Green language still growing up

Although more and more companies are talking green, they're still feeling their way into the new language. They're still growing up.

Take one recent corporate publication I picked up. The publication included the following statement:

In the spirit of our continued commitment to being good stewards of the environment, we are proud to produce this publication using 100 percent recycled paper and eco-friendly soy-based ink.

First, all credit to the company for making the environmentally-friendly choice. The trees that were spared by that decision don't care how the company talks about it. They just care that they did it.

However, the purpose of this blog is not to encourage companies to make the right decision. It's to help them communicate their right choice in the proper manner. The preceding statement is not the right communication, but it's representative of companies (and their agencies) who are still learning to talk about an issue of increasing importance to their constituents.

The important part of the communication is the second part of the sentence, which simply communicates the choice. Saying "In the Spirit of our continued commitment to being good stewards of the environment" before the facts is not only unnecessary, but it also makes the company sound like it made the choice with ulterior motives.

What if that same company made a $100,000 donation to a local soup kitchen and reported it in a corporate publication like this: In the spirit of this company's generosity to the local community, we are proud to make a contribution in the sum of $100,000 to the local soup kitchen. No company would say that because the bit about generosity doesn't need to be said. It's implicit in the action. Let me suggest this small change to the company statement listed at the top:

This publication is printed on 100 percent recycled paper using soy-based ink.

Nothing more needs to be said.