More insights and some clarity...

New projects that have trickled into EcoServe has given me some much needed clarity on the branding process. My understanding of the process has strengthened over the identity iterations i have been making; each bringing in a new facet to be considered.

The latest project entails setting up an ecovillage in Andhra Pradesh. This has cleared some long standing dilemma in my head about 3 things:

Who are we talking to?

Why should they care?

How will they know about it ? (which answers the language issue too)

Depending on the project requirement, Ecoserve will be interacting with Individuals, Corporates, Govt. Bodies, Educational institutions, Community bodies ( Gram Panchayats),NGOs etc.

Another project in the pipeline is in Andhra Pradesh, setting up an eco village. One project is situated in Maharashtra, hence to have the communication or the logo in more than one language is not something the company wants to get into right now.

I will try to adapt the chosen identity to Devnagari script as the company is registered in Maharashtra, but that is as far as the bi lingual communication goes. and i don't have a say in it !

COMMUNICATION AND NEEDS:

Now whether the communication is to or from us, I see it fulfilling one of the 3 needs from Maslows Hierarchy of needs.

The most Basic Physiological and Safety needs e.g.: the Tadoba Andhari project sees the solution benefitting threatened tribals and endangered tigers.

On another level, it can also speak to the self actualization need in people/collectives where he/she/they want to look beyond their immediate problems and needs and take into consideration their environmental factors and want to realize their full potential through contribution to society/nature.

People at this cadre may or may not face environmental issues at their immediate Safety or physiological level but have the foresight that if not dealt with will eventually become just that! Hence they can choose to give it the priority of a basic safety need but with the midst and approach of self actualization where the means just do not take into consideration the persons well being but that of others around him/ her too.

TONE OF THE BRAND:

Given the consistent degeneration of our environment, the issue of restoration needs alarming attention, but often Red BOLD Stern warning signs drive people away rather than set them on to action. Hence, the tone of the communication should be encouraging of participation. A sense of community effort needs to be established as opposed to singling individual/ groups out to put in effort. It has to be open to suggestion and expansion as the core of the company lies in combining its expertise with those of others.

Paper industry in india

Apart from branding my project also includes understanding the printing medium and suggesting optimal options for the brand that envision environmental restoration.

So apart from contacting printing houses that include eco sensitive printing in their portfolio, i also need to understand the impact of the paper industry on our environment.

My source of information for now is the Indian Paper manufacturers Association.

Currently Indian paper industry is consuming only about 7 million MT or about 3% of the total wood consumed in India; about 90% is consumed as fuel wood.

Additional raw material requirement by 2012-13 is anticipated to be about 8 million tons of wood which will be about 6% of total consumption of the country. This would require afforesting 2 million Ha of land mass to maintain proper ecological balance.

After speaking to Pragati and how they are adhering to the Forest Stweardship standards, i was wondering if it is a wide spread practice for the paper production industry to live up to these standards and obtain these certificates. Apparently not

Along with fuel deficiency and government policy, the link:

http://www.ipma.co.in/paper_industry_concerns.asp

explains why it is difficult for the farmers involved in social/farm forestry to group and obtain the FSC certificate for their produce. Though the farm forestry is a sustainable model promoted by the paper industry, the FSC principles and criterions are difficult to satisfy. IPMA is monitoring the move set afoot by the Government of India to establish Indian Forest Stewardship Council to help the process of certification.

Also apparently efforts are being made to thwart myths like the paper industry perpetually uses forest raw material and consequently denudes natural forests of the country. Over the last decade, industry led farm/social forestry have(apparently) brought around 0.25 million hectares under pulp wood plantations, mainly degraded marginal lands of farmers. At the current estimate, wood based segment of the industry uses 80 per cent of the total requirement from farm produced wood. In particular, IPMA member mills have been actively promoting agro forestry with private land holders/farmers to meet imminent raw material needs in a sustainable manner thereby, positively impacting the Greening India mission of the Government. Also, the industry initiative has created major employment in the remote areas in close proximity to the manufacturing facilities thereby, helping rural development.

EcoServe identity: 4

There is an amount of comfort in typography that saves ur neck when u r drowning in unfinished ideas :)

Well just seeing if the idea of the brand ( more on that, cuz i have finally managed to put down my BIG IDEA down) can come across without the use of a pictogram, just trhu type and the associated color and texture palette…

there is an amount of organic character in the font used in the first set… while the second sees a an abstraction of coherence, participation like:

again the color palette is undefined, just exploring the idea.. more on this one.

Also switching to letterforms and combining them with textures in the background gives a clean message, it also gives em the flexibility to juxtapose my brand in varied contexts, as pictorially it isn't bound.

This flexible route is what i have in mind for the brand, no matter what form the identity takes. i will have a core color, but in communication through collaterals i plan to explore as many diverse contexts as possible, because i feel even though our core competency is land and water management, u cannot restrict nature in just -3 colors.

EcoServe identity: 1.2

Font explorations for one idea churns up forms for other ideas….

i think i am beginning to like option 1. Finally an option i can show the client :)

(PS: do not go by the colour palette, for now i am concentrating only on form. once i start shortlisting the ideas, i will do an extensive colour plotting exercise)

ECOServe identity: 3.2

Still fascinated hand gestures!

They can lend so much meaning and form to an idea…

some more ideas, need to fine tune, but its a start…

EcoServe identity: 3 and abandon ship

EcoServe believes that Environment is everybody's business.

This lead to my next BIG IDEA of introduce a participatory aspect to the identity; to emphasize the fact that any change in the environment must start with us.

Taking the US bit together and clubbing it with the ideal metaphor of a tree that stands in for firm foundation, its capacity to be dynamic, organic, to conserve, contribute and create…

But soon i realized though i had my inspiration in place, a lot of my ideas have already been actualized in the for of logo design and though the trick lies in doing things differently, for now i am slightly discouraged by the number of similar ideas floating around!

So for a while i am going to leave this idea here and move on to find a new muse/idea/inspiration, that doesnt make me feel so "been there done that"

:(

the big idea

Reading up Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler

lovely book. Helps me understand what all i need to take into consideration before plunging into the branding process; the positioning as a process needs one big idea to propel and sustain it.

So i am going to focus on one BIG IDEA at a time for EcoServe.

The plan of action for now is to come up ith as many Big Ideas as possible and visually transalte them into logo options. Present them to the client and the review panel and pick the ones that seem relevant and impactful and take that one forward post the review on 13 sept and fine tune it…

fingers crossed

Ecoserve identity: 2

Fibonacci Sequence + elements

This option explores the inclusion of the areas of work in the logo itself: soil, plants, water in keeping with the land management, water management and afforestation initiatives. Also seen very strongly in nature is the presence of the fibonacci sequence.

more on it here: http://www.hydrogen2oxygen.net/spiritual-science-the-self-similarity-of-the-fibonacci-sequence/#more-469

So the moodboard reflects the idea as well as the colour palette:

The initial explorations are never "it" which is why it helps to get them out of the way. But the spirals sit well with the font explorations that are more hand written or raw rather than the serifs. Long way to go though.

A logo does not make a brand

A logo is not your brand, nor is it your identity. Logo design, identity design and branding all have different roles, that together, form a perceived image for a business or product.

What is brand? – The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.

What is identity? – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.


What is a logo? – A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon.

What is branding?

To put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience. On that note, it should also be stated that a designer cannot “make” a brand – only the audience can do this. A designer forms the foundation of the brand. You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’.

The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a ‘corporate image’ is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the values and aims of the business as a whole.

It is the consistency of this core idea that makes up the company, driving it, showing what it stands for, what it believes in and why they exist. It is not purely some colours, some typefaces, a logo and a slogan.

As an example, let’s look at the well known IT company, Apple. Apple as a company, projects a humanistic corporate culture and a strong corporate ethic, one which is characterised by volunteerism, support of good causes & involvement in the community. These values of the business are evident throughout everything they do, from their innovative products and advertising, right through to their customer service. Apple is an emotionally humanist brand that really connects with people – when people buy or use their products or services; they feel part of the brand, like a tribe even. It is this emotional connection that creates their brand – not purely their

What is identity design?

One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity.

In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.

The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:

A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)

Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)

Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)

Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)

Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)

Signage (Interior & exterior design)

Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)

Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)

Anything visual that represents the business.

All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole.

What is a logo?

To understand what a logo is, we must first understand what it is for.

A logo is for… identification.

A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.

To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable.

It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them.

The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.

The Different Categories of Logos

Wordmark – A wordmark is the company’s name and can sometimes be stylized with subtle juxtapositions. Popular examples include: FedEx, Prada, Sears, Dell, Canon, or SONY

Pictoral Mark – A pictorial mark usually is a literal translation of the name of the brand or has an identifiable picture to represent the company. Popular examples include: USPS, Puma, Merrill Lynch , or Apple

Abstract Mark – An abstract mark usually conveys nuances about a company, or can have multiple meanings designed into it. Yahama’s icon at a glance looks like a snowflake or a star, but it’s actually a tuning fork (from their musical roots) but also conveys spokes of a motorcycle which is another one of their markets. Popular examples include: Sprint, Nike, Reuters, or Yamaha

Letterform – Letterforms are usually 1 or 2 letters to identify a company’s brand or product. Popular examples include: Motorola, Clinique, McDonalds, or Safeway

Emblem – An emblem showcases the name and sometimes the attributes of a company within a seal or a badge-like shape. Popular examples include: Starbucks, BMW, Harley Davidson, or SAAB

Character – A Character logo is kind of like a mascot. Only a logo expert is able to pull off one of the most challenging of all logo types. Popular examples include: Borden (Betsy the Cow), Geico (the gecko), Coppertone (Coppertone Girl), or Toys 'R' Us (Geoffery)

Web 2.0 – Web 2.0 is a category of logos that tend to have 3-dimensional effects, glossy textures, bright colors, and/or fun themes. They are usually very approachable. Popular examples include: Skype, Google Chrome, AT&T, Yelp or Flock

For examples on the different types of logos, please check : http://www.nuartisan.net/austin-brand-identity.html

Green Printing..it happens here too :)

When the worlds trying to go green with its practices, the print industry is not far behind. Every step in the printing process has environmental implications. The paper used leaves forests barren, the inks use up water, once lodged on the paper, they make the paper non bio degradable, the amount of energy used up by the printer, the amount of toxic waste generated as a by product also post printing processes like cutting, laminating, foil stamping etc

Hence there are ways in which one can green their printing. The following are a few ways:

Paper options: Post consumer waste, chlorine free, uncoated paper.

Ink Options: Inks with Low Volatile Organic Compound/Chemical VOCs, vegetable or soy based inks as opposed to petroleum based inks, safer pantone shades.

Waterless printing: An offset lithographic printing process that eliminates the water or dampening system used in conventional printing. It uses silicone rubber coated printing plates and specially formulated inks, and typically a temperature-control system is integrated into waterless presses.

Printers: Using printers that eliminate intermediary processes, saving energy. Eg: digital printing

Post Printing: choosing standard paper sizes in order to avoid cutting and wastage of paper. Organising design in such a way that it reduces usage of foil stamping, lamination etc.

Also there are sertifications awarded to printing houses that use eco friendly methods.

Out of all the prnting houses I got in touch with, Pragati was the the quickest to get back with very helpful information. Pragati is certified FSC & PEFC Printing House. They have been doing Green printing since more than a year.

They have special ink and papers available to get Green print jobs.

In papers as on date in India many suppliers keeping stock of FSC certified and Recycled papers in various gsm and sizes. They use inks with Soya based oil only and not mineral oil base.

Although I had read about FSC and PEFC online, I wasn’t sure if it was I could find many of those prevalent in India.

I will soon be heading to Pragati to understand better their processes, but till then there are a few standards and certification systems to munch on.

What is FSC and PEFC certification?

Chain of Custody certification, like FSC or PEFC, provides assurance that paper-based products are sourced from responsible and well managed sources, minimizing environmental impacts.

What advantages will it give me?

By becoming certified, printers are choosing an internationally-recognised system of certification which not only saves forests, protects wildlife habitats and protects the rights of local communities worldwide, but also demonstrates a proactive and innovative attitude to the sourcing and promotion of sustainable paper products.

It will help win new business from the growing demand of customers focused on sustainable procurement, and looking to minimize their environmental impacts.

EcoServe identity: 1

Exploring Infinity:

Adapting them into the letterform of the identity.

Even though this is just my first set of rough ideas, the form, and the colours are not decided yet; i have come to realise that i cannot do away with the green and blue association for the brand. Though cliched, it is the most recognizable and gives a connect to the the actual core competency of the company. But what i could do is, keep the colour element flexible, so that over varied communications, it can take different colours and still communicate the same message.

EcoServe Identity: 1

Exploring the concept of Infinity.

While jotting constructing the brand architecture, i realized that EcoServe as a parent brand with the broader vision of restoring environment balance has innumerable opportunities. The possibilities of collaboration are endless as we are faced with newer environmental hazards each passing day. Also issues vary according to regions.

Also as discussed earlier a lot of factors need to be taken into consideration before drafting a solution for an environmental problem as natural resources work in cycles; one cant work with one resource without taking into account the effect on others.

The concept of infinity fits in with the endless possibilities depicted in a somewhat cyclical form.

Framework/Thoughts for EcoServe Branding

Timeline

Some visual inspiration

Going to to be pinning my visual inspirations here:

http://pinterest.com/elfintrance/ecoserve/

Its a happy place to be...

MINUTES OF THE FIRST REVIEW

The first review gave me a good insight on the way forward for my branding project for EcoServe. My presentation was dominated by my background research on the general category of Environment Conservation. Though it lacked some visual references/iteration for the branding process, I feel the research on the various environment movements, scenarios, issues EcoServe plans to get involved with gave me a lot of clarity on the interconnections between the problem and its environment.

My research started with defining the scope of work to be done by EcoServe: Environmental Audits and Natural Resource Conservation. Branding for an eco initiative took me to Eco Branding or Green branding that sees consumers having faith in the eco-sound practices of companies. EcoServe offering a Service rather than a Product, has to gain this trust through its communications.

The various environment movements made the various MNCs accountable for their practices. And companies responded by Greenwashing their image rather than their practices. British Petroleum earned harsh criticism for spending double the amount on rebranding themselves than what they spent on solar energy. My panel cited a few more examples closer home of companies that covered their practices under the garb of CSR (ITC).

Also reading up on Racheal Carson’s Silent Spring and drawing parallels to the Indian agricultural scenarios, threw some light on how insecticides are marketed withholding key information about their potent side effects. Discussions with my review panel gave me some more idea on the Indian agricultural scene.

Usually the branding process precedes churning out communication for the projects undertaken by the company. But in this case, before we stepped into the branding process, we had a short test run on how our target groups responds to communication seeking their involvement in a eco–project.

EcoServe is joining hands with BNHS for an afforestation project around the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur District in Maharashtra in order to reduce the tiger – human conflict in the area. This was a litmus test to how people respond to communication through a cost effective and fast platform: emails. The mixed responses made us think about the different media that can be employed for communication and how the brand must hold consistent through them all.

This review helped me refocus on the task at hand: Branding for Ecoserve. My initial research swayed a little more towards the issues that the company can deal with and how it needs to sound trustworthy and honest through all the biases and information clutter that exists. But the background research has helped me understand that the identity of the company needs to be very, very flexible as the problems we face are layered. For example: in the Tiger Conservation project we had to understand the problems the adjacent tribal community faced before we could do anything to protect the tiger. For me, the cause and effect cycle has broadened my vision of the brand image EcoServe needs to withhold.

My panel expressed their concerns on the achievability of the targets I set up for this project. They helped me understand that Branding in itself holds the scope of becoming an entire project and that the subsequent communication for eco projects may or may not follow suit with the branding; the communication can be viewed a separate projects. But for me the litmus test of a good branding exercise is when it can move beyond the brand manual and still communicate through the use of consistent visual language, the beliefs of the company. So I wont be focusing as much on the branding and communication of the sub projects of EcoServe like the Tiger Project or the Watershed Development initiative as on building the BRAND EcoServe. But it would be great of I can realize some form of consistent visual language for the brand.

The way forward would be to start visually building the brand. My panel egged me to derive references from ancient symbiotic practices and move beyond the clutter of green vector logos. Also a part of my project is actualizing the brand through Eco sensitive printing. So till my next review the work charted out for me would be to have various iteration sets for the brand and narrow down on a few printing techniques and have at least one set test printed. Its time to move beyond research and actually fleshing out the visual identity of the brand!

More on our National Animal

Being Symbolic of the wealth of Indian’s wildlife, the Tiger, is finding itself in a very poor situation as of today. Poaching the Tiger for its various valuable body parts is one of the reasons for the dwindling number. But till the 1970s, hunting the tiger was legal and hence a favorite of the then royalties.

The wake up call came in when around 3000 tigers lost their lives to trophy hunters between 1950s and early 60s. Around 1970s the official number of 1,800 moved the authorities to action to launch the Project Tiger in 1972.

Find a list of the different Tiger Reserves under Project Tiger on the following link:

http://www.indiawildlifeportal.com/project-tiger.html

But as discussed in the previous post, poaching or royal sport are no longer the sole threats to the tiger. Activities unconcerned with them i.e commercial felling of trees and encroaching forests land is forcing the tigers out of their comfort zone and is labeling them as a menace to the tribals living in settlements near the reserves (example specific to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve)

On why Stay HOME is a good option and how to make that happen..

Going to continue reading about environment issues. But for now I need to shift focus on the few issues EcoServe plans to cover in the coming months.

Two such projects areas would be the Tiger conservation/ Afforestation initiative with the Bombay Natural History Society and Watershed Development.

Tadoba-andhari Tiger Reserve is the pristine and unique eco-system situated in the Chandrapur district of the Maharashtra State of India. With an area of 116.55 sq. km. the Reserve contains some of the best of forest tracks and endowed with rich biodiversity. Tadoba-andhari Tiger Reserve is the largest Tiger Reserve in the State and a part of the 41 Tiger Reserve projects in the country.

The fate of tigers on this planet hangs on a balance. With a current population from around 3500 (1700 of which are in India alone), the tigers are fighting with their life to avoid extinction.

The fate of tigers on this planet hangs on a balance. With a current population from around 3500 (1700 of which are in India alone), the tigers are fighting with their life to avoid extinction.

It’s not just the tigers that need protection. The forests which they inhabit are essential water sheds. Over 300 rivers and innumerable streams originate from India’s 6 major tiger habitats providing water to millions of people downstream, thus contributing to India’s long term water security.

The importance of forests for carbon sequestration, which is critical to mitigating climate change, needs no further emphasis.

The 25,000 km2 of contiguous forests in the Satpuda highlands of this reserve are amongst the world’s most important tiger habitats. If the tigers are to survive, it is at Satpuda, where they have their best chance.

Most of Indian tiger reserves – and Satpuda is no exception – are surrounded by communities whose existence is dependent on the natural resources from the forests. This often gives rise to human-tiger conflicts, which puts additional pressures on the tiger population.

To save the tigers, we need to address the needs of communities that live close to tigers, on an urgent basis.

Tadoba is a prime tiger project within the Satpuda highlands. It has proved to be a breeding ground for tigers. It is here that the tiger-human conflicts are on the rise.

Maximize forests and tiger conservation:

One of the ways to maximize forests and tiger conservation is to create independent resources and livelihood to the communities in the buffer zone so as to reduce their dependence on forests. This can be achieved in a number of ways;

· Developing plantations in the villages and adjoining regions which meet the basic needs of the communities to a large extent.

· Creating additional employment opportunities as a spin off from the plantations,

· Providing support for watershed development, rural water purification and other such ancillary requirements.

Bamboo is the preferred plantation as it not only thrives in these areas but also provides a means for housing, biomass and creates employment opportunities through its multiple uses. The challenge lies in not just planting the saplings but ensuring their survival for at least four years by which time they can thrive on their own.

This like many examples in Racheal Carson’s Silent spring shows that most often to solve a particular problem, it is important to address the associated issues. In this case it is supporting the communities living in symbiosis.

A lot of noise is made about the saving the tiger, but to these tribals they are nothing a nuisance yellow and black that kills their family members. They somehow do not share the concern that a lot of the ecological balance depends on the survival of these predators. Hence highlighting the immediate effects of Tiger conservation to their life in terms of availability of water and maintenance of forest cover can help tap the sympathy and empathy required for Tiger protection. Also in undertaking Bamboo plantation, the tribal’s are primary beneficiaries.

Same story back home...

So the bio magnification of chemical pesticides and insectides is around 100fold thanks to the fatty substances in our body. DDT intake of 1 part per million get converted to 10-15 parts per million when it lodges in the intestinal tracts and other layers with fat. Dieldrin and chlordane show similar effects of necrosis when administered in smaller quantities.

These alarming statistics made me want to check up on the usage of these chemicals in India. Similar cause and effect scenarios are seen here.

This link gives well organized information on the effects of various pesticides used in India.

http://www.eco-web.com/edi/index.htm

There is also a surprising amount of tab kept on the preferred and banned pesticides. State wise and Yearwise information is available on:

http://www.indiastat.com/agriculture/2/consumptionofpesticides/206872/stats.aspx

Umm…Thought twice before biting into that apple...

Some fitness Guru told me about the obscene number of calories that swim into my body through one bite of my fav snack: potato chips.

Chose a shiny new apple to replace it.

But Racheal Carson makes me want to turn to photosynthesis for provision of nutrition for my body (no wait, even the rays are ULTRA now)

There are hardly any food substances produced that do not have traces of insecticides on them. And these though present in small quantities are enough to start a chain reaction through their journey up the food chain, not sparing even mother's womb.

With the rising demand for food, came up the concept of concentrated farming — growing wheat over a huge area for a whole year instead of rotating crops. This provides an almost permanent habitat for insects related to the particular crop, which were earlier kept in check by the other uninhabitable crops around it.

Also heavy importing of exotic and essential crops/plants also brought a horde of unexpected immigrants: the native insects. These newcomers breed happily till the time they have earned the title of a "Pest" after which methods of control are conceived.

So basically stemming from our own needs, Carson goes on to explain how pesticides phased in and started slowly phasing out a lot of surrounding flora and fauna.

Detailed diagrams later, but basically the chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorinated naphthalene, organic phosphate based pesticides have all very lethal effects on living organisms.

Some lodging in the fat deposits, other attacking the nervous system, the innocent 5 parts per million quantity suddenly magnify once inside the human body to lethal proportions.

Just made me think twice about every morsel i took today.

But on the other hand there are those who firmly believe the fact that we are alive and pig on on fast food means either the proportions are nothing to worry about or the human body is well adapting to them. But most of these silent killers have latent effects that even the scientists havnt completely discovered yet.

Plus there are the lovers of CO2 who actually believe that Carbon Credits (more on that soon) are ways of just taxing the air we breathe.

The point of this post is to just show the whirlwind my mind is currently caught in right now. For every opinion there is a counter argument. Unless you are a scientist yourself, how do you take someones word for it. And even the scientists themselves did not forsee the damage the insecticides could bring about over a period of decades.

If inspite of knowing the ill effects of pesticides, they are used freely, will my throwing my Potato chips packet in the dustbin instead of over Mahim Creek and such similar small efforts make much of a difference?

yes….

no….

yes….

So who are we talking to?

The course of work for EcoServe gets charted out once the Target audience is well defined. Knowing them better, helps craft information structure and the tone of communication.

The mind map helped categorizing the 3 clusters EcoServe aims to involve.

As a start up, reaching out to corporates and high influence individuals who are well informed about the environmental crisis can help ease in the operations. Initial plans include Afforestation around Satpura Tiger Reserve and Watershed Development.

The next set is mildly aware about the issues but unwillingly to contribute or take action. This sector will require some convincing especially by highlighting problems closer home that directly affect them. Then eventually scaling out their involvement.

The future of an initiative like this lies in preparing the generations to come to make better choices, preventive ones more than curative decisions.

Also the green movement has created a new generation of eco-conscious consumers. It's also created a new challenge for serious marketers.

The 2008 Yahoo! Green study­ found that more than three-quarters (77%) of consumers consider themselves to be greenies (concerned with the environment), and just over half (57%) have made green purchases in the past six months. Statistically only about 20% of consumers are “very” concerned with living and eco-green lifestyle and are trying to make a heavily committed impact on the environment. These deeply committed greenies are most likely over the age of 35, female and educated; many also live in metro areas and are likely to respond to ads stating the positive impact that a product has on the environment. Next are practical greenies. These green consumers are likely over age 45, likely to have kids and live in rural areas. Showcasing the immediate benefits of a green product is likely the best way to convert these consumers. Researchers with ICOM found that consumers over the age of 55 were more than twice as likely to buy green oriented products and services (real estate) as the average consumer. Men aged 65-69 were 1.7 times as likely to prefer/use green products & services.

Nearly 25% took more than one sustainability factor into account when making buying decisions while 30% look for eco-friendly messaging. Nearly 25% consider e along with eco-friendly marketing or products and organic designations when deciding on a brand (agent or brokerage). 40% of those surveyed look specifically for organic information.

Environment Movements closer to home

Environment degradation and subsequent revolts and movements are nothing new. The history of Environment movement in India dated back farther than I had imagined.

Bishnoi Movement:

A drought in the Pipasar village in Rajasthan in the year 1471AD triggered a environment cum religious movement of sorts. The starvation of men and animals alike pained Jambeshwar, a resident of the village. unlike in the past, the land was not able to withstand the destruction from the drought as a large number of trees had been felled. If life was to survive, people must understand the value of environment. He preached that the way in which we lived should be in harmony with nature and not against it. He came to be known as Guru Maharaj Jambaji. Jambaji put down his thoughts into 29 principles which are followed by his disciples who are known as Bishnois (20+9) or twentyniners. According to the religion preached by Jambaji, there was strict ban on Killing of any animals or bird and Felling of a green tree.

The unique religion of conservation was taken up by a large number of people in Rajasthan and the number of Bishnois increased to the entire village communities. This helped to make villages greener and restore the natural ecosystems. The population of Black Buck, which is in the list of endangered species, is found to be in greater number in Bishnoi villages than outside.

The Chipko Movement:

Literally meaning Being stuck to, this movement saw villagers, mostly women come forward and hugging trees in a protest against the government's decision to allot a plot of forest area in the Alaknanda valley to a sports goods company. This angered the villagers because their similar demand to use wood for making agricultural tools had been earlier denied. With encouragement from a local NGO (non-governmental organization), DGSS (Dasoli Gram Swarajya Sangh), the women of the area, under the leadership of an activist, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, went into the forest and formed a circle around the trees preventing the men from cutting them down. The Chipko protests in Uttar Pradesh achieved a major victory in 1980 with a 15-year ban on green felling in the Himalayan forests of that state by the order of Mrs Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. Since then, the movement has spread to many states in the country. In addition to the 15-year ban in Uttar Pradesh, the movement has stopped felling in the Western Ghats and the Vindhyas and has generated pressure for a natural resource policy that is more sensitive to people's needs and ecological requirements

Narmada Bachaao andolan:

Narmada Bachao Andolan is the most powerful mass movement, started in 1985, against the construction of huge dam on the Narmada river. Narmada is the India's largest west flowing river, which supports a large variety of people with distinguished culture and tradition ranging from the indigenous (tribal) people inhabited in the jungles here to the large number of rural population. The proposed Sardar Sarovar Dam and Narmada Sagar will displace more than 250,000 people. The big fight is over the resettlement or the rehabilitation of these people. The two proposals are already under construction, supported by US$550 million loan by the World Bank. There are plans to build over 3000 big and small dams along the river.

Silent Valley Movement:

Save Silent Valley was a social movement aimed at the protection of Silent valley, an evergreen tropical forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. It was started in 1973 to save the Silent Valley Reserve Forest in from being flooded by a hydroelectric project. The valley was declared as Silent Valley National Park in 1985

Baliyapal Movement:

The Government of India decided to setup a missile testing range at Baliyapal in Orissa. Baliyapal become a centre of controversy because the area to be taken for the testing range area a very fertile area with thick population. The Government could not implement its decision because of the strong resistance of the people.

These are but a few of the many movements in our country. The government policies though in paper take into consideration the environmental laws but often overlook them in practice. It is again up to the common man to dig the dirt, unearth facts and gather similar minded people to raise the issue and try and bring about a change

But the important lesson to be learnt here is if a though (noble or otherwise) is to be propagated in our country, converting it into a religion helps.

Ecopornography

While undertaking a green initiative, like any other branding exercise, it is important to locate the Target Audience. Especially for a persuasive sort of communication that needs to drive the audience to action. It is essential to understand what clicks and what doesn't with them. With the concept of Green Wash floating side-by-side with Eco Branding, there is always a chance of coming across as an all-gas-no-fart proposition.

A lot of incidents during the 50s, 60s, 70s got environmental pollution some much needed attention. The crew of the Japanese ship Lucky Dragon 5 being exposed to nuclear fallout at the hydrogen testing at Bikini Atoll, Oil spill in California’s Santa Barbara channel, Mercury poisoning of the people of Minamata, Japan, the Bhopal gas tragedy are a few to name. Post the Second World War, documentation like Racheal Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb (1968), The Limits to Growth (1972) a report from Rome amongst others started educating the masses about the harm our ambitious industrial plans are doing to the environment. Linking the disturbances of the ecology, population explosion directly to our day-to-day lives helped shatter the bubble people lived in who never associated their existence to the melting of the glacier. This also around when ozone destroyers claimed to be ozone protectors, petrochemical companies claimed to be pioneers of recycling practices by using waste from on polluting process as raw materials for another. This is Green wash where TransNational Companies pretended to be friends of the Environment and leaders of initiatives to eradicate hunger and poverty.

“As the contemporary environmental movement built momentum in the mid-to-late 1960s, undermining the public trust in many a corporation, newly greened corporate images flooded the airwaves, newspapers and magazines. This initial wave of greenwash was labeled by former Madison Avenue advertising executive Jerry Mander and others at the time as "ecopornography.”

Source :Brief History of Greenwash http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=243

Many have come forward revealing the lies passed off under the garb of eco friendly practices. Greenpeace for one has taken up the issue of Greenwashing quite seriously.

http://stopgreenwash.org/

A few other examples of watchdogs of Greenwashing:

http://stopgreenwash.org/history

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/apr/08/best-greenwash-adverts

http://webecoist.com/2009/12/14/greenwashing-so-absurd-its-almost-funny/

In a warzone like this where the righteous are pitted against the Multi nationals, a lot of speculation of sellouts and companies buying off environmentalists will keep floating. I guess it is somewhere here that individual contribution comes into play, for we cant wait for the big guys whom we cant always trust to clean the mess.