leadership

Mar

2017

What We Can Learn From These 5 Women Environmental Leaders

Lessons from the Environmental Frontlines

We need radical leaders to shake up the way we think about the world around us and how we carry our lives, our businesses, and our non-profits within in it. Bold environmental leaders have led us into the light on seed diversity, climate change, indigenous, black and people of color environmental justice, and deforestation. In honor of Women’s History Month, we want to specifically highlight 5 powerhouse women and their work in providing us with education and a better quality of life. Let’s learn some radical lessons from these barrier-breaking leaders!

Lesson #1 Evolve Beyond the Monocultures of Mind, Society, and Crops

Dr. Vandana Shiva is a philosopher and a seed activist who advocates for sustainable agriculture. She authored over 20 books, including The Violence of the Green Revolution, Monocultures of the Mind, Stolen Harvest, Staying Alive, and Water Wars. Through her work, she has shed light on many agricultural issues, including bringing attention to the costs of corporate-led globalization in social, economic, and ecological ways. Dr. Shiva founded and collaborated with many organizations throughout of her career. Her organization Navdanya, formed in 1991 in India and grew to help more than 500,000 farmers. According to vandanashiva.com, “Navdanya’s efforts have resulted in the conservation of more than 3,000 rice varieties from across India, and the organization has established 60 seed banks in 16 states across the country.” She even went on to establish an international college for sustainable living! Dr. Shiva has been named one of the top five most powerful communicators in Asia by Asia Week, one of the top Seven Most Powerful Women on the Globe by Forbes Magazine, and an environmental hero by Time Magazine.

Lesson: Dr. Shiva teaches us the perils of diminished foresight. We must use Dr. Shivas’ lessons when applying them to policy, marketing, and educational content for sustainable business and causes. We need to build our educational strategies on diverse seeds, at strategic times for an array of harvests. Having only one tool, for multiple purposes will inevitably fail us all. We must embrace the idea of biodiversifying our minds, our businesses, and our sustainable education-based marketing for reaching more people and creating deeper, lasting change.

Lesson #2 Use your Privilege to GET ARRESTED (metaphorically, of course).

Photograph: Jose Jacome/EPA

Daryl Hannah is a well-known American actress as well as a social and environmental activist that isn’t afraid to get down and dirty for a good cause! Hannah founded the website dhlovelife, a source for tips, resources, and environmental products. She also hosts the LoveLife vlog series, where she dives into environmental topics and ways to live a sustainable life. Hannah is the founder of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (SBA) and sits on numerous councils, which include: Environmental Media Association and the Action Sports Environmental Alliance. Some of her most daring activism work involves chaining herself to a tree to protest tree demolition, drinking biofuel to prove the safety of it, and dipping hands in an oil pit to demonstrate the severity of oil contamination on the Amazon rainforest.

Lesson: Daryl Hannah teaches us that sometimes you have to push boundaries in order to push agendas and get attention for things that matter. BE BOLD in developing your education and connection strategy with your audience, to ultimately improve society. Push the boundaries and if you have extra privilege, use that privilege to advance people around you who lack it. Make strides in the world to be a leader and to break the rules that you feel are holding humanity back. Shake up the system in a status quo industry! Make your sustainable way in the world, boldly.

Lesson #3 Take Back What is Yours

Melina Laboucan-Massimo is a Canadian indigenous rights advocate and a climate/energy campaigner for Greenpeace. She advocates for the land and the basic needs that have been taken away from the Lubacan Territory. She also defends against the impacts of Oil Sands Development which include deteriotated health, sustainability issues, and an overall decline in the well being of the Lubacan Lake Nation. According to New York Times, after dealing with her sister’s mysterious death, Massimo began advocating for the missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, as there is a lack of resources for helping this population in crisis. Massimo has worked with Indigenous Media Arts Group and Redwire Media Society and has produced documentaries and various research studies on issues related to environmental and social rights.

Lesson: Melina teaches us to stand up and take charge of what is rightfully yours. In a capitalistic, dog-eat-dog world, it’s the bold innovator, the empowered underdog that can truly make changes. We need to collectively and boldly stand together to support and unify against monopolistic, takeover-style practices. Sustainability business leaders must employ the triple bottom line method in order to ensure that people and planet are given priority when creating systems for making a profit.

Lesson #4 Kill it with Content!

Laurie David, is best known for producing An Inconvenient Truth to open the eyes of the nation to global warming. Her list of content work includes HBO documentary Too Hot to Handle, co-producing the Katie Couric documentary Fed Up, authoring two family culinary books, a book of poetry collections, and co-authoring The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming.

Lesson: Laurie teaches us that to share our knowledge and understanding of the world for its betterment, we must develop and create compelling content for environmental communication. Whether through movies, videos, cooking, books, or articles, compelling content moves us to thought leading and legacy creating.

Lesson #5 NEVER limit yourself, nor your Mission

Wangari Maathai is a world-renowned environmental activist who inspires brilliance as well as creative solutions. Although Maathai passed away in 2011, her legacy absolutely lives on! Maathai authored four environmental books: The Green Belt Movement, The Challenge for Africa, Replenishing the Earth, and Unbowed: A Memoir. Maathai came up with the idea of starting an organization centered around community-based tree planting in the hopes of reducing poverty, domestic violence, and working towards environmental conservation. She founded the Green Belt Movement, which is responsible for the cultivation of over 20 million trees on farms, schools, and churches across Kenya.

Maathai went on to become the first woman in both East and Central Africa to obtain a doctorate degree and the first African Woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. She has received over 50 awards, 15 honorary degrees, and is affiliated with over 15 organizations all over the world while advocating on numerous boards for environmental health and conservation.

Lesson: Wangari Maathai is the SUPERHERO of teaching us that there are NO LIMITS to a mission! Employ your brilliance, your spirit, your creativity, and unlimited support will abound. Creating an employment opportunity for women in a win-win situation to plant over 20 million trees is simple brilliance. REFOREST your brain and your sustainable business by employing Maathai’s creative brilliance to meet your mission in boundless, new ways that live on.

These 5 women heroes with 5 bold lessons teach us to believe in something bigger than ourselves, something better than we might consider today. Seeing their path helps us to push the boundaries and not accept the status quo for our environment and also for how our sustainable actions protect it.

We DARE YOU to take these lessons to relinquish your fears. Engender these lessons and where you can, incorporate them into your life, your business, and your non-profit endeavors this year.

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Feb

2017

5 Proven Strategies for Growing Your Eco-Friendly Business with Education-Based Marketing

The field of marketing has evolved significantly in recent years, and one of the most effective strategies is education-based marketing. Also known as inbound marketing, this approach focuses on attracting customers to your business rather than trying to reach as many people as possible with one-way communication.

Be the educator

Before inbound marketing became mainstream; the goal was to cast a wide net, getting a message in front of as many people as possible to finally turn them into customers. Now is the time to put yourself in your consumers’ shoes. Do you enjoy commercials? Do you love telemarketing calls? These practices are called “outbound marketing.” Sometimes these methods are necessary; often, they can cause overload; we want to meet customers where they’re at by delivering the content they want. We have officially moved into the day of practical education in the form of helpful content.

Taking the role of educator to engage and empower your audiences is far more beneficial to society than just converting. Get excited; this method of marketing is not only empowering for your audience but also elevates your business and your brand.

Use an Inbound Marketing Strategy

Adopting an inbound marketing strategy can be a highly effective and cost-efficient way to reach and engage with your audience. Instead of interrupting people with outbound marketing techniques like commercials and telemarketing calls, inbound marketing draws customers to your business by providing valuable information about your industry and sharing relevant experiences. This approach is preferred by many modern B2B and B2C customers. It can help your company stand out among competitors by offering a range of resources and options that benefit those seeking your services. Say goodbye to traditional marketing methods and hello to infographics, educational videos, and other engaging content that helps you attract and retain customers.

Attracting your customers to your business instead of trying to reach massive amounts of people with a one-way conversation is the preferred way to approach your potential customer base in a more effective, impactful way. Say bye to commercials and hello to infographics & educational videos. Providing your target audience with a range of resources and options will allow your company to shine amongst competitors and benefit those needing your services to improve their lives and communities.

Lead your customers to educated decisions

In today’s digital age, consumers have access to a vast array of options and information. To stand out in a crowded market, it’s essential to establish trust and provide value to your customers. This can be achieved through educational marketing, which helps lead your customers to make informed decisions that benefit their health, community, or environment. By sharing your expertise and providing valuable knowledge, you can differentiate your business and build a loyal customer base. Use educational marketing as an opportunity to enrich people’s lives and improve the world around us.

What consumers yearn for is knowledge, education, and wisdom. So, be the leader that delivers your specialty knowledge to them. Educational marketing is an opportunity to lead your consumers to make educated decisions, whether it’s for their health, community, or the environment. Realize how you can incorporate these ideas to enlighten people and improve lives.

How much to share? Using the 80/20 Rule

When it comes to sharing information with your audience, it’s important to follow the 80/20 rule. This means focusing on what your audience wants to know and delivering value to them rather than constantly promoting your products or services. For example, instead of discussing how you built your first product with a small budget, focus on how your product meets your customers’ needs and addresses their specific concerns or interests.

To effectively deliver value to your audience, provide them with useful and relevant content about your industry. This might include addressing common misconceptions, highlighting important issues, or simplifying technical information for beginners. By becoming a trusted source of valuable information, you’ll encourage your audience to continue seeking you out and, eventually, consider your products or services.

Of course, you want to generate publicity for your company, but balancing that with a focus on delivering value is essential. Use your content to encourage your audience to visit your site, attend an event, download an e-book, or schedule a consultation. By continuing to add value to their lives, you’ll build trust and create a deeper, more meaningful connection with your audience.

Be consistent with content

Implementing an effective educational marketing strategy requires dedication and consistency. At A.R. Marketing House, we specialize in creating compelling content for environmental companies that helps to expand their reach and drive business growth. We understand the power of education and are committed to providing valuable information to our clients and their audiences.

If you’re ready to see your company thrive through inbound marketing, we’re here to help. Our team of experts can research, create, and share content that engages and empowers your audience. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your success, or check out our other resources for additional insights and inspiration. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”