Boomerang

For over eight hours, a few hundred communications professionals minimized the use of their Blackberries and cell phones to focus on one topic: the environment. PR Week’s Target Green event, held at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel on May 10, was a great success. The majority of top PR firms, along with many Bay Area and national companies, were in attendance. Just a few years ago this event would have been a much harder sell — but now, people were flying in from England and China to attend. More importantly, the event was a solid indicator that the environmental movement is no longer on the fringes of society. Given the breadth of topics covered – from fuel cells to fisheries; from green products to green brands – it was clear that Green has gone (or at least is in the process of going) mainstream.

Although the event was very positive, there was still room for improvement. For decades, the environmental movement has been driven by grassroots organizations that challenged the mainstream. High-profile organizations like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, as well as smaller groups like the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, have played a critical part in getting us to where we are today. Unfortunately, their voices were conspicuously absent at Target Green. The panels would have been a lot more interesting had they included, or been moderated by, some of these players. In fact, a panel that focused on the communications challenges of these organizations would have been extremely interesting and informative.

I used to wonder why grassroots environmentalists found it so easy to criticize large companies that did anything environmentally positive; but I think I get it now. It would be so easy for corporate America to completely co-opt the Green movement – ultimately making it nothing more than a marketing gimmick – that the grassroots voice, one not motivated by profit, is needed to keep things in check.

I’m certainly not saying it’s bad that corporate America is interested in being Green; quite the opposite, it’s great! Today an increasing number of companies are striving to create more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly products; and that benefits us all. But the opportunity to loosely use the term “Green” in the same way some loosely use the term “Organic” is dangerous. One way we can keep this from happening is to make sure the people who dedicated their lives to this cause don’t become marginalized simply because the movement has grown in popularity. This is one area that will always benefit from people outside the mainstream pushing us to do more.

If there is a second Target Green, I’d love to see this perspective included.

Before I sound too negative, I should say I walked away from Target Green feeling very positive. I hope PR Week holds more of these events. Things have changed significantly over the last few years. So many businesses now look at the environmental movement and see an opportunity. That’s great! Best of all, we’re part of an industry that has the ability to play a major role in making a difference in the future of our planet. That’s powerful stuff. I can only hope we never forget there’s more than profit at stake.