ecoAmerica/Blog

350.org Shows the Path to Climate Solutions

Last Thursday saw the release of a new Pew survey on public attitudes toward climate that revealed some hard news: only 57% of respondents think that there is solid evidence that the Earth is getting warmer (vs. 71% in April 2008).  Robert Perkowitz, President of ecoAmerica, discusses this trend, how organizations like 350.org are challenging that trend, and why other organizations and companies need to pick up the pace.

The ecoAmerica/blog

As you can see, we have refreshed the look and layout of the ecoAmerica blog.  The revamp will make it easier for you to find compelling information and effective ideas to inform your marketing initiatives.  Take a look around, read some posts, bookmark it and come back frequently, because we post daily.  We hope that you will find this blog to be your comprehensive source for green consumer research and marketing. 

If you have any feedback about the new look, the blog in general, or just want to introduce yourself, please leave it in the comments - we hope to be a part of a conversation.

Thanks,
The ecoAmerica Team

Higher Education Moves Toward Sustainability

At ecoAmerica, we designed several programs aimed at the higher education audience.  Our hope was that by starting with people and focusing on opportunities and benefits, that we would catalyze a transformation of the higher education sector.  Forbes recently released its report on America's Greenest Collegest, acknowledging the sector's momentum and using two ecoAmerica programs as criteria: the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment and The Princeton Review's Green Rating.

The Princeton Review Gives 697 Colleges 'Green' Ratings In New 2010 Editions of Its Annual College Guides and Website Profiles of Schools

This week, The Princeton Review announced the second annual College Green Ratings, which we helped them launch last year. We are thrilled to see that number of schools participating in the survey increased by 30% (697 this year vs. 534 last year), representing another positive metric.  ecoAmerica partnered with the Princeton Review, known for its test-prep courses, books and website resources helping students choose and get in to colleges, to develop the Green Rating which measures the environmental practices most relevant to students and parents in the college selection process.

What's Next for ecoAmerica

This month marks two important milestones for ecoAmerica relating to our first generation of higher education programs.  Looking forward, we're just as excited about the new programs that are following in their footsteps.

Beyond Words

  “If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success.”       Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC)

“One of the most essential roles of the ecologist is to create the language in which a true sense of reality, of value, and of progress can be communicated to society.”      Thomas Berry   (1914 - 2009)

ecoAmerica’s most recent climate communications research, Climate and Energy Truths: Making the Necessary Connections has been featured in media ranging from The New York Times and The LA Times to Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the Wall Street Journal.   The coverage was unintentional – notes on the research were accidentally leaked to the media by a participant in a private briefing – and the ensuing reporting and commentary was based on incomplete, sometimes deliberately misconstrued interpretations of those notes. 

Speaking with Americans about Energy and Climate: From the Think Tank to the Kitchen Table

Our partners on the Climate + Energy Truths: Making the Necessary Connections report, Drew Westen and Celinda Lake, wrote an OpEd for the Huffington Post that provides more context for the research and describes how this report can help bridge the gap in public support for climate legislation.

Nature Rocks: Happier, healthier, smarter children and families

We know that playing outside has always been one of the most important and fun parts of growing up.  This generation of kids, however, is spending less time outdoors than ever even though research indicates that children who play in nature are happier, healthier and smarter. 90% of Americans believe that children should spend more time outside – this is by far the broadest point of consensus among Americans about nature and the environment.  We are bridging that gap through Nature Rocks, launched nationally May 26, 2009.

The Rebranding of Environmentalism

  It’s been quite a while, maybe forever, since environmentalists were able to lead the charge for economic prosperity and national security.  We’re usually associated with saving natural places, flora and fauna, and with stopping pollution and human health.  Now however, in support of solutions to climate change…

Climate Truths: An Evaluation

With climate at the forefront of American politics, ecoAmerica's "Climate Truths: Making the Necessary Connections" has received extensive media coverage in outlets ranging from the New York Times and The Huffington Post to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.  Most of the reporting has been done based on the original New York Times article, and the findings have been twisted to suit the authors' perspectives.   In this article on the Huffington Post, George Lakoff, Author and Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at UC Berkeley, discusses "Climate Truths" with the benefit of both having the research in hand as well as the qualifications to provide an interesting analysis.