Wednesday, June 30, 2010

G20 Protestors: A Few Bad Apples

In case you are living under a rock, this past weekend in Toronto was the G20 Summit. I fortunately decided to head up north of the city and am so glad I did.

As a Torontonian (and not a native one I must add, I am proudly a westerner) I was disgusted on the actions of a few bad apples.


Many videos are circulating on YouTube, but here is a taste of the criminal actions of a few bad protestors:


                                    
The destruction and media attention that arose from these actions clouded the voices and messages of the 'real' protestors. Poverty and climate change were two important issues not addressed at the G20.


Unfortunately, the peaceful protestors lost an opportunity to communicate their important messages. Why does it always seem to be that a few bad apples ruin it for the rest of us?

Sunday, June 13, 2010

The Sad State of Greenwashing

After researching an article for Green Living, I've come to the sad conclusion that companies make it very difficult for us to purchase products that are truly green.


The startling statistic of 98 per cent of products have committed at least one sin of greenwashing is absolutely frightening.

But nonetheless, as consumers we need to demand that products and companies who claim to be green are in fact green. If we don't learn to avoid greenwashing, then we are allowing the true environmentally friendly products to not take full advantage in the marketplace.

How Do I Avoid Greenwashing?


I'm still a learner in this process, but one of the best resources I have come across is Ecologo.


It has an interactive site that you can actually look up products that have been certified as truly green. So, why not avoid the confusion at the grocery store? Look up your product before you go, and if it's not in the store, then demand for it.

We need to start exercising our power as consumers. You can vote for the planet every time you make the right purchase.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Social Media as a Powerful Tool for ENGOs

If you're thinking social media is just a fad, think again.

It is currently and will continue to shape how organizations communicate with its stakeholders. People everywhere are talking about your organization right now on all sorts of places, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, blogs or forums.

What I find most exciting about the use of social media is how it can be used by ENGOs. It can be one of the most powerful tools for grassroots campaigns and to increase public awareness all over the globe.

Take the recent Greenpeace campaign against Nestle.

A shocking and very creative commercial went viral on YouTube. But not only did it increase awareness of Nestle's unsustainable harvesting practices of palm oil in rainforests, but it caused so much outcry on their Facebook fan page.

From such negative press and high pressure from the public, especially on Facebook, Nestle has agreed to step up and practice sustainable palm oil harvesting.

Way to go Greenpeace! And thanks to all of the people who proved how social media can truly change the world.

Watch the video that got the movement started:

Monday, June 7, 2010

Half full or half empty?

Would I buy everything environmentally friendly if I could? You bet I would.

In a perfect world, I would be shopping at my local farmer's market every week, buying the best organic skin and beauty products and all my clothes would be made from bamboo.


This is a beautiful bamboo shirt from Sworn Virgins that I absolutely love.


But, like most people these days, my finances are strained and I am on a tight budget. This means that I unfortunately cannot buy the best environmentally friendly products always. Price point ends up as being priority number one too often.

Which begs the question, is there a point if I am not always doing the right thing? Are we not making a difference if we aren't always on our green game? In other words, is the glass half full or half empty in the green world?



This question came across my mind when recently visiting a beauty store. They do have an organic line of skin care products, which are in fact great green products. They are certified by ECOCERT, a third-party organization that certifies organic beauty products.

I unfortunately, could maybe afford one or two of these products at most. Not because they are ridiculously expensive, but because I am simply cheap!



And what about products that only have some organic ingredients. Is it better to have a product with something good, rather than nothing?

Similarly, when I go grocery shopping, I do buy some organic foods. These comprise of mostly fruits and vegetables of the skins you would actually eat (think potatoes, apples, berries, lettuce). But do I buy non-organic foods? Yes. Do I buy non-local foods? Yes. So am I being a green hypocrite?

Perhaps these are my confessions on my failings as a green twenty-something. And maybe I like to save my own confidence and tell myself, well....it's better to take small steps than not to do anything at all.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

In PR 2.0....

PR does not equal publicist or spin doctor.

Media relations isn't just about newspapers and reporters. It takes advantage of niche markets and utilizes blogger relations and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Activists and organizations work together for mutual satisfaction.

Companies are actually seen as human beings and personal!

Companies engage and actually listen to their customers.

It's no longer a company shouting at the public, but in fact, asking them: what should we do?

It pays off to be transparent, responsible and honest. And yes, I do mean ROI!

Companies treat all stakeholders with respect and feedback. This most certainly includes employee relations!

...PR 2.0 is exactly where I want to be.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Future of HumberPR

The importance to any PR professional is network, network, network...

The 70 people in my PR program at Humber College are one of the key ways to start a great career in PR. Check us out at #HumberPR.

Over the past four months, we have had to dive into the world of social media. Although tough at first, it's opened a new world of networking.


My Key Learnings
For those just entering the PR field, or about to head off to a great PR program like the one at Humber, make sure you get on social media fast! You don't need to be on every social media platform that exists, but definitely get comfortable with it.

I am now a huge fan of Twitter. It's allowed me to search out other green individuals and follow important users who add value to the conversation. Follow me @greenjenschultz.



At the end of the day, offline is just as important as online. Planning events are important to strengthen relationships. With summer on its way, we're going to be wine tasting, rafting and playing some baseball outdoors. It's all about Work Hard, Play Hard.



Nonetheless, it's amazing what only 70 people can do. We made #Futurecamp a trending topic on April 28, 2010.

Follow some amazing PR people: @shelleyburgyone @h_farb @LaurenAramsay @jennastothers and @zacksandorkerr

Want more on #Futurecamp? Check out Pizza Friday

Sunday, April 18, 2010

My Interview with Clara Hughes

About a week ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of Canada's top athletes: Clara Hughes.



She is an incredibly inspiring, sweet and down-to-earth celebrity.

So many people get caught up in the celebrity world. I am not usually one of them, but I can tell you that I absolutely love discovering when celebrities use their fame and power for the greater good.

In Clara's case, she is highly active in organizations such as Right to Play and Take a Hike Foundation. She's most interested in impacting youth and these two amazing organizations are a perfect fit for Clara.




What surprised me the most about her was her green lifestyle. It's always interesting to see what kinds of things celebrities do to help protect the earth and lighten their environmental impact.

For Clara, she loves to eat organic food. As an athlete, this is incredibly important to stay healthy, but has the extra benefit of being environmentally friendly.

She also looks to other athletes to help her stay green. Kristina Groves is one of Clara's mentors and gives her tons of eco books to read and stay active. Ecoholic is one such great read(I highly recommend it too!).



Amazing enough, I will get to meet Clara in person. She'll be one of the main stage features at this year's Green Living Show being held in Toronto.

Check out my blog post that was featured this week on the Green Living Magazine website.