Eco Optimism

Air Cars: 100 mpg and 96 mph

By next year, hybrids could go the way of the 8-track tape: a relic of fast-moving technology.  2010 could see the first wave of "air cars", or more specifically, "compressed air cars." They could take you over 800 miles on a single fill-up, at speeds of up to 96 mph. They should refuel in less than 3 minutes, and at speeds over 35 mph emit about half the CO2 of a Toyota Prius.

Instead of me telling you about it, read Gas 2.0.  These look promising.

Back for Now, and Pulling for Wind Energy

The blogger is back...for now.  Still traditionally powered, but I'll get to wind power in a moment. 

Quick update: Working with my interactive agency, Overdrive Interactive, it seems that as we change over this blog to my agency's site (among other things in a project for my agency Cercone Brown & Co.), I don't have to stop writing.  They can import all this content into the next version of Eco-Optimism automatically. And because they are moving this week to a new 10,000 ft. space, let's just say I need to wait to get my move complete!

So without getting too much into that, thought I'd point out an encouraging sign for wind power in Massachusetts: The Boston Globe (still open for business!) today reports that the National Guard is hoping/planning to construct 17 wind turbines on their Cape Cod base.  The result would be 34 megawatts of power...just about enough to make the base self-powered.

But here's the thing...to me it just underscores the need to move ahead on the Cape Wind project that would build 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound. That's nearly enough to power all of the Cape and the Islands, making this pristine part of coastal Massachusetts independent of existing power sources.  And if this happens, could it be too long before we see more offshore wind farms?  Seems a logical move these days.

We'll keep an eye on it as the project moves forward.

Solar Power Your House on $10 a Day? Leasing Panels Looks Promising

I recently came across a partnership between a low-cost solar panel manufacturer, First Solar, and a leasing company, SolarCity.  I've been toying with the idea of going solar...my house has a huge sloping roof that faces southwest...but the $30,000 - $40,000 upfront cost is more than a bit prohibitive. I want to be green, but I need my greenbacks more these days.

A recent article in Green Business hipped me to a solution: lease the panels for 20 years instead.

First Solar and SunCity are making big cash layouts for solar panel installations obsolete.  The companies say that a typical $150/month electric bill would require only an additional 10 bucks per month to cover the lease.  Then, get this, the amount of electricity produced would actually turn into positive cash flow. 

And the best part?  The company maintains and owns the panels.  So as better panels become available, you're not stuck with the equivalent of a 386-cpu (a PC circa 1988) latched on your roof like a rotting albatross.

You can read about the partnership here.

I'll call these guys and see what comes of it.  Stay tuned.

The Anti AIG: Beneficial Financial Group Combines Doing Well With Doing Good

While AIG is handing out millions of dollars to execs who lost millions of dollars, a smaller insurance company in Salt Lake City has quietly gone about its business of awarding top performers in an entirely different way.

Next month, Beneficial Financial Group, a 100-year-old company, will take its best agents on the incentive trip of a lifetime. But instead of sipping margaritas at a seaside resort, their reward will be quite different: building a permanent latrine system in the remote Mayan outpost of Chimaxyat, Guatemala. (Note: Beneficial is a Cercone Brown client.)

Three years ago, Beneficial decided to break away from the traditional posh incentive trips as a way to attract agents that embodied the family values of the company.  If you can remember that far back, the Dow was surging and it was commonly believed that financial advisors could be any sort of human being as long as they made you money.  As a company that has always believed prosperity is measured by quality of life, peace of mind AND financial wealth, that sort of logic just didn't work. Thus, the service trip to Chimaxyat was born.

The village of 275 or so people has no running water or electricity.  There is a small school house (which the BFG agents have worked on the past two years) and precious little else. They speak an ancient Mayan dialect, so your high school spanish is of little use here. But its beauty is beyond compare, and its simple joys are frozen in time.   

And if you're wondering if agents motivated by this sort of adventure service can make you money, too, consider that Beneficial has seen unprecedented growth in the past three years. Not bad for a company that was founded just six years after the Spanish-American War.

As business continues to wrestle with economic and environmental change (the very point of this blog), it's great to see the confluence of commitment, values and healthy bottom lines. Let's hope that this sort of unconventional but effective thinking becomes the norm, and the foolish bumbling a la AIG becomes a thing of the past.  We'll all be better for it.

I'll post news from this year's trip scheduled for April 17-25.

Sperry Top-Sider Tackles "Real Value" for Changing Consumer Landscape

Lately, I've really been harping on aligning your business to fit into what I see as permanent changes to the culture of consumerism in the United States.  My last few posts have cited studies and experts that corroborate the view that marketers won't be able to solely appeal to Americans' spend happy ways, that instead each will need to find a way to bring "real value" to the equation.

For many companies, the green movement has provided the context to providing a greater value to consumers. However, while green commitments are important, they are fast becoming status quo and unless its part of your brand DNA (folks like Seventh Generation and Patagonia), it will be hard to use green as lasting platform.  

You gotta go with what is most real to you and your target, finding that cross-section of passion that speaks to them in both practical and emotional ways, equally and powerfully.

One company that has quietly affirmed its "real value" is Sperry Top-Sider. (full disclosure: they are a long time client of Cercone Brown & Co).  They are making serious moves to bring value to their consumer base.

First, they recently announced a joint effort with the  New York Yacht Club (NYYC) to reignited the roots of competitive sailing.  Together they will launch a new regatta this fall, the Invitational Cup, that brings sailing back to the early days of the America's Cup. Back when the best amateurs from across the globe competed for bragging rights and the love of the sport, and before such events required sponsorship from the world's largest corporations just to compete. Granted, yacht racing isn't something that most of us can afford to do, but for those that appreciate seamanship, this is a grand and pure stage not seen since in the sport for a long, long time.

And at a time when most are scaling back R&D, Sperry is coming to market with the most technically advanced boat shoe ever created.  Called the ASV Collection, anti-shock and vibration, the shoes save the feet, leg and lower back from the severe pounding of waves.  Instead of bringing the same-old to market, they have identified a real need and provided a real solution... which is exactly my point about REAL VALUE.

So, to succeed as Americans change their consumer focus, I believe you need to bring more to the table than ever before.  Something that's true to your brand, and important to your target.  And PLEASE, it doesn't all have to be green focused.  Consumers care about green, but we're fully rounded people.  We care about a lot of things. For Sperry customers, it's the passion for the sea, and that's what the brand brings (by the way, they also provide a lot of environmental support through Oceana, but just don't wear it on their sleeves.)

Bottom line: Find what hits home, then drive it home.  And that's real value.

New Approach to Consumption Likely, Expert Predicts

Like the young who came of age during the Great Depression, today’s young people may be deeply imprinted by the experience of the economic collapse. This formative memory is likely to foster more careful spending and saving in years to come — as it did for the Depression generation.

These words were recently written by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, who directs the John Templeton Center for Thrift and Generosity at the Institute for American Values and is the co-editor of the forthcoming book, “Franklin’s Thrift: The Lost History of An American Virtue.” (read more here)

Ms. Dafoe is a believer that this wild economic times are likely to produce an America much different than the one we saw in recent years... a nation of stuff collectors.

This isn't to say that Americans won't spend in coming months and years, it's just that our collective values are likely to focus less on material things as they had in the past. Therefore it's imperative that companies focus on a larger view of value to embrace this new consumer outlook.

For instance, look at Timberland. They've had their challenges in recent years, but the company seems to be finding a much more natural place for itself with its recommitment to the environment and social responsibility.  And in the process, they are slowly and surely building a lasting, loyal customer base that shares these common values. In the end, it may not be the wild ride that was Timberland's climb to hip-hop fame, but it will be sustainable (no pun intended) because its authentic to who they really are.

This is the sort of brand soul searching needed today.  And it all doesn't have to be green.  Tomorrow we'll look at a company making similar commitments, but not necessarily environmental.

Recession Forcing Permanent Changes in American Consumer

A few months back, I published an e-book called Simplinomics.  In it, I contended that the economic, social and political forces afoot would cause dramatic, lasting changes to the culture of consumerism in America.  And that while this would hurt, this change would make things better for all of us in the long run.

Now, much of this sentiment is corroborated in a new study by Context, a Baltimore-based research firm that works with the likes of American Express, P&G and Kraft Foods.  In their study, Grounding the American Dream, they state:

"From our research it is clear that the consumer today is not the same as the consumer just a few short months ago. We also believe that this new dream and this new “grounded consumer” are here to stay. 

Our culture and economy are going through a rite of passage. From anthropology we know that no true rite of passage comes without pain, but as we also know that great opportunities emerge from these moments of transformation."

Amen.  Now the trick is to align your business with this new consumer landscape.  Download the entire study here and the Simlinomics e-book here.

Eco-Friendly TVs: Innovation Spurred By Tough Times

It's been said many times that severe economic downturns are the breeding ground for innovation. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, the recession paved the way for the PC.  In the early 90s, it was the Internet. Today it's ... eco-friendly TVs.

Okay, so it's not a Net-style breakthrough, but when you consider that TVs consume up to 10% of a home's electricity, it's a fine place to start cutting watts.  But what's more, manufacturers even thinking about exceeding Energy Star ratings by up to 29% is amazing.  And as more and more manufacturers of all types of goods do the same -- innovation driven from financial need of the consumer -- we'll end up with homes much, much more energy efficient.  Something that doesn't resonate as far or wide in boom times.

One TV in particular that caught my eye is the Sony Bravia WE5. I own two Bravia TVs and can attest to their quality.  But now the line used 50% less power through a few cool features:

• Micro-tubular HCFL backlight cuts power consumption by more than 50%* 

• Smart Presence Sensor switches off picture when set is not being watched 

• Energy Saving Switch reduces power consumption to zero.

To learn more, check out today's article from the Wall Street Journal.

Greenwashing Turns to "Greenbashing"

Environmentalists: Health Thyself

One of our clients, Sabertec, was covered on Treehugger yesterday.  Sabertec makes a product called the Blade, a device that fits on the tailpipe of a car and dramatically reduces emissions while increasing gas mileage.

Treehugger is a leading voice of sustainability, so a glowing article seemed like a great step in the right direction for this fledgling environmental technology company.

Instead, the article was flooded with venomous comments bashing the validity of the product. 

Apollo Alliance A Group to Watch

In the middle of this economic madness, there are signs of hope (if you look closely!) One such beacon is the Apollo Alliance. In their words, "The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate, and expand opportunities for American businesses and workers." I firmly believe that the confluence of high oil prices, a rising collective consciousness on slowing global warming, and a return to simplified lifestyles (among other things) are opening the door for new, innovative companies that will be the driver of a new, prolonged era of prosperity. This vanguard of the next economy is focused on solving our energy and environmental challenges. And it's not green that will turn this around, but greed... not in a nasty sort of way, but in the good ol' American dream of advancement and opportunity. The Apollo Alliance not only believes in this future, they've laid out plan to get there. It claims to be able to generate $500 billion over the next ten years and "create more than five million high quality green-collar jobs." Even if they are only half right, this seems like a group worth watching.