Original Article

Marketing to green communities: How to successfully reach the green consumer

Received (in revised form): 16th November 2012

Kelly E. Noonan
is an honors graduate of the Bertolon School of Business at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. With a focus in cultural and environmental policy, Kellys research interests are sustainable development and how it applies to marketing and business practices. Kelly volunteers her time as marketing coordinator for a green community action committee, and works as the marketing and communications coordinator for the Boston ofce of Verdant Focus.

Linda Jane Coleman

is a Professor of Marketing in the Marketing and Decision Sciences Department at the Bertolon School of Business at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a Master of Science degree in Management from Virginia Commonwealth University and Postgraduate work in the area of Marketing and Organizational Behavior at the University of Baltimore and the University of Maryland. She has published numerous articles in a variety of journals and proceedings and has presented papers nationally and internationally. Her research interests include green marketing, social media, health marketing and interdisciplinary education. Correspondence: Linda Jane Coleman, Marketing and Decision Sciences Department, Bertolon School of Business, Salem State University, Salem, MA 01970, USA.

ABSTRACT This article explores the economic shift in the United States toward sustainability. Also this article explores the concepts of Green Marketing, specically within the context of marketing to green communities and identies the need for marketers to shift strategies as green communities are being built across the United States. Lastly, this article discusses green business methods and advertising techniques that have proven to be successful for multiple organizations in the United States. Journal of Marketing Analytics (2013) 1, 1831. doi:10.1057/jma.2012.2 Keywords: green marketing; sustainability; green economics; global economy; sustainable business methods; green advertising.

INTRODUCTION
Many skeptics are opposed to green and sustainable solutions. Can these changes be sustained within our economy? How can marketers be directed toward incorporating new strategies aligned with sustainable practices that can benet from understanding the mass market consumers need for quality of life and well-being? In order to match the changes of the shifting economy and be more efcient while having a smaller impact on worldwide pollution, there needs to be

identication of the reason for sustainable and green practices addressing why businesses must reevaluate their internal and external procedures. Our economy today is facing a wide-range of problems. Four of those problems, which have been long-term issues, sought after by economists and activists alike are: global climate change, ecological scarcity, energy insecurity and world poverty (Barbier, 2011). Barbier (2011) wrote in the European Financial Review article titled A Global Green

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Marketing to green communities

Recovery and the Lessons of History that, in terms of global economics, we are on the verge of a new era, the Age of Ecological Scarcity. It will also mean instigating institutional changes, creating global carbon and environmental markets, and implementing new policies to foster a new era of sustainable economic development. Today, in the American consumer culture, it is difcult to recognize the term green, without associating many commonly understood synonyms. Many Americans now associate themselves with green-related ideas that could include actions ranging from recycling regularly to making use of reusable shopping bags. Americans are now changing their behaviors, but what are the motivations behind their shifting decisions? The term green has been widely used in recent years to describe general efforts that are related to environmental protection, efciency and sustainability. Environmentalism in the US dates back to the nineteenth century with George Catlins proposition to start National Wildlife Conservations; however, in the 1960s, once environmentalism became a more public concern, the National Environmental Policy Act was passed in 1969 and modern environmentalism was established that led to many environmental campaigns (Kinoti, 2011). The rst internationally recognized Earth Day was held in 1970, and environmentally related issues have continued to be the focus of many local, national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) (Kinoti, 2011). The term sustainable, when used in recent news, is often made synonymous with the term green. Green development and green economics essentially are the believers answer to those four previously mentioned major global problems. Thinking green goes beyond simply recycling and reusing products; the greening of society involves

making smarter, healthier, cleaner and more efcient decisions in all aspects of our economy. Ecological Scarcity, as mentioned by Edward B. Barbier, is the very denition of economics: we must understand how to meet our societal needs when the resources are limited, or scarce. We are now at the turning point where it is necessary to make smarter decisions. Concerns about the environment are ever increasing throughout the world (Chang, 2011). The United States, East Asia and Europe polls have indicated an environmental awareness on the rise throughout the 2000s (Saad, 2007; Eurobarometer, 2008; Xinhua News Agency, 2008). However, most consumers share common concerns about environmental issues, but there is a lagging between green behavior and concerns (Chang, 2011). Environmentally focused issues include the preservation and protection of the earths natural environment and all of its wildlife and species. In order to promote this conservation, technological advancements, such as solar and wind energy, have been developed as alternative solutions to longterm problems such as waste and pollution. Environmental issues today include concerns related to global warming, depletion of natural resources, industrial air pollution and water pollution, hazardous waste and landlls (Kinoti, 2011). The overall spectrum of thought related to solving such problems has been widely recognized in recent years as green, and has become an important concept not just in the areas of science and technology, but also in the business and marketing sectors. American businesses, on both small and corporate levels, have made choices to become more energy efcient and sustainable, and these choices have benetted production both in costeffective and socially responsible ways. American and international companies are now aware of the need to adopt sustainable development into their overall

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business strategies (Preuss and Dawson, 2009). Euromonitor International (2011), a market research rm that provides business intelligence reports, identied this concept as one of the Biggest Global Trends Inuencing Consumer Markets. In a June 2011 article it was noted that green recovery methods will strongly inuence business environments and consumer markets of the future y Businesses can respond by adapting to climate change and embracing more efcient technologies and alternative energy sources. The ability to satisfy the growing global hunger for food and energy is one of the biggest challenges facing governments (Euromonitor International, 2011). Several states across the country have recognized this need to change and have adopted policy changes to become Green Communities. One-hundred-three Massachusetts cities and towns as of 2012 are designated Green Communities, which was made possible by the 2008 Green Communities Act (Mass.gov). A Green Community by denition is a municipality that actively utilizes more efcient energy alternatives (Mass.gov). This is done by the implementation of new clean technologies, in the form of projects such as solar panels on public buildings, and the use of efcient and affordable materials in the structure of these buildings, along with other projects such as modern sustainable retrotting of public vehicles. All of these efforts involve ways for a town to become more sustainable by lowering their energy costs, promoting renewable forms of energy and igniting divisions of the clean energy industry in areas where these changes could really improve the economy and enhance environmental benets (Mass.gov). As communities are shifting their concerns, consumerism is also shifting. The business sector is at a point where it is necessary to adapt to the changing consumer. This supports the countrys economic changes that are moving toward

the creation of Green Communities. This article will identify the growing amount of Green Communities in Massachusetts, and in other states by dening the green consumer; it will discuss whether our economy can support sustainability; and will address the various implications involved for business marketers to comply with these economic changes. The adoption of green initiatives in the United States has sparked a change in the buying behaviors of individual consumers. The newly established green consumer is buying with a unique set of intentions that are motivated by values and beliefs that stem from the environmental train of thought. Businesses today must recognize the shift in consumer behavior that is built by the green consumer, and marketing/ advertising efforts must effectively translate messages based on the green interest.

THE GREEN CONSUMER

In the American culture, the green consumer has emerged as a buyer with motivations and preferences that are aligned with environmentally conscious products and business efforts. According to a 2002 article published in Management Decision written by Moisander and Pesonen, in social marketing literature, green consumer behavior has traditionally been viewed as a form of ethically oriented consumer behavior that is motivated not only by consumers own personal needs, but also by their concern for the welfare of society in general. The green consumers buying behavior is one that is more socially conscious in its decisions, built from strong, ethically oriented, pro-environmental personal values and attitudes (Moisander and Pesonen, 2002). The green consumer considers whether the product they are purchasing will, in consumption, result in a positive or negative ecological consequence to the environment (Kim, 2011).

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Values and motivations

Values found to be the most inuential to individuals who take part in green consumerism are social-altruistic, biospheric and egoistic in nature (Jansson et al, 2010). There is a found consistency based on positive inuence in both the social-altruistic and biospheric motivations. Social altruism applies to the consumers intentions to make a positive impact of change within society, and the biospheric or environmental motivation relates similarly to the need to solve a regarded ecological problem ( Jansson et al, 2010). There is long-term consistency built from both of these areas because individuals will purchase with regard to these strongly held intentions. The egoistic motivation is found to have a more negative inuence by causing the consumer to be inconsistent in their purchase decisions based on whether the items perceived benet will exceed the cost at any given time (Jansson et al, 2010). Both collectivism and individualism have shown to have inuence over whether or not consumers show environmentally focused behavior (Kim, 2011). People who belong to cultures that are found to be more interdependent and group-oriented will show a more positive response to environmentally related concerns. These collectivist individuals are more group goal focused and are shown to conform to the needs of the overall group or society, thereby aspiring to such green concerns. The contrasting characteristics of individualistic cultures, showing an aversion to conformity and a preference to independence and personal needs, imply that these people would view green-related efforts as less important (Kim, 2011).

Demographics of the green-organic consumer

Many green consumers are motivated by the importance of improving their personal wellbeing, and included in this is individual

health. Health-conscious consumers have recognized the need to eliminate pesticides and other harmful chemicals from food, and choose to purchase organic food products. A 2010 Organic Trade Association industry survey found that organic food sales grew from US$1 billion in 1990 to $24.8 billion in 2009 (Regine, 2011). Consumers are now more driven by health-related concerns, and are increasingly interested in foods that are free of pesticides, and other health risks (Regine, 2011). According to a 2011 Thompson ReutersNational Public Radio (NPR) health poll given to approximately 3000 Americans, it was found that among people o35 years old, 62.8 per cent prefer eating organic foods. Out of people between the ages of 35 and 64, 60.6 per cent would eat organic, and among people over 65, only 44.8 per cent would choose organic (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011). This poll also revealed that among respondents who earned between $25 000 and $100 000 annually, the majority of people chose organic over non-organic, with $25 K$49.9 K being the greatest majority (61.2 per cent) (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011). Among respondents who were either high school graduates, people with some college coursework, or with college degrees, each chose organic over non-organic, with the majority being those who had degrees (63.5 per cent) (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011). The only group that did not choose organic in a majority vote was the group of people over the age of 65, which indicates that age may play a role in ascribing to organic foods. These results revealed that among these 3008 Americans, the majority of consumers, regardless of income or education, consider the benets of organic foods and prefer organic foods over non-organic options (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011).

Unique qualities
Along with showing higher levels of concern for environmental preservation issues (EC),

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green consumers are also recognized as showing perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) (Albayrak et al, 2011). According to Tahir Albayrak et al (2011), In addition to EC, those people who strongly believe that their environmentally sensitive behaviors may result in positive consequences or outcomes are more likely to engage in environmentally sensitive behaviors than others. PCE allows the motivation for purchase decisions to be more altruistically centered, having longterm impact on society at large (Albayrak et al, 2011). Related to this is the adoption of environmental concerns in the form of ascribed responsibility (AR) ( Jansson et al, 2010). Green consumers take on a degree of responsibility that is built on their socially conscious intentions to somehow solve a problem or make a positive impact on society, and this has been found to be consistent with green purchase decisions ( Jansson et al, 2010). Green consumers align themselves with a set of values and beliefs that are built on social and ecological improvement, and this element of inuence, as seen in PCE and AR, makes the green consumer microculture unique; the green consumers motivations go beyond meeting personal needs and are more focused on the needs of the community.

GREEN BUSINESS METHODS

Ristovska wrote in a 2010 article published in The International Business & Economics Research Journal that incorporating objectives of sustainable development into an organizations global management system, strongly contributes to its competitiveness and corporate and brand image. Businesses are recognizing the need to acquire more environmentally efcient technologies, and reduce waste and pollution, as the rise of the green consumer marks a shift in the pattern of consumer purchasing, away from products that are considered to be damaging to the environment and toward products that are sustainable (Ristovska, 2010). Jeff Immelt,

CEO of General Electric (GE), is quoted in the March 2012 Harvard Business Review article titled, Green Rules to Drive Innovation, as holding true to the fact that Green is green, proving that businesses across the board will receive signicant returns on their investments if they pursue more sustainable practices (Esty and Charnovitz, 2012). In addition to producing products that are streamlined to have a less damaging impact on the external environment, organizations can ultimately benet from a restructured system of internal practices that are more sustainable, including risk reduction, improved efciency and advanced innovation, all with a commitment to build intangible value (Esty and Charnovitz, 2012). According to Ristovska (2010), efforts in which businesses can become more green include product adaptation, technological advancements and business ethics. Ways in which a company can adapt their products include increasing durability, non-polluting attributes and incorporating recycled materials (Ristovska, 2010). Technology can be improved by minimizing environmental damage in the production process, by eliminating waste and pollution, and conserving energy (Ristovska, 2010). Ristovska (2010) makes note of the importance of environmental ethics by stating that selling green products or using green technologies is not sufcient by itself and truly green companies embrace environmental values. The overall business philosophy, as it is noted, will benet from the adoption of a green mission and efforts that are considered to be eco-philanthropic (Woolverton and Demitri, 2010). A successful way in which green ethics can be applied to corporate strategies is through corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. Gordon Liu and Wai-Wai Ko (2011) intimate on this subject: unlike pure corporate giving, where the corporate contribution is based on the altruistic impulse of the management and shareholders, who

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intend only to improve the welfare of the community, corporations launch the so-called strategic giving that treats CSR as an investment and calculates the returns for the company. Liu and Ko (2011) further explain that instead of CSR efforts being used only in the philanthropical sense, it can instead be integrated into cause-related marketing (CRM) tools to form the overall identity of the organization. CRM is an effective communications strategy for CSR in which it is found that vivid messages are preferred because they increase positive affective emotions and higher trust in the companys CSR initiatives (Choi and Ng, 2011).

Effectively translating through advertisements

The kinds of CRM activities mentioned by Liu and Ko (2011) include joint promotions (involving cooperation between the company and a specic environmental cause) that are focused on the content of the message in terms of information. Liu and Ko (2011) suggest that a joint effort will effectively increase emotional involvement by encouraging interest in the organizations ethical behavior. The key to these kinds of joint advertisements is to effectively engage the consumer so that they will notice, perceive, and respond to the CRM message (Liu and Ko, 2011). Not only will the consumer nd interest in the particular organization and their products, but they will also develop an idea of their image that they have positioned in terms of CSR activities, which can lead to successful branding (Liu and Ko, 2011). Liu and Ko (2011) further explain that the individual will feel highly involved if they nd relevance in the CRM advertising message. A study conducted by Sungchul Choi and Alex Ng (2011) that was revealed in their article titled Environmental and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability and Price Effects on Consumer Responses, adds to the understanding of the perceived

relationship between corporate responsibility and consumer evaluation. The rst point made in this study was that sustainability information has a signicantly positive impact on the evaluation of the company and purchase intent; the second point made was that a low level of environmental sustainability leads to stronger negative impact on consumer responses than the low level of economic sustainability; lastly, the third point made was that support for the sustainability domain interaction effect implies that consumers will evaluate a company more favorably if that company shares the consumers support orientations and policies for a specic sustainability domain (Choi and Ng, 2011). Mary Wanjiru Kinoti touches on the implementation of green strategies in promotions in her 2011 International Journal of Business & Social Science article, where she explained that according to Benerjee green promotions should: (a) explicitly or implicitly address the relation between a product/service and the biophysical environment; (b) promote a green lifestyle with or without highlighting a product/service; (c) present a corporate image of environmental responsibility. Kinoti (2011) notes that marketing teams should not assume that consumers are already aware of the environmental issues or actions they engage in and that promotions should be focused on relaying necessary information to every consumer. In addition, Kinoti (2011) explained several of Ottmans promotional strategies that adhere to green initiatives; among these are: (a) educate consumers on the environmental problems that a green product solves; (b) consider a suitable mix of media. For instance, environmental consumers are more receptive to messages conveyed through direct marketing, community programs, public relations and packaging.

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Green-washing in advertisements
Many organizations have made the decision to advertise their products or services as being green focused, when in actuality their production and organizational strategies are not at all environmentally aligned; this is known as green-washing (Ahonen et al, 2001). On the basis of the assumption that organizations will use advertisements to gain capital, it is detrimental for a business to only appear as though they are practicing green whey they really are not (Ahonen et al, 2001). Green consumers today are known to seek out information about products, and expect to nd that organizations are truly following green guidelines (Ahonen et al, 2001). The green consumer wants to know that the products they are buying are in line with the values that they aspire to, and if s/he nds out that they are not getting what is promised, they will regard the product(s) as undesirable (Ahonen et al, 2001). In the 2012 Harvard Business Review titled Green Rules to Drive Innovation, Daniel C. Esty and Steve Charnovitz (2012) intimate on the subject of how our government should be leading sustainable initiatives to guide all existing business practices. Their article lists 10 Energy and Environmental Policy Proposals; among these are two very key points: (i) broaden Americas portfolio of energy sources and set national goals for the ongoing expansion of domestic renewable power; (ii) address industry concerns about other countries use of environmental standard-setting practices as disguised trade barriers (Esty and Charnovitz, 2012).

GREEN COMPANIES
According to the 2010 Harvard Business Review article written by Unruh and Ettenson, successful companies leverage opportunities to become an inuential or dominant force in the green-standards battle. Unruh and Ettenson (2010) suggest that successful companies have chosen to adopt

four strategies when deciding to initiate sustainable objectives; these are: (i) adopt the existing standards; (ii) co-opt and modify them to suit your capabilities and processes; (iii) dene standards for your industry; and (iv) break away from existing ones and create your own. Among standards to adopt are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certication rating systems that set standards for the construction or rehab process of business buildings (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). Major companies like Wal-Mart have chosen to apply a sustainable product index to gauge how efcient the products they sell should be (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). Co-opt efforts have taken place when businesses needed to improve; an example of this is the banana producer known as Chiquita partnering with Rainforest Alliance to produce farm standards that are better both socially and for the environment (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). In the area of dening standards, Starbucks chose to develop their own standards for sustainable coffee through Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). Lastly, in the area of breaking away, Apple is among the few organizations that have taken the initiative to try something new (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). As a result of Greenpeaces declaration addressing the environmental impact of computer usage, Apple chose to make computer products that are more energy efcient (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). The 2011 Business Today article titled Seize the Day proled GEs sustainable efforts and explained that in 2005 GE announced their Ecomagination campaign designed to promote further business growth and generate prots through commitment to clean energy, as well as build its brand image as that of an environmentally aware company. This article elaborates on how in only a few years GE (2011) managed to transform the efciency of many of their products; included in this list are low-energy digital mammography

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machines and aircraft engines to gas turbines and nuclear plants. As of the year 2010, GE (2011) developed over 90 Ecomagination products, which contributed at least $18 billion in revenues, and invested $1.5 billion in clean technology research, meeting its 2010 target a year early. Since the beginning of the Ecomagination campaign, GE (2011) was effective at reducing their own energy consumption by half and greenhouse gas emissions by over 20 per cent below the 2004 baseline; along with this, GEs water consumption has also reduced by 30 per cent from the 2006 baseline.

CAN THE ECONOMY SUPPORT GOING GREEN?

Capitalism and sustainability
Clearly, the United States is changing its perception of what it wants, and businesses will have to eventually, or even now, begin to adapt to a society that has a greater and more sustainable degree of concerns. The question here: Is true sustainability possible within our capitalist economy? Daniel C. Esty and Steve Charnovitz (2012) wrote in Harvard Business Review about the link between sustainable practices and competitiveness. Esty and Charnovitz (2012) wrote:
Companies, perhaps more than governments, have come to appreciate the vital connection between sustainability and competitiveness. Fully 95 per cent of the worlds 250 largest rms regularly report on their environmental performance, highlighting their commitment to sustainability as a tool for reducing risk, improving efciency, driving innovation, and building intangible value. In many companies, sustainability activities have delivered increases in revenue and prots.

green can be protable if society controls the expense involved in the process. Although some might wonder whether the benets outweigh the costs, the larger issue is this: Can we afford not to go green? It is often debated whether the green technology sector and sustainability within our economy is something that should be given much attention when our economy is truly suffering. If we are to consume less in order to waste less, how will our economy remain healthy (Schweickart, 2009)? According to the 2009 article written by David Schweickart of Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, in order for our capitalist economy to remain healthy, there must be sufcient growth, not just for individual rms competing within their sector, but for the economy as a whole. Sales must increase at a steady rate, and if people are cohesively saving their dollars because of a growing push for all things sustainable, will our economy survive (Schweickart, 2009)? The answer to this perhaps lies in the incredible amount of jobs that Green and Clean Tech Industries bring into our economy.

The green workforce

According to Chris Hemmelmans (2011) article titled It Isnt Easy Being Green, a 2009 Pew Charitable Trusts study revealed that jobs in our countrys clean energy sector grew nearly two and a half times faster than overall jobs between 1998 and 2007. Another study done by Booz Allen Hamilton concluded that the green building industry will support as many as 7.9 million jobs between 2009 and 2013, and yet another study performed by Pike Research found that it is expected that revenues from green industries will grow from $5.6 billion in 2009 to $19.9 billion by 2020 (Hemmelman, 2011). This information alone is perhaps enough to sway the average skeptic; anyone can recognize that what our economy calls for in times of crisis is the availability of more

In the article The Greening of Business, written by former Montclair University Professor John T. Harding (2011), Going

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jobs. A good portion of these green jobs fall into the category of Clean Technologies, and are focused on different forms of renewable energy (OBrien, 2011). Among the forms included in the category of renewable energy are wind, solar and geothermal, and along with these there will be additional divisions providing jobs within the areas of water technology, waste management and recycling, green buildings, energy efciency, biomaterials, energy storage, vehicle technology, environmental services, biofuels and carbon (OBrien, 2011). Hemmelman (2011) pointed out that: Expectations for growth in the green energy industries are so high that Congress has committed $45 billion of the $787 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to investments in green energy industries. In addition to this, $500 million of the $45 billion will be given to green energy training partnerships designed to build the countrys green energy workforce, and among the institutions that will be involved in these training programs are local community and technical colleges (Hemmelman, 2011).

Are sustainable practices positive?

According to a June 2011 Bloomberg Businessweek article, written by Paul M. Barrett, titled The Price of Clean Air, there are many skeptics that insist that countless numbers of jobs will be lost in the development of cleaner and greener technologies in our country. Yes, in theory, sustainable practices are positive, but do the benets outweigh the costs? To add to the previously mentioned argument that our economy is not healthy enough to support sustainability, perhaps increased efciency could also pay a price. David Schweickart (2009) wrote: When innovation brings about a productivity gain, workers are free to choose leisure over increased consumption. This option is virtually non-existent in a

capitalist rm. Owners do not increase their prots by allowing their workforce to work less. Schweickart (2009) then goes on to address that this increased efciency and productivity brought along with technological advancements have actually caused present-day employees to work harder than ever, due to the increased amount of competition; however, his overall point is that this kind of pattern requires growth from the consumer end, and there just isnt that kind of guarantee. The Clean Air Act was brought about in 1970, and has since been a savior of countless amounts of lives and a major reducer of pollution. In the above-mentioned Bloomberg Businessweek article, Barrett (2011) wrote: At least 19 Republican-sponsored bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress seeking to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from taking action such as limiting emission of climate-warming greenhouse gases and imposing tougher rules for ground-level pollutants such as mercury. Republicans and their industry allies warn that assertive regulation will hurt energy providers like Midwest Generation, killing jobs in a fragile economy. Edwin D. Hill, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, claimed that without the gift of an allotted 56 year time frame to renovate or close coal plants, 50 000 workers in power, mining, and railroads would lose their jobs (Barrett, 2011). This is a considerable argument, but the Environmental Protection Agencys counterargument is one that is perhaps far more reasonable; they object that about $11 billion a year would be lost in this kind of improvement process, in order to meet the proposed air toxins standard, and the overall cost of savings in health would be of an even greater amount in the long run (Barrett, 2011). Although the process to enact such regulatory changes within long-held management systems is not without its

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expense of time and effort, the lasting benets seem to outweigh the bother of getting things underway. Barrett (2011) wrote: The Clean Air Act can serve as a goad to generating better jobs in more innovative technologies and as a mechanism to reduce health-care costs. The benets seem worth the price. This concept of making smarter decisions to minimize potential problems and benet the overall integrity of each stakeholder seems to be one that should speak to most people in the United States. Those opposed to such changes initiated by the Clean Air Act or the Green Communities Act need only to recognize that these benets are of far greater weight, not only for us today but for future generations. Barbier (2011) wrote: The right mix of investments and policies today could not only reduce carbon dependency and improve the environment, but also create jobs and stimulate innovation and growth in key economic sectors.

regarding environmental safety, economic efciency and natural quality, it is imperative that marketers become aware of this consumer buying presence. Chris Laszlo and Nadya Zhexembayeva (2011) wrote that this kind of buyer will be aware of the products that they are willing to purchase, with high expectations; in the article titled Embedded Sustainability: A Strategy for Market Leaders, they wrote: Embedded sustainability is the incorporation of environmental, health, and social value into the core business with no trade-off in price or quality in other words, with no social or green premium. What can change is the recognition that quality is a primary concern, but buyers are also going to be considering the cost involved. These consumers are very conscious of the products out there, and will be very aware of their credibility, and of any insincere strategies that are simply appealing to the trends of going green.

CHANGES IN BUSINESS AND MARKETING

The impact on marketing
The changes that are already taking place in the United States, due to the growing shift toward the implementation of green communities, are of great importance to marketers within each business industry and the analysis of which should be made a major priority. According to John OBrien (2011) of the European Financial Review, there are plenty of changes occurring being driven by political positioning, technology development, investment trends and increasing community awareness and changing behavior. Green communities will comprise a generally different set of buyers. As these consumers are and have been shifting their interests and needs, so should marketers. As the buyers frame of mind becomes geared toward a more sustainable set of benets,

Skepticism and ambivalence in purchase decisions

In the Winter 2011 edition of the Journal of Advertising, Chingching Chang published results from a survey conducted in the article, Feeling Ambivalent about Going Green. The survey explored what, if any, factors led to the ambivalence in attitude related to green products and making green purchase decisions (Chang, 2011). Results from this survey revealed that skepticism is a consistent predictor of ambivalent attitudes, whether the attitude target is green products or buying green products (Chang, 2011). It was found in the respondents answers that skepticism, perceived higher price, and lower quality (all negative perceptions) accounted for the found ambivalence toward buying green products (Chang, 2011). Chang (2011) wrote that the survey conrms that ambivalent attitudes toward green products or buying green products do not correlate signicantly with attitudes toward green products or

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buying green products, which suggests that the traditional attitudinal measure cannot capture simultaneous positive and negative evaluative responses toward an attitude object. In addition to representing skepticism, Changs (2011) research suggests that these negative attitudes could also come from ambivalence toward advertisements in general. As it is found that the common attitude of ambivalence stems from skepticism, the challenge for marketers when trying to shift toward selling a green product or service is to appeal not only to the overall economic need for sustainability, but also to the more personal, individual need for improved well-being.

Green well-being: A personalized approach to green marketing

We have addressed that there is crucial need for change. Green is becoming a way of life for numerous American communities, and within these communities there are many people who understand the importance of embracing a sincere green mission. There are, however, many other residents who are not at all interested. There are many true green supporters, who are very interested and driven by green-related issues. Many are frugal green buyers who will purchase green products if at the right price for the product quality. And there are many residents within green communities who are not at all interested in anything green. These consumers do not pay attention to the difference in product quality and are not looking to conform to this kind of change. An interesting viewpoint about how businesses can market products to the entire community and not just those loyal supporters is discussed by Harvard Business Review in the article titled Dont Bother With the Green Consumer. Brian Walker (2008), CEO of Herman Miller, wrote in this article that it is a common mistake to market specically to the imagined green consumer: Businesses should not focus on

the green niche, but should try to generate attention and interest to everyone. Walker (2008) suggests that marketers focus on green behavior that everyone can aspire to. Walker explains that one factor that is common to all consumers in the mass market is the desire for solutions to problems. He wrote that the way to generate interest is to nd a way to provide solutions to their day-to-day problems that also make sense for the environment (Walker, 2008). This proposal is perhaps best illustrated in a potential scenario: A tness enthusiast who works out regularly at a local gym to exercise has no interest for green-related products. His/her main goal as far as free time is related to being physically t and esthetically attractive. How can s/he be inuenced? It is most likely that (like a majority of Americans who work out at their local gyms) s/he purchases plastic bottled water, two or three per work out, to stay hydrated. Over the course of a year, the plastic water bottle purchases become quite expensive. A solution that applies to this need is to acquire a reusable ltering bottle that cost $10. Making use of a reusable water bottle with a ltration system could save him close to $900 a year. Without touting the environmental benets of using a reusable ltering bottle, the tness enthusiast became an advocate for not purchasing plastic disposable bottled water. This overall concept illustrated here is based on the inherent need for quality of life, or well-being as opposed to eco-sustainable concerns, and helping to save the environment is just an added bonus to the overall monetary savings. The key to this idea of marketing to Green Communities is to recognize that the goal is to improve well-being, and by doing so the message is personalized. Well-being is dened by Merriam-Webster as the state of being happy, healthy or prosperous. Roland Sanglap, a Sustainability Consultant and Green Policy Expert, is a major proponent for this kind of approach when marketing to

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towns within Massachusetts that want to or are in the process of becoming designated Green Communities. He explained that towns and cities that want to become designated Green Communities have local governments. These local governments are still held accountable for their decisions and actions by the citizens and constituents who may or may not be fully assigned with the goals and vision of the Green Communities Act that their respective town leaders have applied to be a part of on their behalf. How can the entire community be inuenced to change? According to Roland Sanglap, not having a clear and concise message, coupled with a non-existent comprehensive educational initiative, will make it a lot more difcult for a town or city to convince the residents that it is worth the effort and cost to become a designated Green Community. Sanglap explained, Initially, town or city ofcials will look at the intrinsic value of being a designated Green Community in areas such as return of investment by way of grants, job creation, and so on, in which success can be measured by the amount received and the numbers created. If the gures fall short of expectations, then the aforementioned return of green investment will not resonate well with the local residents. Asymmetrical benets, he says, such as a sense of collective well-being, can be initiated by creating communal green beautication projects that will create green curb appeal, civic amenity and revitalize a once moribund section of a town. Hopefully, this will attract new businesses and restaurants that residents can walk or bike to and enjoy a good time in a healthy and relatively safe manner. Sanglap explained that a pedestrian friendly environment that has businesses and activities that are family oriented, and that creates a positive personal experience for the individual but also happens to be green and sustainable in its design and intent, is the type of return of

green investment that resonates well with the local citizenry. In terms of marketing, effectively positioning a product or service is very centered on the expected consumer response. Consumers can be driven to pursue healthier and sustainable options once they are able to witness similar asymmetrical benets in their quality of life. An accessible downtown area, for example, will attract people to walk to nearby locations and will in turn make a transformative effect on the buying decisions and interests of community members. Once people are able to integrate this sense of change as a chance for improved well-being, they will be more likely to continue the search for similar kinds of changes. The overall concept of the water bottle illustration applies here; within a larger scale marketing project, as in the one described by Sanglap, the promotion of green projects or goals to a community of people involves presenting these ideas to residents as solutions to recognized problems. On a smaller scale, people can become interested in green and sustainable products once they are able to see how their overall well-being can improve. This is how being green adds value to a product.

MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
Incorporating sustainable objectives into a business platform has been regarded as necessary and benecial to competitiveness and brand image (Ristovska, 2010). It has been discovered that adopting green methods should go beyond just practice; it should become part of the overall ethical framework of an organization (Ristovska, 2010). CSR efforts that are green focused can take advantage of this by using green philanthropy as an overall CRM tool, which can help consumers to recognize these efforts as their overall organizational identity (Liu and Ko, 2011). CRM can be applied to advertisements through joint promotions that engage the consumer through information;

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Noonan and Coleman

this allows the consumer to become more emotionally involved, and able to identify the organization in terms of their CSR efforts (Liu and Ko, 2011). It was found that marketers should not assume that the consumer already has the information; green advertisements are to be based on sharing necessary information, to educate the consumer through mixed media and deliver a positive message (Kinoti, 2011). The process of green-washing involves falsely advertising a product or a business effort as being green and sustainable in order to capitalize on its effectiveness on the market; this should be avoided and all green business methods should be concrete and consistent (Ahonen et al, 2001). Many American companies have adopted green and sustainable practices and have not only shown market success but have also taken signicant roles in the progress of green developments in the country (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). Among participating organizations have been Apple, Starbucks, Chiquita and Wal-Mart (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). These and other companies have taken part in paving the way for energy efciency and more sustainable business practices (Unruh and Ettenson, 2010). It will be benecial presently and in future developments for marketing teams to take the time to understand the green consumer; their unique set of beliefs and values makes their micro culture one worthy of analysis. By considering the implementation of green and sustainable business methods, marketers can better gauge how to respond to this group of consumers and have progress in developing more involved, long-term customer relationships.

There are many skeptics of this approach to economics, and marketers must in turn recognize that even in communities that have adopted green policies, there will be consumers with varying interests. Businesses wishing to contribute to this exchange of green initiatives within communities must understand that when marketing they should appeal to the consumers need for quality of life and well-being. This personalized approach will be more inuential to the mass market, by taking advantage of the intrinsic value of greener solutions to form asymmetrical benets within the community. Overall, these asymmetrical benets take shape from the implementation of renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind power, along with smarter and cleaner ideas within the community such as foot paths and LEED certied building projects. John T. Harding quoted from the UNEP Green Economy Report in February 2011:
These changes require a fundamental rethinking of our approach to the economy y There is a growing recognition that the natural environment forms the basis of our physical assets and must be managed as a source of growth, prosperity, and well-being.

CONCLUSION
A great deal of evidence supports the fact that green and sustainable decisions within our economy would provide energy efciency, jobs and overall quality of life.

Every resident within a community of consumers, whether they support green initiatives or not, can respond to an asymmetrical benet such as cleaner waterfronts and walking areas within their town; these come along with the savings of smaller energy costs. It seems that this approach can be very effective in encouraging people to make smarter changes. Once the consumer recognizes the implications of the change to their personal well-being, they will be more willing and responsive to all of the additional environmental benets, and will be more open to the intrinsic value of green products and services. Modern environmentalism in America has led to the emergence of the new consumer

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microculture known as the green consumer. The green consumer may not be found within any particular socioeconomic group; they are among all age groups, income levels and education levels, and show to be most prevalent among people under the age of 35 (Thompson Reuters-NPR, 2011). Green consumers share a set of strongly held values and beliefs that are built on environmental concerns, social altruism and selfimprovement (Jansson et al, 2010). These values and beliefs are held together by a PCE that implies the consumer is expecting to somehow have a positive impact on society; along with this is AR that is taken on by the consumer, allowing the individual to recognize the needs of the entire community, in addition to the needs of themselves (Jansson et al, 2010).

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