- Be better than what they’re doing now (% increase in performance, for example)

- Be easy to use

- Save them money, and quickly

- And won’t require a wholesale change in the way they operate.

We’ve been fortunate enough to talk to a number of sustainability prospects in my day job recently, and I’m hearing this core message again and again.  What’s interesting to me is that vendors are ready to get out there and start to strategically invest in  marketing.   They’re aware that time is of the essence.  And like most markets where the winners are determined early on, sustainability can’t slide into thinking the “best mousetrap” will win out.  The best technology isn’t worth a damn if nobody knows about it.

Greentech Group is listing marketing as one of its top 10 predictions for the space in 2010.  Question is – are you ready to get out there, or will you be left behind?

Stay tuned!

The inevitable is we’re all going green.  Question is – who will be there at the end to benefit?  Cash for clunkers gives us some strong hints, namely:

1) People are willing to do something for the environment, as long as they understand what’s in it for them.

2) There is money to be made.

3) The benefit you derive as a corporation may just be tied to the public’s belief in your green bona fides

Don’t believe it?  Look at the winners in the cash for clunkers program.  Honda, Toyota – some of the big winners are also companies that have invested a lot of time and money in creating their green credentials.   But look at what they sold the most of – Corollas and Civics.  Traditional products that have established value.

This is huge.  Toyota and Honda sold more of their traditional product lines due to a green program.

Now, some of this is certainly tied to the required MPG improvement in the program.  The Ford Focus was the next highest selling vehicle, not the Ford Explorer.  But I don’t think its a major leap to make the connection that when given the chance, consumers did the right thing in exchange for perceived value from Toyota and Honda in both their green stature and traditional product line.

The GEs and IBMs of the world already know this, and have been talking about Smart Grids and data center cooling costs for a (relatively) long time now.  Is your company leading or falling behind?

There are a number of high profile (think Leonardo DiCaprio) and not so high profile (sorry, Ed Begley Jr.) celebrities that tout the power of being green and the overall benefit to humankind.  How influential have these people been in getting regular Joe and Jane to modify their buying behavior towards eco-friendly choices?

I think its an important question.  As Harry Fuller recently pointed out, its all about the money.  Although specifically discussing popular beliefs around global warming, if you extend his idea it boils down to motivation to support ideas that can create wealth for those in power.  Wallets speak much louder than editorials or polls.

Getting back to the original question – will celebrity and the entertainment industry help to push the green movement forward?  Some studies are showing that purchasing music online can have a positive environmental impact.   What if artists came out and said online music is good for the consumer AND the environment?  Would that boost people’s interest in going all digital for music?

What about the movie industry?  With Netflix gaining popularity (and offering straight digital downloads) and the growing VOD market, people are financially voting for options, convenience and choice.  Wouldn’t Hollywood be smart to figure out the DRM issues and jump on a new digital distribution model that could also be touted as being environmentally friendly?

Interestingly, there are some who have already studied the ecology and Hollywood’s involvement in representing the movement, such as Pat Brereton in Hollywood Utopia.  With all that’s going on and since art many times reflects what’s happening in society (Food Inc being a recent example), would be interesting to see where we stand today vs. 2005 when this book was published.

First up is his piece on the price tag airlines are facing for carbon offsets. Once the EU plan goes into effect in 2012, the price for offsets for the likes of Delta and United are in the $60+ million range.  Airlines are already suffering due to a variety of rising costs with downward price pressure, and the EU tariffs will likely severely limit the number of flights and escalate associated costs.   If you’ve ever desired a trip to Europe, now may be the time.

Scott’s second piece on carbon this week juxtaposes Europe’s rejection of carbon tariffs for goods from countries that don’t adhere to reduced CO2 standards. This policy is 180 degrees from the US stance, which looks to penalize those countries that don’t comply.  There is debate on how much carbon developing nations contribute to the issue vs. developing nations, and in the global economic slowdown, will aggressive tariffs limit foreign based American production, causing a whiplash effect on sales and revenues here?

All of this is taking place internationally, while at home the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) in the House that would potentially pay farmers to switch to organic means that trap carbon in the soil, which then could be monetized as a potential fuel source.  Agribusiness is, as always, trying to slide into the bill by forcing their established farming via chemicals onto the approved method list of trapping and harvesting the carbon.  This bill could go a long way towards establishing a new baseline for how agriculture works in America, and carbon capture is at the center of the debate.

Most anyone you talk to about eco issues will position their involvement as altruistic.  And that’s understandable – we all want to believe the best of ourselves.  There’s been no other issue that enables us to stand up and be counted amongst the righteous as much as the environment.  “Check out what I did. Look how good a person I am, I care about the planet!”

I’m not dismissing this phenomenon.  In fact, I think its crucial to having society address its major needs.  But this is just the first step in fixing things, of getting a movement to mass adoption.  What we need is, in a sense, massive self absorption.

And there’s no bigger motivator than the mighty dollar.  Individuals will struggle to draw a straight line to their wallets until corporations get on board.  Good news is that big business is starting to get it.  Already we have seen companies like Cisco and Intel jump on the Smart Grid bandwagon.  So what if it seems like a land grab – we all need companies like these to invest in making energy more clean and affordable.

Apparently Wal-Mart’s been taking steps to reduce their electric bill through white roofing for years.  We all know they didn’t just do it for the earth, Wal-Mart’s reputation is nothing but that of ruthless bottom-line focus.  They went this route since it saved money, that’s the beginning and end of it.  And you know what?  Good for them – and good for us!

We need to hear more about these types of initiatives.  Corporations need to shed any reservation they may have about touting their green bona fides or getting involved.  When reports from the folks at McKinsey are coming out talking about the huge economic impact of saving energy, corporations can’t be far behind.  When business starts baking the environment into their businesses in a real way, the consumers and dollars will follow.

Cisco started talking about its intentions a few months ago, but is now filtering out statement about the data deluge that will turn infrastructure networks into more of a traditonal data network.   Cisco’s taking a medium range view, since the National Academies are forecasting that although it will take years to fully realize the smart grid, the next ten years are crucial.

The other big player to put a stake in the ground this week is Intel.  You know, the folks inside all of our computers.  Their VC arm commited $10 million to five companies focused on energy efficiency.   This is part of their overall Intel Open Energy Initiative, which “aligns and mobilizes Intel and its partners around the application of technology and open standards to accelerate the global transition to smart energy.”

This is all in the context of GE ‘kicking’ off the year with a Smart Grid Superbowl ad.

The grid business is getting serious.  Will be interesting to see where real savings, security and reliability will come into play as ease on down this road over the next decade.

One of the certainties in life – people are always measuring themselves against each other.  Social context will never go out of style.  In these days of economic uncertainty, public distaste for excess and increasing awareness of ecological impact in every facet of our lives, the question then becomes – how do we measure ourselves vs. our neighbors?

In the not to distant future, the conversation could turn to how green you are.  Are you driving a hybrid? What’s your carbon footprint?  And, how green is…your house?  This doesn’t mean do you use energy efficient light bulbs, are your appliances energy smart.  This could extend to how your home is actually constructed or rebuilt.

There’s already discussions underway from industry leaders such as Serious Material Chairman Marc Porat on how to accelerate the retrofitting of existing homes, which would also create jobs.

The need is certainly there -  in the U.S., all buildings represent about half of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.  One of the main issues is making the construction understandable and scalable for the contractors and developers of the world, which will take time.  However, its already happening on a local level.  Case in point: Simon Hare and his reconstruction of a Boston area cottage built in 1850.

You can check out a slide show of the house from CNet’s Martin LaMonica here.

Might not be too long before people start comparing their solar panels over burgers at the neighborhood BBQ.

The Department of Energy just unleashed $57 million to support ongoing programs in several states (Massachusetts, Colorado, New York, Texas and Illinois among them – notice a big state/population trend?), along with funding for local governments to assess their electric system preparedness.   Just about one week prior, Park Associates issued a report on smart meter adoption, showing that “over six percent of all U.S. meters are smart meters,” with pilots expected to increase that number in the coming months.

And Martin LaMonica at CNet reported last week on GreenRay Solar, a Westford, Massachusetts company that’s looking to start production in Q4 2009 on panels that can more easily integrate with current household electric systems.  The panels will have performance data reporting capabilities either by wire or wireless, likely enabling integration with smart meters to further control and accurate billing, a boon for both consumers and the bulk electric providers.

With funding federal increasing and technology getting both cheaper and more effective, the days of traditional electricity delivery are quickly coming to an end.

BusinessWeek, June 22 issue – 3 significant pieces

Page 18 -  Front section piece on advances in solar panels and cost improvements that are moving to make the format more competitive with wind and natural gas, two currently much cheaper alternatives.

Page 54 – Spencer Ante profiles Scribd, a new eBook startup that landed a recent deal with Simon and Schuster and is providing an option for publishers who want more distribution control and better rates than what Amazon is giving.

Page 56 – “Nike goes Green. Very Quietly.”  Reena Jana’s story on how Nike decided to sublimate their green marketing angles, while still infusing eco-friendly approaches into their manufacturing, simultaneously driving down costs and increasing sales.

Quite a haul in one of the top leading business publications.

Not to be outdone, Inc’s June issue touched on a number of green angles, from their “Four Ways to Go Green” gadget review, to a profile on Boylston, MA-based Owl Power and their fryer-oil-powered generator that allows restaurants to capture waste and turn it into power, saving energy costs.

But it’s not just business pubs; Men’s Journal has story detailing Tim Clancy’s efforts to bring eco-tourism to Bosnia with a company called Green Visions, Justin Timberlake’s eco-friendly golfcourse, and Revo shades with frames made out of recycled plastics.

And that old reliable of air travel – the back of the seat, fill in the blank airline magazine.  July’s Sky Magzine from the folks at Delta has a great Q&A with Quicksilver CEO Bob McKnight and Imax director Greg MacGillivray that touches one some eco topics via surfing, while SIGG’s aluminum bottles were profiled in the “Trend Watch” section and highlighted as a green option to landfill-clogging plastic water bottles.

Looks like the media is feeding us all a lot of green.