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Original Article

Marketing to green communities:

How to successfully reach thegreen consumerReceived (in revised form): 16th November 2012

Kelly E. Noonanis an honors graduate of the Bertolon School of Business at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. With a focus in

cultural and environmental policy, Kellys research interests are sustainable development and how it applies to marketing and

business practices. Kelly volunteers her time as marketing coordinator for a green community action committee, and works as the

marketing and communications coordinator for the Boston office of Verdant Focus.

Linda Jane Colemanis a Professor of Marketing in the Marketing and Decision Sciences Department at the Bertolon School of Business at Salem State

University in Salem, Massachusetts. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from West VirginiaWesleyan College, a Master of Science degree in Management from Virginia Commonwealth University and Postgraduate work in

the area of Marketing and Organizational Behavior at the University of Baltimore and the University of Maryland. She has published

numerous articles in a variety of journals and proceedings and has presented papers nationally and internationally. Her research

interests include green marketing, social media, health marketing and interdisciplinary education.

Correspondence: Linda Jane Coleman, Marketing and Decision Sciences Department, Bertolon School of Business, Salem State

University, Salem, MA 01970, USA.

ABSTRACT This article explores the economic shift in the United States toward sustain-

ability. Also this article explores the concepts of Green Marketing, specifically within the

context of marketing to green communities and identifies the need for marketers to shift

strategies as green communities are being built across the United States. Lastly, this article

discusses green business methods and advertising techniques that have proven to be

successful for multiple organizations in the United States.

Journal of Marketing Analytics (2013) 1, 1831. doi:10.1057/jma.2012.2

Keywords: green marketing; sustainability; green economics; global economy; sustainable

business methods; green advertising.

INTRODUCTIONMany skeptics are opposed to green and

sustainable solutions. Can these changes be

sustained within our economy? How canmarketers be directed toward incorporating

new strategies aligned with sustainable

practices that can benefit from understanding

the mass market consumers need for quality

of life and well-being? In order to match the

changes of the shifting economy and be more

efficient while having a smaller impact on

worldwide pollution, there needs to be

identification of the reason for sustainable and

green practices addressing why businesses

must reevaluate their internal and external

procedures.Our economy today is facing a wide-range

of problems. Four of those problems, which

have been long-term issues, sought after by

economists and activists alike are: global

climate change, ecological scarcity, energy

insecurity and world poverty (Barbier,

2011). Barbier (2011) wrote in the European

Financial Reviewarticle titled A Global Green

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Recovery and the Lessons of History

that, in terms of global economics, we are

on the verge of a new era, the Age of

Ecological Scarcity. It will also mean

instigating institutional changes, creating

global carbon and environmental markets,

and implementing new policies to foster a

new era of sustainable economic

development.

Today, in the American consumer culture,

it is difficult to recognize the term green,

without associating many commonly

understood synonyms. Many Americans now

associate themselves with green-related ideas

that could include actions ranging from

recycling regularly to making use of reusable

shopping bags. Americans are now changingtheir behaviors, but what are the motivations

behind their shifting decisions? The term

green has been widely used in recent years

to describe general efforts that are related to

environmental protection, efficiency and

sustainability. Environmentalism in the US

dates back to the nineteenth century with

George Catlins proposition to start National

Wildlife Conservations; however, in the

1960s, once environmentalism became

a more public concern, the National

Environmental Policy Act was passed in

1969 and modern environmentalism was

established that led to many environmental

campaigns (Kinoti, 2011). The first

internationally recognized Earth Day was

held in 1970, and environmentally related

issues have continued to be the focus

of many local, national and international

governmental and non-governmental

organizations, including the United Nations

Environment Program (UNEP) (Kinoti,

2011).The term sustainable, when used in

recent news, is often made synonymous with

the term green. Green development and

green economics essentially are the believers

answer to those four previously mentioned

major global problems. Thinking green

goes beyond simply recycling and reusing

products; the greening of society involves

making smarter, healthier, cleaner and

more efficient decisions in all aspects of our

economy. Ecological Scarcity, as mentioned

by Edward B. Barbier, is the very definition

of economics: we must understand how to

meet our societal needs when the resources

are limited, or scarce. We are now at the

turning point where it is necessary to make

smarter decisions.

Concerns about the environment are

ever increasing throughout the world

(Chang, 2011). The United States, East

Asia and Europe polls have indicated an

environmental awareness on the rise

throughout the 2000s (Saad, 2007;

Eurobarometer, 2008; Xinhua News Agency,

2008). However, most consumers sharecommon concerns about environmental

issues, but there is a lagging between

green behavior and concerns (Chang,

2011).

Environmentally focused issues include

the preservation and protection of the

earths natural environment and all of its

wildlife and species. In order to promote this

conservation, technological advancements,

such as solar and wind energy, have been

developed as alternative solutions to long-

term problems such as waste and pollution.

Environmental issues today include concerns

related to global warming, depletion of

natural resources, industrial air pollution

and water pollution, hazardous waste and

landfills (Kinoti, 2011). The overall spectrum

of thought related to solving such problems

has been widely recognized in recent

years as green, and has become an important

concept not just in the areas of science and

technology, but also in the business and

marketing sectors. American businesses,on both small and corporate levels, have

made choices to become more energy

efficient and sustainable, and these choices

have benefitted production both in cost-

effective and socially responsible ways.

American and international companies

are now aware of the need to adopt

sustainable development into their overall

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business strategies (Preuss and Dawson,

2009).

Euromonitor International (2011), a

market research firm that provides business

intelligence reports, identified this concept

as one of the Biggest Global Trends

Influencing Consumer Markets. In a June

2011 article it was noted that green recovery

methods will strongly influence business

environments and consumer markets of the

futurey Businesses can respond by adapting

to climate change and embracing more

efficient technologies and alternative energy

sources. The ability to satisfy the growing

global hunger for food and energy is one

of the biggest challenges facing governments

(Euromonitor International, 2011).Several states across the country have

recognized this need to change and have

adopted policy changes to become Green

Communities. One-hundred-three

Massachusetts cities and towns as of 2012

are designated Green Communities, which

was made possible by the 2008 Green

Communities Act (Mass.gov). A Green

Community by definition is a municipality

that actively utilizes more efficient energy

alternatives (Mass.gov). This is done by

the implementation of new clean

technologies, in the form of projects such

as solar panels on public buildings, and

the use of efficient and affordable materials

in the structure of these buildings, along

with other projects such as modern

sustainable retrofitting of public vehicles.

All of these efforts involve ways for a

town to become more sustainable by

lowering their energy costs, promoting

renewable forms of energy and igniting

divisions of the clean energy industry in areaswhere these changes could really improve the

economy and enhance environmental

benefits (Mass.gov). As communities are

shifting their concerns, consumerism is also

shifting. The business sector is at a point

where it is necessary to adapt to the changing

consumer. This supports the countrys

economic changes that are moving toward

the creation of Green Communities. This

article will identify the growing amount

of Green Communities in Massachusetts,

and in other states by defining the green

consumer; it will discuss whether our

economy can support sustainability; and

will address the various implications involved

for business marketers to comply with these

economic changes.

The adoption of green initiatives in the

United States has sparked a change in the

buying behaviors of individual consumers.

The newly established green consumer is

buying with a unique set of intentions that

are motivated by values and beliefs that

stem from the environmental train of

thought. Businesses today must recognizethe shift in consumer behavior that is built

by the green consumer, and marketing/

advertising efforts must effectively translate

messages based on the green interest.

THE GREEN CONSUMERIn the American culture, the green

consumer has emerged as a buyer with

motivations and preferences that are aligned

with environmentally conscious products

and business efforts. According to a 2002

article published in Management Decision

written by Moisander and Pesonen, in

social marketing literature, green consumer

behavior has traditionally been viewed as

a form of ethically oriented consumer

behavior that is motivated not only by

consumers own personal needs, but also

by their concern for the welfare of society in

general. The green consumers buying

behavior is one that is more sociallyconscious in its decisions, built from strong,

ethically oriented, pro-environmental

personal values and attitudes (Moisander and

Pesonen, 2002). The green consumer

considers whether the product they are

purchasing will, in consumption, result in a

positive or negative ecological consequence

to the environment (Kim, 2011).

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Values and motivations

Values found to be the most influential

to individuals who take part in green

consumerism are social-altruistic, biospheric

and egoistic in nature (Jansson et al, 2010).There is a found consistency based on positive

influence in both the social-altruistic and

biospheric motivations. Social altruism applies

to the consumers intentions to make a positive

impact of change within society, and the

biospheric or environmental motivation relates

similarly to the need to solve a regarded

ecological problem ( Jansson et al, 2010). There

is long-term consistency built from both of

these areas because individuals will purchase

with regard to these strongly held intentions.

The egoistic motivation is found to have amore negative influence by causing the

consumer to be inconsistent in their purchase

decisions based on whether the items

perceived benefit will exceed the cost at any

given time (Jansson et al, 2010).

Both collectivism and individualism

have shown to have influence over whether

or not consumers show environmentally

focused behavior (Kim, 2011). People

who belong to cultures that are found to be

more interdependent and group-orientedwill show a more positive response to

environmentally related concerns. These

collectivist individuals are more group goal

focused and are shown to conform to the

needs of the overall group or society, thereby

aspiring to such green concerns. The

contrasting characteristics of individualistic

cultures, showing an aversion to conformity

and a preference to independence and

personal needs, imply that these people

would view green-related efforts as less

important (Kim, 2011).

Demographics of the

green-organic consumer

Many green consumers are motivated by the

importance of improving their personal well-

being, and included in this is individual

health. Health-conscious consumers have

recognized the need to eliminate pesticides

and other harmful chemicals from food, and

choose to purchase organic food products.

A 2010 Organic Trade Association industry

survey found that organic food sales grew

from US$1 billion in 1990 to $24.8 billion in

2009 (Regine, 2011). Consumers are now

more driven by health-related concerns, and

are increasingly interested in foods that are

free of pesticides, and other health risks

(Regine, 2011).

According to a 2011 Thompson Reuters-

National Public Radio (NPR) health poll

given to approximately 3000 Americans, it was

found that among peopleo35 years old, 62.8

per cent prefer eating organic foods. Out ofpeople between the ages of 35 and 64, 60.6 per

cent would eat organic, and among people

over 65, only 44.8 per cent would choose

organic (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011).

This poll also revealed that among respondents

who earned between $25 000 and $100 000

annually, the majority of people chose organic

over non-organic, with $25 K$49.9 K

being the greatest majority (61.2 per cent)

(Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011). Among

respondents who were either high school

graduates, people with some college

coursework, or with college degrees, each

chose organic over non-organic, with the

majority being those who had degrees (63.5

per cent) (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011).

The only group that did not choose organic in

a majority vote was the group of people over

the age of 65, which indicates that age may

play a role in ascribing to organic foods. These

results revealed that among these 3008

Americans, the majority of consumers,

regardless of income or education, considerthe benefits of organic foods and prefer organic

foods over non-organic options (Thompson

Reuters-NPR, 2011).

Unique qualities

Along with showing higher levels of concern

for environmental preservation issues (EC),


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green consumers are also recognized as

showing perceived consumer effectiveness

(PCE) (Albayrak et al, 2011). According to

Tahir Albayrak et al(2011), In addition to

EC, those people who strongly believe that

their environmentally sensitive behaviors may

result in positive consequences or outcomes

are more likely to engage in environmentally

sensitive behaviors than others. PCE allows

the motivation for purchase decisions to be

more altruistically centered, having long-

term impact on society at large (Albayrak et al,

2011). Related to this is the adoption of

environmental concerns in the form of

ascribed responsibility (AR) ( Jansson et al,

2010). Green consumers take on a degree of

responsibility that is built on their sociallyconscious intentions to somehow solve a

problem or make a positive impact on society,

and this has been found to be consistent with

green purchase decisions ( Jansson et al,

2010). Green consumers align themselves

with a set of values and beliefs that are built

on social and ecological improvement, and

this element of influence, as seen in PCE

and AR, makes the green consumer

microculture unique; the green consumers

motivations go beyond meeting personal

needs and are more focused on the needs of

the community.

GREEN BUSINESS METHODSRistovska wrote in a 2010 article published in

The International Business & Economics Research

Journalthat incorporating objectives of

sustainable development into an

organizations global management system,

strongly contributes to its competitiveness

and corporate and brand image. Businessesare recognizing the need to acquire more

environmentally efficient technologies, and

reduce waste and pollution, as the rise of the

green consumer marks a shift in the pattern

of consumer purchasing, away from products

that are considered to be damaging to the

environment and toward products that are

sustainable (Ristovska, 2010). Jeff Immelt,

CEO of General Electric (GE), is quoted in

the March 2012 Harvard Business Review

article titled, Green Rules to Drive

Innovation, as holding true to the fact that

Green is green, proving that businesses

across the board will receive significant

returns on their investments if they pursue

more sustainable practices (Esty and

Charnovitz, 2012). In addition to producing

products that are streamlined to have a less

damaging impact on the external

environment, organizations can ultimately

benefit from a restructured system of internal

practices that are more sustainable, including

risk reduction, improved efficiency and

advanced innovation, all with a commitment

to build intangible value (Esty andCharnovitz, 2012).

According to Ristovska (2010), efforts in

which businesses can become more green

include product adaptation, technological

advancements and business ethics. Ways

in which a company can adapt their products

include increasing durability, non-polluting

attributes and incorporating recycled

materials (Ristovska, 2010). Technology can

be improved by minimizing environmental

damage in the production process, by

eliminating waste and pollution, and

conserving energy (Ristovska, 2010).

Ristovska (2010) makes note of the

importance of environmental ethics by stating

that selling green products or using

green technologies is not sufficient by

itself and truly green companies embrace

environmental values. The overall business

philosophy, as it is noted, will benefit from

the adoption of a green mission and efforts

that are considered to be eco-philanthropic

(Woolverton and Demitri, 2010).A successful way in which green ethics

can be applied to corporate strategies is

through corporate social responsibility (CSR)

efforts. Gordon Liu and Wai-Wai Ko (2011)

intimate on this subject: unlike pure

corporate giving, where the corporate

contribution is based on the altruistic impulse

of the management and shareholders, who

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intend only to improve the welfare of

the community, corporations launch the

so-called strategic giving that treats CSR

as an investment and calculates the returns for

the company. Liu and Ko (2011) further

explain that instead of CSR efforts being used

only in the philanthropical sense, it can

instead be integrated into cause-related

marketing (CRM) tools to form the overall

identity of the organization. CRM is an

effective communications strategy for CSR in

which it is found that vivid messages are

preferred because they increase positive

affective emotions and higher trust in the

companys CSR initiatives (Choi and Ng,

2011).

Effectively translating through

advertisements

The kinds of CRM activities mentioned

by Liu and Ko (2011) include joint

promotions (involving cooperation between

the company and a specific environmental

cause) that are focused on the content of the

message in terms of information. Liu and

Ko (2011) suggest that a joint effort will

effectively increase emotional involvement

by encouraging interest in the organizations

ethical behavior. The key to these kinds of

joint advertisements is to effectively engage

the consumer so that they will notice,

perceive, and respond to the CRM message

(Liu and Ko, 2011). Not only will the

consumer find interest in the particular

organization and their products, but they will

also develop an idea of their image that they

have positioned in terms of CSR activities,

which can lead to successful branding (Liu

and Ko, 2011). Liu and Ko (2011) furtherexplain that the individual will feel highly

involved if they find relevance in the CRM

advertising message. A study conducted by

Sungchul Choi and Alex Ng (2011) that was

revealed in their article titled Environmental

and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability

and Price Effects on Consumer Responses,

adds to the understanding of the perceived

relationship between corporate responsibility

and consumer evaluation. The first point

made in this study was that sustainability

information has a significantly positive impact

on the evaluation of the company and

purchase intent; the second point made

was that a low level of environmental

sustainability leads to stronger negative

impact on consumer responses than the low

level of economic sustainability; lastly, the

third point made was that support for

the sustainability domain interaction effect

implies that consumers will evaluate

a company more favorably if that company

shares the consumers support orientations

and policies for a specific sustainability

domain (Choi and Ng, 2011).Mary Wanjiru Kinoti touches on the

implementation of green strategies in

promotions in her 2011 International Journal of

Business & Social Science article, where she

explained that according to Benerjee green

promotions should:

(a) explicitly or implicitly address the

relation between a product/service and

the biophysical environment;

(b) promote a green lifestyle with or

without highlighting a product/service;(c) present a corporate image of

environmental responsibility.

Kinoti (2011) notes that marketing teams

should not assume that consumers are already

aware of the environmental issues or actions

they engage in and that promotions should

be focused on relaying necessary information

to every consumer. In addition, Kinoti (2011)

explained several of Ottmans promotional

strategies that adhere to green initiatives;

among these are:

(a) educate consumers on the environmental

problems that a green product solves;

(b) consider a suitable mix of media. For

instance, environmental consumers are

more receptive to messages conveyed

through direct marketing, community

programs, public relations and packaging.


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Green-washing in advertisements

Many organizations have made the decision

to advertise their products or services as being

green focused, when in actuality their

production and organizational strategies arenot at all environmentally aligned; this is

known as green-washing (Ahonen et al,

2001). On the basis of the assumption that

organizations will use advertisements to gain

capital, it is detrimental for a business to only

appear as though they are practicing green

whey they really are not (Ahonen et al, 2001).

Green consumers today are known to seek

out information about products, and expect

to find that organizations are truly following

green guidelines (Ahonen et al, 2001). The

green consumer wants to know that theproducts they are buying are in line with the

values that they aspire to, and if s/he finds out

that they are not getting what is promised,

they will regard the product(s) as undesirable

(Ahonen et al, 2001).

In the 2012 Harvard Business Reviewtitled

Green Rules to Drive Innovation, Daniel C.

Esty and Steve Charnovitz (2012) intimate

on the subject of how our government

should be leading sustainable initiatives to

guide all existing business practices. Theirarticle lists 10 Energy and Environmental

Policy Proposals; among these are two very

key points: (i) broaden Americas portfolio

of energy sources and set national goals for

the ongoing expansion of domestic renewable

power; (ii) address industry concerns about

other countries use of environmental

standard-setting practices as disguised trade

barriers (Esty and Charnovitz, 2012).

GREEN COMPANIESAccording to the 2010 Harvard Business

Reviewarticle written by Unruh and

Ettenson, successful companies leverage

opportunities to become an influential or

dominant force in the green-standards battle.

Unruh and Ettenson (2010) suggest that

successful companies have chosen to adopt

four strategies when deciding to initiate

sustainable objectives; these are: (i) adopt the

existing standards; (ii) co-opt and modify

them to suit your capabilities and processes;

(iii) define standards for your industry; and

(iv) break away from existing ones and create

your own. Among standards to adopt are

Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design (LEED) building certification

rating systems that set standards for the

construction or rehab process of business

buildings (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). Major

companies like Wal-Mart have chosen to

apply a sustainable product index to gauge

how efficient the products they sell should be

(Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). Co-opt efforts

have taken place when businesses needed toimprove; an example of this is the banana

producer known as Chiquita partnering with

Rainforest Alliance to produce farm standards

that are better both socially and for the

environment (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010).

In the area of defining standards, Starbucks

chose to develop their own standards for

sustainable coffee through Coffee and

Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) (Unruh and

Ettenson, 2010). Lastly, in the area of

breaking away, Apple is among the few

organizations that have taken the initiative

to try something new (Unruh and Ettenson,

2010). As a result of Greenpeaces

declaration addressing the environmental

impact of computer usage, Apple chose

to make computer products that are

more energy efficient (Unruh and

Ettenson, 2010).

The 2011 Business Today article titled Seize

the Day profiled GEs sustainable efforts and

explained that in 2005 GE announced their

Ecomagination campaign designed topromote further business growth and generate

profits through commitment to clean energy,

as well as build its brand image as that of an

environmentally aware company. This article

elaborates on how in only a few years GE

(2011) managed to transform the efficiency

of many of their products; included in this list

are low-energy digital mammography

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machines and aircraft engines to gas turbines

and nuclear plants. As of the year 2010, GE

(2011) developed over 90 Ecomagination

products, which contributed at least

$18 billion in revenues, and invested $1.5

billion in clean technology research, meeting

its 2010 target a year early. Since the

beginning of the Ecomagination campaign,

GE (2011) was effective at reducing their

own energy consumption by half and

greenhouse gas emissions by over 20 per cent

below the 2004 baseline; along with this,

GEs water consumption has also reduced

by 30 per cent from the 2006 baseline.

CAN THE ECONOMY SUPPORTGOING GREEN?

Capitalism and sustainability

Clearly, the United States is changing its

perception of what it wants, and businesses

will have to eventually, or even now, begin

to adapt to a society that has a greater and

more sustainable degree of concerns. The

question here: Is true sustainability possible

within our capitalist economy? Daniel C.

Esty and Steve Charnovitz (2012) wrotein Harvard Business Reviewabout the

link between sustainable practices and

competitiveness. Esty and Charnovitz (2012)

wrote:

Companies, perhaps more than

governments, have come to appreciate the

vital connection between sustainability and

competitiveness. Fully 95 per cent of the

worlds 250 largest firms regularly report on

their environmental performance,

highlighting their commitment tosustainability as a tool for reducing risk,

improving efficiency, driving innovation,

and building intangible value. In many

companies, sustainability activities have

delivered increases in revenue and profits.

In the article The Greening of Business,

written by former Montclair University

Professor John T. Harding (2011), Going

green can be profitable if society controls

the expense involved in the process.

Although some might wonder whether

the benefits outweigh the costs, the larger

issue is this: Can we afford not to go

green?

It is often debated whether the green

technology sector and sustainability within

our economy is something that should be

given much attention when our economy is

truly suffering. If we are to consume less in

order to waste less, how will our economy

remain healthy (Schweickart, 2009)?

According to the 2009 article written by

David Schweickart of Loyola University in

Chicago, Illinois, in order for our capitalist

economy to remain healthy, there must besufficient growth, not just for individual firms

competing within their sector, but for the

economy as a whole. Sales must increase at a

steady rate, and if people are cohesively saving

their dollars because of a growing push for all

things sustainable, will our economy survive

(Schweickart, 2009)? The answer to this

perhaps lies in the incredible amount of jobs

that Green and Clean Tech Industries bring

into our economy.

The green workforce

According to Chris Hemmelmans (2011)

article titled It Isnt Easy Being Green, a

2009 Pew Charitable Trusts study revealed

that jobs in our countrys clean energy sector

grew nearly two and a half times faster than

overall jobs between 1998 and 2007.

Another study done by Booz Allen Hamilton

concluded that the green building industry

will support as many as 7.9 million jobs

between 2009 and 2013, and yet anotherstudy performed by Pike Research found that

it is expected that revenues from green

industries will grow from $5.6 billion in

2009 to $19.9 billion by 2020 (Hemmelman,

2011). This information alone is perhaps

enough to sway the average skeptic; anyone

can recognize that what our economy calls

for in times of crisis is the availability of more


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jobs. A good portion of these green jobs

fall into the category of Clean Technologies,

and are focused on different forms of

renewable energy (OBrien, 2011). Among

the forms included in the category of

renewable energy are wind, solar and

geothermal, and along with these there will

be additional divisions providing jobs within

the areas of water technology, waste

management and recycling, green buildings,

energy efficiency, biomaterials, energy

storage, vehicle technology, environmental

services, biofuels and carbon (OBrien,

2011). Hemmelman (2011) pointed out

that: Expectations for growth in the green

energy industries are so high that Congress

has committed $45 billion of the $787 billionin the American Recovery and Reinvestment

Act (ARRA) to investments in green energy

industries. In addition to this, $500 million

of the $45 billion will be given to green

energy training partnerships designed to

build the countrys green energy workforce,

and among the institutions that will be

involved in these training programs are local

community and technical colleges

(Hemmelman, 2011).

Are sustainable practices

positive?

According to a June 2011 Bloomberg

Businessweek article, written by Paul M.

Barrett, titled The Price of Clean Air, there

are many skeptics that insist that countless

numbers of jobs will be lost in the

development of cleaner and greener

technologies in our country. Yes, in theory,

sustainable practices are positive, but do the

benefits outweigh the costs? To add to thepreviously mentioned argument that our

economy is not healthy enough to support

sustainability, perhaps increased efficiency

could also pay a price. David Schweickart

(2009) wrote: When innovation brings about

a productivity gain, workers are free to

choose leisure over increased consumption.

This option is virtually non-existent in a

capitalist firm. Owners do not increase their

profits by allowing their workforce to work

less. Schweickart (2009) then goes on to

address that this increased efficiency and

productivity brought along with

technological advancements have actually

caused present-day employees to work harder

than ever, due to the increased amount of

competition; however, his overall point is that

this kind of pattern requires growth from the

consumer end, and there just isnt that kind of

guarantee.

The Clean Air Act was brought about

in 1970, and has since been a savior of

countless amounts of lives and a major

reducer of pollution. In the above-mentioned

Bloomberg Businessweek article, Barrett (2011)wrote:

At least 19 Republican-sponsored bills

have been introduced in both houses of

Congress seeking to prevent the

Environmental Protection Agency from

taking action such as limiting emission of

climate-warming greenhouse gases and

imposing tougher rules for ground-level

pollutants such as mercury. Republicans and

their industry allies warn that assertive

regulation will hurt energy providers like

Midwest Generation, killing jobs in a fragile

economy.

Edwin D. Hill, president of the

International Brotherhood of Electrical

Workers, claimed that without the gift of an

allotted 56 year time frame to renovate or

close coal plants, 50 000 workers in power,

mining, and railroads would lose their jobs

(Barrett, 2011). This is a considerable

argument, but the Environmental Protection

Agencys counterargument is one that is

perhaps far more reasonable; they object thatabout $11 billion a year would be lost in this

kind of improvement process, in order to

meet the proposed air toxins standard, and the

overall cost of savings in health would be of

an even greater amount in the long run

(Barrett, 2011). Although the process to enact

such regulatory changes within long-held

management systems is not without its

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expense of time and effort, the lasting benefits

seem to outweigh the bother of getting things

underway. Barrett (2011) wrote: The Clean

Air Act can serve as a goad to generating

better jobs in more innovative technologies

and as a mechanism to reduce health-care

costs. The benefits seem worth the price.

This concept of making smarter decisions to

minimize potential problems and benefit the

overall integrity of each stakeholder seems to

be one that should speak to most people in

the United States. Those opposed to such

changes initiated by the Clean Air Act or the

Green Communities Act need only to

recognize that these benefits are of far greater

weight, not only for us today but for future

generations. Barbier (2011) wrote: The rightmix of investments and policies today could

not only reduce carbon dependency and

improve the environment, but also create jobs

and stimulate innovation and growth in key

economic sectors.

CHANGES IN BUSINESS ANDMARKETING

The impact on marketingThe changes that are already taking place

in the United States, due to the growing

shift toward the implementation of green

communities, are of great importance to

marketers within each business industry

and the analysis of which should be made

a major priority. According to John

OBrien (2011) of the European Financial

Review, there are plenty of changes

occurring being driven by political

positioning, technology development,investment trends and increasing community

awareness and changing behavior. Green

communities will comprise a generally

different set of buyers. As these consumers

are and have been shifting their interests

and needs, so should marketers. As the

buyers frame of mind becomes geared

toward a more sustainable set of benefits,

regarding environmental safety, economic

efficiency and natural quality, it is imperative

that marketers become aware of this

consumer buying presence.

Chris Laszlo and Nadya Zhexembayeva

(2011) wrote that this kind of buyer will be

aware of the products that they are willing to

purchase, with high expectations; in the

article titled Embedded Sustainability:

A Strategy for Market Leaders, they wrote:

Embedded sustainability is the incorporation

of environmental, health, and social value

into the core business with no trade-off in

price or quality in other words, with no

social or green premium. What can change is

the recognition that quality is a primary

concern, but buyers are also goingto be considering the cost involved. These

consumers are very conscious of the products

out there, and will be very aware of their

credibility, and of any insincere strategies

that are simply appealing to the trends of

going green.

Skepticism and ambivalence in

purchase decisions

In the Winter 2011 edition of the Journal of

Advertising, Chingching Chang published

results from a survey conducted in the article,

Feeling Ambivalent about Going Green.

The survey explored what, if any, factors led

to the ambivalence in attitude related to green

products and making green purchase

decisions (Chang, 2011). Results from this

survey revealed that skepticism is a consistent

predictor of ambivalent attitudes, whether the

attitude target is green products or buying

green products (Chang, 2011). It was found

in the respondents answers that skepticism,perceived higher price, and lower quality

(all negative perceptions) accounted for the

found ambivalence toward buying green

products (Chang, 2011). Chang (2011) wrote

that the survey confirms that ambivalent

attitudes toward green products or buying

green products do not correlate significantly

with attitudes toward green products or


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buying green products, which suggests that

the traditional attitudinal measure cannot

capture simultaneous positive and negative

evaluative responses toward an attitude

object. In addition to representing

skepticism, Changs (2011) research suggests

that these negative attitudes could also come

from ambivalence toward advertisements in

general. As it is found that the common

attitude of ambivalence stems from

skepticism, the challenge for marketers

when trying to shift toward selling a green

product or service is to appeal not only to

the overall economic need for sustainability,

but also to the more personal, individual

need for improved well-being.

Green well-being: A personalized

approach to green marketingWe have addressed that there is crucial

need for change. Green is becoming a way

of life for numerous American communities,

and within these communities there are

many people who understand the importance

of embracing a sincere green mission. There

are, however, many other residents who are

not at all interested. There are many true

green supporters, who are very interested

and driven by green-related issues. Many

are frugal green buyers who will purchase

green products if at the right price for the

product quality. And there are many residents

within green communities who are not

at all interested in anything green. These

consumers do not pay attention to the

difference in product quality and are not

looking to conform to this kind of change.

An interesting viewpoint about how

businesses can market products to the entirecommunity and not just those loyal

supporters is discussed by Harvard Business

Reviewin the article titled Dont Bother

With the Green Consumer. Brian Walker

(2008), CEO of Herman Miller, wrote in

this article that it is a common mistake to

market specifically to the imagined green

consumer: Businesses should not focus on

the green niche, but should try to generate

attention and interest to everyone. Walker

(2008) suggests that marketers focus on green

behavior that everyone can aspire to. Walker

explains that one factor that is common to all

consumers in the mass market is the desire for

solutions to problems. He wrote that the way

to generate interest is to find a way to provide

solutions to their day-to-day problems that

also make sense for the environment (Walker,

2008). This proposal is perhaps best illustrated

in a potential scenario: A fitness enthusiast

who works out regularly at a local gym to

exercise has no interest for green-related

products. His/her main goal as far as free time

is related to being physically fit and

esthetically attractive. How can s/he beinfluenced?

It is most likely that (like a majority

of Americans who work out at their local

gyms) s/he purchases plastic bottled water,

two or three per work out, to stay hydrated.

Over the course of a year, the plastic water

bottle purchases become quite expensive.

A solution that applies to this need is to

acquire a reusable filtering bottle that cost

$10. Making use of a reusable water bottle

with a filtration system could save him

close to $900 a year. Without touting the

environmental benefits of using a reusable

filtering bottle, the fitness enthusiast became

an advocate for not purchasing plastic

disposable bottled water. This overall

concept illustrated here is based on the

inherent need for quality of life, or well-being

as opposed to eco-sustainable concerns,

and helping to save the environment is

just an added bonus to the overall monetary

savings.

The key to this idea of marketing to GreenCommunities is to recognize that the goal is

to improve well-being, and by doing so the

message is personalized. Well-being is defined

by Merriam-Webster as the state of being

happy, healthy or prosperous. Roland

Sanglap, a Sustainability Consultant and

Green Policy Expert, is a major proponent for

this kind of approach when marketing to

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towns within Massachusetts that want to or

are in the process of becoming designated

Green Communities. He explained that

towns and cities that want to become

designated Green Communities have local

governments. These local governments are

still held accountable for their decisions and

actions by the citizens and constituents

who may or may not be fully assigned

with the goals and vision of the Green

Communities Act that their respective town

leaders have applied to be a part of on

their behalf.

How can the entire community be

influenced to change? According to Roland

Sanglap, not having a clear and concise

message, coupled with a non-existentcomprehensive educational initiative, will

make it a lot more difficult for a town or city

to convince the residents that it is worth

the effort and cost to become a designated

Green Community. Sanglap explained,

Initially, town or city officials will look at

the intrinsic value of being a designated

Green Community in areas such as return of

investment by way of grants, job creation, and

so on, in which success can be measured by

the amount received and the numbers

created. If the figures fall short of

expectations, then the aforementioned return

of green investment will not resonate well

with the local residents.

Asymmetrical benefits, he says, such

as a sense of collective well-being, can be

initiated by creating communal green

beautification projects that will create green

curb appeal, civic amenity and revitalize a

once moribund section of a town. Hopefully,

this will attract new businesses and restaurants

that residents can walk or bike to andenjoy a good time in a healthy and relatively

safe manner. Sanglap explained that

a pedestrian friendly environment that has

businesses and activities that are family

oriented, and that creates a positive personal

experience for the individual but also

happens to be green and sustainable in its

design and intent, is the type of return of

green investment that resonates well with

the local citizenry.

In terms of marketing, effectively

positioning a product or service is very

centered on the expected consumer response.

Consumers can be driven to pursue healthier

and sustainable options once they are able

to witness similar asymmetrical benefits in

their quality of life. An accessible downtown

area, for example, will attract people to

walk to nearby locations and will in turn

make a transformative effect on the buying

decisions and interests of community

members. Once people are able to integrate

this sense of change as a chance for improved

well-being, they will be more likely to

continue the search for similar kinds ofchanges. The overall concept of the water

bottle illustration applies here; within

a larger scale marketing project, as in the one

described by Sanglap, the promotion of

green projects or goals to a community of

people involves presenting these ideas to

residents as solutions to recognized problems.

On a smaller scale, people can become

interested in green and sustainable products

once they are able to see how their overall

well-being can improve. This is how being

green adds value to a product.

MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONSIncorporating sustainable objectives into

a business platform has been regarded as

necessary and beneficial to competitiveness

and brand image (Ristovska, 2010). It has

been discovered that adopting green methods

should go beyond just practice; it should

become part of the overall ethical framework

of an organization (Ristovska, 2010).CSR efforts that are green focused can

take advantage of this by using green

philanthropy as an overall CRM tool, which

can help consumers to recognize these efforts

as their overall organizational identity (Liu

and Ko, 2011). CRM can be applied to

advertisements through joint promotions that

engage the consumer through information;


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this allows the consumer to become more

emotionally involved, and able to identify

the organization in terms of their CSR

efforts (Liu and Ko, 2011). It was found that

marketers should not assume that the

consumer already has the information;

green advertisements are to be based on

sharing necessary information, to educate

the consumer through mixed media and

deliver a positive message (Kinoti, 2011).

The process of green-washing involves

falsely advertising a product or a business

effort as being green and sustainable in

order to capitalize on its effectiveness on the

market; this should be avoided and all green

business methods should be concrete and

consistent (Ahonen et al, 2001).Many American companies have adopted

green and sustainable practices and have

not only shown market success but have

also taken significant roles in the progress of

green developments in the country (Unruh

and Ettenson, 2010). Among participating

organizations have been Apple, Starbucks,

Chiquita and Wal-Mart (Unruh and

Ettenson, 2010). These and other companies

have taken part in paving the way for

energy efficiency and more sustainable

business practices (Unruh and Ettenson,

2010).

It will be beneficial presently and in

future developments for marketing teams

to take the time to understand the green

consumer; their unique set of beliefs and

values makes their micro culture one

worthy of analysis. By considering the

implementation of green and sustainable

business methods, marketers can better gauge

how to respond to this group of consumers

and have progress in developing moreinvolved, long-term customer relationships.

CONCLUSIONA great deal of evidence supports the fact

that green and sustainable decisions within

our economy would provide energy

efficiency, jobs and overall quality of life.

There are many skeptics of this approach

to economics, and marketers must in turn

recognize that even in communities that

have adopted green policies, there will be

consumers with varying interests. Businesses

wishing to contribute to this exchange of

green initiatives within communities must

understand that when marketing they should

appeal to the consumers need for quality

of life and well-being. This personalized

approach will be more influential to the

mass market, by taking advantage of the

intrinsic value of greener solutions to

form asymmetrical benefits within the

community.

Overall, these asymmetrical benefits take

shape from the implementation of renewablesources of energy such as solar and wind

power, along with smarter and cleaner ideas

within the community such as foot paths

and LEED certified building projects.

John T. Harding quoted from the UNEP

Green Economy Report in February 2011:

These changes require a fundamental

rethinking of our approach to the

economyy There is a growing

recognition that the natural environment

forms the basis of our physical assets andmust be managed as a source of growth,

prosperity, and well-being.

Every resident within a community of

consumers, whether they support green

initiatives or not, can respond to an

asymmetrical benefit such as cleaner

waterfronts and walking areas within their

town; these come along with the savings of

smaller energy costs. It seems that this

approach can be very effective in encouraging

people to make smarter changes. Once theconsumer recognizes the implications of

the change to their personal well-being,

they will be more willing and responsive

to all of the additional environmental

benefits, and will be more open to the

intrinsic value of green products and services.

Modern environmentalism in America has

led to the emergence of the new consumer

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microculture known as the green consumer.

The green consumer may not be found

within any particular socioeconomic group;

they are among all age groups, income levels

and education levels, and show to be most

prevalent among people under the age of 35

(Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011). Green

consumers share a set of strongly held values

and beliefs that are built on environmental

concerns, social altruism and self-

improvement (Jansson et al, 2010). These

values and beliefs are held together by a PCE

that implies the consumer is expecting to

somehow have a positive impact on society;

along with this is AR that is taken on by the

consumer, allowing the individual to

recognize the needs of the entire community,in addition to the needs of themselves

(Jansson et al, 2010).

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