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April 19, 2018|Virginia Vowell
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April 19, 2018In recent years, I’ve noticed a big change in my purchasing behavior. I believe it’s due to a few factors, including an increasing income,... -
April 12, 2018What makes a sustainability story effective? I can tell you it’s not impressive shots of melting glaciers, or, on the other hand, depressing stats...
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April 5, 2018Today we’re releasing a tool we think you’ll find very useful. It’s an infographic that combines our latest research insights and our years of...
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March 29, 2018I was recently in a meeting with a trade association, collaborating to define its sustainability positioning. During our conversations, the fact that we’re working...
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March 22, 2018In the first post in this series, I wrote about America’s desire for renewable energy and the increasing appetite for solar PV and other...
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March 15, 2018When I think of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, I think of the stories my friends used to tell of great...
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March 8, 2018We’ve published and spoken a lot lately about the cultural shift we’re in the middle of regarding the mainstreaming of sustainability (here’s my 10-minute...
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March 1, 2018The 23rd Olympic Winter Games have come to an end. As I watched the final day of coverage this past Sunday, I saw a...
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February 22, 2018The American electric utility industry is at a crossroads. Rapidly advancing technologies and shifting regulations are changing the way many large corporations are sourcing...
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February 15, 2018In last week’s post, I urged you all to go further than setting industry-standard, undifferentiating sustainability goals and targets for your organizations. I encouraged...
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February 8, 2018I’m sure my headline might ruffle some feathers. After all, getting companies to publish clear, science-based goals and targets for their environmental performance has...
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February 1, 2018t’s that time of year again. Tom Brady is at the jeweler getting his fingers measured, Bill Belichick is finalizing specs on a championship...
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January 25, 2018Last week, CVS made another bold move. Here’s the gist from their website: “We will not digitally alter or change a person’s shape, size,...
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January 18, 2018It’s a new year – does that mean the beginning of a new product, market or audience for your organization? Last year ushered in...
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January 11, 2018In our recent Eco Pulse special report, United We Understand, we delved into attitudinal drivers and phrases that sparked both agreement and dissension among...
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January 4, 2018Happy new year! Rather than writing my typical sustainability forecast for the new year, I thought it might be more helpful to connect a...
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December 7, 2017In our latest free report, United We Understand, we explore the language and values of environmentalism that actually resonate with and unite Americans. By...
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November 30, 2017The chaos of Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be history, but chances are your holiday shopping is not. So how about choosing some...
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November 16, 2017I was at the Greenbuild conference last week, and my general, unscientific assessment would be this: there are many passionate individuals – true believers...
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November 9, 2017Wright Electric. Ever heard of them? If you have, you’re more informed than most. Founded in 2016, they are a start-up looking to electrify...
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November 2, 2017In 2015 we released an Energy Pulse special report on smart home perceptions and technology adoption, noting that thanks to concerns about privacy and...
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October 26, 2017We’ve created marketing strategies and campaigns to sell more efficient, greener products. And we’ve created multi-media campaigns to drive behavior change and new social...
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October 19, 2017I’ve written about this a lot. But it’s worth writing about again. As a general rule of thumb, I intentionally put myself through whatever...
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October 12, 2017You’ve probably heard about Elon Musk’s offer to power Puerto Rico. The fascinating question this brings up for me is this: what does it...
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October 5, 2017I’ve spent a lot of time with utility executives. And it’s rare for me to hear one who really, really gets it about the...
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September 28, 2017I like to think that Daniel, our intern, finds it charming when I annoy him like this. It’s ironic that, technically, I am ALSO...
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September 21, 2017I’ve had the great fortune to have experienced both the agency and client sides of marketing and communications over the past 30 years...I’ve engaged...
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September 14, 2017Shelton Group’s latest special report explains how the most sustainably minded generation can also be one of the least likely to participate in simple...
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September 7, 2017As the digital content strategist at Shelton Group, I read a variety of articles on content marketing to stay up to date on best...
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August 31, 2017For over a decade now in our Pulse studies, we’ve asked consumers to tell us their priority: comfort, convenience or the environment? And for...
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August 24, 2017Social media is a great outlet for your sustainability story ... when you follow the mantra of doing fewer things, better. Here are 3...
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August 17, 2017Something really interesting – and different – has been happening over the last several months. CEOs have been taking a vocal and visible stand...
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August 10, 2017Back in late June, I wrote a post titled “The mainstreaming of EVs … what’s your take?” It discussed the divide between two schools...
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August 3, 2017We’ve written a lot over the last year about the trend we’re seeing in our data related to a massive cultural shift we’re in...
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July 27, 2017If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, or if you’ve seen me speak at an energy efficiency-related conference, you’ve heard my plea...
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July 20, 2017In an age where storefronts and consumer goods appear overnight, differentiation has become key in encouraging consumers to make specific purchases. Simultaneously, the challenge...
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July 13, 2017A lot has been written about the potential impact that Volvo’s announcement will have on both the auto and oil and gas industries.
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July 6, 2017As an optimistic, soon-to-be resident who happens to be more engaged than most in these issues, I decided to learn what New Orleans is...
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June 29, 2017One topic has continually surfaced during this 2017 conference season, no matter if the gathering was focused on energy efficiency or if it had...
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June 22, 2017We’ve all read the “we’re a nation divided” rhetoric. And, fair enough, it can feel like the majority of us here in the U.S....
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June 14, 2017According to the Ocean Conservancy, plastic has been found in every known sea turtle species, and in more than 25% of fish sampled from...
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June 8, 2017I recently took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, with my wife, and we toured the newly opened New Belgium Brewery. With a focus...
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June 1, 2017As I write this, President Trump is preparing to tell us all whether or not America will stay in the Paris Climate Agreement. All...
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May 25, 2017Among the many interesting stories and ideas shared at Sustainable Brands were some insights from Andrew Winston and John Izzo about the common themes...
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May 18, 2017We eat a lot of cereal at Shelton Group. (You may have seen the evidence – our business cards are made from the emptied...
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May 11, 2017I’ve been closely following the movement toward connected homes over the past few years – particularly the potential impact of these technologies on energy...
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May 4, 2017That point by the Director of Energy Strategy at Microsoft – an excellent one I must say – was made at the Smart Electric...
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April 27, 2017In more than 600 cities spanning all seven continents, people gathered last Saturday to March for Science. To celebrate the role it plays in...
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April 20, 2017Every year, thousands of companies do thousands of well-meaning and beneficial Earth Day activities. This year, however, those activities may appear to be a...
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April 13, 2017Much has been written about the utility industry’s “death spiral.” I’ve got some data points to add to that scenario … and a possible...
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April 6, 2017We all come across great insights over the course of the day, and then, like Snapchat, they quickly disappear when we turn our attention...
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March 30, 2017In case you missed it, here’s a good summary of Tuesday’s executive order to review the Clean Power Plan and begin rolling back the...
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March 23, 2017As marketers, we face some pretty routine hurdles: How do we genuinely connect with our target audiences? And how do we shift them from...
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March 15, 2017If you’ve ever built or remodeled your home, you remember the sort of images that were flitting around in your brain - hardwood floors,...
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March 9, 2017As most (if not all) of you know, conferences are a mixed bag in what they deliver. The larger they get, the more likely...
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March 2, 2017When it comes to recycling, I’m spoiled – I have single-stream, curbside recycling pickup at my house here in Knoxville. When the city recently...
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February 24, 2017As a regular reader of our work, you received a short poll earlier this week intended to help us gauge your perceptions of the...
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February 15, 2017I talk with a lot of people working in energy and the environment every week. And for the most part, when I ask the...
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February 9, 2017The sustainably focused Kia Niro ad stole the show for laughs in my highly unscientific focus group (the 16 people eating pizza in my...
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February 2, 2017If you read our insights regularly, this won’t be a news flash: Most of us can recall a time when we’ve considered a company’s...
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January 26, 2017I recently spoke at the International Builders’ Show, along with two successful residential homebuilders, in a session called “Taking the Mystery Out of Marketing...
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January 19, 2017The results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election exposed some deep rifts in the American psyche and leave many of us feeling more divided...
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January 12, 2017Once upon a time – back when we first started marketing energy efficiency and sustainability – we told our clients that if you wanted...
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January 4, 2017Shelton Group turned 25 years old last year, and 12 years ago we made the decision to be exclusively focused in the energy and...
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December 15, 2016Somewhere long ago and far away, someone decided that the value proposition for energy efficiency was saving money. “Everybody loves to save money,” these...
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December 7, 2016Last week I wrote a blog post entitled, “Why do we keep making sustainability so hard?” and ranted a bit about the challenges of...
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December 1, 2016Years ago, I used to rant in this blog about how Americans said they wanted to buy greener cleaning products, but they either weren’t...
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November 10, 2016Builder Magazine asked me to answer the following questions yesterday morning, the morning after the most shocking election outcome I can remember in my...
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November 3, 2016Dear Chipotle, I just heard the bad news. For the fourth straight quarter, sales have fallen. Things are looking pretty bleak. But maybe the...
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October 27, 2016Over the years, I have had some “lively” dinner conversations about politics and public policy with my family. Last year’s Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving...
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October 20, 2016With fossil fuels in the crosshairs of environmentally minded consumers, business decision-makers and lawmakers, you might expect oil and gas companies to be defensive,...
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October 12, 2016Are you, as a company or brand, committed to conserving water? If so, do you talk about it? In a way that consumers can...
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October 5, 2016I’m about to make an about-face. For years, I’ve been telling you, “Look, I get it that making one’s home more energy efficient is...
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September 28, 2016Here at Shelton Group, we talk a lot about consumers and energy – how they use it, how they perceive the companies that bring...
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September 22, 2016A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the shift in American identity that we’re seeing pop off the pages of our Pulse studies....
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September 14, 2016Sustainability is table stakes, and renewable energy is the new “shiny object” for B2B decision makers. These are two key take-aways from our third...
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September 8, 2016A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about examples of successfully branded commodities and how that might translate into the energy industry, especially...
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August 31, 2016This year’s Eco Pulse study came back with a really surprising statistic: 45% of Americans say buying/using eco-friendly products is an important part of...
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August 25, 2016We just downloaded our 2016 Eco Pulse findings with our Shelton Inner Circle members this week, and in order to contextualize the stats on...
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August 18, 2016Our marketplace is full of products that are pretty darn similar, yet they have differentiated themselves by virtue of a strong brand (think Pepsi...
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August 11, 2016When you think about the prospect of community solar becoming a reality across America, it’s hard not to get excited – because community solar...
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August 4, 2016Perhaps the most critical challenge in marketing is to identify your most likely buyers or participants and understand how to reach them, and what...
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July 28, 2016At Shelton Group, we’ve written a lot about why you should tell your company’s sustainability story. Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve said...
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July 21, 2016As crazy as it may seem to readers living in some parts of the country, kids start going back to school in a couple...
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July 14, 2016For the last several years, a fundamental question has hung over sustainability conferences like the proverbial elephant in the room: how can the world’s...
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July 6, 2016Car buying could be one of the most emotional decisions you ever make. I was reminded of that recently, listening to the story of...
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June 30, 2016As we design our proprietary national surveys each year, we discuss market intelligence needs with our Inner Circle members. This year, we heard the...
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June 23, 2016I’m sure you’ve heard the nepotistic news: Elon Musk wants Tesla to buy his cousin’s SolarCity business, thus creating a one-stop clean energy shop...
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June 23, 2016If you’ve ever heard me talk deeply about Shelton Group’s vision – that every home and building in America is energy responsible and sustainability...
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June 16, 2016Summer has arrived! When it’s hot and you’re thirsty, what do you reach for? For a lot of Americans, it’s bottled water. In fact,...
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June 9, 2016I’ve just finished up two days at the annual Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego, and, as usual, I have many thoughts and ideas...
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May 31, 2016The Concerned Parent segment is the largest of Shelton’s four energy segments, representing over one-third (34%) of Americans. They are (attitudinally) pro-sustainability for a...
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May 25, 2016We had a very interesting finding from our Eco Pulse 2015 study that took us by surprise: the percentage of people who said they...
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May 18, 2016I’ve spent the last two days holed up in a dark hotel ballroom with executives from a variety of traditional and start-up companies talking...
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May 11, 2016Words matter – especially the words you use to describe your organization, your products and your services. And online, the stakes are even higher,...
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May 5, 2016If you’ve read our Buzzwords report from last year, you know that one of the phenomena we uncovered is that words that sound negative...
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April 26, 2016In this season of increasingly rude presidential campaign rhetoric, it seems that U.S. political parties have never been more divided – both internally and...
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April 19, 2016The health of our air and water in the U.S. has come a long way since Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. So...
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April 14, 2016I go to a lot of conferences. And I’ve often noted, with chagrin, that at the sustainability conferences I attend about one-third of the...
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April 7, 2016I spoke at the ACI conference yesterday on this topic and thought I’d share here what I shared with folks at the conference. If...
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March 30, 2016After a five-minute phone call with Mr. Steve (a volunteer STEM classroom instructor in inner city Oakland), the project was all but in the...
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March 24, 2016Do you ever have that Charlie Brown moment? You know, the moment when you’ve done something again for the umpteenth time, hoping for a...
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March 15, 2016That’s a big question, right? Shelton Group set out two years ago to try to answer it, within the context of sustainability and energy...
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March 9, 2016I was on a plane last week when Mitt Romney delivered his speech deriding Donald Trump as a fraud, a bully and generally unfit...
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March 1, 2016Last week, I attended the annual GreenBiz State of Green Business conference and the Edison Electric Institute Strategic Issues Roundtable. One conference is for...
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February 24, 2016If you work in the energy/environmental arena (and haven’t been living under a rock), you know that the U.S. Supreme Court has stayed implementation...
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February 18, 2016If you’re a regular reader of ours, you’ve seen our most recent stats that bear out that sustainability is now a mainstream, basic expectation...
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February 11, 2016Like many of you, I have been following the events around NRG and David Crane that have occurred over the past few months. Crane,...
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February 2, 2016This Sunday, as America gathers to consume (according to Wikipedia) roughly 28,000,000 pounds of chips, 1.25 billion chicken wings, and 8,000,000 pounds of guacamole,...
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January 27, 2016As Suzanne said two weeks ago, 2015 marked the tipping point on several sustainability fronts, and building products appears to be one of them....
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January 20, 2016I don’t know if you kept up with the media coverage of CES® 2016, but the annual conference of the Consumer Technology Association took...
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January 14, 2016Happy new year everyone! I officially declared 2015 the year of the tipping point, and I actually do think in a couple of years...
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January 6, 2016Smart homes are so much more than just cool gadgetry. They’re the new point of connection for consumers when it comes to combining energy...
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December 16, 2015I’ve written posts about the financial and brand-building power of Purpose before. (If you want to learn more, check out Simon Sinek. He’s the...
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December 10, 2015At Shelton Group, we work with brands at the forefront of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability – which means we primarily work with brands...
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December 2, 2015This year’s 2015 Energy Pulse study confirms several suspicions and busts a theory or two. We learned that 27% of Americans could be categorized...
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November 18, 2015Sunday, November 15, was America Recycles Day. It immediately reminded me of an opinion piece I read a few weeks back in The New...
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November 12, 2015This week I had the absolute pleasure of participating in a unique and fascinating event put on by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) called...
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November 5, 2015Over the last two days, Shelton Group has been hosting our annual Inner Circle Symposium. This is an intimate event of clients from a...
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October 28, 2015Several years ago, back when we were still fighting a war in Iraq and we were all very tense about that, we tested some...
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October 21, 2015If you’ve eaten at Chipotle, you know their sustainability story. If you haven’t, take a tour of their website, and you’ll learn about how...
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October 14, 2015If you’ve seen someone from Shelton Group speak or you've read some of our research, you know our overarching point of view when it...
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October 8, 2015According to the Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2015, America’s demand for energy will increase slightly over the next 35 years. According to...
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September 30, 2015At Shelton Group, we’ve long espoused the merits of third-party certifications – the ones that lend credence to green claims made on product labels...
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September 24, 2015I’ve been doing a little premature pontificating that smart home technologies could be a threat to building product manufacturers. Based on some secondary data...
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September 16, 2015We’ve learned, through years of work with sustainable product manufacturers, that growing sales without good retail distribution can be a steep uphill battle. It’s...
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September 9, 2015One of my coworkers here at Shelton Group lived in San Francisco during Jerry Brown’s first time around as governor. When the drought of...
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September 2, 2015Which green buzzwords irk your customers – and which set expectations you can’t meet? For those of us who work all day long in...
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August 24, 2015How do Americans feel about the green buzzwords you use? We’ve got the scoop. When it comes to selling products with an environmental benefit...
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August 19, 2015Google, Comcast, ADT, SolarCity and other corporate giants have set their sights on utility customers. Soon they'll be trying to lure them away with...
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August 12, 2015If you’re reading this post, you’re living in the extremely complex world of energy, conservation and/or sustainability. You’re working on Big, Complex Things all...
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August 6, 2015If you’re a regular Shelton Group client, reader or follower, you’ve heard our party line about the problems with successfully marketing energy efficiency
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July 29, 2015Our soon-to-launch Eco Pulse study found that American opinion about climate change has shifted more strongly than ever before toward belief in the phenomenon...
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July 22, 2015If you sat for the SAT, ACT or like tests, you might remember hearing during the instructions: “There may be more than one right...
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July 15, 2015Georgia, my home state, recently passed HB170, the Transportation Funding Act of 2015. The bill, which was signed by Governor Nathan Deal in May,...
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July 9, 2015My quick answer is that we’re heading in that direction. And I’m not sure “lose them” is right; it’s more like “lose a significant...
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July 1, 2015As I noted last year, solar pricing has dropped dramatically. According to Triple Pundit, PV panel costs declined 20% in both 2011 and 2012,...
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June 24, 2015One of the ah-has from our soon-to-be-released 2015 Eco Pulse study is that, indeed, a company’s sustainability or social responsibility commitment IS a reason...
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June 17, 2015Over the past few months, we’ve talked about some exciting new gadgets (like the Amazon Dash Button) and the role convenience plays in clinching...
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June 8, 2015My favorite behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, likes to say, “We are all wonderful people in the future.” We’ve seen that bear out repeatedly in...
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June 4, 2015I’ve been at the annual Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego this week, and for the first time in years I didn’t actually speak...
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May 28, 2015I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but it never occurred to me that “Prius” originates from the Latin meaning “to go before” (I...
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May 20, 2015We’ve all heard the stereotype: Millennials really care about the environment! And we’ve seen the studies like the one published by Morgan Stanley that finds...
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May 5, 2015I was at the Solar Electric Power Association’s Utility Solar Conference last week, and I was struck by a couple of things: All the presentations...
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April 30, 2015A few months ago, we wrote about this year’s CSR-related Super Bowl ads – and pointed out which ones did an excellent job of...
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April 22, 2015It’s no longer a matter of IF sustainability is important in corporate America – 82% of business decision makers say it is. Our new...
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April 15, 2015If you’re like most people who read the news about the Amazon Dash Button on April 1, you thought it was literally an April...
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April 1, 2015Apple is on the move. Earlier this year, Apple was reported to have nearly $178 billion in cash reserves. As noted in a CNN...
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March 24, 2015The connected home is coming. In fact, it’s here. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, countless firms highlighted their connected home products: security cameras,...
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March 12, 2015Would you ask your pest control guy for help making your house more energy efficient? How about your lawn care company? Apparently it happens...
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March 4, 2015McDonald's has a new commercial called “Love Is Endless,” showing the Joker making a balloon animal for Batman, Dorothy and the Wicked Witch taking...
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February 25, 2015Goldman Sachs recently launched a campaign steeped in environmental messaging that seems to be squarely aimed at a conservative audience. Don’t cover your eyes...
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February 18, 2015At Shelton Group, we believe that “comfort is king.” We think it’s important for energy-efficient home, product and program marketers to tap into deeper...
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February 5, 2015The worst call of Super Bowl XLIX wasn’t Pete Carroll’s decision to pass on the goal line. It was Nationwide’s call to run "Make...
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February 5, 2015Based on the results of last year’s elections, and what we’re seeing over the past few weeks, it looks like 2015 will be a...
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January 28, 2015Last week I spent three days in Las Vegas speaking in the Owens Corning booth at the annual International Builders’ Show®, doing presentations about...
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January 21, 2015In his 2015 State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama noted that “no challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than...
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January 14, 2015“Ideas are scary” is the theme of GE’s freakishly touching ad. "Freakish" and "touching" are not words often paired together, but GE’s spot illustrates...
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January 7, 2015In a few years, we’ll look back on what I’m about to say and think, “Wow, Suzanne’s really an excellent connector of the dots.”...
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December 17, 2014Tires have been a source of much scrutiny when it comes to their disposal. While their existence is a necessary one for safe driving,...
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December 3, 2014Lawrence Berkeley National Lab published a study in January of last year which quantified that, as of 2011, utilities were spending a collective total...
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November 19, 2014I can’t honestly remember if this is our 9th or 10th annual Energy Pulse study. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that it...
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November 12, 2014A new report from UL Environment and Shelton Group sheds light on this question. We’ve expounded on the perils of greenwashing and the benefits...
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November 5, 2014You’ve probably noticed we’ve been undergoing a revolution over the last several years. Americans increasingly want companies to do the heavy lifting for them...
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October 22, 2014Filling up the car this weekend, I received a pleasant surprise at the gas pump. Where you live it may be a different story,...
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October 15, 2014One of the best quotes I’ve ever heard about strategy is this: Strategy is the stuff you say no to.
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October 15, 2014As I write this, we’re wrapping up the analysis of our new Energy Pulse 2014 report. In a recent conversation about the results, I...
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October 8, 2014Is John D. Rockefeller rolling over in his grave? One can’t help but wonder how the founder of Standard Oil, who led America into...
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October 7, 2014The University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium is the fifth largest in the country, hosting 102,455 people at home football games. The stadium looked particularly...
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October 1, 2014My role, as usual, was to give the American consumer perspective and answer the question, “How do we market this energy-conserving and/or more sustainable...
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September 24, 2014In 1939, Roosevelt’s New Deal was in full force, the Tennessee Valley Authority was six years old, and Appalachia was trying to dig its...
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September 23, 2014It seems there’s a subscription service for everything these days. Just take a look at My Subscription Addiction. The site is full of companies...
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September 17, 2014The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Resources Institute recently announced that they had brokered an alliance between a dozen large and disparate...
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September 17, 2014In the broadest sense, material issues are simply those that have a great impact on a company’s ability to do business. In essence, it’s...
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September 10, 2014Consumers have a tendency to think of their utility only when they have reasons to grumble: higher-than-expected bills, power outages, unhelpful customer service.
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September 10, 2014Yesterday I facilitated a GreenBiz webcast called “Surviving the Utility Revolution.” We put this program together specifically for the utility industry, allowing them to...
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September 4, 2014As we’ve noted in several recent posts, the utility industry is rapidly changing and facing challenges unheard of even a few years ago –...
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September 2, 2014The holy grail of social media has been found. That free, successful-beyond-imagination, viral campaign that every corporation, product and cause has been searching for...
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August 27, 2014A few years ago in this space, we wrote an article about Greenpeace and their targeting of Mattel. Through their “Ken dumps Barbie” campaign,...
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August 20, 2014I go to a lot of conferences. And a consistent theme I’ve seen this year is incremental change: At sustainability conferences, companies are talking...
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August 19, 2014Academia has long been in the vanguard of the sustainability movement. Although we cannot credit students alone for its origins, it is to their...
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August 13, 2014I recently read a report sponsored by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that describes a new sustainable economic model called the “Circular Economy.” It’s defined...
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August 13, 2014I was at the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) Summer Conference last week, and it seemed nearly every session got into behavior change:
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August 7, 2014I had been riding for almost an hour on an ancient school bus, bouncing down dusty, rutted roads that wound their way inland through...
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August 6, 2014In sustainability communications, even synonyms can inspire vastly different reactions. Take “nature” and “environment,” for instance. We’ve learned that “nature,” when coupled with “conservation”...
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July 30, 2014Restoration Hardware has recently garnered a lot of returns. This is not unusual for a mail-order business; however, the items landing on the company's...
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July 30, 2014This month, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway held a ribbon-cutting ceremony along the backstretch of the famous brickyard oval.
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July 24, 2014Every year in our Eco Pulse study, we ask Americans, “How do you know a product is green?” and offer a long list of...
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July 24, 2014Cruising in search of parking is estimated to account for about 30% of traffic in downtown business districts and could even account for thousands...
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July 17, 2014Last year, an improving economy seemed to be stimulating environmental engagement and green product purchase intent, and all signs pointed to an increase in...
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July 16, 2014As I recently ran an Internet query on an energy-related issue, an ad reading "Ethanol mandates fuel hunger" popped up. It caught my interest...
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July 9, 2014A battery-powered Harley? Merely mentioning such an amalgamation is a good way to get unceremoniously removed from your local biker bar, but this oxymoron...
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July 8, 2014Our annual Eco Pulse study will be out later this month, and we’ll start blogging about what we found over the next few weeks....
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June 25, 2014Those who bemoan the seemingly slow adoption of renewable energy in the U.S. should take heart. Not only is the use of solar energy...
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June 25, 2014There has been growing interest in expanding hydroelectric power generation. An article written earlier this month by Linda Church Ciocci, the executive director of...
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June 19, 2014It takes two hands to count the number of weddings I have attended or will attend in 2014, and it’s been that way for...
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June 19, 2014I recently spoke in the Consumer Research and Insights Workshop at the Sustainable Brands conference and attended several other sessions on a wide variety...
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June 11, 2014When it comes to energy efficiency, it’s apparent that one size does not fit all. Our Energy Pulse study finds that different groups respond...
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June 11, 2014A storm cloud of environmental accusations and controversy surrounds the 2014 FIFA World Cup. I can see why people are incensed by some of...
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June 4, 2014On the final day of April, Seventh Generation took a group of children, dubbed the Toxin Freedom Fighters, to Washington, D.C., armed with 120,000...
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June 3, 2014This week, the EPA released the long-anticipated standards for the reduction of emissions from coal-fired plants. The proposal calls for a 30% cut of...
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May 29, 2014Walmart suffers almost daily denigration in the blogosphere and fares not much better in the mainstream press. The motivations for the sentiments expressed are...
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May 29, 2014I’m just going to come right out and say it. We think that the U.S. government and many U.S. utilities are out of synch...
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May 22, 2014One of the interesting challenges of running a marketing firm entirely focused in sustainability is that our clients define the spectrum of sustainability in...
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May 15, 2014A new bill introduced in April has brought the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) back into the spotlight. Dubbed the “Safe...
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May 15, 2014Over the past few years, the electricity generation sector has been moving away from coal. The recent Supreme Court decision to uphold the EPA’s...
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May 8, 2014Here’s the reality from our Energy Pulse study: 80% of us think we don’t use more energy than we did five years ago.
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May 8, 2014Health is making an increasingly larger ripple in the energy and environment space. According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2014...
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May 1, 2014Pretty much everyone knows the importance and benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR) these days, and for companies around the world, it’s become an...
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May 1, 2014During the holiday shopping season last year, we posted a story comparing the sustainability of online shopping vs. a traditional trip to the mall....
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April 24, 2014Each April, I look forward to the product launches, promotional campaigns and environmental press coverage sparked by Earth Day. While we at Shelton Group...
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April 24, 2014Collaborative consumption has been a hot topic over the past few years, and we’ve had a chance to see how car sharing, home renting,...
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April 17, 2014Back in October, the FTC issued a press release announcing six new enforcement actions related to the revised Green Guides. All six had to...
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April 9, 2014I once read that when Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights legislation into law he said something like, “I’m ceding the South to the...
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April 2, 2014Last week was Earth Hour. It would have come and gone without my notice but for a fortuitously timed switch of the television channel....
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April 2, 2014We’ve all become pretty used to delays in efforts to make clean coal technology a reality. We’ve been waiting a decade for FutureGen, the...
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March 27, 2014Spring’s finally arrived, and I’m looking forward to giving the heat pump a rest. As a renter, I know the feeling of helplessness you...
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March 27, 2014The state of New Jersey recently decided Tesla cannot sell their electric vehicles unless they set up a traditional dealership. New Jersey is now...
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March 20, 2014I recently read about two proposed large-scale solar projects in the desert that are being opposed by environmentalists. The arrays would be built on...
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March 20, 2014Customer satisfaction is a nebulous concept. And it’s particularly challenging for a sector that doesn’t exactly “feel the love” from consumers. According to an...
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March 13, 2014There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about carbon monoxide poisoning – from a death and 19 people hospitalized at a...
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March 12, 2014If you’ve heard me speak at a conference, you know there’s a point in the presentation where I typically say, "Don’t try to educate...
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March 6, 2014Last weekend was a day of service for my church. There were many great volunteer opportunities for my family, and we decided to spend...
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March 6, 2014It’s been several years since the topic of energy and national security has been front and center in the news.
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February 26, 2014We’ve all bought something we were excited about but then immediately regretted after the purchase. It’s the worst feeling – like you’ve been duped....
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February 26, 2014Last week, I spoke at the annual Greenbiz Forum. They’ve moved to a new (much warmer) location and brought on the Sustainability Consortium and...
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February 20, 2014A gap can exist between perceived environmental benefits of EVs and reality. But it doesn't have to – if we start changing how the...
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February 19, 2014Americans need to recycle more AND stop throwing non-recyclable materials in recycling bins. Here's a way to aim for both goals at once.
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February 13, 2014The older I get, the more I look at what I put into my body. A recent trip to the physician’s office made me...
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February 12, 2014Early each year, the building industry gathers at the annual National Association of Home Builders International Builders’ Show. More than 1,500 exhibitors with everything...
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February 5, 2014With recent environmental and social scandals reported on an international scale, Russia's reputation as a global power may be harmed more than helped by...
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February 5, 2014Connecting the dots between utilities and consumer packaged goods companies doesn't require as many dots as you might think. It does require thinking about...
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January 30, 2014Over 100 million people are expected to watch the Super Bowl this year. The event might be associated with consumption and indulgence, but the...
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January 30, 2014The president urged more action on renewables in the State of the Union, but an important piece of technology wasn't part of his focus.
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January 28, 2014Another cold winter, another increase in heating costs: The U.S. is seeing a dramatic rise in prices for natural gas, while the Midwest and...
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January 22, 2014Buying local can mean more than a reduction in mileage for both consumers and businesses within a B2B value chain.
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January 22, 2014How does your company define “sustainability”? Is it a synonym for “environmental responsibility”? Is it about health and wellness? Maybe it’s about quality, longevity...
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January 15, 2014While few companies have stated initiatives directly addressing the issue, B2B decision makers share the same concerns about chemical content as consumers, overall. This...
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January 8, 2014"Six hundred dollars for a plumber? Are you kidding? I can fix it for $40 – max." I thought those words would be greeted...
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December 31, 2013This dollhouse could give green building a jump-start with the future generation, shaping their expectations for how a house should look.
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December 31, 2013Target's commitment to quality in many areas, including sustainability, helps some customers overcome the retailer's most recent security mishap.
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December 17, 2013A mounted jackalope head hung over the meat counter at the back of my town's butcher shop when I was a kid. (For the...
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December 16, 2013It’s that time of year again, and I find myself in the midst of my annual “First World” challenge. Finding perfect gifts that are...
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December 12, 2013This week, I was checking out at my neighborhood pharmacy (part of a national chain) and shoved the twelve-inch receipt into my purse with...
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December 12, 2013After wiping my eyes over the sacrificial bovine and the poultry injections in Chipotle’s latest online video, “The Scarecrow,” I scratched my head and...
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December 4, 2013According to Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, utilities spent $6.9 billion in 2012 on rebate programs – all designed to nudge Americans to make energy...
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December 3, 2013I do not go out on Black Friday. That’s not to say I do not like the idea of Christmas shopping; I just prefer...
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November 20, 2013Just talking about their crowdsourced delivery idea could help change Walmart’s brand perception in the minds of Millennials.
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November 19, 2013I spent Saturday morning getting a new cell phone. I don’t know exactly how many I have owned, but I once had a phone...
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November 12, 2013Wildlife conservation is taking a turn in perspective. According to a recent article in Ensia, conservation efforts that are relevant to today’s world are...
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November 6, 2013"Can you take cucumbers on an airplane?" I asked my co-worker. Not a typical question to ask during a TV talent scout, I know,...
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November 6, 2013Thanks to low natural gas prices and mild temperatures over the last couple of years, many of us think our homes are “just fine.”...
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October 30, 2013A few months ago, Oxford Dictionaries Online made some additions that included words like “twerk,” “selfie,” “emoji,” and my personal favorite – “food baby.”...
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October 23, 2013Our latest Eco Pulse™ study tells us that, in the wake of the lingering recession, many green habits and purchase behaviors have plateaued or...
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October 23, 2013New York Times Columnist David Brooks has a knack for identifying cultural realities or trends in a way that can be useful for readers...
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October 16, 2013I’m guessing many of you who work in the electric utility industry have been purchasing a lot of aspirin lately. Activist groups are working...
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October 2, 2013Heading into this year’s Sustainable Brands conference, I was looking forward to driving BMW's electric prototype that was on display. In hindsight, however, the...
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September 25, 2013The field of environmental sustainability is fraught with emotional issues: climate change, water shortages, population growth, food purity, animal extinction … the list goes...
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September 16, 2013It will take new ways, old ways, and ways we haven’t thought of yet.
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September 16, 2013Water is scarce in Chennai, India, where Madhan Sundaram, product manager for Fiveworx, Shelton Group's new affiliated digital startup, grew up. “If you had...
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September 13, 2013Consumers get on board when they see what they are saving. About 41 percent of respondents to our Utility Pulse™ 2013 study said they...
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September 13, 2013We’re going to keep hammering this home for a while because it’s important: Green consumers are not “green consumers.” They’re “the most desirable consumers.”
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September 12, 2013We’ve been thinking about “green consumers” all wrong, starting with calling them “green consumers.”
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September 12, 2013And so do “chemicals of concern” and recycling. For our Eco Pulse™ 2013 study, we asked respondents to choose the three most important things...
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September 11, 2013Most people simply never visit the “green ghetto” in grocery stores.Two keys to selling green products is to make the purchase experience affordable and...
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September 11, 2013When I started working in an office last year, I suddenly developed a taste for mushrooms. It was purely psychological – I was lamenting...
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September 10, 2013This handy tool for quantifying and selling the triple bottom line can be the sustainability officer's friend.
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September 10, 2013The viral video finds a balance between information and inspiration, tears and hope. It's a hard line to walk when the issue is dire...
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September 9, 2013Minorities are interested – utilities should develop targeted marketing initiatives to get them enrolled.
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September 9, 2013New York City's simple message in campaign ads points to the importance of integrating advertising, infrastructure and support.
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September 6, 2013As corporations embrace sustainability programs, they are reaping benefits they expected – like reduced energy and water costs – along with other bonus benefits...
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September 5, 2013Actives make up 24 percent of the consumer population. Although they are the greenest segment, they also shop more than the average person, they...
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September 5, 2013And I'm not the only one. People and pets like Frankie and I represent a fast-growing market opportunity.
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September 5, 2013Biotech companies have teamed together to launch a website answering consumer questions about GMOs. While the timing is good, the strategy gives the rest...
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September 5, 2013You’ve been hearing the truisms for years: “Millennials are more focused on sustainability.” “Millennials prioritize buying greener products.” “Millennials care more about the environment.”
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September 4, 2013A fee at checkout for plastic bags is more motivating than a reward for returning bottles. Last night, I was driving home through our...
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September 4, 2013Our Utility Pulse™ '13 study shows that investment in energy-efficient (EE) products and home improvements is stagnant, as it has been since the economic...
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September 3, 2013As consumer packaged goods and energy companies tackle overlapping aspects of the same problems, there's a lot they can learn from each other.
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September 3, 2013“Show us how! Offer us tips!” say key market segments. On Friday, the Daily Insight touched on the goodwill available to utilities that manage the...
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August 30, 2013Consumers want to save on their power bills, but they need to know how much. Our Utility Pulse™ 2013 survey shows that 42 percent...
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August 30, 2013When companies work together on sustainability efforts, they can more easily push the creative envelope and increase their impact.
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August 29, 2013A recent study shows how political beliefs can affect light bulb choices. A group of consumers were briefed on the benefits of compact fluorescent...
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August 29, 2013Utilities can score points with customers by supporting the development of community solar arrays.
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August 28, 2013Consumers are more comfortable when choices are simple and clear. Is it self-evident to say that homeowners are more likely to take advantage of...
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August 28, 2013Using smart marketing to show customers how to cut their bills, OG&E scored a ratepayer-utility-environment triple win.
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August 27, 2013As they embark on their college careers, a class of entering freshmen provide a microcosm of evolving attitudes.
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August 27, 2013Real information and an emotional appeal help counteract urban legends about smart meters.
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August 26, 2013Working together, manufacturers, utilities, retailers and contractors can help homeowners pick the right energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and water heaters
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August 23, 2013Consumers will cut energy use if they can see what they’re using.
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August 23, 2013Yes, they follow a century-old generation-and-distribution model. But they also juggle a complex, contradictory set of variables – and pray for good weather.
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August 22, 2013These financial realists avoid excess and debt – and don’t mind buying used or sharing instead of buying.
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August 22, 2013They are optimistic that they will buy energy-efficient products but held back by their finances. Streamlined, point-of-purchase rebates can make a difference.
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August 21, 2013Personal sustainability moments appeal to emotions and provide anecdotes people can remember.
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August 21, 2013In analyzing core values of our consumer segments, we found surprising areas of common ground.
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August 20, 2013This demographic group believes in caring for the environment because they have seen the consequences of being careless with natural resources.
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August 20, 2013Satisfaction levels differ with the ways customers get and pay their utility bills.
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August 19, 2013Generation X, born roughly between 1965 and 1981, bears the burden of following the Baby Boomers. In our Eco Pulse™ research, Gen Xers have...
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August 19, 2013EMFs, GMOs, VOCs – and whatever happened to radon? Years of membership in the Fear of the Month Club have trained consumers to worry...
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August 16, 2013By joining forces, they could create win-wins on some of their toughest problems. Three-quarters of American homes need energy efficiency improvements.
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August 15, 2013Most of the technological advances humans have made throughout history would not have been possible without strong imagination.
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August 14, 2013Consumers want their homes to be as clean and healthy as possible. In our 2013 edition of Eco Pulse, we found that nearly half...
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August 14, 2013A study of companies and boycotts shows the benefits of reaching out, even to those who might bite you.
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August 13, 2013Two marketing professors test the effects of social influences on the adoption of solar power.
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August 13, 2013There is no better test of a utility’s relationship with its customers than an epic outage.
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August 12, 2013When consumers do the right things, they often give themselves the moral license to backslide. By identifying the phenomenon, we can help consumers retain...
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August 9, 2013A Pew Research Center study on social media, “Civic Engagement in the Digital Age,” has an important message for marketers: social networking often spurs...
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August 9, 2013Concern for the environment doesn’t necessarily follow party lines. We often associate sustainability with strong liberal or Democratic principles, with those on the opposite...
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August 8, 2013Marketing of proactive improvements should be directed to both consumers and contractors.
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August 8, 2013Having written several books on prefab and spoken at numerous professional conferences, I assume people now understand the many advantages and scope of prefab...
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August 7, 2013How utilities can "get credit" for the 75 million household appliances that will need to be replaced over the next five years.
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August 6, 2013Our Eco Pulse™ 2013 research tells us that most American consumers feel a strong attraction to the idea of natural cleaning products. But when...
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August 6, 2013The first of two articles examining the effectiveness of rewarding vs. taking away. The long-discussed, recently proposed Massachusetts bottle bill expansion is an opportunity...
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August 5, 2013Recently, my co-worker Meghan McDonald wrote a Shelton Insights feature about composting programs around the country. She singled out New York City Mayor Michael...
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August 5, 2013Based on our Utility Pulse™ 2013 study, three key messages in utility companies’ TV ads will be the most effective in improving customer satisfaction...
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August 2, 2013Show green home buyers the exact amount they'll save. The past few months have shown a re-energized real estate market, with rising demand and...
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August 2, 2013Though IKEA's environmental record may not be perfect, consumers will give it points for making the effort.
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August 1, 2013The landscape of environmentally friendly vehicles has never been brighter. Widespread adoption, vehicle support within cities and the development of bigger, faster and more...
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August 1, 2013We’re seeing a dramatic shift in the disposable paper product category. In our Eco Pulse™ 2013 survey, 30 percent of respondents said they avoid...
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July 31, 2013In our Utility Pulse™ ’13 survey, we found that 42 percent of those surveyed are less than satisfied with their electric utility.
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July 29, 2013Our Utility Pulse™ ’13 study shows a broad variety of ways that Americans want their utility companies to communicate with them.
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July 29, 2013As a busy mom, student and writer, the idealistic, cause-embracing days of youth had long given way to more practical realities. But over time,...
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July 26, 2013British Columbia Hydro is the latest utility to feel the wrath of smartmeterphobia. The answer is to meet customers where they live and speak...
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July 25, 2013Indoor air quality is on the American radar screen, but "no VOCs" is not.
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July 25, 2013If it's not close at hand, we may be tempting the litterbugs while encouraging the recyclers.
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July 24, 2013A convergence of trends presents a huge opportunity for organic convenience foods.
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July 23, 2013Walgreens announced about a month ago that it would expand its solar energy installations to 350 stores, up from 200. Walmart, Costco, Ikea and...
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July 23, 2013Bring messages down to local effects and do-able actions; calculate objective risks and prudent steps.
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July 23, 2013Food waste composting presents some challenges no matter the scale. From Knoxville to New York City, to organizations of any size, here are a...
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July 22, 2013Whoever the Frank is in your story, make sure your sustainability message works for him, too.
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July 22, 2013It’s more important than ever to tell a story that shows what your product stands for.
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July 19, 2013Better-off homeowners take advantage of rebates while others – who really need them – don't.
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July 19, 2013Even as genetically modified foods play a larger role in world agriculture, American consumers are avoiding them.
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July 18, 2013Nearly half of Americans say environmental reputation matters at shelf, and almost three-quarters will punish environmental infractions.
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July 18, 2013The best audience for Tim Mohin’s “Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Treehugger’s Guide to Working in Corporations” may be those who walk...
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July 17, 2013We love to put people into buckets. Whether it's how someone looks, speaks or how they act, we immediately form a "rock solid" opinion...
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July 17, 2013For a number of years, our Eco Pulse studies have tracked increasing concern about chemical content in a variety of non-food products.
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July 16, 2013Eco Pulse™ 2013 statistics underline the trend that consumer concern for health is a key driver for green purchases and behaviors.
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July 16, 2013Pushback on wind projects sometimes comes from the environmentally minded.
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July 15, 2013Vanderbilt University’s all AstroTurf® baseball field is an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of saving water.
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July 15, 2013If utilities and corporations can start driving behavior change now, coming price increases won’t be as painful later.
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July 12, 2013With an improving economy, more consumers have “the luxury” of considering sustainability in purchase decisions.
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July 12, 2013Access to capital is the prime reason to sort out the alphabet soup of sustainability reporting.
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July 11, 2013Labeling your product as "green" can bring on a lawsuit.
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July 11, 2013A new app shows consumers whether a company's philanthropic allegiances match their own.
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July 10, 2013When Millennials share, swap and buy used, it’s not just about the money.
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July 10, 2013Our Eco Pulse ™ 2013 study tells us that about a quarter of consumers want to see third-party certifications on green products.
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July 9, 2013Successes like the Water Smart turf rebate program in Southern Nevada create opportunities for cities and regions to tell their sustainability story and create...
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July 8, 2013You’ve probably read a lot of coverage about the president’s speech last Tuesday. I want to hone in here on the piece about the...
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July 8, 2013Almost a third of respondents pick out green products based on the brand or corporate story.
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July 3, 2013Las Vegas is greening up its act by making it possible for residents to throw away a lot of green – grass, that is...
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July 2, 2013Localize your efforts and make sure to describe what’s actually being accomplished.
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July 1, 2013If your green product is undermined by your company’s reputation for sustainability, there are proactive steps you can take.
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July 1, 2013Growing numbers of Millennials—and others—are sharing, buying used and repurposing products, not just because money is short, but also because they want to.
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June 28, 2013Even though rooftop solar and net metering don’t fit the age-old centralized utility model, it’s smarter for utilities to join them than to fight...
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June 27, 2013Spreading a vision of sustainability begins with “unlocking the magic.”
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June 27, 2013A lot has been said about the importance of marketing to Millennials – that is, the generation that has come of age since the...
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June 25, 2013About a year ago, Grainger had a problem. It wasn’t that Grainger, the world’s leading industrial supplies provider, didn’t have a culture of effective...
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June 24, 2013Ben Bezark of Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute talks with Brooks Clark, Shelton Insights managing editor, at the Sustainable Brands 2013 Conference in...
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June 24, 2013When utility CEOs gathered for the Edison Electric Institute meeting, the discussion didn't include customer engagement and renewables.
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June 21, 2013Walmart’s coming sustainability scorecard will link customers and suppliers to its own corporate sustainability story – and other companies may want to follow suit.
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June 19, 2013While showcasing examples of good works around the globe, the Sustainable Brands ’13 Conference hinted at the need to make the business case for...
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June 18, 2013Last week at the Sustainable Brands Conference, Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance, drew many nods of recognition by listing the following common...
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June 18, 2013Faced with challenges from increasingly strident environmental organizations, utilities must choose a course of action.
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June 17, 2013Along with the rational facts about ROI, it takes an emotional component for businesses to make energy-efficient improvements.
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June 17, 2013Promoter Ashley Capps used nontraditional promotional channels to start his music festival 12 years ago. Now he focuses on the power of community.
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June 14, 2013The Pacific Coast Builders Conference showed a healthier building industry and a buying market interested in energy-efficient and healthy construction features.
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June 12, 2013For one weekend each June, tens of thousands of music fans descend on Manchester, Tennessee, for the four-day Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.
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June 4, 2013Shelton Insights will spend the next four days in San Diego at the Sustainable Brands '13 conference, which started in 2007 with around 200...
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May 29, 2013From trans fats and hormones to hydrogenated oils and monosodium glutamate (MSG), the list of food ingredients and additives that consumers are actively avoiding...
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May 22, 2013Last year, Simple Energy’s customer engagement platform helped utility customers in the Biggest Energy Saver program save an average of more than 20 percent...
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May 22, 2013The trouble for many people who move to Knoxville, Tennessee, is that our city has long held the distinction of being the seasonal allergy...
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May 8, 2013I bought my two-year-old daughter a new pair of shoes this past weekend. It came down to the pink Converse low-tops vs. the pink...
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May 8, 2013Hyundai, the world's fifth largest automaker, was poised for a sustainable marketing home run with its ground-breaking hydrogen fuel cell crossover, the ix35. So...
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May 2, 2013There was no shortage of celebrities at this year's Fortune Brainstorm Green conference. Harrison Ford started us off, talking about the work of Conservation...
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May 1, 2013Marketing and Implementation: Strategies to Supercharge Your Programs is the theme of this year's AESP Spring Conference & Expo. Here are some takeaways from...
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May 1, 2013The hot-button issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) provides a window onto the perspectives of one of the greenest of our consumer segments, the...
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May 1, 2013My wife and I just returned from a short ecocation in West Asheville, North Carolina. Our bike-only weekend was spent perusing the charming communities...
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April 30, 2013The hot button issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) offers a perspective on one of the greenest of our segments, the Seekers.
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April 30, 2013They show your company values – and consumers notice. Your corporate sustainability efforts are a reason for consumers to buy your products. We’ve borne it out repeatedly...
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April 29, 2013While addressing consumers' No. 1 concern, energy independence will have unexpected consequences. In an opinion column in yesterday’s New York Times, staff editor Benjamin...
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April 24, 2013This week Walmart released its 2013 Global Responsibility Report. It weighs in at 172 pages and addresses a dozen areas from philanthropy and sustainable...
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April 24, 2013I first became aware of bamboo’s potential as a renewable resource a few years ago. A good friend of mine was participating in a...
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April 24, 2013Your audience is invested in something. They’ve invested their time in things they love, their money in things they understand and their emotions in...
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April 23, 2013At the start of each year, we make our predictions for the world of sustainability marketing. Along with everyone else, we’ve been surprised by...
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April 18, 2013We've just released our Utility Pulse study showing the continued decline in consumer participation in energy efficiency. In fact, we're so concerned about this...
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April 17, 2013You know the old saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you...
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April 17, 2013Imagine your product, offering or cause. Now imagine all the things you’re just dying to say about it: how it works, why it’s the...
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April 11, 2013We recently wrapped up analysis of our 2013 Utility Pulse study, in which we uncovered a wealth of information about the sometimes rocky relationship...
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April 10, 2013My wife and I just returned from a short eco-cation in West Asheville, North Carolina. Our bike-only weekend was spent perusing the charming communities...
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April 9, 2013Tributes to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died recently at 87, are focusing mostly on her achievements revitalizing the British economy and...
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April 3, 2013On the first Earth Day – April 22, 1970 – some 3,000 people, including folksinger Pete Seeger (right), gathered at the Washington Monument. A...
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April 3, 2013A few weeks ago on LinkedIn, Joel Makower posted a rework of his article from last year declaring green marketing dead. I posted a...
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March 29, 2013In evaluating sustainability efforts, measuring dollars made or saved is a solid metric. Attitudes and behaviors are harder to quantify.
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March 28, 2013On April 25, some 400 “thought leaders, public policy makers, government urbanists and C-suite level executives” convened for The New York Times Energy for...
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March 27, 2013As March Madness got started, the Alliance to Save Energy named its Elite Eight, the eight most energy-efficient campuses with teams in the NCAA...
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March 27, 2013As I sat in the audience at last week’s Wall Street Journal ECO:nomics Conference, I was excited at the amount of conversation happening in...
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March 26, 2013Last week, National Geographic, General Electric and the Center for Science announced a joint initiative to engage and educate youngsters about the future of...
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March 21, 2013This morning, the AP reports from Beijing that “Suntech, one of the world’s biggest solar panel manufacturers, was forced into bankruptcy court Wednesday, becoming...
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March 20, 2013You may remember a recent blog post where we listed the Tesla Model S all-electric vehicle as one of our favorite sustainable tech goodies...
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March 20, 2013I just finished a 1,700-mile road trip from Tennessee to Texas and back. I rented a Nissan Altima and was pleasantly surprised that I...
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March 19, 2013The Millennial Generation (born roughly between 1982 and 2004) has the greenest attitudes of any age group but not the greenest buying habits. The...
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March 13, 2013In an American consumer industry well over 200 years old, countless firearm “technological advances” have come along. Improvements to ammunition, the integration of polymer...
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March 13, 2013Imagine your product, offering or cause. Now imagine all the things you’re just dying to say about it: how it works, why it’s the...
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March 7, 2013I'm the CEO of a 30-person marketing communications agency. My firm has no shareholders to satisfy, no Wall Street forecasts to beat, and we...
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March 6, 2013Want to sell solar? Lead your marketing efforts with "controlling energy costs," not "save the planet." Our Energy Pulse™ 2012 research indicates that solar...
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February 28, 2013This year, my wife and I will spend our anniversary in a fairly unique location: a garage. The riding mower has been replaced with...
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February 28, 2013First, let me state for the record that I think technological advancement is a wonderful thing. I love the conveniences new technologies bring and,...
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