We knew Hoffman York drank a lot of coffee. In fact, we estimated that our Milwaukee office, alone, drank an estimated 180 pots per month. That’s what made recycling our coffee grounds such a logical move.

What we didn’t realize was how much ground coffee it takes to make 180 pots per month. Our coffee grounds receptacle filled up—fast. Faster than we could recycle the grounds. We’d talked about establishing a relationship with an organization to which we could donate our grounds–so people outside of our agency could benefit from our recycling efforts. We didn’t realize that establishing a partnership would be such an immediate need.

To the Internet!

I quickly found a thriving, eco-friendly community, right here in Milwaukee, including an entire network of community gardens. I got in touch with the folks at Milwaukee Urban Gardens who were quick to respond with a list of garden leaders who might be interested in our coffee grounds. That’s how I connected with Off the Grid Milwaukee, a self-described “family of friends” working together to make the change they want to see in the world. It sounds like they’re interested in an ongoing donation; and we’re in the process of working out the logistics.

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After my last blog titled One Green Message, Many Green Voices, I received a great comment from Keith P. His comment is:

Good starting points to take under consideration for establishing the green message within the proper conversations. The only thing I might challenge is how you reply within the social settings of facebook, twitter, tumblr, linkedin, myspace and brighkite when you are not the company spokesperson. Do you empower your employees to talk openly about how they view your green initiatives? Do you allow your employees to express their opinions and how they are helping the company be green? And do you engage people that discuss your company’s attempts at being green?

If the company has answered yes to this then you are a social business going green, if not your a company with a veil of secrecy of your green efforts and that is where you need help encouraging the conversation, because most likely you have bigger cultural issues.

Now if yes how can the EcoMap process help give the employees the framework of communication without sounding like they are talking points? How does the EcoMap process address when your Vendors and Consumers talk about your company? (Personal opinion on the last one–if you are embracing your Vendors and Consumers in a social context the conversation is more constructive, collborative, and innovative, which helps everyone in process make a difference.)

Looking forward to answers to these questions and follow-up blog posts on the process.

Thanks for the feedback Keith. HY-brid works with our clients to establish their environmental (green) platform and it’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach. To that end, it is much more than the green conversation(s) we address in our EcoMap process. We take into consideration such things as type of business, audience set(s), and messages that are not only pertinent to, but resonate with those audiences. This holistic approach to defining green for clients ladders up to the overall business goals and objectives and thus acts as an extension of the corporate mission.

In your comment you reference many of the social outlets being used today. We certainly address these in our communications planning, but it is again very different by client. One important thing to keep in mind is that not all businesses are marching to the same beat on social. We’ve found social marketing and social media are very new to a number of businesses, no matter their size and standing within their industry, and in fact we have visited with some very large corporations whose marketing teams are blocked from social sites. While we certainly encourage our clients to be as transparent as possible on their environmental stance, if they do not have the social tools in their arsenal (yet) we can only counsel them to use the tools they do have to promote their efforts.

But in our overall approach to social for those clients who have access to it, we look at it as a means of brand building. It is an extension of what can be done through traditional ads and PR but puts the brand building experience in the hands of the customer. That’s where being truly transparent plays a key role in how a business uses social in its integrated communications planning. The EcoMap process determines the audiences and messages for each, and from the Map, the tactics that make the most sense for those messages to be disseminated are determined. Social is a key ingredient in that tactical mix.

To answer your question about how we help manage messages when the people in the social space are not the spokespersons, we do give message points with hopes those socially communicating stay to them, but we also counsel our clients to develop social guidelines for employees to adhere to.

Thanks again for the great comment Keith.

Do you have questions about your environmental platform? Have comments on our process or HY-brid’s vision of green messaging and marketing? Let us know– it’s why we’re here.

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Recently I was meeting with a large corporation here in Milwaukee. In the course of discussing how HY-brid could help them take their environmental message to their numerous audiences, it became clear they have a bigger issue than just ensuring the message gets out.

Much like we have seen with other HY-brid clients, this organization has a large number of people in the field who at any time, could be thrust into the role of corporate environmental spokesperson. A scary thing to consider, especially in light of the fact this company has an international presence. As we talked, we fleshed out just how much of a problem not having a universal green message could be. We also discussed how, even if there were a universal message, it would be properly disseminated.

So how does an organization control its environmental message? How too does it ensure that message is laddering up to the overall corporate objectives and messaging? Not always easy, but it can be done. One environmental messaging platform is achievable, no matter the voice from which it comes.

Think about it this way- an internal communications/marketing team is like a sponge gathering up all information pertinent to a company’s environmental stance. As simple examples these might include process and product tidbits, sustainability reporting, community involvement projects, etc. Once gathered, it’s the role of that internal communications team (and their agency of course) to filter it and make it easy to understand based on the audience(s) to which it’s directed. At HY-brid we call this an EcoMap^sm. It’s a process we guide clients through and it results in that singular message, no matter who is in front of the camera- so to speak.

The EcoMap is just a start. Internal teams and the agencies they work with need to put the tactical elements that fall out of the mapping process into action. This can take weeks, months, and in the case of large businesses like the one I met with, it can sometimes take years. These elements are not simply speaking points but more so act as the mouthpiece of the organization and its environmental stance. Things like CSRs, web sites, and social marketing as examples help guide the company in the right green direction while those speaking (all of them) on its behalf put the green message to the masses.

Do you have your messages written and are your spokespersons all talking about it the same? These are questions you should be asking yourself and ones that we would like to help you answer and eventually communicate to your audiences. Questions on what your next steps are in navigating this issue? Let us know, it’s why we’re here.

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Yes, with a capital Y. A recent report from Johnson Controls in which more than 1,400 CEO’s, GM’s and VP’s were surveyed suggests a trend in energy efficiency that only a downturn in the economy could drive. The 2009 Energy Efficiency Indicator Report reveals a clear line between interest in green and action being taken.

The reason for the distinction? Capital, or lack thereof. Of those surveyed in 2009, 46 percent indicated they expected to make efficiency improvements financed with capital expenditures. Admittedly, this is a nice number—until you compare it to last year’s 56 percent who said they would make the improvements. In addition, the number one barrier (42 percent of respondents) to energy efficiency measures being implemented is limited capital availability. The 10 percent drop, coupled with the fact the report even had to introduce the barrier statistic (it wasn’t in 2008’s) shows just how much the economic situation has worked against the push toward environmental responsibility and stewardship.

There is no doubt that business leaders need to do what they can to keep people employed. The fact that green initiatives are taking a back seat is totally understandable, but they should not be cast aside for good. Corporate America seems to agree–according to the study, 45 percent of those surveyed still see building efficiency projects as their top carbon reduction strategy. So we know the want for getting these measures in place is there. The hope of course is that the economy turns around and the number of projects implemented increases with it.

So what side of this issue are you on? It’s a question you should be asking yourself and one that we would like to help you answer and eventually communicate to your audiences. Questions on what your next steps are in navigating this issue? Let us know, it’s why we’re here.

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Hoffman York’s Milwaukee office drinks a lot of coffee—an estimated 180 pots per month. Apparently, we’re not morning people. But we are conscientious people—and that’s a lot of coffee grounds to be throwing out every month. Especially since those coffee grounds would make excellent fertilizer for our gardens. So HY-brid sprung into action, establishing a Coffee Grounds Recycling Program.  

HY-brid Coffee Grounds Recycling Bin

Instead of throwing our used grounds into the trash, we place them in coffee grounds recycling bins. (To create our bins, we recycled five-gallon containers from a school cafeteria.) Our Coffee Grounds Recycling Program encourages employees to take grounds home for fertilizing their gardens and catalyzing their composts. They can either take the whole bucket home, or bring in their own reusable container.

The program has been entirely self-sustaining. Grounds are deposited as people empty the filter basket to make a new pot of coffee. Bins are emptied as employees gradually take grounds home for fertilizer.

The best part? It’s had a surprising ROI. We invested very little time and money into making the bins. Yet, our Coffee Grounds Recycling Program is having a powerful impact on our environment and employees. It’s keeping grounds out of landfills and energizing our plants. It’s spreading an interest in green. And it’s actually improved employee morale by creating an interesting sense of team.

Here are a few of the sites we visited, in the process of doing research on coffee grounds recycling.

http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2009/02/24/climate-for-action/

http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/soilfert/npk.htm

http://www.slate.com/id/2178595/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707171641.htm

http://environmentalism.suite101.com/article.cfm/co2_not_the_only_greenhouse_gas

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/282805/soluble_salt_damage_the_secret_killer.html?cat=32

The coffee grounds recycling bin in action! (When we're not making coffee, we usually keep the lid on.)

Establishing a Coffee Grounds Recycling Program is just one of the many no-cost/low-cost efforts a business can make to be more environmentally friendly and get its employees excited about green. And if you drink coffee like we at Hoffman York seem to, establishing a Coffee Grounds Recycling Program could be a great way to put all that caffeine to work. (Aside from the increased productivity, of course.)

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