Winner: Sprint with Stanton Communications Inc. and Samsung
Telecommunications America with MWW Group Sprint and Samsung Make It Easy to Be Green While Spring Nextel and Samsung had long desired to launch a green mobile product, research showed that customers were wary of greenwashing claims. So the team treaded carefully when releasing the 80% recycled Samsung Reclaim. Rather than announce the innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show, the team opted to introduce the product as part of a broader company-wide plan at an event with partner The Nature Conservancy. Handouts like 100% recycled totes and USBs, and access to cellular recycling, reinforced the initiative. The phone topped major green lists and Sprint donated $2 to the conservancy for every Reclaim purchased, reaching its maximum commitment of $500,000.
Honorable Mentions:
GolinHarris - The Launch of UL Environment Inc.:
In the wake of rising public concern about whether touted environmental products were as green as claimed, UL Environment, Inc., sought to break ground as a the leader in environmental claims verification. In the span of only 12 weeks and with modest budget, GH helped the UL Environment launch gain 2.7 million media impressions in Q1 2009 alone to UL's overall U.S. public relations campaign--constituting nearly two percent of the entire organization's impressions for
Kaiser Permanente Eating Well in Season - Elevating Kaiser Permanente’s Leadership in Sustainable Food:
When Dr. Preston Maring, a Kaiser Permanente physician based in Oakland, Calif., founded the country's first hospital based farmers market in 2005, KP saw an opportunity to establish him as a national resource for healthy eating and also reflect KP's sustainability goals. KP entered into a partnership with EatingWell Media Group in 2008 to publish "EatingWell in Season: The Farmers' Market Cookbook," for which Dr. Maring contributed a lengthy introduction, and worked with EatingWell editors and recipe authors to assure that the book's recipes adhered to Kaiser Permanente nutritional standards. The news of the book's release achieved more than 100 placements in national and regional media.
Loyola University Chicago - Loyola Creates Sustainability, Campus and Community:
Loyola's first "green campus" initiative included a number of sustainability practices like the completion of a LEED-certified library, a new-campus-wide recycling program, and a student bike-borrowing program. The team targeted first internal, then external audiences to drive interest in the campaign and propel it forward. Internal efforts included sustainability courses, and external included successful placements in Chicago papers and building industry trade publications.
MWW Group Green: Making It Easy to Be Green:
Since the "MWW Group Green" initiative first launched in 2008, the firm has incorporated environmental responsibility actions into all aspects of business--from office management to supply purchase--leading to ISO 14001 certification in 2009. Recently, MWW extended its four-year partnership with CarbonFund.org and has reduced carbon impact from business operations--the equivalent of taking 984 cars off the road for a year.
Office Depot - Grow Greener PR Campaign:
In partnership with the Greater Miami Chamber, Office Depot launched a Greener Office Makeover Contest open to chamber members in South Florida. The winning business will receive a meeting with Office "green guru" Y. Siddiqui and an office makeover worth approximately $4,000. Hundred entered locally, and as a result of extensive local and national media outreach both here in the U.S., Europe and Seoul, Korea, Office Depot green media coverage has been watched by over 5.3 million viewers and achieved an Ad Value Equivalency (AVE) of over $5.25 million.
Pulse Communications - Taking a Sip Towards a More Sustainable Tea Industry - Launching Lipton Tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms:
To launch the more sustainable Lipton tea in Australia, Pulse engaged four top lifestyle bloggers with an interest in sustainability issues, to host a series of micro-contests for readers to share their top tips for acting sustainably in the home. The readers which submitted the most interesting tips received a Lipton Tea prize pack and their tips were used in an 'everyday action' fact sheet, supported by Katie Patrick, author of Green is Good. Over 500 Australians participated in the blogger micro-contest and became engaged in the sustainability concept, and what Lipton's partnership with the Rainforest Alliance means.
Qorvis Communications - Sustainability in Communications:
Sprint hired Qorvis to build awareness of Sprint's visionary leadership and industry-first efforts to "green" the telecom industry, help position Sprint ahead of its competitors and garner earned media attention for the carrier's innovations, and focus on measurable and time-driven environmental progress. Qorvis also played a critical role in announcing the launch of the first eco-friendly phone made from bio-plastic materials, the Samsung Reclaim by pitching and inviting media to a launch event in New York, developing the Q&A and fact sheet, and working with the Sprint marketing and product team on the announcement.
U.S. Postal Service Blue to Green PR:
To highlight its new environmental practices including greener vehicles, packaging and newsroom, the U.S. postal service sent invitations to the NYC media and NYC government officials to attend an opening event for the new Morgan Green Roof, the largest environmental project to date. On the day of the dedication event, the Postal Service garnered 30 stories and the attention has since been sustainable with worldwide architectural agencies expressing interest in the execution and concept.
World Wildlife Fund/Creaxion - WWF’s Earth Hour 2010: Uniting the Country Around a Symbol:
WWF spread awareness of the international lights-off event through issuing press announcements and encouraging people to download logos, videos and other material and distribute them virally on Facebook. On Earth Hour 2010, recorded participation was up a staggering 80 million from the previous year.