Here is a page with several project management resources compiled by the University of Vermont’s Office of Sustainability

There are also several online / cloud based services that help facilitate project management in a variety of settings.  Here is a good resource to explore the differences between them.   There is even a project management service called For My Innovation (Fmyi.com), which GTS has utilized for some time and which has a sustainability focus.

In addition to such a sheet, it is a very good idea for the outgoing leader to try to do hands on training to prepare their successor for the main challenges they will face.  Maintain some ongoing mentorship is recommended but if you are unable to find such a mentor, GTS would be more than happy to help you excel as a leader.  Click here to start the process of becoming a GTS member.  All GTS services are FREE.

Social marketing has been defined as “the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution, and evaluation of programs designed to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of their society” (Andreasen, 1995)

This article was originally created for my Sustainable Marketing course at Presidio Graduate School. However, the more I researched Denver Water’s incredible social marketing tactics, the more I saw the potential for similar marketing tactics to be used by student organizations to change the unsustainable behavior of fellow college students, family, and community members.

Believe it or not, we are all marketed to thousands of times every day. Thus, for any message to really resonate, it must cut through the chatter of all other marketing messages. How do you accomplish such a feat? Denver Water found many ways of doing so in the Denver community to reduce water usage by nearly 20% in a non-drought period!  While the below story does not directly apply to college campuses, it should inspire students to explore creative and sometimes shocking ways to turn heads for a cause.  Be sure to click the links in the article as they are quite entertaining and inspiring.

Local government rarely gets the chance to run social marketing campaigns, which employ tongue and cheek humor, edgy imagery, and guerilla marketing tactics to change unsustainable behavior.  For the last six years, Denver Water, Colorado’s oldest water utility along with social marketing firm, Sukle, have done just that and with impressive results. The campaign in concert with incentive based enforcement strategies have led to a 19% reduction in water usage in the Denver area over the last three years.

The campaign is called “Use Only What You Need” and is hard to miss around Denver as each component is designed to first shock and then make you think.  Both common and uncommon modes of advertisement were used in the campaign, such as viral videos, bus ads, printed ads, promotional give aways, an interactive website, bill boards, an online game called Wack-A-Sprinkler, conveyer belt ads, bench ads, elevators, funny lawn signs, shocking displays, and even seemingly naked men who mingle at events wearing a bright orange sign stating “Use Only What You Need.”   For more examples visit www.sukle.com.

In addition to Sukle’s bold and imaginative social marketing strategies, they also use community based marketing strategies to increase the Denver community’s exposure to the campaign’s message.  Teri Chavez, marketing and communications director for Denver Water described the community based marketing tactics of Sukle stating, “Its really more than just the campaign and this is what Sukle does well.  It’s all their guerilla tactics.  Take the sandwich boards or the running toilet.  They’re getting into the community at these large events.  They’re interacting with customers.”

Chavez went on to describe Denver Water’s mascot called the running toilet, which runs through Broncos stadium only to get tackled for wasting water.  ”You can hear parents say ‘look at that running toilet’ and you hear the little conversation they have with their family.  The kids say ‘that means we aren’t supposed to let our toilets run at home.’  It’s way more effective than a print ad in a magazine.”, Chavez noted.

It is also important to note that the campaign began in 2006, after a major drought.  Denver Water’s board of directors took a progressive stance and decided that rather than yelling all clear, they would instead continue to promote increased water savings to their customers.  They set the ambitious goal of reducing water usage by 22% of pre-drought levels by 2015.   The lighthearted Use Only What You Need campaign would be instrumental in reaching this new goal and thus the campaign’s budget for the first year was one million dollars.  However, after establishing their campaign’s presence in Denver, it was possible to scale back the annual budget to $650,000 for 2011.  Considering that Denver is much better prepared for an emergency situation, such as an extreme drought, the cost of maintaining water saving behavior is likely well worth the price and the fun.

Be creative!  There are many ways to turn heads on campus and you don’t need much money if any at all.  Mascots, displays, flash mobs, and other tactics can be used to change behavior.  Please send any shock advertisements your organization has created to greentowersustainability@gmail.com.  We will be sure to put them up in our student resource center so they can benefit other students.  Always be sure to document your successes and have fun!

Disclaimer: GTS would like to emphasize that it is important in a college setting to use common sense when using shock marketing tactics.  Nudity, other graphic images, or overly negative messages might turn heads but also might get your organization negative attention and even penalties from your higher education institution.  Large displays or events may need campus approval.

Opportunity Hoarding from Ian Bevan on Vimeo.

Passing the Torch and Much More from Ian Bevan on Vimeo.

I don’t know about you, but I am super excited spring is almost here. I’m not sure if its Frisbee season, gardening or just walking around outside without turning into a popsicle but spring just gets me fired up to get to work. Spring semester always seemed exceptionally jam packed with environmental events and an overwhelming workload in general. This issue we have a number of organizational resources, some inspiring stories, and some tips on personal sustainability to help get you geared up for the next few
months.

GTS News

Over the last few weeks we have been making a few course corrections to streamline a more effective organizational structure and to appeal better to funding organizations. Part of that process included a little shake up to the management structure of Green Tower. We realized that too many important tasks were getting log-jammed in the pipes because they all needed to pass through the Director position to either get sign-off, or approved, or finished. This issue was hindering our progress and creating an unsustainable workload for Ian.

So now, instead of a single Director position responsible for overseeing everything happening in the organization we have split the responsibilities into two Co-Director positions. Ian will be taking one position, and I will be filling the other. Ian will be primarily responsible for the grant writing and budget oversight issues and I will be working on the external and internal affairs of the organization. We believe this move will help the organization move forward quickly and more sustainably.  It’s a lot of work finding the perfect balance for any organization and we are growing more excited as pieces like this one fall into place.

Carrot Mob Resource
Last issue we shared a video about CarrotMobs, an up-and-coming organization that uses collective bargaining to influence businesses into adopting sustainability practices. This past week Ian Bevan sat down with two organizers, Violetta and Hunter, who put on their own CarrotMobs and talked about best practices in putting on this type of event.

CoFed
A friend of GTS’, CoFed (Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive), is a great organization helping
students establish food coops on their campuses across the country. They are rapidly expanding and were
recently featured in an article on Good. This past Monday Ian and I talked with Yoni, CoFed’s Director, to get some tips on establishing a student oriented non-profit. We had a wonderful conversation and are planning to work more with CoFed in the near future.

Student Organizing

A Vision for Student Sustainability
When I read this vision for sustainability written by students at the University
of Michigan I was in awe. They put together a phenomenal document that will be able to guide their student efforts and be used as an advocacy point with administration. Putting together a vision like this can help unite your various student groups and shape a collective vision that you can all work towards.

Student Garden Guide
The Bon Appetit Management Company has compiled a really nice resource starting a student garden and how to work with food services staff on your campus.

Inspiring Work
These two girls blew me away with their organizing prowess and determination to promote behavior change. Both Emily and Catherine are currently in high school but they also are taking college classes at Vanderbilt and are organizing a conservation competition for the college.

Getting Rid of those Trays
Dining hall trays are one of the most controversial of campus sustainability efforts. Sustainability advocates want to toss them to save on water and food waste, and students love them because they are just too convenient. At CU-Boulder their campus has gone through the same struggle as so many others, attempting to toss them only to give up due to student backlash. They are however attempting a different tactic to reduce the use of trays, a competition.

Green Business Blogs
If you’re interested in the interaction between business and sustainability check out this compilation of blogs and green business websites with loads of business sustainability trends.

Organizing Tips

The 22-minute Meeting
Have you heard of Ignite Talks? I was recently turned on to them and saw this funny and informational piece on how to run a “22 minute” meeting. There’s even a handy step-by-step diagram to help you through the process.

Have your Ideas Heard
Another meeting tip, but this time from the attendees’ side of the table. Lifehacker has a quick rundown on how to influence a meeting by being the most prepared person in the room.

Advice to Live By: Don’t be afraid to Fail.
When giving advice to up-and-coming student leaders one of the tips I always give out is to not be afraid of failure. As Dan Shipper points out in
this blog post, if you aren’t failing, you aren’t trying. Failure happens, if
you recognize it and embrace it you can learn from what went wrong and improve
the next time.

Sustainable Living

Avoiding Plastic
I’m sure you all realize this, but plastic is everywhere. It permeates everything we use on a daily basis, and it never goes away. Here are 10 easy tips on ways you can avoid plastic in your personal life.

Cooking in Small Spaces
Earth911 put some great tips together on how to cook in a small space with low resources, you know perfect for the low-budget college student.

Happy Sustaining!

Violetta Muselli, Hunter Flynn and Ian Beven got together over skype to discuss the benefits of Carrot Mob projects. Carrot Mobs leverage the power of collective bargaining to get a business to implement energy and environmental practices in their store.