Going Green with Environmental Public Relations

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Companies and organizations in the environmental sector need to proceed with caution in developing green tactics. All efforts need to be honest, upfront and beneficial to the surroundings. That being said, do not be so overly cautious that you are afraid to back up your tactics. Not being bold will guarantee that your competitors will surpass you by coming up with their own green tactics. In developing green tactics, consider your audience and what will best speak to them. As a player in the environmental sector, it is able to be worthwhile to research what others are doing in environmental public relations efforts. It is easy to build off of your competitors or use their efforts as a baseline for coming up together with your own green tactics. Make sure that each green tactic goes back to your green initiative. If it is going to take more energy and resources than give back, you could consider a different option. Also, align your green initiative together with your company or university. It would be confusing to the public to see a company that is committed to developing energy saving light bulbs, holding community events to save the whales. Both green initiatives are principal and worthwhile, but it makes more sense to hold a community event that benefits an energy renewal university.

Going green started out as trend and has transitioned to a motion. For environmental public relations, this means that every effort is being watched. Most consumers accept going green efforts to be honest, but that does not mean they are not acutely aware of those trying to take advantage and capitalize on the green motion. Greenwashing is the deceptive use of green public relations or green marketing to promote the perception that a company's policies or products are environmentally friendly when they are actually not. New York environmentalist Jay Westerveld coined the term to describe hotels promoting the reuse of towels as green when it was merely an attempt and diminish costs. Similarly, the term the green sheen is used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the surroundings. Clearly there is a fine line when it comes to green public relations efforts and for environmental public relations, this is even more valid.

When considering all the possibilities of green tactics, point of interest on being true to your businesses green initiatives. Going green need to not involve an ulterior motive. Environmental public relations is best received from businesses and organizations that are sincerely committed to going green.