Green writing

Green writing is the practice of using sustainable methods to support more sustainable communications. Green writing is a facet of the general trend toward environmental sensitivity and sustainability documented by surveys such as the 2007 ImagePower Green Brands Survey, which found that 80% of US consumers prefer to buy from green companies. This article seeks to clarify green writing, what it is and what it is not, and alert you, the reader, to the potential for "greenwashing" in the marketing communications space.

The trend toward sustainability is well underway. According to WIPO Magazine in the April 2008 article by Jo Bowman on "Climate Change: Green Branding and Cashing In On the Eco Market:"

Consumer brands have been quick to respond to shoppers’ desire to buy green. Wal-Mart announced last year that it would provide carbon ratings for all its electronics items. Procter & Gamble, the consumer goods giant behind such brands as Gillette and Olay, has committed to selling $30 billion worth of greener products over the next five years. Rival Unilever - makers of Dove and Lipton - has pledged to reduce waste and water consumption in its supply chain. In Brazil, Unilever and Wal-Mart have built “sustainable houses” within stores, made from recycled products and showing how to make everyday living more eco-friendly.

While on the surface, writing seems nonthreatening enough—hardly a target for sustainability— in fact, thoughtless editing and writing practices have a global impact. One tree makes 8,333 sheets of paper, or 83.3 pounds of paper, or 16.67 reams. Since it takes 50 years to grow a tree, you can see the impact that reducing our own paper waste has, and that's just the beginning.

The fact is, the professional writing process—drafting, editing, reviewing, re-drafting, revising, finalizing, and of course, publishing—means that for every finished page, there are often 10 prior pages of work-in-progress.

Two factors that make green writing different

Green writing is more than just writing about sustainability. It’s an emerging, unique writing practice. The two factors that make green writing a unique business practice are:

Carbon neutralityItalic text
Green writing strives for carbon neutrality by reducing waste. That means a conscious, systematic approach to creating great writing that incorporates:
-Fewer print outs
-Respectful use of energy
-Less commuting and driving time

AuthenticityItalic text
Authenticity in approach to sustainability means you walk the talk. Anyone can write about environmentally sensitive principles, renewable resources, or green products. Real green writing practices actually measure current business practices, and strive for a more sustainable difference. True green writers demonstrate authenticity in a variety of ways, including:
-Giving to green causes, including in-kind donations or grant writing
-Writing for a variety of sustainability concerns
-Cross-pollinating the information from one industry to another

Ten top habits of green writers

Drawn from the Green Writing Guidepublished by Write2Market, recognized by MSN and StartUp Nation in 2007 as the second greenest home based business in the U.S., this section is for the writer—-the professional full time communicator, or that writer in all of us. The fact is, many of us love our leather bound daily dairies, our infinite supply yellow pads, our wire bound notebooks, and the smell of hot lead spilling fast over cotton wove . . . And those of us who ply our trade professionally have habits-—habits like mailing press releases instead of using RSS.

None of these things are bad in and of themselves. But especially if you’re a professional writer, it’s also a joy to realize you do not need to cut living trees to ply your trade well. Technology has made a sustainable approach possible even for professionals.

Old Writing Method
1. Note pads—-endless notepads
2. Marking up a printed draft for edits and revisions
3. Keeping piles of notes, tearing research, printing it out at the library…
4. Bound diary
5. Mailing clips or portfolio
6. Buying research books
7. Mailing invoices and samples
8. Paper checks
9. Reviewing materials in person
10. Backing up computer to local drive

More Sustainable Writing Method
1. Take notes in an MS Word document or Adobe Flex or anything else you can type
2. Go digital. Learn to use MS Word track changes, or even Flex from Adobe if you’re not a Microsoft fan.
3. Go digital. There are dozens of great tools for organizing your source materials.
4. Blog (hey, you can have a private blog if you’re not into public journaling)
5. Having an online portfolio
6. Buy Kindle from Amazon
7. Emailing invoices and samples
8. Wire transfer and direct deposit
9. Reviewing materials together using a program that lets you share the monitor, such as GoToMeeting
10. Using a back up service that provides economy of scale, such as Mozy

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