NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Are marketing and media giants ignoring the fact that their primary communications channels are based on environmentally "toxic" pixels? And are some of these companies engaging in "tree washing" or "gray washing" as well as "green washing?" These intriguing issues were at the center of this week's Sustainable Media Climate Symposium in Manhattan. Don Carli, director of the Institute for Sustainable Communication, enlightened many by quantifying how the carbon footprint of electric-powered digital media is nearly as large and environmentally onerous as that of the notorious paper-making industry.

Opportunities and Risks in the New Green Marketing Rules

Whether you are a marketing professional, an advertising professional, a public relations professional, or a consumer, there are changes in the regulatory climate that you need to be aware of.

Sometimes it is difficult to determine if brands are responding to consumer demand, or trying to create it. The market has been awash in various "environmentally-friendly" product choices across every category from cars to laundry detergents to wrist-watches. The green marketing messages accompanying these products have promised and championed everything from sustainable farming techniques, minimal or zero carbon footprints and cradle-to-cradle recycling.

Read More

Is Digital Media Worse for the Environment Than Print?

If you thought you were saving forests and protecting the environment by going paperless...think again

Public opinion polls show that concern about the environment rises and falls based on the state of the economy and other factors, but concern about the negative impacts associated with using paper and printing continues to rise. Nothing captures the essence of these feelings more vividly than the signature line appearing at the foot of more and more emails: "Please consider the environment before printing this email."

Read More