green-vox | WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE.

fiddling while rome burns

Not much to editorialize about these two links.  Just compare and contrast.

NYTimes on GE's new credit card
vs.
Buy Less Crap

Consumption as a method of saving the planet is the result of greenwashing.  That, Claudia, is why intent matters. 

Intention in language leads us to the "reader response theory" of literature.  Reader Response enables us to ignore author intent - to read the text according to our own circumstance, disregarding author.  More on this in this speech.

(with all respect to Mr. Charlie Daniels)

Language it is then...

Chompsky and other smart linguists talk about two conditions of language:

Lexicon (L) - The cat we mechanically understand where hearing  or reading "cat."  T o comprehend, we have to share Lexicon.

Computational Understanding (CU)- There are an infinite number of sentences that could use the word "cat".  We must, then, also be able to compute meaning (as opposed to "knowing" meaning).  This is, theoretically, also shared.

What of the L of "Green"?  What happens when its CU is used in such variety that the meaning of the L itself changes?  When people Compute the "true" meaning out of it?  Can that happen?

Can Computational Understanding actually change the Lexicon?  That's the root of the Language War.

that's absurb. and that's good.

Today, Alex Williams in his NY Times article "Buying into the Green Movement" makes some really good points.  Namely, we are not going to consume our way out of global warming.  (RED) will not save the world.  In fact, it could be argued that GAP is doing more harm than good.  Making "Green the new Black" creates an aesthetic that can go away in the blink of a fashion show.  Not consuming isn't the choice either.  Smart consuming is.

But consider old Hegal again.  Maybe the pendulum needs to swing to absurdity before it can fall back to synthesis, that place where elements of pro-sumerism are ingrained in the culture not the fad dujour.   

We wonder what the difference in spending on social issues is like from corporatation from same 1980 to 2007?  I bet it's a huge leap.  That's good.  All those dollars are having some educational and thought-provoking impact, we assume.

If we are waiting for that pendulum to apex to the side of absurdity before drifting back to common sense, we may have a very short wait.

sixteeen

Dwell manifesto point number sixteen says: Feel Free. Give away work now and then. It makes you happy to do something for free.

Well, over the past 4 years or so, Dwell Creative has been very fortunate.  Not only do we work with progressive organizations each making positive change in their own way, but we have been able to make some change as well.  Since we started the company, through in-kind donations, our marketing environmental grant (meg), reduced rates for non-profits and charitable gifts we have provided over $50,000 in free service or cash to non-profits across America.

Today, I write to ask for your help.  On July 27, we will be participating in a hike-a-thon up Mount Washington to support the Mount Washington Observatory.  The OBS has been collecting weather data for over 75 years and is a legendary scientific institution on the front line of gathering climate crisis data in New England. Every day, around the clock, the crew of the OBS braves the elements, observing and reporting on the mountain's extreme conditions, conducting important scientific research and providing one-of-a-kind educational programs on and off the summit.

For our part, we want to raise $5,000 to help support their outreach and education programs so that they can continue their phenomenal work.  So if you can, please pledge to help Dwell help OBS reach their goals as we reach for the peak and hike up Mount Washington for a cause.

Click on this link and put number sixteen into practice.  It makes you happy to do something for free.  Trust us.

Thank you,

John

God's Coal

As a green ad agency (I guess it is up to us to come up with a better term...who else?) we are working hard to promote positive consumerism instead of "consumption as a way of life."  We are seeing a nice upturn in news cycles and American, nay Global, interest in cleaner living (no moral judgment intended - but I wonder if clean GE coal is somehow blessed - now there's a market : God's Coal).  And we are, at last, seeing competition from big agencies developing "green practices" to capitalize on the former.  Fortunately, they attract the clients who "don't get it" as much as they don't.  They are Campaign Shakers rather than Brand Builders.  We digress....green is becoming ubiquitous.  Great news.  Except for the fact that as soon as it is, the green companies loose their competitive advantage....making our work more challenging.  Maybe it puts us out of a job.  Maybe that's OK.  Maybe that's how we win.

Consumed

So, we're reading Consumed by Benjamin Barber.  It's a good critique of American Consumerism.  In the first few pages, we're reminded that today’s culture behaves on backwards principles.  Expectations are contrary to action.  We expect:

• Age without degradation.
• Sex without reproduction.
• Dress without formality.
• Age without wisdom, humility or dignity.
• Certainty without doubt.
• Consumption without end.

So, how does this play with being green?  Do we expect results without actions?  Major results from minor steps?  Profit from philanthropy? Diversity from mass marketing?

Agrimagination

Today’s mainstream consumer rarely questions where messages come from.  That’s advertising at its most effective. This is how and why greenwashing works. Don’t ask questions.

Don’t question Monsanto’s tagline of "Food. Health. Hope." Just swallow. In some circles, people didn’t swallow the premise and Monsato is now flying under the creepy nightmare tagline of all taglines "Imagine". Well we did close our eyes and "Imagine"— and we saw The Meatrix. Maybe a better tagline would be Agrimagination.  Its as good if not better as Ecomagination.  And means about as much as well...

A Beautiful Ambiguity

A quick post from LOHAS11.  So John's speech went well.   There was some great dialog in the room that spilled into the hallways and the into the late night cocktail hours.  The speech was about Language, LOHAS and the Mainstream.  It was based on a white paper John wrote and touched on issues of Language and Power, the opportunity to personalize messages to create the new authentic and about how greenwashing's power was in selling a beautiful ambiguity.   

If you want to see the entire white paper, email john at jrooks (at) dwellcreative (dot) com.

We spoke with some amazing entrepreneurs, rockstars of sustainability and the thought leaders pushing this "green thing" as hard as they can.  As usual, it is an inspiring event.  One more day and it's back to Maine.

Sneek Peek

LOHAS is next week and here's a quick list of topics in John's presentation:

1.  Wholefood Hummer Syndrome
2.  Soccer-Mom Tattoos
3.  White Suburbia
4.  The word Green
5.  The Beatles
6.  Agrimagination
7.  Ipods, SecondLife, Ringtones and Email

Did we mention it's about Language and the LOHAS marketplace?

See you in L.A.

LOHAS

With LOHAS 11 coming up we're all buzzing with excitement to get back to LA and see some old friends and some other old friends.

Historically, LOHAS has brought together the leaders in the sustainability movement.  But this year, by a quick scan of the sponsor list, it is attracting the followers.  There are a lot of brand names joining the party that heretofore could give two turds about sustainability.  That’s cool.  All are welcome to help change the world.

But it does create some issues.  John’s been asked to speak this year on language and so he’s been spending some quality time at the white board drawing and erasing and redrawing diagrams of hegemony and language lifecycles and niche v. mainstream paradigms.  He’s actually driving us a bit crazy. 

Fortunately, he’s also the keynote at this year’s Maine Resource Recovery Association on Monday and Tuesday, so he will be out of the office.