http://urbantimes.co/2012/09/rainforest-alliance-how-not-to-follow-the-frog-vide/

This is an interesting campaign story, and one which makes us think about the products we buy, and how we really don't have to go to the ends of the earth, literally, to make a difference.  It's an entertaining video put together by or on behalf of Rainforest Alliance, it's funny, has a main character who is very likeable and we can empathise with, and the material is never dull. 

This is green marketing seen from both the greenie's perspective (social marketing) and also from the commercial vantage point. 

Busy writing an article for  the Urban Times, so shall keep this brief. 


 

This blog post is borrowed from my blogspot where I wrote in 2011 that I was listening in on my Sustainable Produce Gardens class recording, and  found out something interesting. The microorganisms in our soil which break down organic matter and release nutrients in to the soil  so important for plant growth tend to hang out in the 'upper echelons' of the top-soil. Yes, they are refined,  high-class dudes.  Our teacher said that 75 per cent of these little critters hang about in the top 5 centimetres of our soil. This is why the top-soil is viewed as gold, and not to be messed with, or wasted!    So when planning your outdoor area, consider keeping as much softscape as possible, to minimise the impact on these fantastic little fellas. 

(Extracted from http://www.bloomingandbold.blogspot.com.au)

Now most people who think about top-soil automatically think of the wider rural landscapes, but most principles which apply with respect to agriculture and forestry, and land-management generally do apply in the urban context, too, as we see throughout my blog mentioned above.  I also hope this little blogpost shows how we can get our creative juices flowing and how really anything we can think of in the natural world, including something as dull as top-soil could be used in a potentially evocative and memorable way ... eco-creativity really knows no bounds. 

Over a year ago, I had this zany idea to set up a website where people share their ideas for ways we communicate about anything to do with looking after our planet. I was finding the websites I was coming across are fairly 'highbrow' and academic in their analysis of environmental communications, and I really felt that we all need to be on a  similar level when discussing these important issues.  

So as we are past our one year anniversary, I thought I'd keep this post even lighter green than usual, in celebratory mode, as it's also the onset of spring down here in the Southern Hemisphere, in Melbourne, Australia and a very balmy 23 degrees Celcius. So what better time to talk about something light and fluffy like -  err .... going out and painting the town green,  and eco-dating!

This topic is different from most, because it is concerned with who we choose to communicate about greenie issues with, rather than how. A while back I raised the notion 'greenie extinction status', and the idea that greenies could be unwittingly rendering themselves extinct by marrying within the movement, choosing to have small families, or not to have children, at all, as is the case with many of my greenie friends and relatives. Now that concept was arguably far-fetched, as there are probably loads of people being born in large families who have an environmental conscience, but if we take the idea of greenie extinction status, a little further, we get on to the topic of eco-dating (eco love, eco-sex, and all the other variants of the one theme) ! When we talk about intentionally meeting likeminded people we can actively narrow off the community we are engaging with. And this is not a good thing. As I say, repeatedly in my book - Green Spin - Promoting the Green Message - I believe, we need to be extending our reach, rather than narrowing it, if we are to get inside the hearts and minds of other people.  If environmentalists circulate predominantly with other greenies, we are literally deoxygenising the debate that we need to be having. My beaux have mostly been men who shop frequently and consume gazillion plastic bags, and have varied to the degree to which they have cared about the planet (each one has had their good aspects, admittedly, but none of them has owned up to wanting to be called a fully fledged greenie), so there was plenty of room for debates!  

Now the thought of going out with a plastic bag guzzling consumer may be unbearable for some greenies, but mixing in more broadly makes for a much more interesting dialogue amongst more moderate environmentalists, as we greenies and non-greenies have much to learn from each other about how  to communicate on green matters.  One notices the internet abounds with eco-dating, eco love and planet earth singles websites, so I am merely putting this different angle out there, as I wonder whether or not we should be seeking  to close ourselves off from the rest of the world or let those with slightly different views in. In our home lives, there has to be some give and take - as to whether one has one or two cars, the use of recycled toilet paper,  opting for a small dog over a large one etcetera. I can see that some of these matters have to be non-negotiable (devout veganism or a home composting toilet for example!)  

So when we go out actively seeking a like-minded person for a partner or even just seeking friends why not consider the degree to which the relationship can be spiced up a little, and a bit of difference might actually be a good thing!