Cause Marketing

Cause Marketing: Examples, Discussion and Stats
August 26, 2008 at 6:14 pm ·

Haagan Dazs have created a cause marketing campaign to help endangered bees.

Bees are an endangered species and also a vital part of our ecology. Did you know that we rely on bees for one third of our food supply?

They have a pretty little micro-site up at http://helpthehoneybees.com/ promoting the fact that honey bees are in danger and that you can help them help the bees by buying their “Bee-Dependent” flavours.

Through purchasing one of their “Bee-Dependent” flavours Haagan Daaz will contribute funds to help save the bees! The site is fun to use and has a download-able lesson plan. I think this gives it some authenticity and extends the campaign further than it being just a branding exercise.

The site has a viral mechanism – send a bee – where you can design your own bee avatar and send an e-card with a message to a friend.

They also have a bee shop where you can purchase merchandise and a percentage goes towards helping the bees.

I have written a bit on this blog outlining the benefits of cause marketing for brands. You can find some more ranting about cause marketing here, and some other examples of campaigns here: Nokia’s N96 Campaign and Ben and Jerry’s Whirrld Peace Campiagn

According to research:

“KANSAS CITY (PR WEB) October 23, 2007 – The 2007 PR Week / Barkley Cause Survey reveals that philanthropic activities can drive business success. In fact, 72% of consumers say that they have purchased a brand because it supports a cause they believe in. Furthermore, corporate respondents say they see positive PR (65.3%), an increase in sales/retail traffic (26.7%) and an enhanced relationship with their target demographic (52%), as a result of their cause marketing efforts.”

Cause Marketing is not new. It began in the 1980’s when American Express kicked off a campaign whereby every time someone used one of their credit cards they would donate money to the Statue of Liberty fund (also their icon image – NB a well selected charity in line with their brand.)

Stats prove it…this is really where it’s at. Help the world – help your brand make money – and help consumers feel good about themselves. It really is a win – win!

Here is a list from 2004 listing many other examples of cause marketing and stats from as far back as the 80’s.

If you are interested in executing these types of campaigns for your business check out the Cause Marketing Forum, Market Watch also a very good post on the subject, and perhaps this article “Cause Marketing Tps: Boost Business by Giving Back” aimed at small businesses may help.


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Green Branding
Brand innovation for the new consumer.
www.bbmg.com

Cause Partnerships
Customers Buy from Caring Companies cause + business = abundance
www.tlnpartnerships.com
http://jaxinteractive.com/2008/08/26/cause-marketing-example-hd-loves-hb/


Cause Marketing The New Corporate–Nonprofit Engagement

Corporations have long been involved in supporting community, but when
the first cause-marketing programs were successfully implemented, it signaled a
dramatic shift in nonprofit–for-profit relationships: one that recognized corporate
community support could be positioned at the intersection of business objectives
and societal needs.

Cause marketing was initiated over 25 years ago. At the time many nonprofit
professionals viewed it as a fledgling idea, one that should not be considered part
of any serious fund development or nonprofit program. As well-constructed programs reaped benefits for companies and nonprofits alike, the number of programs continued to grow. Now more than two decades later, cause marketing has evolved and developed into a firmly established practice, a new way for corporations and nonprofits to achieve significant bottom-line results and community impact.
http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/09/04717175/0471717509.pdf



Cause Marketing Emergedgtl
Did you know cause-related marketing promotions can increase your sales as much as 74%*? Nothing builds trust with your brand or service like a connection with worthy causes. You show you stand for more than profits, and the message resonates with your target audience.

We’re an interactive agency specializing in Cause Marketing using online social and viral media. Our cost-effective, innovative campaigns will connect you with non-profit charitable causes, encouraging your most valuable audiences to participate. Using the power of social media, we’ll help spread the word and show the impact of your campaign through the web.

Contact us to discuss ideas for your next Cause Marketing campaign, or to strategize on how to make Cause Marketing part of your online marketing plan.

*2008 study by Cone, Inc. and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
http://cause.emergedgtl.com/?gclid=CMzA1IbA-JoCFRKAxgodCjYgdg

Cause marketing: Altruism or greed?
June 4th, 2009
(PhysOrg.com) -- Companies that join with social causes to sell products not only enhance their image but also improve their bottom line, say University of Michigan researchers.

Build Trust, Do Good. - cause.emergedgtl.com
We bring your cause marketing campaigns to life.

"Cause marketing, in which firms donate part of the proceeds from sales of certain products to a specified cause, is now a strategy adopted by hundreds of firms to increase sales for a wide variety of products, from coffee to cars," said Aradhna Krishna, the Winkelman Professor of Retail Marketing at Michigan's Ross School of Business. "But it is often associated with price increases, as well."
A few well-known examples of cause marketing include Project Red, which encompasses several companies such as the Gap, Motorola, Apple, Converse, Dell, Microsoft, American Express and others to raise money for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; 3M's Post-It Super Sticky Notes imprinted with pink ribbons to help fund cancer research and treatment; and Snapple's bottled water sales to help build playgrounds in poor communities.

In a new study forthcoming in Management Science, Krishna and Uday Rajan, an associate professor of finance at Ross, found that cause marketing can increase sales—but can also raise prices—of the cause-related product, as well as of other products that the company sells.

One underlying reason for the price increase that Krishna and Rajan identify is the additional benefit that consumers get from buying a cause-related product. Consumers feel good about the firm selling the product, and also about themselves when they purchase such a product. Further, consumers can even feel good about buying a different product from the firm, one that is not related to a cause.

It's this spillover effect to a company's other products that can make cause marketing worthwhile, the researchers say. In fact, even if a firm is unable to increase the price of a cause-related product enough to compensate for the donated money or if it simply ties a low-selling product to cause marketing, it can still increase its profits—as long as consumers feel good about buying the company's other products.

Moreover, firms that raise prices on both a cause-related product and other non-cause products earn higher profits than if they don't participate in cause marketing at all. In addition, companies will never place their entire portfolio or product line in a social cause campaign.

"Firms can use cause marketing to increase prices and profits, but should be aware of the implications of placing different products on cause marketing," Rajan said. "For public policy officials and consumers who may believe that cause-marketing firms are more caring firms and are genuinely interested in helping others, it may be insightful to understand that cause marketing also allows firms to increase their prices and profits."

Provided by University of Michigan


Cause Marketing - Moving to Win-Win-Win (NAMA 2009)

Cause Marketing - Moving to Win-Win-Win (NAMA 2009)

View more OpenOffice presentations from Steve Drake.

http://www.slideshare.net/DrakeCo/cause-marketing-moving-to-winwinwin-nama-2009

A Brief History of the Modern Green Movement in America

A Brief History of the Modern Green Movement in America
Written by Sara on August 17th, 2008 - Topics: Geography and Travel, History and Trivia, Nature and Ecosystems, News and Politics


What is the green movement?
The green movement as we think of it today has evolved considerably since the early days. Since there are some popular assumptions about environmental history that are incorrect, if you have an interest in green issues this article will serve as a helpful guide to the origins and evolution of “green”. To understand the modern green movement, we have to trace its origins back to the beginning.

Let’s get started:
While many people associate the beginning of the green movement with Rachel Carson’s breakthrough book Silent Spring and the legislative fervor of the 1970s, environmentalism is in fact rooted in the intellectual thought of the 1830s and 1840s. In fact, the “environmental movement” is a significant thread in the fabric of American philosophical thought - first developed by the Transcendentalists (most famously Henry David Thoreau) but tangibly expanded upon during the era of American pragmatism in the latter half of the 19th century. Environmentalism isn’t a trend, or a cult, or a form of hysteria. It is rooted in American philosophy and, being at once innovative and practical, idealistic and active, one could easily define modern environmentalism as quintessentially American.

Environmentalism in America today is defined as:
“Environmentalists advocate the sustainable management of resources and stewardship of the environment through changes in public policy and individual behavior. In its recognition of humanity as a participant in (not enemy of) ecosystems, the movement is centered on ecology, health, and human rights.”

But how did we get from Thoreau and Teddy Roosevelt to “treehugging” and finally, the eco-friendly consumer-driven developments of today?

1. Roots of Environmentalism
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) certainly helped foster a reawakening of environmentalism, but it was Henry David Thoreau, in his book Maine Woods, who called for the conservation of and respect for nature and the federal preservation of virgin forests.

George Perkins Marsh was another key figure during the first half of the 19th century who championed preserving the natural environment. Leading intellectuals of the antebellum era called into question the standard Puritan pastoral ethic - the belief that cultivating and using the land was inherently moral and leaving the land alone to be “wild” was wasteful and uncivilized (this belief developed in large part because of the violent cultural clash between early Americans and Native Americans - something we tend to forget about in modern times). To this day there are ingrained negative associations between preserving wild lands and pantheistic or pagan values. This tension flares up in popular discourse from time to time (“environmental wackos”, “treehuggers”, and so forth). The classic American conflict between secular rationalism and Puritan morality is certainly not exclusive to our management of natural resources!

2. The Pragmatist Era
Though Transcendentalism was famously reverent of nature, it was the thrust of can-do American Pragmatism (widely viewed to be America’s original contribution to philosophical thought) that doubtless inspired a series of steps to conserve nature. Beginning in the 1860s, the United States government saw fit to create parks and set aside wild lands for public good. Yosemite was claimed in 1864 (John Muir moved there in 1869). It was made our first national park in 1872. The Audubon Society was founded in 1872 and Sequoia and General Grant parks were established. The only setback during this era was the Mining Act of 1890, which is controversial to this day. The Forest Reserve Act finished the era of pragmatism with federal impetus. John Muir was elected president of the new Sierra Club in 1892.

3. Conservation and Teddy Roosevelt
Though the federal government had begun taking actions to preserve lands, it was Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir - a bit of an unlikely pair - who publicized and popularized conservation. Teddy’s visit to Yosemite in 1903 gained national publicity. By 1916 the National Park Service had been established with leadership by Stephen Mather.

But just as swiftly, the World Wars - sandwiching the traumatic Great Depression - forced environmental concerns to the background of public thought. While the Sierra Club continued to grow rapidly and became instrumental in establishing many parks during these years, environmentalism as we know it today was not a concern for most Americans - or, consequently, the federal government. It would take disasters and threats to bring environmental issues out of the organizations and ivory towers and into the mainstream again. In future posts, you can expect these events to be explored in greater detail. Your questions are welcome.

4. Conservation and Catastrophe
After WWII, environmental efforts continued to be focused on conservation of land rather than more personal issues like food safety or consumer products. That soon changed. The 1948 disaster at Donora(called the “death fog”) prompted national outcry; also during this time David Brower became Executive Director of the Sierra Club (1952).

5. Things Get “Personal”
The technological and industrial developments of the Cold War era and a series of surprising events (most notably Donora) fueled a new environmental concern that went beyond saving forests and establishing parks. Carson’s bestseller set off a furor with its expose of toxins in consumer products and philosophical claim that controlling nature is both arrogant and morally bankrupt. The Sierra Club prevented the damming of the Grand Canyon and an oil spill at Santa Barbara caused public outrage. The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964 to limit the construction of dams and other structures on important lands and landmarks. During these years the Environmental Protection Agency was founded. The late 1960s and 1970s saw the rise, then, of the modern green movement.

6. Activism and Codification
The 1970s saw numerous steps to clean up the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the founding of Earth Day, the banning of DDT, the Water Pollution Control Act, and the Endangered Species Act (which the Supreme Court upheld in 1977. Disasters at Love Canal in 1978 and Three Mile Island in 1979 terrified the public with the visible consequences of toxic waste, pollution, and contamination. The 1980s were plagued with oil spills (the Exxon Valdezin 1989, among others), and while there was continued significantbacklash from industry against environmental strictures, the various Acts were not overturned.

7. Treehuggers and That Infamous Owl
The 1990s saw the offshoot of radical environmentalism in the face of corporate mistreatment of the land - and groups like PETA, Earth First and ELF got plenty of media attention. As conservative radio hosts went on tirades about minnows and the spotted owl and the merits of clear cutting, passionate young activists famously chained themselves to or took up residence in trees - earning the nickname “treehuggers“. These actions gained notoriety, but unfortunately also had the effect of politicizing and emotionally charging key environmental issues. Environmental protection was alternately depicted as being religious, cult-like, anti-society, anti-property ownership and anti-capitalist. Criminal stunts from fringe environmental groups did nothing to dampen the image of environmentalism as extreme. Vegetarianism experienced a popular resurgence with ground-breaking books like Diet for a New America(Robbins) but it also became the brunt of many a late-night comedian’s routine. The concept of climate change was ridiculed by many as an overreaction from misguided “environmentalist wackos”.

9. The “New” Environmentalism
Sobering international events, catastrophic weather, visible climate change, 9/11 and war, gas shortages and scientific consensus legitimized environmental concerns during the early years of the new century. Al Gore’s blockbuster film An Inconvenient Truth seared the climate crisis into the popular consciousness. Suddenly, the problems were obvious everywhere you looked: our food was chemically treated and genetically modified, our water was contaminated with toxic chemicals, our resources were running out, our wasteful habits were filling landfills, New Orleans was virtually destroyed, and gas prices were soaring - to name but a few key issues that have spurred millions to “go green”.

This post merely reviews the environmental movement as it relates to the United States. Consider: American leaders have yet to sign the Kyoto Protocol or earmark serious funding to green-collar jobs and sustainable technologies and energy. But American citizens have taken it upon themselves join a global movement, to learn more despite the gridlock in Washington; to conserve, to drive the development of eco-friendly consumption, to buy hybrids or use mass transit, even to telecommute. More and more people now recycle, compost, “go organic”, grow gardens and understand the connection between saving money, improving health and helping the environment. More people are interested in technology and efficient living than ever before. And more and more people are becoming curious about the natural world in all its majesty and strangeness.

The great opportunity is that every individual can be a part of the green revolution in some way. Everyone can learn and take a positive step in a greener direction. No one’s perfect, but together we can solve the problems we face. Welcome to the “new” green movement.

Consider this your crash course in environmentalism. In future articles you will learn more about each stage of the green movement, as well as learn about both international and American contributions, challenges and solutions. Our mission is to provide interesting, educational, practical green information and ideas and we welcome everyone.
http://webecoist.com/2008/08/17/a-brief-history-of-the-modern-green-movement/

Going Green can be Financial Windfall

Posted on Mon, Jun. 01, 2009 to the Miami Herald.com
My view | Going green can be financial windfall

BY WALTER BYRD
Special to The Miami Herald

When Al Gore released The Inconvenient Truth, he forced many of us to re-think the ways in which our actions affect the global environment. He also pointed out loud and clear how America is lagging behind other countries in the cause. Those who never before considered a carbon footprint let alone wrestled with the question of ''paper or plastic?'' were suddenly racing to hardware stores to get new energy-efficient light bulbs for their homes. Add $140-per-barrel oil, and many started to look at trading in SUVs for compacts. Then, almost overnight, thanks to the downturn of the economy, the skeptics have resurfaced with their age old chant ``we cannot afford Green.''

However, something has been lost -- going green can be a financial windfall as well. Europeans are ahead of their American counterparts in these types of investments, and European businesses with U.S. subsidiaries frequently adhere to many of the European standards when developing their U.S. business plans.

South Florida is starting to embrace this concept, and Mayor Manny Diaz's recent actions to create a greener city should be applauded. Proclaiming that Miami will become the leading green city in the nation is more than great public relations, it will ultimately provide for a better environment and a tremendous amount of savings for Florida business owners. These ripples will have seismic effects for our region in the future.

Green has now become part of the economic discussion in a positive sense. Unlike a decade ago when the thought of signing on to the Kyoto Protocol was countered with talk of ruin to our economy, in the past eight years, further research and development, gas rising to a high of $4.50 a gallon and a severe economic recession have started to change our perception of the Green Movement. More and more companies are finding that capital investments that help reduce their impact on the environment are as profitable as their other investments.

Sure, the economy is still in a state of recovery, and that is the very reason to go green. Never before has minding the bottom line been as important. Even small inroads into the ''greening'' process are producing immediate returns for companies.

Our company, Transwestern, which is one of the largest privately held commercial real estate and development firms in the United States, has been working with the subsidiary of a large European conglomerate operating a distribution center in Miami that had a corporate mandate to reduce their impact on landfills by recycling. With a $15,000 investment in cardboard compactors, this client began recycling cardboard boxes and reduced their garbage haul-away fees by $60,000 per year. In addition, they started selling the cardboard for $20,000 per year, yielding a $65,000 profit in the first year alone. Good for the environment and great for the bottom line.

Another subsidiary of a European company we work with was interested in reducing the energy cost of a new warehouse they had leased for seven years in the Pacific Northwest. The client replaced all warehouse lighting with new, high efficiency fluorescent bulbs controlled by motion sensors. Easy, right? This client recouped their investment in less than two years and expects a more than 300 percent return over the life of the lease.

In business, just like in people's own homes, small investments in environmentally friendly products, processes or services can yield significant savings. Reducing our impact on the environment by improving energy efficiency, recycling and re-using is a great start. What's good for the environment also makes great business sense.

Walter Byrd is managing director of the South Florida office of Transwestern, one of the largest privately held commercial real estate and development firms in the United States and a leader in sustainability.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1074221.html

Greening This Old House

Greening This Old House
By Bryan Walsh
Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1893514,00.html


Would Abraham Lincoln have gone green? Frank Milligan thinks so. Milligan is the director of President Lincoln's Cottage, a Gothic Revival mansion on a breezy hill a few miles from the White House, where Lincoln and his family sought relief from the summer heat during the Civil War. The cottage and its surrounding buildings were made a national monument in 2000, and in preparation for its opening last year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation carried out a multimillion-dollar renovation. But preservationists didn't just restore the buildings. They greened them, beginning with the Beaux Arts house next door that now serves as a visitors' center. Renovators kept 98% of the house's existing walls, roofs and floors and used recyclable material for the rest. Large windows were put in to reduce the need for artificial lighting, and low-flow plumbing was installed to cut water waste. The renovations earned the visitors' center a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council--and made the site a model for historic buildings in need of a face-lift. "Lincoln was always ahead of his time," says Milligan. "And going green is the future."

When we think of green buildings, we tend to think of new ones--the kind of high-tech, solar-paneled masterpieces that make the covers of architecture magazines. But the U.S. has more than 100 million existing homes, and it would be incredibly wasteful (not to mention totally unrealistic) to tear them all down and replace them with greener versions. An enormous amount of energy and resources went into the construction of those dwellings. And it would take an average of 65 years for the reduced carbon emissions from a new energy-efficient home to make up for the resources lost by demolishing an old one. So in the broadest sense, the greenest home is the one that has already been built. But at the same time, nearly half of U.S. carbon emissions come from heating, cooling and powering our homes, offices and other buildings. "You can't deal with climate change without dealing with existing buildings," says Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust.

With some exceptions, the oldest homes tend to be the least energy-efficient. Houses built before 1939 use about 50% more energy per square foot than those built after 2000. The main culprit? Tiny cracks and gaps that expand over time and let in more outside air.

Fortunately, there are a tremendous number of relatively simple changes that can green older homes, from historic ones like Lincoln's Cottage to your own postwar abode. And efficiency upgrades can save more than just the earth; they can help shield property owners from rising power costs. Moreover, a nationwide effort to improve existing buildings could create hundreds of thousands of green jobs. (In addition to using less raw materials, renovations are often more labor-intensive per dollar spent than new construction is.) "There's an enormous opportunity here," says Lane Burt, an energy-policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Energy efficiency is a way to spend now to create jobs, while still saving down the line."

The stimulus package includes some $8 billion for weatherization programs for low-income households, but that will cover only a small slice of the country's housing stock. To promote the greening of existing buildings, the National Trust last month launched the Preservation Green Lab, a think tank based in Seattle, and is working with members of Congress to pass energy-efficiency legislation that would increase rebates and subsidies to cover as much as half the cost of a green retrofit. Such incentives are vital. Although lower utility costs mean upgrades will pay for themselves over time, the up-front cost of better insulation or double-pane windows can be prohibitive, especially during a recession.

In the meantime, you can make small changes to begin greening your home. You don't need solar panels or rooftop wind turbines. You just need a good caulking gun. Start by thinking of your house as a submarine, and plug the leaks in your walls, doors and windows. Be sure to insulate the attic and the basement, since up to 20% of energy costs can come from heat loss in those spaces. A home energy audit is also a good idea; energysavers.gov details how to do one yourself as well as how to go about hiring a professional. So be like Lincoln and savor the summer breezes, but avoid winter drafts.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1893514,00.html

What is Green?

chicagotribune.com
Green consumer habits
Earth Day is past : Now what can we do?
Businesses are getting into the spirit of environmentalism

By Claudia Buck

McClatchy Newspapers

3:19 PM CDT, May 12, 2009

If only cash sprouted as easily as backyard weeds, we'd all be cheering. But greening up your wallet is still doable. Here are some Earth-friendly money habits you might want to adopt.

Green Donations

It's grown from a Bay Area brainstorm into a global campaign to get businesses into the spirit of environmentalism. Buy a shirt, a chocolate bar, a beer -- even fencing supplies or legal services -- and 1 percent of the company's gross sales are pledged to environmental nonprofit groups.

Since launching from a California Patagonia store in 2002, the One Percent for the Planet -- or 1% FTP -- program has now spread to some 1,138 businesses in 38 countries, said Terry Kellogg, the Vermont-based CEO of 1% FTP.

The participating companies range from big retailers like Sony to independent jewelry sellers. The recipients run from high-profile nonprofits like the Sierra Club to tiny grassroots groups. Based on company audits, Kellogg said more than $42 million has been contributed to environmental causes in the past six years.

For details go to, One Percent for the Planet
www.onepercentfortheplanet.org.

Green Funds

One way to feel environmentally good about your investing dollars is with so-called "green mutual funds."

The Green Money Journal recently released its new Top 10 list of mutual funds that invest in companies devoted to alternative energy, clean water, organic products and those that avoid alcohol, tobacco, gambling or weapons.

The annual list is a mix of new funds and those that have changed or enhanced their investment mix to be more environmentally conscious, said Cliff Feigenbaum, founder and president of the Green Money Journal, based in Santa Fe, N.M.

His list of mutual funds that are "greening it up": Appleseed Fund, Integrity Growth & Income Fund, Wells Fargo Advantage Social Sustainability Fund, Dreyfus Global Sustainability Fund, Calvert Large Cap Value Fund, Calvert Global Water Fund, Pax World Global Green Fund, Pax World International Fund, Pax World Small Cap Fund and Firsthand Alternative Energy Fund.

For more details, go to Green Money

Green Banking

All kinds of companies, from banks to your local utility, are urging customers to switch to electronic billing, statements and payments. The notion: Pay online, save a tree. Or two.

Pay It Green is a coalition of financial services companies that promotes electronic billing. According to the coalition, if the average U.S. household switched to electronic payments, it would annually save 6.6 pounds of paper, eliminate 4.5 gallons of gasoline (consumed by mailing and delivering all those paper payments) and eliminate 171 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions (the equivalent of 169 miles of driving or conserving 24 square feet of forestland).

A handy calculator at www.payitgreen.org lets you compute your "financial paper footprint." Another proponent, eBill Place, puts it more personally. By its "Cash & Time" calculation, the average family would save $50 a year in postage and five hours of time spent writing and stuffing checks into envelopes.

Green Plastic

If your wallet is weighed down by plastic gift cards, credit cards, gasoline cards and such, maybe it's time for some pruning. As we all know, clipping up or paying down costly credit cards can be a huge lift to your bank account.

But don't just snip and toss that plastic. If it's a used-up gift card, ask to have it reloaded with cash. If it's a no-longer-needed credit card, hotel key or other plastic, toss it in your recycling bin.

But check to be sure it's actually recyclable; some companies are converting to biodegradable materials. The Sacramento, Calif., landfill says most aren't suitable for recycle.

A greener solution? Pop it in the mail to Earthworks System, a company in Solon, Ohio, that's on a crusade to rid the world's landfills of those tiny rectangles of credit. For more information on Earthworks, go to www.earthworkssystem.com.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sfl-green-consumer-habits-051809,0,6869925.story



Youth creates 'Vision of an Eco-Friendly Earth'

From Society Scene |A marketing publication of the Sun-Sentinel Company
May 20, 2009

The Craig Zinn Automotive Group, South Florida's Premier Auto Group, joined Young At Art Children's Museum and Kids Ecology Corps to host the "Vision of an Eco-Friendly Earth" art contest awards ceremony and family-friendly reception at Lexus of Pembroke Pines. The event celebrated the achievements of all participants and winners of the "Vision of an Eco-Friendly Earth" art contest. More than 300 students in grades 6 through 12 throughout the tri-county area created their "Vision of an Eco-Friendly Earth." This contest not only showcased students' artistic talents, but also helped spread the word on fuel and economic efficiency in transportation.

"We were thrilled to host such an educational, fun and inspirational event that allows us to be involved with our community's 'green' initiative," said President and CEO of The Craig Zinn Automotive Group, Craig Zinn. "With the construction of our new eco-friendly Lexus dealership under way in North Miami, we strive to encourage South Floridians to work toward making our world a healthier and safer place. We believe that our efforts as a business and community will expand to other areas and aid in keeping the earth clean."

Prizes included gift certificates to The Craig Zinn Automotive Group dealerships, $350 in cash prizes, Apple Store gift cards and gift baskets filled with art supplies.

The event also featured a caricaturist and a live raffle with items such as an autographed Miami Heat basketball, a $200 Visa gift card to Sawgrass Mills Mall and a Young At Art annual membership basket.


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flsevisions0520semay20,0,623517.story

Newman's Own Gift to Charity: $150 Mil

Two recent gifts to good causes mark a total of $150 million in charitable gifts the star has made out of profits from his food company, Newman's Own.

By Stephen M. Silverman

Originally posted Tuesday November 11, 2003 10:30 AM EST

Paul Newman never seems to close his checkbook.

Last week, the "Cool Hand Luke" and "Road to Perdition" star, 78, sent a personal check for an unreported amount to Kansas's Franklin Community Council Inc., after the town was all but leveled by a tornado earlier this year, reports the Associated Press.

And on Monday, the star's publicist announced, Newman sent $100,000 to the Los Angeles Times/KTLA Fire Relief Fund, to support the victims of the recent fires that swept through Southern California, claiming 21 lives, more than 3,400 homes and charring nearly 750,000 acres.

This most recent gift marks a total of $150 million in charitable gifts Newman has made thanks to profits generated by his food company, Newman's Own. All profits and royalties (after taxes) from his salad dressing and other edibles go directly to educational and charitable organizations, says the rep.

In regard to his Kansas gift, "We decided that it would be best not to give the exact figure, but it was a lovely, generous amount," resident Phyllis Bitner said, as quoted by AP. "We haven't earmarked the money yet for a specific project, but it will go a long way toward something."

In the current issue of Time magazine (which, like PEOPLE, is part of Time Warner), Newman is quoted in an excerpt from his new book, "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good," cowritten with A.E. Hotchner.

In it, he recalls the problems getting his Newman's Own food company off the ground back in 1982.

"No, offense, Mr. Newman," one money person told him, "but just because (the public) liked you as Butch Cassidy doesn't mean they'll like your salad dressing."

Eleven years and $150 million to charity later, that money person was wrong.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,627057,00.html

Breakpoint & Beyond - Mastering the Future Today

Breakpoint & Beyond - Mastering the Future Today
by George Land
http://www.speaking.com/articles_html/GeorgeLand_526.html

The survival and success of a business depends on its ability to adapt to its changing environment. How can we equip ourselves and our organizations to deal with the world that is transforming right before our very eyes? The key is to understand the NEW rules of change. Today`s change is not just more rapid, more complex, more turbulent, and more unpredictable. Today`s change is unlike any encountered before. The surprising fact is that change itself has changed! By looking to our greatest teacher, Mother Nature, we can understand the natural change process. The ceaseless process of change takes on unique characteristics at different points in time. The rules governing change shift dramatically and almost without notice. These "Breakpoint" shifts follow the same master pattern whether they occur within a single atom, one`s personal life, or an entire organization.

Three phases of growth, called the Transformation Theory, define the life of any system over time. The first phase is very disorderly, creative and unpredictable as it strives to define its pattern. Energy is spent on trial and error. Once the bits and pieces of the pattern are assembled in a healthy system, then an abrupt change - a breakpoint - happens where the rules shift 180 degrees. An atom in water reaches breakpoint when the temperature reaches boiling point and its new environment becomes steam. An inventor reaches breakpoint once a prototype is marketable and is ready for production.

In phase two, experimenting ceases and the approach switches to extending, improving, and modifying the central pattern while discarding what does not fit. In fact, anything that does not fit the pattern will be rejected by the system. By standardizing policies and procedures, an organization efficiently grows larger in its second phase. When an organization has used up its potential in the environment, it reaches another breakpoint. Nature`s method of growth moves ahead, attempting to fulfill the potential of the growing organism. Many of today`s current management systems have reached this breakpoint.

In the third phase, the pattern is restructured and the new configuration must include elements that were rejected in the second phase. Disordering, reordering, and innovating all make up the method of change in the third phase. In organizations, the third phase demands new and desparate behaviors such as innovating, partnering with customers and suppliers, taking on community and environmental responsibility.

Understanding and working with the cycle of change can revolutionize the way one does business. However, understanding change is not enough to guarantee success. The unique interrelationship between vision, creativity, and connection is required to ensure the continued growth and success of an organization.

Shared Vision and Pull. What is the vision for the future? It is critical that everyone in the organization have an understanding of the vision. In nature, every one of the more than 60 trillion cells in the human body shares the same vision of the whole - the same DNA. Cells know where they are going, and in the process, can course-correct. In organizations, the shared common vision becomes the driving force, and decisions are not "by the book" but by the vision. The pull of the future always takes precedence over the past.

Creativity. Creativity allows you to bring into being things that never existed before and could not be predicted by the past. If decisions are based on the past, you will only create roadblocks and never realize your vision. Organizations that have a vision not only share it but encourage creativity and innovation from their employees to help build it.

Connection. We are connected inexorably to one another. We are all part of an interconnected whole, and any energy we spend putting up walls is swimming upstream against nature, and is going to cost us in stress, pain and the quality of our lives. It is non-judgmental respect or "unconditional love" for all employees that allows organizations to make major strides in fulfilling their vision.

For those who insist on clinging to traditional ways of looking at the world, change will continue to come so fast and in such unexpected forms that the future will no longer be a desirable place. But for those who are willing to move ahead with conscious awareness of the natural laws of change, the future offers unparalleled opportunity to reshape our lives, our organizations, and our world, into what we want.
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