In the not so distant past, greenwashing was a real problem. Companies left and right were making green claims; some were valid, some not-so-much. But from what I saw at last week’s Greenbuild, the greenwash ship has sailed. Companies get it now. And that’s a good thing, both for the industry and for consumers. Joel Makower actually showed up at the show “Searching for Greenwash at Greenbuild” this year. But he was more than happy to report he was wrong.

 I knew we were off to a good start at the show when I didn’t see any green (the color) booths this year. Companies are realizing that plastering your trade show booth with images of Mother Earth does not make you green.  This could be a result of the industry maturing or an improving economy. Rob Watson of Greener World Media was in attendance. This is his FIFTEENTH Greenbuild, so you can imagine the changes he has seen over the years. Based on his comparison to last year’s show, it seems the green building industry is alive and kickin’ this year, based on this comment, “While the atmosphere in Boston last year was one of fear and uncertainty, I would characterize the feeling in Phoenix as one of focus and ferment.”

There were also many exciting things to see in the building industry. Kate Nolan of Green Right Now reported on “Trend watching at the Greenbuild Expo in Phoenix.” She mentions GreenKonnect (which I am sad to say I missed!), noting “The newest entry in online aid is GreenKonnect, a search engine built for the green building industry. The Beta version bowed at Greenbuild Expo.” A quick search on the Beta site leaves me looking forward to the official launch.

All in all, Greenbuild was a jam-packed three days full of all things (green) building, complete with a few messages from Al Gore. As you can image, he too had an anti-greenwash message. And now, I’ll leave you with some food for thought from Mr. Gore. “We as Americans have the capacity to do what we put our minds to. We have the ability to solve this crisis. We can do it.”

I just left GreenBuild in Boston, where our clients Serious Materials and IES were exhibiting. The attendance appeared to be down from last year, but Vendors were saying that the quality of leads were up. Obviously, that is a good thing. Despite the down economy, business is still booming in green!

While there were some great companies there promoting fabulous products, there was also a lot of greenwashing going on. This really doesn’t surprise me, as companies want to jump on the market that seems to be making money right now.

But I would caution companies that this might not be the best solution, your customers will usually see through this. Editors almost always see through it, and will undoubtedly either not cover you, or cover you in a less than favorable way. I would focus on the benefits your product really does have and promote those. Think about what really makes you different than your competitors. Nowadays, NOT greenwashing just may set you apart.

The election results provide some insight into the key trends for cleantech and Green PR.

Barack Obama stated “there is no better potential driver that pervades all aspects of our economy than a new energy economy….That’s going to be my No.1 priority when I get into office.” According to Katie Fehrenbacher of Earth2Tech, “if Obama delivers on some of his pledges, he has the potential to bring significant federal support of clean technologies, a unified international fight against climate change and a necessary buildout of U.S. energy infrastructure.” This would provide many opportunities for companies in the greentech space. Of course, there is a risk of the creation of a cleantech bubble.

Here in California, the cleantech outlook was cloudier. Two propositions that would have provided government support for alternative energy initiatives were defeated. However, their defeat should be a bellweather that ultimately will be positive for the public and something that people in the Cleantech and Green PR space need to take into account (if they haven’t done so already).

Each of these propositions had flaws that led to their defeat. Chris Morrison of Venturebeat commented, “California has come out as the United States’ clear leader in cleantech, so the careful consideration, and then rejection, of this bill by the solidly liberal, pro-renewable voting base of California could be a sign that voters are quickly coming to grips with the actual issues surrounding the industry, as opposed to blindly voting for or against measures based on fear of global warming or energy prices.”

Three months ago, Kendall Wayland posted about the backlash against greenwashing. The lesson from Election Day is that credibility is more important than labels. A more knowledgeable public means that claims about green technologies and their benefits need to be backed up. It means that education and thought leadership are now more important than ever. This is an approach that Vantage and our clients have jointly practiced in our green PR efforts. We are proud of the coverage that has been generated through these efforts.

This election has the ability to be an important first step adoptiing cleaner technologies and fighting climate change. With this opportunity, comes a responsbility to make sure that green pr accurately communicates the science and capabilities of cleantech technologies. It won’t be easy. But, yes we can.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year or so, you are already well aware of the so-called “green” buzz going on around us. From light bulbs, to eco-friendly clothing lines, we are being inundated with products claiming to be environmentally safe. With this latest trend comes the inevitable – greenwashing, which is basically misleading consumers by claiming a product is eco-friendly or environmentally sound without any definite proof.

Regulators are now starting to wisen up to these sneaky tactics, TerraChoice a Canadian environmental marketing agency recently came out with top six sins of greenwashing. This list helps consumers see how products are currently being marketed to make us believe we are helping the environment by buying their products, when a large percentage of the time the companies are falsely advertising.

At Vantage, we have seen this trend grow into a monster over the past few months, so to help our clients avoid making false claims; we ALWAYS make sure we discuss all aspects of their “green” products before presenting it to the media. Since our reputation is very important to us, we ask our clients the tough questions when in comes to the “greenness” of their products. For instance, is this product manufactured in an environmentally sound warehouse and are the performance statistics realistic for all circumstances? As companies continue to tout their products as “green” it is our responsibility to ensure we are presenting the public with FACTUAL information.