GreenWave Radio
101 North Jay St.
Middleburg, VA 20117
540/687-9321
http://www.GreenWave.com
GreenWave Radio is a syndicated talk show covering the "intersection of environment and business" with a heavy emphasis on environmental best practices. The show began airing weekly as an hour-long
program in January 1997 and is now satellite-fed into 40 markets nationwide. Show producers have lately diversified their format and now also offer a 30-minute segment in select Virginia markets, as well
as 2-minute "vignettes" (two per day) that local stations can incorporate into their own news packages.
Content/Contacts
According to co-hosts Carey Crane and Chandler Van Voorhis, environmental talk radio isn't just for "tree huggers." Listeners fall in the 30-55 age range, tend to have kids and are active in their
local communities. They want to make a difference, but they're not fanatical. "All of our shows are taped and edited, and we try to pull out kernels that our listeners can relate to - as voters,
consumers, professionals and community members," says Van Voorhis. "For example, if we're talking about fuel cells, we have to explain why fuel cells might matter to a family that lives near a power
plant. Our listeners care about the quality of life in their area and how to make it better - but they're also price competitive." A channel featuring an array of eco-friendly product picks will soon hit
GreenWave's Web site.
Product and process innovations tend to dominate the radio show's content, although some stories hinge on "setting the record straight" in the case of high-profile environmental crises. "We
occasionally pick a topic we think is poorly explained in the media - like pfisteria - and call in experts to explain exactly what is happening," Van Voorhis says. Lead time for stories is 1-2 weeks (with
the exception of breaking news). Crane's niche is business/ industry, and Van Voorhis focuses more on public policy, but both hosts review all submissions together. Deliver your best stuff by phone or
snail mail or send an email to [email protected].
Pitch Tips
In pitching tidbits for GreenWave's 2-minute radio segments, think cocktail conversations. "For example, did you know that recycling a 4-foot stack of newspapers will save a 40-foot pine tree?" Trivia
can be product- or company-specific, provided it's germane to the show's focus. For example, the show's hosts like to know that Honda's hybrid car (half-gas, half-electric) will get you from DC to Chicago
on a single tank of gas.
Book authors and guest experts are a staple in the radio program mix. Here, Crane and Van Voorhis are looking for "change masters."
"These are not people who are complaining about environmental problems, they're doing something about it," Van Voorhis says. Take, for example, architectural/product design guru Bill McDonough, who
revolutionized commercial carpet manufacturers' relationships with Ford Motor Co. by instituting a system for leasing (instead of buying) carpet. "This way they keep the raw material in their industrial
metabolism instead of sending it to the landfill," Carey says. Now he's developing an earth-friendly shoe for Nike that will have a compostable sole. He has been a repeat guest.
The ideal guest experts are those who can speak with authority and passion about an environmental issue without garbling the interview in technical jargon, Carey says. "CEOs make good spokesmen
because they're such generalists they can't afford to be tied down to a particular area [of engineering minutia]."
Comments
"Reactive environmentalism is old," Carey says. "Proactive [solutions] are in. Businesses are embracing the concepts of sustainability that have been preached in the nonprofit sector for years. There
are so many people [harping] on all the problems in the world that when you mention the word 'environment' it's almost a dirty word. We want to talk about what companies are doing right."
To wit: one recent GreenWave segment highlighted McDonald's recycling partnerships with the corrugated box industry, as well as the fast food giant's latest biodegradable sandwich packaging, which is
made out of potato starch and clay. Another story chronicled Starbucks' journey to find the perfect environmentally friendly coffee cup - one that would satisfy customers' demands for eco-friendly
packaging, while simultaneously meeting the retailer's need for well-insulated, printable material.
And as if there's any doubt, GreenWave walks its own walk. The company recently announced that its Web site soon will be partially solar-powered. "The Internet has reduced the amount of pollution
[due to road traffic and other factors]," Van Voorhis says. "It's more environmentally friendly to order a book from Amazon.com or Borders.com than it is to visit a brick and mortar store."