GreenBuzz in the Green Tent Revival: PlanetShifter.com Interview with Matt Wheeland, Managing Editor - GreenBiz.com / GreenerWorld Media.com

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GreenBuzz in the Green Tent Revival: PlanetShifter.com Interview with Matt Wheeland, Managing Editor: GreenBiz.com and GreenerWorldMedia.com

Mr. Wheeland and I are connected in the sustainable business sector in many ways; one key opportunity is the GreenBiz.com Group at Linkedin.com.

How do you measure the trustfulness of your sources?

Working in the world of green business means that we're covering a lot of new companies, new technologies and even new industries, and along with that comes a level of uncertainty when it comes to dealing with sources. Even so, measuring trustworthiness of our sources is no different here than on other beats in journalism -- we talk to multiple sources for given topics and gauge the value of their responses over time to develop those relationships.

We are also fortunate to have a very active readership that is largely comprised of business leaders, so when we have missed an angle on a story or (God forbid) get something wrong, we hear about it from our readers -- and we welcome those comments, either by email or in the discussions on each of our articles.

What makes green business media different from traditional media?

I can't speak for all green business media, but for GreenBiz.com our job is easy: Find out what companies are doing to improve their environmental impacts and share it with other businesspeople. In a way, our job is easy, simply because there is just so much going on in this space. Sometimes the toughest choice we have to make is just how to choose what to cover amongst all the great stories out there.

Please give us two examples of green washing that you have observed recently and what you did (if anything!) about them?

As above, we often face an overwhelming amount of possible stories to choose from, and our goal as a news organization has always been to highlight the good rather than scold the bad. (For that reason, you're not likely to find much news about, say, ExxonMobil on GreenBiz.com.) So when we come across cases of green washing, our general response is simply to ignore it and cover greener pastures.

One example I've seen recently, generally speaking, falls into the category of hyping one's achievements beyond their merit. A dishwashing detergent with the word "eco" slapped all over the label because the company had removed a single bad ingredient from their recipe. Certainly a good move, but one small change does not a truly green product make.

Other examples generally come from industries that by their very existence can't be green. For instance, no matter how much post-consumer recycled content a global fast food chain might put into its packaging, it's hard to see that as a step to a greener world.

How close is US society to zero waste? What will it take?

Not close at all, although progress is definitely happening. Businesses are keenly aware of waste, because inefficiencies = waste = lost money. But what we need is a concerted effort from business and government alike to make products more easily recyclable, and make it easier for individuals to recycle anything and everything. If you make it easy, almost everyone will reduce their waste -- look at paper recycling rates for an obvious example, and look at the adoption of food composting in San Francisco for a more recent example.

How is your LinkedIn Group, GreenBiz.com, supporting its parent, greenerworldmedia.com?

Our LinkedIn group, with more than 17,000 members, is a great resource for us, and it goes both ways: In addition to helping us spread the word about our latest projects and breaking news, we're able to easily survey group members -- who are largely sustainability professionals and insiders in the green business world -- about what the greening of business looks like on the ground.

Guess! What will be the key points in the yet unpublished Green Building Marketing Impact Report 2010? (see the 2009 Report)

We're going to see an even bigger boom in the world of green building; now that confidence in at least some level of economic recovery is on the rise, the market will grow even more quickly. Couple that with booms in international markets and encouragement from building professionals and governments, and 2010 will be a good year for green buildings.

I think Jack Capitalism and Eli Sustainability are headed for a blow-out, down and dirty fist fight in the months ahead? Your thoughts at ring side?

I don't see it as so much of a fistfight as more of a tent revival: we're watching the companies that have already taken green initiatives to heart not only thrive even in this economy, but start to share their experiences and knowledge with other companies.

At this point, there's no argument about the fact that going green is good for a company's bottom line, so what remains is mostly a matter of getting the laggards on board. We're seeing plenty of industry- and company-led initiatives that are helping achieve this, and the U.S. government is starting to make its impact felt as well. I think this year will show the big tent of sustainable business practices getting more and more crowded.

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What GreenerWorldMedia.com Believes

• A revolution is taking place that is leading companies of all sizes and sectors to comprehensively address environmental issues as part of their strategy and operations -- rethinking their policies, processes, and products, and their relationships with a variety of stakeholders and trading partners.
  
• Environmental concerns have resulted in a confluence of technologies, innovations, and creative thinking being unleashed that is enabling companies to transform such challenges into new business opportunities and competitive advantage.
  
• Companies address their environmental impacts in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons -- some voluntarily and others less so -- but all should be welcome and encouraged, regardless of their motivations or levels of commitment.
  
• Companies that go beyond society's regulations and expectations in addressing their environmental challenges often find that they can create new forms of business value, including both tangible and intangible measures of success.
  
• Those working inside companies -- from owners and bosses to managers and line employees -- overwhelmingly want their companies to be good corporate citizens, though most individuals lack the time, expertise, or resources to make significant changes.
  
• No company, even the most committed, will ever be perfect, from an environmental perspective, though they should be encouraged to continually improve their performance, and to make bold commitments and actions.
  
• Companies can be a powerful force for good, helping to solve the planet's and society's most pressing problems -- and do so in a way that aligns with their business goals and objectives.
  
• The time for companies to act is short, and the challenges are great -- but so are the opportunities.

Matthew Wheeland – Mini Bio -

Matt has a background in environmental journalism and new media, and is a graduate of U.C. Santa Cruz and the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He previously worked at AlterNet and Greater Good magazine and his writings on the environment, politics, culture and business have appeared in a wide range of print and online publications.

Connections –

Matt Wheeler, LinkedIn.com
GreenerWorldMedia.com
Matt at greenerworldmedia dot com
Matthew dot Wheeland at gmail dot com