PG&E Co. and the California Department of Education have announced a “green energy” academy pilot program to train high school students in green energy technologies. An advisory about the announcement said the Academy “was designed to provide energy career education for students who might otherwise not have the opportunity.”

The pilot program will be offered in five high schools, likely including Berkeley High School, where the program was to be unveiled Sept. 29.  Read More.

I can’t think of a better way to secure a green future for our region than encouraging our high school students to choose a clean tech, green business career. 

Is Sacramento Smart, or What?

We just got the word via the Sacramento Bee that "Sacramento ranks as the seventh most environmentally "smart" large city in the nation. That’s according to the results of a survey announced Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental group.

"Sacramento led the nation in "environmental standards and participation." This measure assessed citizen involvement in local environmental initiatives and the degree to which departments within city government have incorporated environmental concerns into their policies.”

Learn why Sacramento is a Top Ten Smart Environment by attending this year’s Sacramento Clean Tech Showcase. The showcase opens at 9 am on October 16^th at Sacramento State’s University Union.  To register, visit www.cleanstart.org.

Hope to see you all there!

Be Boldly Green

Too many companies are missing important marketing opportunities by being secretly green. Are you?

 You are secretly green if your company is following green and sustainable business practices but you are not using it as part of your branding and marketing messaging. 

 I’ve found many companies stay secretly green because they think their customers know they are green or they don’t know how to effectively communicate their message.

That can be an expensive mistake for three reasons.

1)  Consumers.  Consumers, especially women, are looking for green products in greater numbers. In March, Frank About Women produced a study of 1,084 female consumers that found 32 percent willing to pay more for green products. Twenty-five percent said all the products they purchase are green, and 52 percent said they will buy green products if they benefit their family's health.

2) The market. The corporate pursuit of green marketing and branding has made green mainstream. As recently as three years ago, companies rarely advertised their environmental attributes.

But a 2008 survey of more than 600 executives found that 71 percent of the roughly 30 companies they represent have adopted a green design approach and 83 percent took environmental issues into account in their strategic decisions. The study was conducted by BearingPoint, a global management and technology consulting firm with headquarters in Mclean, Va.

3) Your competition.  How important is it for you to be a leader in your market?  Just as most of us only click the first five links on the first page of a Google search, most consumers choose the first or second company they think of when they are ready to buy that product or service.

If you’re not top of mind, you’re not getting the order. You competition is!  If the customer’s buying criteria includes “green” then your secretly green company is losing those orders, customers and referrals.

There is no better time than right now – Today – to step out of the shadows and Go Boldly Green. 

 BrandVantage helps companies tell their green story better. We will help you answer important questions like:

• What is our green value proposition?
• Who needs to hear our story?
• How do we engage them?
• What’s the best way to get our story out to the market? 
• How can we tell our story in effectively and affordably?   

Please visit our Website and let us know how we can help you Go Boldly Green.

Are you secretly green?

Are you secretly green? Have you started making changes in your company to become more eco-friendly or incorporate sustainable business practices but have not yet shared your story with your customers?

Many of my new clients have been using green or sustainable business practices for months or years but have never shared that story with their clients and their industry. The obvious question is why?

I’ve noticed three things that keep companies secretly green.

They already know what we do. Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps you have a line on your Email that reads something like, “please consider the environment before you print this Email.” Your clients may see that from you AND many others that they do business with. Do they associate that message with you? Or does it simply fade into the “green noise” background?

Don’t assume that your clients, customers and prospects know about your green business practices. Find a way to tell them.

Not everything we do is green. That’s OK. Developing sustainable business practices takes time and everyone is in learning mode to a certain extent. We are all trying to find the right balance of sustainability and profitability.

Whether your company is actively pursuing the Triple Bottom Line or has just started recycling and reuse in the office, your customers need to know about it. It will increase their interest in doing business with you and it can get you a whole new set of socially consciousness customers.

We don’t know how to tell our green story. Concern over how to get their message out in the right way to the right people is the Number One reason companies stay secretly green.  That’s where we come in.

BrandVantage helps companies tell their green story better. We will help you answer important questions like:

• What is our green value proposition?
• Who needs to hear our story?
• How do we engage them?
• What’s the best way to get our story out to the market?
• How can we tell our story in effectively and affordably?  

In my next blogpost, I’ll talk about why you can’t afford to stay secretly green.

Is Sacramento a Green Tech Hub?

 That was the question poised at the Green Business 09 Forum, sponsored by the Sacramento Business Journal. The forum on the “Future of Green Business” was held last Friday at the downtown Hyatt.

The answer from the panelists and the packed room of attendees was a resounding YES! Sacramento has what it takes to be the leader in Clean Tech and Green Tech. We are proving it – in the number of green companies in the region, more than 110; the focus of our universities, colleges and in the growing consumer and business market for green products that Sacramento provides.

Green groups look to the Capitol Region for its legislative clout, and the panelists urged green companies in Sacramento not to ignore other agencies. Building good relationships with regulatory arms such as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other administrative groups can be a real asset.

Sandy Kirschenmann, Vice Chancellor, Resource Department, Los Rios College said that the world is watching what Sacramento is doing. Having just returned from a trip to Vancouver, B.C. she noted that the clean energy groups that she met in Vancouver were impressed with what Sacramento was doing and “were watching us” for new ideas and direction.

John DiStaslo of SMUD stated that one critical component we face is the storage of energy. Understanding how to effectively store energy and manage capacity will be a key factor in green business growth in the region.

To that end, in related news . . .

Energy Parametrics & Communications Inc. has signed a 15-year lease for a 51,400-square-foot building at 2040 Railroad Drive in Sacramento. The company could hire as many as 300 people in the next three to five years, company officials said.

Energy Parametrics wants to sign businesses to 15-year leases that would provide low, fixed rates for electricity.

"As we begin the development of our new facilities this week, each location will serve a variety of important energy industry functions. Most importantly, it will showcase our company's proven products and services to create safe and reliable green energy generation and power systems management. The sites will also serve to train industry professionals and host future green energy conferences as well," said Gary Rayward, COO, EP&C.

The new west coast 51,400 sq. ft. power data management center is located in the North Sacramento/Del Paso Heights area, 2040 Railroad Drive, Sacramento, California.

For the next big event in Green Business Sacramento be sure to REGISTER NOW for the Sacramento Clean Tech Showcase on October 16^th at the University Union at Sacramento State.