder and president of retailer Eco-Wise in Austin, TX, recommends retailers look across the board in building a strong, green store image: Participate in as many local events as possible to show your support to the community. “Be at the Earth Day events, the farmers’ markets, save the creek, or whatever your community is hosting that fits within your mission,” Holland advises. “Be a part of events that you believe in and customers will recognize you and know you really support what it means to be a green retailer.”

Hart and Holland both agree that being true to yourself is one of the most important things you can do as a green retailer and your customers will notice this. Holland says he and his employees live green on a daily basis. Employees who work at Eco-Wise drive hybrids or bike to work, wear eco-friendly shoes and are conscious consumers themselves.

Holland says that education is part of being a green retailer and he stresses that green retailers be knowledgeable about their products and services. “If they want to be known for something, they need to know it better than anyone else,” Holland says. “If you’re focusing on green apparel, you need to know what makes it green. You need to be an expert so you can educate others on why green products are important to them and the environment.”

Both Hart and Holland have also developed a list of criteria that they use to evaluate the products they carry in their store. Products Hart considers must meet at least two of the following four criteria: be sustainable, fairly traded, eco-friendly and have good design and functionality. Holland’s checklist writes off any products made using animals or tested on animals.

What else can you do? Larsen encourages retailers who are interested in becoming green (or more green) to check out Green America’s application as an early step in the process. “If you were interested in building a new structure and wanted to get it LEED Certified, you’d check what credentials the building would need to be built in order to qualify,” Larsen says, using the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system as an analogy. “It’s the same process for a retailer. Check out what criteria we look for in a business to become a member and start incorporating those criteria into your business.”

Intangible goods, green benefits?

As you know, many retailers find strong benefits from being more green: They save money and create a healthy environment for their employees. Because of the initial expense, it took several years for Hart to convince her partner, Cecilia Hardacker, to convert all of the light bulbs in their lighting showroom to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. But Hardacker’s first electric bill after the change convinced her that this decision was good not only for the environment but also for the store’s bottom line.

“Our electricity bill dropped by half and we haven’t even changed all the bulbs,” says Hardacker. “I thought it was a mistake. We saved $1,500 that month.” She recognizes that most independent retailers won’t see that level of savings since they probably don’t have hundreds of lamps in their store, but every store or showroom does have lights and savings can be had while doing good for the earth. “It’s not a joke. Even if a retailer saves $300-400 a year, that’s nothing to sneeze at. It’s substantial savings.”

Larsen notes that green businesses are doing well financially. “Our membership grew from 3,500 members to over 4,500 in one year,” Larsen says. “Green businesses are not only growing, they’re thriving.”

Megy Karydes

Megy Karydes is a professional writer and president of marketing/public relations consulting firm Karydes Consulting. She specializes in the gift and home industry. You can reach her by visiting www.karydesconsulting.com.




Social Connections


📣 Meet our speakers! 📣The Garden Center Show, presented by Lawn & Garden Retailer, is excited to announce our Keynote Speakers! 📣 Michelle Sherrier: Owner of MC Design Academy and host of The Retail Whore Podcast📣 Tim Quebedeaux: Owner of RetailKPI and Service Provider for The Garden Center GroupBe sure to check them out, along with our full, FREE conference schedule for The Garden Center Show, Aug. 6-7 in Rosemont, IL.🔗 Register for FREE: LGRMag.com/GCSRegister🌐 Learn more: www.gardencentershow.com🚌 Bus tour info: lgrmag.com/LGRBusTour#GCS24 #GardenCenterShow #GardenEvents #InPersonEvent #Networking #RetailStrategies #SpecialtyRetailers #GardenCenter #Conference #speaker #keynotespeaker ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
Gift Shop Plus Winter 2024
Get one year of Gift Shop Plus in both print and digital editions for just $16.

Interested in reading the print edition of Gift Shop Plus?

Subscribe Today »

website development by deyo designs