Check out my interview here and here:

I’ll be appearing on the show again on June 11th so stay tuned.

But there are millions of ecopreneurial enterprises prospering throughout the U.S. and around the world. Perhaps you’re one, too.

So, we have formed a partnership with EcoSector.com, an on-line portal serving as a unique conduit for growing the green economy, offering opportunities to share video clips, feature photographs of products or services, and display blogs. Besides EcoSector.com’s search function, find possible funding support, announce new products or services, or inspire other ecopreneurs. It’s a dynamic ecopreneuring portal that incorporates ideas from those business owners who use it. Perhaps best of all, is completely free to use.

Among the many features which might help you launch or grow your business include:

• Secure possible funding support for your enterprise
• Foster business-to-business networking with other sustainable business enterprises
• Share your knowledge and experience to help inspire other ecopreneurs in as they launch or develop their enterprise
• Garner new business leads or sales
• Locate new employees or interns eager to work in the green economy for a sustainable enterprise
• Submit timely new information (for example, a press releases about a product launch) or events

Share Your Ecopreneur Profile on EcoSector.com

Submit your own ecopreneur profile on EcoSector.com and connect with other enterprising ecopreneurs who are changing the world for the better through the businesses they create. There is no fee to join the EcoSector.com portal.

For some ecopreneurs, it might even bring the needed capital to get their enterprise off the ground or develop it further. We look forward to learning more about your green business or enterprise.

“Through Free Range’s 2008 Gratitude Grant program, we are offering up to $15,000 worth of design and/or strategic communications services from our menu of core offerings: strategy consulting, identity design, web design, print design, and online movies.

So what do you want to “ink” this year? A new campaign strategy? A website? A fresh logo? A never-before-seen Internet tool? As long as you have a concrete goal and a concrete goal to make a positive difference for our planet and its people, we encourage you to apply.”

Eager to join the ranks of previous grantees such as the Global Footprint Calculator or ChangingthePresent.org? Act fast and submit your organization’s eight-question application form by 5:00pm on Thursday, May 1st.

A small business success story of its own, Free Range is committed to helping fellow social change agents succeed. Even non-contestants come out ahead by downloading Free Range’s fantastic PDF guides to effective communication strategies. From how-to tips to best practices and case studies, these online resources are well-designed, straightforward, and easy to digest. Topics include:

• Viral Web Activism 101
• Getting Your Message Beyond the Choir
• Connecting with Bloggers
• Simple Tips for Overhauling Your Website

I had the pleasure of hearing the studio’s co-founders speak at the Seeds of Change design conference in March, and I can assure you that these guys are the real deal. Their energy and passion for cause-related marketing is contagious. This year’s grantees are in for a treat!

New filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2007 topped 300,00 beating the previous record of 289000 in 2000, driven in part by new marks for eco-friendly products. The word GREEN was the most popular vehicle for communicating environmental friendliness. Applications more than doubled in 2007, increasing from 1100 to over 2400.

GREEN and CLEAN had a particular appeal because it’s easier to coin a short brand name or concise tagline with a one-syllable word than a long word. The two-syllable prefix ECO was also hot in 2007, more than doubling in popularity to nearly 900 new applications.

Beyond the obvious green and eco-terminology there was increased interest in trademarks applications for “organic.”

The green trend was accompanied by a big jump in marks that contained the word ORGANIC, rising 57% from 450 to 700. Interest in organic products registered across the board. Only about 1/3 of the applications containing the word ORGANIC covered food products, and less than 10% covered beverages.

In fact, it was the third year in a row when GREEN branding far outpaced the overall increase in applications

All of this activity, from companies large and small means it will become more difficult to position a brand as “environmentally friendly.” We’re moving into the next stage where differentiating AMONG green products is going to be the prime concern of consumers.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to take a look at your product or service and focus on your positioning against green competitors…because there are apparently going to be a lot of them.

Related Posts:

Recession Proof Your Green Business

How to Reach Green Consumers - Using Psychographics To Define Your Target Market

Consumer Appetite For Green Food Is Largely Driven By Health Considerations

Market Opportunities: Consumers May Spend Over $100 Billion on Green Tech in 2008

Diversification and Filling Ecological Niches: Green Businesses Own a Portfolio of Enterprises

Photo Courtesy: JMV at Flkr http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmv/ under Creative Commons License

SCA poll by Harris Interactive, conducted in the beginning of April, found that consumers were definitely willing to pay more for green products…up to almost 20% more.

Good news for green businesses. But, take a little closer look at the findings.

64% of those surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for a hybrid car

63% indicated they would spend more for organic, fair trade, or locally sourced food

62% said they would dig deeper into their wallets for green/organic cleaning supplies

57% of those surveyed said they would pay the additional costs for products made from recycled materials.

Obviously purchasing a hybrid car has less to do with being environmentally conscious and more to do with saving money. With gas prices souring, consumers are willing to try anything they can to save on gas.

The next two, though they are green initiatives, they also address health issues. Consumers are willing to pay more and cut back in other areas if their own or their family’s health is at stake.

The last point, addressing consumers’ willingness to pay extra for products made from recycled materials, may be the most vulnerable to inflationary pressures.

Since this survey looked at willingness to purchase, as well as current purchase behavior, the results may only be indicative of consumers hopes, not necessarily their behavior. The survey found that, in a representative sample of the population, close to half of all consumers would be willing to pay more for green products.

The question remains…which half?

Related Posts:

How to Reach Green Consumers - Using Psychographics To Define Your Target Market

Natural Marketing Institute, Nielsen Value LOHAS Mart At $209 bn

How To Package A Green Product

Photo Courtesy: Burning Image at Flickr under Creative Commons License

According to the Whole Foods Market website, Americans toss out about 100 billion plastic bags annually (we recycle a pitiful 0.6% of our plastic bags), crowding landfills with an energy-consuming product (it takes 430,000,000 gallons of crude oil to make the 100 billion bags) that lasts for at least 1,000 years. Whole Foods estimates that their action will save 100 million plastic bags in 2008, alone.

By drawing attention to their company policies that are good for the earth, Whole Foods also gets some good press. Was this part of their plan?

I could not get anyone at Whole Foods to answer this question, but I spoke to Jonathan Netzky, a green business owner, and the one of the founders of a sustainable business network, the Business Association for a Sustainable Evanston, or BASE, to which I belong. BASE is working on creating a cerification system for member businesses, a way of differentiating a business as being environmentally friendly.

Part of the certification involves pledging to ban the sale of plastic water bottles in an individual business. For the members of BASE, banning plastic water bottles not only helps the environment, it also promotes our business association and the indvidual businesses that make choices that have a positive impact on the environment.

“We are creating a certification,” Jonathan Netzky said. “Businesses can choose to participate and do something positive,” he added.

Green businesses should practice what they preach by engaging in commercial practices that do not harm the environment. “It’s irrelevant what they preach; what is important is what they do,” said Jonathan.

So if you give a discount to shoppers who walk or ride a bike to your store rather than drive, or bring in reusable containers to take home bulk food, keep up your business practice–and tell the world you are doing so, as long as it’s truly a green business practice. Jonathan Netzky points out that while Whole Foods had used branded plastic bags to market themselves in the past, they are now using the absence of plastic bags as a marketing tool.

“It’s a way of doing something postive for the world,” Jonathan said.

There is nothing wrong with green marketing, as long as it is truly green. Who knew that banning plastic bags could have so many uses?

MC is well-suited for this project, she spent 20 years in corporate marketing, working for Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. She’s taught marketing and public relations at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Hong Kong in China.

Here’s our interview:

milkerfinal.mp3

Visit Ecopreneurist.

Enter Psychographics, often used by niche marketers, it can be an effective tool for eco entrepreneurs.

• Demographics looks at characteristics of people that include age, income, education, occupation, household size, home ownership and home value, among other factors.
• Psychographics delves deeper into people’s lifestyles and behaviors, including their interests and values.

While segments of green consumers vary according to the source you use (check out this hilarious post that outlines some of them) I’ll use the Natural Marketing Institute’s labels for LOHAS ( lifestyles of health and sustainability) consumers.

• LOHAS — very progressive on environment and society, looking for ways to do more; not too concerned about price (16%).
• Naturalites — primarily concerned about personal health and wellness, and use many natural products; would like to do more to protect the environment (25%).
• Conventionals — practical, like to see the results of what they do; interested in green products that make sense (e.g., save money) in the long run (23%).
• Drifters — not too concerned about environment, figuring we’ve got time to fix environmental problems; don’t necessarily buy a lot of green products, though may like to “be seen” in Whole Foods to enhance their image (23%).
• Unconcerned — have other priorities, not really sure what green products are available, and probably wouldn’t be interested anyway; they buy products strictly on price, value, quality, and convenience (23%).

Notice the decided lack of information on demographics. Both drifters and LOHAS might live in upper middle class neighborhoods. A college degree may be held by both the Unconcerned and the Naturalites. Income? Well, we do know that green products tend to be on the more expensive side but, a true devotee just cuts in other areas.

And so targeting green consumers gets messy. Identifying which segment of the green market is most likely to purchase your product is the first step. That is, your product fills a particular need…which segment feels the need the most? Now how can we use psychographics to locate the appropriate media and promotional tools to reach that segment?

In general, understanding your targeted segment’s interest and hobbies goes a long way toward reaching them. While deep green, LOHAS consumer might be found doing yoga, driving a Prius and visiting the recycling center, a Naturalite might be more likely to drive an SUV but purchase only organic fruits and vegetables and visit a homeopathic Doctor.

Defining these traits through research and often through simply brainstorming and observing can lead to appropriate media selection and more targeted programs. I’ll talk more about this in a future post and give some examples. In the mean time – how do you define your target consumer using psychographics?

Related Posts:

4 Questions to Ask Before You Launch an Organic Product

The 4 Green Fashion Consumers – Which One For You?

Natural Marketing Institute, Nielsen Value LOHAS Mart At $209 bn

Photo courtesy: macinate on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

1. Branding – Associating with a good cause
2. Awareness – Getting the nonprofit organization to promote the business among its supporters
3. Promotion – Incenting consumers to buy from a business in a particular time frame, such as by donating a certain percentage (or a fixed amount) of sales to a charity

Businesses need to beware that the effort to create a unique program with a particular nonprofit organization can be very labor-intensive, even if the program seems “cheap” in terms of cash expenses. In order to limit the time and effort needed to run a cause-related marketing campaign, many businesses opt to participate in third-party programs such as 1% for the Planet. Member businesses pledge 1% of sales to worthy causes and receive networking and promotional benefits in addition to the recognition (via a logo on their website) that they are a member.

Unique Programs May Stand Out More and Can Get You Press

If you have a PR budget for your business and some time to develop a unique marketing partnership, you can get some extra mileage from a creative program. No member of the press is going to write a story about your business joining a standard program. However, you might interest the press in a special event or a program with unusual features.

Make Sure the Marketing Program Relates to the Audience You are Trying to Influence

Face it. If you are a business owner, you are creating a marketing partnership with a nonprofit to boost your business. You want your customers and potential customers to appreciate your efforts.

Say, for example, you are Banana Republic, and you want your brand to be more green. How do you associate your urban and suburban stores with an environmental cause. Banana’s solution is to donate 1% of in-store and online sales during Earth Week, April 22nd thru April 27th, (up to $100,000) to The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation organization. The donation is specifically targeted to preserving open space in urban settings (generally fixing up and creating new parks and public gardens). Banana Republic could have chosen any number of worthy environmental projects, but they chose an environmental organization that is greening many of the locations where Banana Republic has a high density of stores.

Long-term Association

Not every potential customer is going to see your promotional event even if it lasts for an extended period, like a month. And even a customer that knows about a one-time event may not be convinced about your social responsibility or commitment to a cause right away. Longer-term programs have a much better chance of associating your brand to both a particular cause and to “the greater good”. In the example I am using here, Banana Republic has made a $1 million commitment to The Trust for Public Land and has organized volunteer events in New York and San Francisco on April 27th, for Banana Republic employees and the public. (If you are interested in signing up or just want more information, go to www.BananaRepublic.com/Earthweek.)

Walk the Talk

You won’t get a lot of marketing benefit from supporting a nonprofit organization, if the way you operate your business conflicts with the mission of the nonprofit. Not a moment too soon, Banana Republic has just come out with a collection of clothing made from renewable or sustainable fabrics (like bamboo, organic linen and cotton, and soy/silk knit blends). Unfortunately, I can not find them on the Banana Republic site, but maybe that is just me, or maybe they are not yet on the site.

To really be seen as an environmentally concerned business, Banana Republic will need to do a lot more in terms of store design and locations, as well as distribution, packaging and operations, but I see their Earth Day promotion as having legs beyond Earth Day.

Your Experience?

If you have conducted a cause-related campaign or have seen one that you thought was particularly good or bad, we’d love to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Photo by: Lisa Hokholt, USDA (Visitacion Valley, San Francisco)

A recent ICOM study of U.S. shoppers found that two-thirds said they are more likely or somewhat more likely to use coupons during a recession. Well, the recession is here and eco-entrepreneurs should consider using this effective promotional tool.

“The consumer incentive certainly is there,” said Peter Meyers, ICOM marketing vice president. “Look at it this way: households of two adults and two children who use coupons wisely can save 25% on their grocery bill annually, without cutting purchases. That saves $2,400 a year based on a typical $800 a month grocery spend, which outstrips the $1,800 economic stimulus check this family has coming in May from Washington.”

While seemingly simple, developing an effective coupon requires research and forethought. Over the past decade, coupon redemption has declined to about 1%. That is, only 1 out of every 100 coupons distributed, on average is redeemed. But, a 3-5% or higher return is not unheard of if the couponing program is developed effectively.

With consumers more interested in and more likely to try green products than in the past, providing an incentive for purchase can build your business rapidly as word of mouth travels from consumer to consumer. An effective couponing program uses key selling point copy prominently displayed on the package and reinforced on the coupon face.

But, what about all of that paper waste? To a green company, couponing, at first glance seems ecologically wasteful and contrary to eco-business practices. Fortunately, today e-couponing has become mainstream with sites like coupons.com and ecoupons.com. Savvy shoppers check out the top coupon sites prior to making a major purchase or embarking on the weekly shopping trip.

The ICM survey found even more ways to leverage your couponing program.

In the area of coupon technology, 58% of consumers responding to the ICOM survey see their coupon use increasing if they could download a coupon from the Internet and have it automatically connected to an electronically swiped frequent shopper card.

Major grocery store chains, like Kroger are currently testing these programs. If successful we should see more of them in the future.

In the meantime, consider posting coupons on your company website. Include copy referring to your couponing program in press releases and test various means of distributing coupons for your products.

A more technologically savvy consumer combined with an economic downturn makes this the perfect time to perfect your couponing strategy.

Related Posts:

How to Write a Press Release In The Internet Age

How To Package A Green Product

Target Practice - Finding The Right Green Consumer

Photo credit: ninjapoodles at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjapoodles/ under a Creative Commons license.

One of the biggest fallacies in popular folklore is:

“Make a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.”

In reality, over 90% of businesses fail within the first five years, even the ones with really great ideas. Good execution beats originality any day. And good execution requires good solid market information.

With organic products so hot many a natural product manufacturer or organic food processor has found initial success came easy. As the field matures however, competitors enter the market and bigger retailers show interest in the product. Both require a fledgling company to be prepared with data and selling points.

Four Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Organic Product

1. How much interest is there for organic products in my category? A recent Mambo Sprouts Marketing survey found that:

When it comes to grocery spending in particular, natural category consumers indicated they were most likely to choose organic options for produce (60%), dairy products (54%) and child/baby food products (50%). Only one in four or fewer felt it was very important to buy organic in the categories of beer and wine (10%), pet food (23%) and desserts and snacks (23%)

2. What is the dollar size of the total market?

Data is available on the roughly $25 billion market for organic and natural products in ever increasing detail. As more players enter the market, more surveys are done and natural foods companies can, with a little research get an idea of the real value of the marketplace.

3. Who is the competition and what share does each player currently have?

Keeping an eye on the competition is key for success in any business. At this point in the organic and natural foods lifecycle, as more and more bigger players enter the natural food marketplace, they, fortunately tend to increase the size of the whole market rather than steal share from smaller players. As the market becomes more saturated, this will not always be the case. So find out and broadcast…

4. What makes my product different and better than competing product?

A key marketing tool used by major manufacturers is defining and promoting the unique selling proposition. By establishing what makes your product different….from other organic and natural products…you create your own niche in the marketplace. The time is past when simply being “natural” or “organic” is enough. Now it’s time to dig deep to determine what makes your product different.

Asking and answering these questions is the first step in competing in today’s organic and natural products market. Once the sole purview of small entrepreneurs, as bigger and bigger players enter the market, more sophisticated analysis is required to remain competitive.

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Natural Marketing Institute, Nielsen Value LOHAS Mart At $209 bn

Target Practice - Finding The Right Green Consumer

Silicon Valley Watcher, Tom Foremski puts it nicely:

Press releases are nearly useless. They typically start with a tremendous amount of top-spin, they contain pat-on-the-back phrases and meaningless quotes…

Press releases are created by committees, edited by lawyers, and then sent out at great expense through Businesswire or PRnewswire to reach the digital and physical trash bins of tens of thousands of journalists.

As a blogger who struggles with extracting something resembling meaningful information from press releases and hunting down additional sources for links, I would welcome a little more user friendly release.

As a consumer tired of reading the exact same thing on every news source, I’d welcome giving journalists and bloggers the time to really investigate the story rather than spending their time finding images and links… then we just might have some interesting information!

(If you want an example of how news sources information verbatim, take a look at this story I did for our sister blog, Eco Child’s Play. I seem to be the only writer who actually asked Toys R Us where these new Eco toys were made (China). Everyone else spent so much time hunting down images and links they had little time to look a little deeper into the story.)

Eco-businesses in particular, as they often have to explain in some detail the technical aspects of the business and frequently rely on social media to get the message out, need to be concerned with crafting an internet friendly release.

Well, it turns out, the folks at Shift Media have devised a new template that revolutionizes the way press releases are written.

In a podcast with Paul Dunay posted at MarketingProfs’ Daily Fix blog, SHIFT principal Todd Defern explains the new template’s purpose:

“Ultimately is simply a way to both Web-ify the content that you put in a news release, and also, ideally, to socialize it. So it’s about adding multimedia, making sure these things are more findable that they’ve ever been before in the age of Google, but also giving some community and context aspects to it as well. Letting people potentially comment on the news, or take and remix aspects of the news and put it on their own blog… and discuss it and find it among their own friends.”

It’s about time!

Photo courtesy: Standford.edu www.stanford.edu

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“Gen Y and the Millennials are really driving this trend,” says Barbie M. Casasus, senior director and consumer strategist at Iconoculture, based in Minneapolis, adding that 20- to-28-year-olds represent about $520 billion in buying power and say they are willing to pay more for organic and fair-trade products. “And they’re pretty passionate about it. While it’s a category that is still in its infancy, the demand is growing.”

Eco entrepreneurs have an opportunity to play a part in this growing trend by focusing on this younger demographic and understanding their needs. “Niche brands”, says David E. Wigder, SVP of Digitas “can find success promoting greener clothing.”

Notoriously fickle teens (Millennials) are driven by advertising and big brand names, while Gen Yers, now in their 20s, are the ones more likely to seek out small specialty brands to meet their needs. Deciding which segment of the market to serve is key to developing a sound marketing strategy to reach this group.

Iconoculture Global Insights recognizes 4 distinct green fashion consumers:

The Living Green consumer, who has embraced the whole concept of the environmental lifestyle and is driven by dedication, purity and awareness. “She is the most likely to be eating organic foods. She’s finding new ways to use her old clothes, shopping vintage and thrift shops, and buying clothes made of recycled fabrics.”

The Core Fashionista, “who is looking to build up the green in her fashion portfolio,”. While this shopper wouldn’t be caught dead in a hemp dress or tire-tread sandals, “she is rethinking and redefining her sense of style and eco-chic. She sees herself in a power position, and isn’t a slave to any trend. She’s picking and choosing, looking to make small modifications.”

The Walking Green consumers, “driven by wanting to belong to a greater community. These are trend followers.”

The Spending Green profile, the shopper who buys green clothes because “that sense of exclusivity and entitlement are important to her. She embraced green when it was still very much a luxury category, and she intends to keep it that way. For her, buying green connotes luxury, not any kind of sacrifice.”

Are you pursuing one of these niches? How do you see your brand appealing to thes new green fashion consumers?

Related Posts:

Macy’s Goes Green – Apparel May Be The Next Big Eco-Entrepreneurial Opportunity

Talking Fashion with Wearing the Future Editor and Writer Kyeann Sayer

Organic, Cotton Clothing for Children From Happy Green Bee

Not a chance you could pull it off unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, Garbarge Warrior.”

Apparently, for 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have “devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony.”

No surprise that “these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are backed by big business.”

Set on taking action on near Neanderthal zoning legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site.

In a cruel and ironic twist, Mother Nature leaves no room for wishy-washy politicians as she devastates communities by tsunamis and hurricanes.

Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary, eco-entrepreneur and a hero of the 21st century.

See also:

sustainablog: Sundance Channel Launches Season Two of “The Green” with “Garbage Warrior”

Green Building Elements: Turn a Candle into a Radiator

Green Building Elements: Buy Locally, Build Locally

The numbers are important for traders on the European Climate Exchange, who take guidance from the level of actual carbon emissions to gauge what demand for offsets is likely to be.

The data indicate there’s been a 1.1% rise in CO2 emissions according to Oslo-based Point Carbon. The release of the data marks the start of the second phase of the European Trading Scheme, a market-based cap-and-trade system which has been going for three years already.

ETS members can buy and sell EU Allowances (EUAs), permits to emit carbon dioxide. During the first phase of the program the carbon offsets price collapsed in mid 2006 and it has yet to recover. The current “spot” or immediate market prices one ton of CO2 at little more than zero cents, but market participants expect the situation to improve as the market is re-launched as the second phase (2008-2012) of the ETS begins in the next few months.

The EUA price collapsed because emissions data suggested there was a vast oversupply of permits. The ETS also drew heavy criticism because EU’s caps had been set way too high, leading to emissions increases.

Carbon prices are set to improve over the next months as the October 2007 10% cut in emission allowances goes into effect. The cut was decided on by the European Commission, which aims to make clean technologies an attractive investment. Analysts say the price of one tonne of carbon should rise to around €23 to €35 between 2008-2012. This report by Deutsche Bank is especially bullish. Factors that are expected to influence the carbon price are supply and demand, as well as economic growth in the EU.

Criticism voiced by environmentalists is that emissions haven’t dropped to levels that would suggest the scheme actually helps the EU to reach Kyoto Protocol levels. The EU’s Kyoto mandate is to reduce CO2 emissions 8% by 2012. Greenpeace asserted that the data implied the scheme was failing. “From the numbers, it looks like emissions are going up and that proves that the ETS does not work, it means we are not protecting the climate,” a Greenpeace spokeswoman told Reuters.

The environmentalists contradict the market participants who are sure that carbon trading will ultimately be incremental in helping the EU reach its goal of slashing emissions.

Point Carbon said that the 2007 data released showed that only a few countries exceeded their national emissions allocations. Industries involved on the ETS include power generators, iron, steel, glass cement and aluminum, who if they fail to reduce CO2 levels are mandated to buy permits to emit carbon on the open market. Plans are to include the aviation sector in 2011. The industries which caused excessive CO2 emissions were power generators in the UK, Italy and Spain.

All participants to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme ought to have submitted crucial data on their 2007 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 31 March. The greenhouse gas data would be sourced by around 10,500 companies involved in carbon trading and is an important factor influencing the market price of traded carbon.

But many of the parties failed to meet the deadline, which is why the EU authorities in charge of the information said they will release the data to the public at a later date.

Emissions data is of vital importance for market traders because it shows the level of demand for the instruments they trade. The data is seen as a benchmark number setting the appropriate carbon price.

EU rules for energy-intensive industry mandate the submission of one emissions permit for every ton of carbon dioxide emissions. The permits, called EU Allowances (EUAs) can be “offset” by trading them on the exchange. Volumes as well as the prices on the European Climate Exchange have seen a steady rise since the exchange was created in 2005. During March close to 120 million tons EUAs were traded, an average volume of futures and options of 6.3 million. This marked an increase of 61% compared to March 2007.

Reuters quotes a Deutsche Bank analyst Mark Lewis who said that he expects 2007 carbon dioxide emissions are likely between 2,180-2,220 million tons. 2007 levels were between 2,100-2,140 million tons. Lewis added that his prognosis was made assuming unchanged economic demand, weather and commodity prices.

This is good news for carbon traders, because the 2008 permit supply stands at 2,083 million tons, so there’s a shortage of supply. That should drive up EUA prices in the second phase of the carbon trading scheme. Lewis said the price is likely to go up to 35 euros per ton during 2008-12 (the second phase).

This is a drastic turnaround from the first phase of the carbon market (2005-2007), which saw an oversupply of permits, causing a carbon price to fall. Last Friday, benchmark EUA contracts for 2008 delivery were trading down 14 cents at 22.12 euros ($34.87).

The 27 national governments which together make up the European Union enter the permissions data in a central Community Independent Transaction Log (CITL), which is a real time tool accessible to the public. It lists all the individual participants by name, company name, phone number and email address.

The authorities in charge of CITL reported that not enough data had been submitted for them to release it. At least 80% of the data entered for the 2006 emissions needs to have been reported before the numbers will be released. This is so the markets don’t trade on false information.

CITL announced that it won’t “give public access to installation-level verified emissions data today [April 1].” Instead, the data will be released as soon as enough submissions have been registered to make the 80% grade.

The UK has independently published estimates of 2007 greenhouse gas emissions levels. Government officials put out provisional figures indicating UK emission levels reached 639.4 million tons. This was 2 percent lower than the 2006 figure of 652.3 million tons.

The FSA says that the integrity of the carbon trading market is under threat. The information that carbon emissions traders relay to clients often has a truth content that’s lower than you’d expect. In many cases there’s also no clarity over the regulations involved, a lack of credible data. Investors are also frequently offered climate change related products that are totally unsuitable for their goals.

What’s more, some authorised firms brand themselves as “carbon neutral.” “This marketing must be credible, sustained and accurate to avoid jeopardising the firms’ and the market’s reputation,” the FSA stresses. Although the watchdog is not mandated to directly regulate the carbon trading market, the report indicated that “the emissions markets justifiably demand the FSA’s continued attention. […] This type of behaviour undermines confidence in the market.”

The FSA warns that the mismanagement on the carbon emissions trading market could pose a risk to other commodities markets. For an extensive official UK government guide on individual carbon trading rules, click here.

The main criticism centers on what’s left out of the equation. Companies embarking on greening up their business practices are faced with a daunting task and most go about it the “easy way” at first. There’s the option to simply offset carbons on the Chicago Climate Exchange, the European Climate Exchange or on the newly established NYMEX venture, the Green Exchange. Businesses have access to these exchanges if they wish to reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions by as little as 1%.

Another easy start is to go green at corporate level. Carbon calculator designers themselves say that they’ve calibrated the tools to deliberately not include the most thorny issues. That is so that they do not scare off company bosses. “Instead it’s to raise awareness about the scale of the impact or quickly produce figures for a carbon offset,” according to a report on ClimateChangeCorp.com.

That is not to say that the real deal for people wanting to progress on from that level doesn’t exist. Once companies have developed the right mindset, having learned that relatively simple energy reduction tricks can create cost savings of 20% which in many cases equals increased sales of around 5%, they’re likely to want more. And the good news is that there’s a plethora of very detailed guidelines on offset standards. Companies seriously wanting to make a real difference only have to find them.

Last year alone, some 20 tools were released, most free of charge. To create order in this chaos, the WWF has published a 105-page guide to and comparison of the ten standards most widely in use by companies voluntarily offsetting carbons. The document is entitled “Making Sense of the Voluntary Carbon Market: A Comparison of Carbon Offset Standards” Ecosystemmarketplace.com recommends the guide wholeheartedly, saying it’s “a good primer for beginners and an adequate refresher for veterans.” EcoSystemMarketplace’s own beginners’guide is aimed at getting a quick insight into the core issues.

The better calculators are based on the publicly available guidelines such as the definitions in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (drawn up by the World Resources Institute). The UK´s Carbon Trust calculator is based on these guidelines and also takes into account the UK’s environmental regulator Defra’s new Environmental Reporting Guidelines, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and Climate Change Levy agreements. The Carbon Trust offers four in depth calculators: an accurate co2 measuring tool, an “environmental reporting” tool, a tool to account for weather factors and a highly detailed energy calculator. ClimateChange.corp criticizes the effort saying that the Carbon Trust’s tools leave out emissions generated by a company’s supply chain.

The Carbon Trust targets large and small companies. The small companies have free access to a carbon baseline tool for businesses without process emissions. Carbon Trust also offers cheap loans for small companies investing in eco-friendly operation procedures.

Companies can also devise programs with outside help. The effort will pay off because once you’ve got a program installed, the thing will virtually run itself. Companies that include “environmental reporting” in their daily operations that set new benchmarks in the industry include Air France KLM. The airline sought assistance from Enablon, a Netherlands based carbon software design company which works with large companies. Another example of an outside consultancy is the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management which has carried out assignments for companies ranging from General Electric, BP and TetraPak UK, which offsets carbons by investing in Ugandan tree projects.

Image source: http://timblair.net | Lights out for Sydney, Australia 2007

An http://greenprinteronline.com dispatch. 

Earth Hour is tonight, March 29th from 8 to 9 pm. The idea is to turn off the lights as a symbolic gesture that us citizens, business owners, uber-corporations (hello, Google’s black screen, hello McDonalds in Toronto saving 10 000 kilowatt hours) local governments and non-profit groups are taking climate change seriously.

Despite gripes that Earth Hour falls on the NCAA basketball regional, it’s lights out for over 23 major cities worldwide like Toronto and Bangkok.

Globally, landmarks like Sydney Opera House, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco’s Alcatraz prison and Chicago’s Sears Tower are also included in the event.

It’s been dubbed a WWF led “spread of soft fascism” and “a new-age, tooth-fairy delusion” by global warming skeptics (wow, they still exist?) and it has four million strong Facebook group following.

Whatever the goal behind WWF’s Earth Hour, it’s a positive message spurring many unexpected and inspiring actions like the {4 One Earth I Will} initiative in Vancouver, where local residents make a visual pledge to take action on climate change.

What’s more interesting than the beaten “soft fascism” idea is that with climate change becoming the new religion, Earth Hour has all reminisces of a vigil - a “ritual devotion observed on the eve of a holy day”.

For citizen groups, businesses, governments and your neighbors, it’s more than just sitting in the dark, it sends a message that “yes we take climate change seriously”.

So, keeping in line with the theme of buying local to reduce emissions, us Vancouverites at Green Printer want to give kudos to local businesses for flicking off, including:

1. Telus

2. BC Hydro

3. Small Energy Group - tracking the energy usage

4. Raincity Grill

5. Better Business Bureau of Vancouver Island

6. Jawl Properties Ltd.

7. Orion Homes Ltd.

8. Morguard Investments Ltd

And, it’s not just business, its entire communities too, who are taking action.

The 170 residents in the northern B.C., Canada town of Hartley Bay are taking Earth Hour’s mandate a step further and turning off their power generator for the hour. “No heat. Not lights. No nothing,” said Hartley Bay Coun. Cameron Hill, a member of the Gitga’at First Nation.

Save trees, time and money the climate friendly way with our recycled paper, sustainable printing methods and eco-calculator with Green Printer - more details at http://greenprinteronline.com. Now, wasn’t that easy?

The two research houses put the LOHAS market size down at $209 billion. This number includes services as well as tangible products. LOHAS are determined by NMI and Nielsen as people who “have a meaningful sense of environmental and social responsibility and incorporates those values into their purchase decisions.”

Apart from participating in the consumer research, last year the NMI collaborated with financial consultants on the launch of what’s known as the LOHAS index. The index comprises the top fifty “most ethical companies” as rated by both consumers and investment analysts.

Surprisingly, Microsoft corporation tops the list. McDonald’s is in the ranking as well. But mind you, the financial analysts involved in constructing the index said that they themselves had been in for a surprise too. They had included consumer opinions in their decisions and found consumers to be way less tolerant of companies’ social behavior than the financial analysts themselves. That’s quite poignant.

It underscores the importance of getting an independent body to verify that what’s being marketed as ethical, actually lives up to the term.