To be sustainable a business must also be profitable. Readers of The Green Market know that I am an earnest advocate of viable socially responsible business. This philosophy is put into practice in my firm's Green consulting projects with the small business community. Implicit in this philosophy is the marriage of market forces and social responsibility.This is not a new idea. Almost half a century ago David Rockefeller, the president of Chase Manhattan Bank, said, "The old concept that the owner of a business had a right to use his property as a he pleased to maximize profits has evolved into the belief that ownership carries certain binding social obligations." In recent years Microsoft's Bill Gates has joined the ranks of a growing number of people who share this view. For the past 20 years, Microsoft has used corporate philanthropy as a way to bring technology to people who don't...

Mobile devices represent an important new marketing channel. Increasing mobile penetration worldwide has led many in the marketing industry to believe that 2008 is the year of the mobile. According to a Cisco study mobile devices are quickly joining physical stores, websites and catalogs as an important fourth channel for retail growth.According to Don Knox, global vice president at ad:tech Expositions, “Mobile continues to pique the interest of marketers and advertisers as it matures and the devices mature in the U.S...marketers are seeing the benefits of relying on mobile to reach consumers...Everyone seems to sense that we’re on the verge of a big breakthrough in mobile, as consumers are stepping away from their PCs and relying on these mobile devices more and more, and in that sense, it’s a logical extension of today’s marketing plans...Marketing is no longer just traditional or interactive, but rather marketing is encompassing both worlds...And as...

Green science is very important to anyone who seeks to employ sustainable business practices. Although rarely explicitly communicated in an effective marketing message, scientific evidence must implicitly support Green marketing claims. By definition scientific investigation means that conclusions will always be subject to review. Therefore it is incumbent upon sustainable businesses owners to continually reevaluate their Green promises.Atmospheric sciences, environmental chemistry, ecology, and geosciences have all contributed to the large and growing body of evidence. Taken as a whole the results confirm climate change, reductions in biodiversity, diminished water quality, soil contamination, resource depletion, and air pollution.Those who try to dismiss the plethora of data ignore the facts. There are those who have funded environmental research as a stall tactic. Others argue that such things as climate change are part of a normal process citing the fact that we have experienced periods of global warming (and cooling) in the past....

Green is no longer the exclusive domain of liberal intellectuals or the politically correct. Where other brands need to create an experience, the essence of a Green brand is already widely engrained in the popular imagination.Green’s mass appeal has caused more than a few observers to make religious comparisons. This comparison is not without merit. Green’s popularity is at least partially attributable to the fact that it is seamlessly compatible with the teachings of most religions. In the east, religious traditions like Taoism emphasize harmony and balance. Veneration of the natural world is at the heart of Shinto. Traditional Aboriginal cultures are emphatic about the importance of their relationship to the earth and its creatures. As one Australian Aboriginal writer explained, “Our spirituality is a oneness and an interconnectedness with all that lives and breathes, even with all that does not live or breathe.”Buddhism offers an inherently Green philosophy. “Caring...

Green’s coming of age is the overriding theme of our times. Green is huge and growing. This is illustrated by the fact that Green received $5.18 billion in venture capital funding in 2007. With $41 billion in assets, collaborations like the Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN) demonstrate that investors are serious about Green.In her book Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation, Jacquelyn A. Ottman says “Marketers that take the time now to court the deepest green consumers with truly innovative solutions to environmental concerns will be the ones who reap the biggest future opportunities… Look at those businesses at the forefront of the green trend and see a deeper characteristic than just greened-up products or ads that makes them at once environmental and societal leaders as well as profitable: green leaders are driven by more than short-term financial goals. They are motivated by a double bottom line, a bottom line that...