Green Energy Conference

Last week, nearly 150 senior level LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) leaders gathered for the first-ever Twin Cities conference.

As a leader in the category, and one of the first marketers in nation to begin working with this powerful psychographic, I couldn't have had more fun. While there are thousands of LOHASIAN businesses globally that represent this nearly $300 billion market segment, it's rare for those of us who work in the same region to connect. 

But it's events like these with a roster of like-minded, cause-oriented business leaders that spark ideas, bring forward new data and create a platform for new friendships. For me, it's like eating a heaping platter of soul food.

I was asked to host a lunchtime discussion on mindful marketing. (The Buddha advocated mindfulness as a spiritual practice in daily life to maintain calm.) In case you missed it, here's your chance to experience the process now:

!. Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths. Follow your breath. Notice how your belly expands. Feel the air flow through your nose. Notice any thoughts than arise. Don’t judge them. Just observe. Know you are not your thoughts.

2. Notice how when you breathe there is an equal exchange between the inhale and exhale. You breathe in oxygen. You breathe out carbon dioxide. This in turn is breathed in by trees, which give back oxygen.

3. The very act of breathing is sustainable. You receive as you breathe in. You give back as you exhale. It’s the same with mindful/LOHASIAN marketing.

When we create marketing that effects change in the world, we give. When we are rewarded with the results, we receive. So I ask you:

• How are you currently giving through your professional life? How are you receiving?
• How can you use mindfulness to give and receive more?

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.

 

If your company hosts a conference or annual meeting, take a break from Orlando, LA or NYC, invite colleagues to a green beach for a change of venue and change of heart. Resorts like Eco Tulum's Cabanas Copal.

On the Mexican Riviera and near stunning Mayan ruins, a venue like Copal may not have the amenities of a resort hotel—like electricity. But you might be surprised at the creativity starlit nights, brightened by torches or candles and accented with the gentle whisper of waves can inspire.

As the owner of a green marketing company and leader in social change communications, organic branding and the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer, I've launched countless green ad  and wellness campaigns. When you live and work in this category, it's not only important to walk your talk—it's vital. That's why I'm heading to Copal for my company retreat. And that's where i'll recharge—becoming one with my own source of renewable energy.


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.

A group of Minneapolis LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) leaders and I met last week regarding planning a first-ever LOHAS conference in our city. The idea, the brainchild of LOHAS Forum head, Ted Ning, is to bring the annual international conference held in Boulder, to a small number of targeted, LOHASIAN cities. 

Minneapolis and St. Paul are not only creative hotbeds, they are home to a large community of progressive, change-agents who are passionate about making a difference in the world. Over dinner at Heartland, an amazing restaurant that serves local, sustainable and organic, we all shared the vision that as LOHAS leaders, it is far more powerful to grow the movement by encouraging businesses to take small steps toward sustainability now, rather than demanding 100% perfection before they are deemed "acceptable".

As the head of a green marketing agency that specializes in social change communication, organic branding and green energy marketing, I know that LOHAS is not about drawing a line in the sand. But about reaching out to all kinds of businesses and encouraging changes large and small. We live on a little blue planet. Each of us leaves a footprint. If we are to collectively lighten ours, sometimes we need to lighten up. The fact is, we can effect a lot more change by inviting it—not demanding it. 

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing

Can wellness marketing bring healing? When your message aligns it can.

That's definitely the case with our client Spring Forest Qigong. Their upcoming wellness conference is about awakening, healing and  empowering women. Our marketing effort is designed to inspire action, but also to create financial wellness that supports the organization. That's a win-win. A closed loop. The perfection of reciprocity. 

Like a breath—on our inhale, we breathe in oxygen. On the exhale we breathe out carbon dioxide. The CO2 is in turn absorbed by trees and transformed back into oxygen. The cycle begins again.

As a head of a green advertising agency near Minneapolis, it is such an honor to create marketing that is much about doing well as it is about doing good. Our organic industry work, social change communication, yoga studio marketing and passion for green energy effects change. And in times like these, change is good. 


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing



 

If you haven't checked out Al Gore's Confronting Climate Change message on Google Earth, do it now. 

As a leader in renewable energy marketing and green marketing, I know first-hand how the power of education can inspire change. This platform, activated in honor of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, is simple, informative and very cool. So invite Al and other climate change leaders into your home or office via Google Earth. Then take action now to reduce your CO2 emissions and support renewable energy.


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing. 

Over the weekend, a tiny island country off the coast of India galvanized global media attention about the urgency of climate change. How? They were incredibly smart. Strikingly unconventional. And spot-on with their message. 

According to the Associated Press, "Members of the Maldives' Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals Saturday at an underwater meeting staged to highlight the threat of global warming to the lowest-lying nation on earth."

Leveraging the upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, this tiny, relatively unknown country, is using the power of PR to take center stage as an advocate to stop climate change—our planet's most critical issue. You gotta love it. I do.

As the head of a green advertising agency with expertise in renewable energy marketing, I have long worked to educate and inspire action to fight climate change. Almost 15 years ago, I led efforts to create a national advertising campaign featuring TV, radio, direct response, events and guerilla marketing to educate millions about the reality about climate change while offering renewable energy options as part of the solution. Last summer, I partnered with MusicMatters in addition to recording artist Jack Johnson and his team to execute a carbon neutral world tour.

Fighting climate change is a personal and professional passion. I salute the leadership of the Maldives. They made a point. They made it fun. And their message is being heard around the world. 


Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director of firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.

I just learned that a Midwestern city in the midst of severe financial crisis is planning to build a model green home on spec. Unlike similar homes that have been built and marketed in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, this home will be built in an economically distressed neighborhood.

The message? A green lifestyle isn't just for those with fat bank accounts, green living today means dramatically improved energy efficiency—which brings cost savings conventional homes can't touch. As the owner of a green advertising agency and an expert in green communications, green marketing strategy, LOHAS marketing and eco promotions, I believe this city's messaging is right on track. 

I've spent much of my career marketing and creating messaging strategies around renewable energy. Over the years, I've attended many green energy conferences and the technological advances and market applications have been absolutely stunning. Consumers have traditionally had to pay a stiff premium for most energy-saving and planet-friendly products. And while today the cost is still higher, the gap is slowly narrowing. What's better still is that green living is not only saving consumers money, those who are generating their own power are actually making more green.  

Lisa Proctor is the president and creative director for firefly180 marketing—a branding and advertising agency that specializes in LOHAS marketing, wellness marketing, green marketing and renewable energy marketing.

In today's edition of Environmental Leader about McDonald's creating prototypes for green restaurants, the issue states:

"...The restaurant is treating the 10 locations as “learning laboratories,” said McDonald’s Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Bob Langert, in a Q&A with DailyFinance. One of the green prototype stores, in the Chicago area, uses 25 percent less energy than similar locations. Energy savings and waste reduction are central to McDonald’s corporate social responsibility strategy, Langert said. Globally, the restaurant consumes $1.7 billion annually in energy and it spends another $1.3 billion handling its waste. McDonald’s has more than 31,000 locations worldwide..."

Does this new effort amount to greenwashing? Or a super-sized step forward? While it may be too early to tell, as an expert in natural advertising, organic advertising, organic promotion and LOHAS marketing, I've worked on many leading-edge advertising strategies and attended more than a few green energy conferences. 

When a company the size of McDonald's initiates a move in a more sustainable direction, the outcome can only be good. While the franchise is far from perfect and their desire to reduce waste and energy consumption is all about increasing their bottom line—what's wrong with that?

The beauty of green and sustainable marketing is that doing what's right is generally rewarded with doing well. Who knows? Maybe a McOrganic menu is right around the corner. I would be lovin' that!

 

I was just invited to be a college guest lecturer for a promotional writing course. As an expert in the categories of wellness promotion, green advertising, green energy marketing, wellness marketing and LOHAS marketing, I have been honored to build strategy and create campaigns for many wellness companies and progressive businesses. I love sharing my experience with students.

In 1990, when I launched one of the nation's first green advertising agencies, my area of specialization was seen as a bit of a curiosity. But times have changed. Dramatically. Businesses understand the power of great creative, but even more they understand that millions of consumers are passionate about buying from brands that align with their values. In addition, interest in renewable energy has brought about incredible technological innovation, an expanding sustainable energy market and a host of green energy conferences.

I've found that today more and more students are looking for careers that not only provide an income, but that feed their soul and contribute to the greater good. I applaud that passion. Because this is exactly the path to finding a job you love so much you can't believe you get paid.

 

Green Energy Conferences are springing up across the country. Everywhere there is talk of shifting to green energy jobs. This quantum shift couldn't have come soon enough. When it comes to saving jobs and saving the planet, there is no paradox. Business and nature can indeed not only co-exist, they can—and should, thrive.

During my career in social change communication, wellness promotion and wellness marketing, I have had the honor to be among the voices that have fueled this movement. During the 1990s as one of the lead creatives on the Green Mountain Energy brand, our team flooded the east and west coasts with messaging about the power of consumer choice. I shot TV spots featuring our spokesperson Kenny Loggins in the redwoods. And Kenny and I recorded dozens more provocative and powerful radio spots that spoke to the reality of climate change and what each of us could do to fight it.

At the time, few energy companies had the guts to be part of the solution—but Green Mountain Energy, then a funky little Vermont-based company, had the passion and the guts to take on one of the most polluting businesses on the planet. The founder of the company, Kevin Hartley, called our team a ragtag band of eco-warriors. Amazing what a small group of social and environmental change agents can do.

When I worked as a lead creative on a national advertising and marketing campaign for a company called Green Mountain Energy, I attended many green energy conferences. A decade ago the concept of clean energy was new. Education then, as it is now is key to change. Our agency created that change by crafting a campaign rich in eco communication and wellness marketing with a message that spoke to personal and environmental change.

We grew this tiny Vermont-based company from zero to 500,000 customers is just a few years. How? By harnessing the power of consumer choice and educating millions about the fact that making electricity causes more air pollution than any other industry—not to mention climate change. Knowledge is power. And in the case of renewable energy, the color of knowledge is green.