Nic Darling Joins Postgreen Full-Time as a Partner

Philadelphia, PA October 2nd, 2008

Contact:
Nic Darling, Marketing & PR Guy
Postgreen
215.739.1578
http://www.postgreen.com

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Back in September of 2007 I wrote a post on the Origins of Postgreen and never followed it up with a final post on the subject. Well, now that Nic has gotten me back into blogging here at Postgreen, I guess I should finish this up.

Last time I left off with me finishing college and searching for my first job in the real world (not the TV show). I looked at two basic types of companies while searching for a job:

1. Large companies with good salaries, benefits, training and perks where I would most likely sit in a tiny cubicle and do the same thing day in and day out while attending school at night to obtain my MBA which the company would pay for.
2. Small to mid-sized companies that were growing but seemed to have no idea what they were doing. These companies came with less impressive salaries and benefits, but I would get a lot more responsibility and opportunity to try my hand at different positions.

It should come as no surprise that I chose the second path since most of my major decisions take the opposite route of what the average and probably smarter person would do in my same situation. My first job was as a Manufacturing Engineer at a $100M barcode scanner manufacturer in South Jersey.

While I was at this job, I was faced with to opportunity to pursue an MBA at night. I went back and forth with this decision for a while and ultimately decided that if I was going to start my own business, real world experience would be much more valuable than an MBA. MBA’s seemed to be better suited for those seeking a career in corporate America that need to be well versed in the latest jargon and buzz words.

So, after this decision was made I decided to take part in an experimental job rotation program at the company that would allow me to gain experience in a variety of departments to make me a well-rounded and more valuable employee. I was the first and last person to try this program. It took me to such departments as purchasing, scheduling, project management and eventually product marketing. While I was in this job rotation program, the company still did not spend squat on training so I had my boss buy me as many books as possible and always went to at least one major training of my own choosing each year. While they didn’t have a specific budget for this, they seemed excited that I wanted to learn on my own and found a way to pay for this training. I made sure that every book I bought and every training I went to could also benefit me when I ultimately decided to start my own company.

I worked at this company for about seven years up until I quit to start Postgreen in the fall of 2007. More on that next time…

One of the reasons we started a blog hear at Postgreen was to talk about starting and growing a small business with more than just financial profit in mind. Since starting Postgreen, I have become more familiar with the term “Triple Bottom Line” which embodies the core values we had in mind when starting the company.

Triple Bottom Line Definition (“TBL”, “3BL” or “People, Planet, Profit”)

Wikipedia defines Triple Bottom Line something like this: Triple bottom line accounting expands the traditional reporting framework to take into account environmental and social performance in addition to financial performance.
The concept of TBL demands that a company’s responsibility be to ’stakeholders’ rather than shareholders. In this case, ’stakeholders’ refers to anyone who is influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the actions of the firm. According to the stakeholder theory, the business entity should be used as a vehicle for coordinating stakeholder interests, instead of maximising shareholder (owner) profit.

The three bottom lines are “Social, Economic and Environmental” or “People, Planet, Profit.” I prefer the latter or the 3P’s.

My first real exposure to the TBL concpet was at last year’s Social Venture Institute. I had heard a lot of the stats and concepts mentioned at this event before, but never at once under one term like Triple Bottom Line. I think what struck me most was how so many small business were adopting this way of operating into their businesses with the goal of continually improving on each of the three L’s each year. For anyone who knows we well, they will know that I am pretty big on this ‘continual improvement’ idea.

Anyways, long story short, we are creating a new category – Triple Bottom Line – on our blog to post about the concept of TBL and what we are doing at Postgreen to continually improve our positive impact to People, Planet and Profit. Hopefully other will get something out of our lessons learned in this arena.

Promise 2: I pledge to make any office renovation a green renovation.

This promise should be easier to keep than most of the others on the list as it is something that probably doesn’t come up every day or even every week. Unless you are masochistic and/or easily bored, you aren’t renovating the office very often. In fact, most of you have probably never renovated your offices and are just looking around now and thinking, “this place could use some sprucing up.” Well, before you spruce up take a minute and make sure your spruce is sustainable.

The home office we currently work out of hasn’t demanded too much in the way of renovations, and since we didn’t take before and after pictures it may be kind of hard to see what has changed. In order to better illustrate the green renovations we have made we have been forced to borrow before pictures that approximate the state in which the place began.

A Postgreen Renovation Example

(Before picture not actually of the Postgreen office.)

The Conference Table
We thought our original conference table was a little out of date and a lot uncomfortable.

So, we (by we I mean Chad) grabbed some construction scrap materials and some low VOC finish and went to work on building our beatiful new table for talking across. Now, we just need to find enough people who want to talk to us to make this thing look full.

There have been a few other small renovations like sealing doors & windows and low VOC painting and staining, but nothing really exciting. Don’t worry though. You’ll be the first to know if we undertake a larger, more interesting renovation project.

Chad’s Green Office Tips:

Performing office renovations falls outside of the realm of more minor items on the list like using CFL light bulbs and regulating the thermostat more wisely. A renovation could include painting the office, installing a new bathroom or kitchenette or simply setting up a new workstation for a new hire.

Below is a list of recommendations when embarking on such green renovations for the office. I do not go into detail on specific products as there are quite a number out there now and the list is growing every day. A simple Google search should reveal good options and if not, feel free to ask in the comments and we’ll look into an item for you.

1. Use Low or No VOC paints, stains, sealants, caulks and finishes of any kind.
2. Incorporate used items from a local thrift store or architectural salvage shop when possible.
3. Use low-flow plumbing fixtures including dual flush toilets when renovating kitchens and baths. If you are really adventurous, try a composting toilet.
4. Use recycled/reclaimed and low-VOC content materials when possible for things like flooring, tile and ceiling panels.
5. Consider possible solutions to encourage natural daylight and views for all employees.
6. When replacing HVAC equipment always use high-efficiency equipment and don’t be afraid to explore innovative solutions that may use significantly less energy such as natural ventilation.
7. When using lumber or sheet products, try to use FSC certified and zero formeldahyde products as much as possible.
8. Use local labor, material suppliers and consultants when renovating.
9. Be creative.

Many green renovations can also save money for new businesses tight on cash. For example, two used filing cabinets and a used door make a great desk for a fraction of the price and carbon footprint of a new one. Be creative and focus on the renovations that are going to provide you and your employees a healthier and more pleasurable work environment.

This post is part of our ongoing, 30 part series breaking down the Green Office Pledge. Sign up for the pledge and be sure to check out the rest of the series for more tips and anectdotes.

So, you’ve started a green business and you’re formulating a marketing plan. Either that, or you are still reading because you fantasize about starting a green business and formulating a marketing plan. Fantasy or reality, there are some significant differences between marketing a traditional product and a green one. After all, your brand is not just the color of your logo and the tone of your tag line. It is the inclusive identity of the way in which you do business. In other words, your marketing is not just about the message. It is also about how you deliver it.

The sustainable agenda and environmentally conscious attitude which provides the backbone for your business should present itself in the marketing methodologies you pursue. Unfortunately, many trained marketers have tactics and ideas that are contrary to that backbone. Ingrained concepts and traditional methods are difficult for old dogs to shake, but a failure to drop the old, “ungreen” standbys can undermine the perception of your brand. Green products need green marketers.

Here are a few marketing tactics to avoid if you want to market green. Please feel free to add to the list in the comments or send me an email with other ideas. And yes, I know “Don’ts” isn’t a word.

1. Direct Mail
This one seems pretty obvious. If you are a green company, it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense to start cutting down trees, converting them to compacted wood pulp and plastering sustainable ideas across them. Even if you are using recycled paper and biodegradable ink, the fossil fuel used to deliver your message and the landfill space the majority of your missives will end up in may mar the message. Here’s some statistics that your prospects might have heard about . . . to your mail-happy detriment.

2. Billboards
These giant, energy-devouring eyesores may attract plenty of attention, but as a green company it might not be the kind of attention you want. Also, as it panders to the gas guzzling commuter culture while sucking power from the grid, you might find yourself associated with and ignored by the SUVs zooming past. That said, there are always exceptions. While I still don’t recommend the super signs, some manage to at least positively reflect the brand.

3. Brochures
Just like direct mail, brochures run the risk of serious waste. However, I wouldn’t say that these are completely out. Properly produced and judiciously passed out, brochures can be a useful marketing tool. So, I guess this isn’t so much of a “don’t” as it is a “do carefully.” However, the more extreme your green brand is, the more you should steer away from printed materials.

4. Skywriting
Okay, so that’s obvious, but let’s include any kind of gas-powered, vehicle advertising under this heading. Stamping your message on the sides of giant trucks or sponsoring a Nascar driver would probably be mistakes as well. Remember, if your brand has a small footprint, there is no reason to strap an over-sized boot on your marketing.

5. Traditional Business Cards
Traditional business cards are significantly cheaper than their green counterparts, and it is tempting to save a bit of that marketing budget here. Don’t . . . people will notice. Design a card that advances your green brand. Recycled content and organic dyes are a good way to start, or you could get really creative.

6. Fax Attacks
Here’s another example of paper and energy waste. With the current state of computers, fax machines are a vestige of old wasteful business practices. Shun them. It will help your brand, and besides, the annoying little devices deserve it. Check out Death to the Fax Machine. If nothing else the article has a great title.

7. Door to Door and Face to Face
Yes, it is sometimes important to get out there and meet the people. Unfortunately, getting out there and meeting the people often involves a lot of driving. Limiting the necessity for face to face meetings and conferences can be an important way in which you can reinforce your company’s commitment to green. Web meetings, teleconferencing and other remote communications can be used in place of the standard handshake and sit down. When you do need to actually meet someone, bike, take public transit or walk, and be sure to order a nice environmentally friendly beer when you get there (what, some of you have meetings outside of bars?). 

8. Spam
OK, there isn’t anything specifically green about this, but generally people seem to expect environmentally concerned people not to be total jerks.

9. Unpracticed Preaching*
Marketing is not simply a department or strategy. Every part of your operation makes marketing statements, effects the perception of your brand and creates (or destroys) value in the eyes of your prospects. If you fail to practice what you preach people will notice and your brand will suffer for it. While people are generally indisposed to hypocrisy, they seem particularly offended by it when practiced by companies or individuals ostensibly adhering to some sort of virtue. If you’re a green company, you had better act the part. Get paperless, don’t employ a gas guzzling fleet and stop using plastic cups at the water cooler. If you want to be seen as green you need to be green all the way through.

10. Cutting Corners
This one applies to all of the above “don’ts“. Green marketing can be more expensive then traditional marketing. Branding green might take a bigger investment, but the perceived value of your product or service should increase accordingly. If you cut corners you will save money in the short term but lose credibility as the evidence of your unnecessary frugality accumulates. If the value of your product or service is derived from its greeness, don’t undermine it by skimping on the marketing.

Aside from the nice feeling we all get from being green, these rules make practical business sense for green companies. Adhering to them will improve the integrity of your br
and and raise the value of your products and services.

Alright, what did I miss?

*Some of you may notice that my company, Universe Point, breaks a few of these don’ts from time to time. However, even though we are trying to be more environmentally conscious, we are not a green company. Our lapses are far less likely to hurt our brand than those of a company preaching green.

Nic Darling is a marketing guy/writer, and he likes postgreen because it has always been very nice to him. Keep an eye out for his ongoing appearances on the postgreen blog, and please encourage him with a comment or two. He is too emotionally fragile to be ignored like this.

Jetson Green reported late last week on a new report from CoStar that LEED and Energy Star buildings are financially outperforming similar buildings without these classifications in every category a building owner could care about. LEED buildings are selling for $171 more per square foot and renting for $11.24 more psf! That’s a big difference.

For more on the story check out the full stories here:

Green Buildings Financially Crush and Outperform Non-Green Buildings!! by Jetson Green

CoStar Study of LEED and Energy Star Buildings

There is one company in Philly that most locals know have paved the way for modern and green development in downtown Philadelphia. The company is Onion Flats and I have not been to their website in a while so decided to catch up on their projects this morning. If you’ve somehow never heard of them go their now and check out there past, present and future projects. Their site is all flash or I’d include some nice teaser pics for you.

I say they have paved the way for modern and green in Philly for a variety of reasons.

One, Philly can be especially resistant to modern architecture when it comes to getting the approvals needed to get a new project started. This has a lot to do with trying to preserve Philly’s history and culture, which is great, but the Onion Flats’ projects have now proved that modern architecture can enhance a neighborhood and a community without sticking out like a sore thumb. They have made it easier for all modern developers who follow them to get their project approved.

Secondly, they prove to the lenders that there is a market for modern and green in Philly. There are many architects, developers and realtors who know a virtually untapped market exists, but the banks like to see bricks and mortar + solid numbers to match. The Onion Flats give us nice comps to show that, yes – these homes will sell and everyone involved will not lose money.

Third, they have generated a lot of attention for environmentally responsible development in Philadelphia which helps grow the potential market for green while simultaneously giving great examples to the local and state government to encourage more of the same type of environmental responsibility in their programs.

Keep up the good work, Onion Flats!

That site again in case you missed it above is http://www.onionflats.com/

I attended the 6th Annual Social Venture Institute yesterday at the Wharton School of PA. The event was organized by the Philadelphia chapter of the Sustainable Business Network and was dedicated to the Triple Bottom Line principles of doing business. It is a two day event but my schedule only permitted me to attend for one day.

The event was better than expected and was perfect for someone like myself who has in their mission that they are a TBL company. It reminded me that, like everything else in my business, I need to continually improve my actions towards people and planet as well as profits. There were a lot of inspirational examples of businesses that have succeeded by paying their workers living wages, using organic materials/foods and greening their businesses.

I think the one issue that was brought up that could most apply to postgreen was the importance of utilizing other local businesses as much as possible. The economist, Michael Shuman, spoke about some interesting statistics regarding local businesses and their impact on the local economy. Here were a couple stats that really hit home:

• For every dollar that is spent at a national chain store, roughly 18 cents remains in the local economy while 45 cents remains in the local economy if the same dollar is spent at a locally owned store. Example – Borders or B&N vs. local book store.
• If 10% of the retail $$ spent in a community shifted towards locally owned businesses then over 1,000 new jobs would be created in the area. If the same 10% shift was made towards chain stores then over 1,000 jobs would be lost in the area.

Most have heard figures like these before but it is always helpful to have a refresher. This got me thinking about the LEED requirement in the homes program to source materials from businesses within 500 miles, in part to reduce transportation effects on the environment. These stats made me realize how important this aspect of the LEED criteria is and that I need to strive to source as many materials and services from companies well within the 500 mile perimeter to really impact postgreen’s immediate communities. Currently I buy business cards, software and hardware online. I have my websites hosted from who knows where. When we start our first project I can look into using local craftsman like welders and glass shops to make materials that I might otherwise buy from businesses outside of Philadelphia’s borders.

I could go on an on about possible ways to improve postgreen’s TBL impact. This was a common theme at the event but it was refreshing to here that others are succeeding with these approaches. It was also important to hear the most successful companies (in terms of TBL) said that achieving a good TBL is a process that takes time. It can be overwhelming at first because there are so many things that could be improved upon but you just have to keep chugging away at it and make a few good changes to your business each year. There are also times when businesses really wanted to implement more but couldn’t for financial reasons. Rather than sacrificing their economic bottom line they realize that there are just some things that might not be able to be implemented, at least not right away.

I also wanted to note that Terry Gillen from Michael Nutter’s administration spoke briefly on some of the changes we can expect in the near future that may positively effect TBL businesses in the area. Some of the highlights of their intended plans are below:

• A process to expedite permitting for development projects that conform to a set of environmental guidelines similar to what Chicago has put in place.
• Focus on making Philly a better place to do business financially by focusing on how businesses are taxed.
• Encourage infill development on Philly’s many vacant lots.
• Green vacant lots and plant a whole bunch of trees.
• Green the city’s municipal buildings and require LEED ratings on any new buildings.
• Improve recycling immediately.
• Create a sustainability cabinet that will be working with all departments of the city.

Check out some of Nutter’s policies in more detail at his website – www.nutter2007.com. He has a detailed plan for the environment on the site which is worth a peruse.

It’s been about a month since my last post but I’m finally back and still alive. It’s been a busy month. Below is a list of what has been keeping me busy and off of blogging in the past month (in chronological order):

1. 1. quit my job
2. 2. finished moving from our house into our new loft apartment down the street
3. 3. went on my last business trip to Barcelona for a week for a tradeshow
4. 4. sold my house (while in Barcelona)
5. 5. finished up my last week at work and turned in my laptop and Blackberry
6. 6. switched to all Mac products with the iMac and iPhone
7. 7. started working as a Realtor with my wife’s team in center city Philly (www.stokesgroup.com)
8. 8. revamped the entire postgreen website which is now running entirely through wordpress
9. 9. sold my first house as a Realtor (technically a condo)
10. 10. setup a new website (www.100khouse.com) to record everything to do with postgreen’s first project
11. 11. kicked off a complete redesign of my wife’s website for her RE team (see above for link)
12. 12. painted my entire loft with 14′ ceilings and a total of five colors using Olympic no-VOC paint from Lowes
13. 13. put my first vacant lots under contract for postgreen’s first project
14. 14. wrote this blog post

That’s all for now. More later…

Big things happened for postgreen this past week! I just quit my 9-5 job and said goodbye to corporate America forever! After one last business trip to Barcelona for my old company I’ll be focusing on postgreen projects full time (I wasn’t exactly going to pass up a free trip to Barcelona).

Secondly, we are finalizing our first postgreen stock home and hope to have the plans and renderings available on the website in the next few weeks. I have also begun a total redesign of the site to clean it up and feature the stock homes once we start finalizing the different models. Look for a lot of changes soon!

Have a great week everyone!