It's Too Late

I planted something in the garden.
I'm carbon neutral!
Everybody look at me!
Aren't I awesome?

At this point, every organization that strives to be carbon neutral should just do it. Don't announce it to the world. Don't make a big deal about it. If you believe it's the right thing to do, just go ahead and make it happen. Sure, mention the fact if it comes up in conversation, make a note about it on your Web site, and so on. But it's not headline news.

If you're doing it just because you want to brag about it, think twice. For one thing, you'll probably screw up if you do something for the wrong reasons. Second, it's pretty obvious that you're not sincere (or, at best, that you're just a follower). And third, maybe your effort would best be spent on something equally important but far more brag-worthy.

Google is a good example -- they've recently partnered in various initiatives to help develop solar thermal energy. This is newsworthy. Honestly, if they were to tell me that they're now carbon neutral my first thought would be "So? Why wouldn't you be?". But the fact that they're proactively doing something unique is extremely interesting, exciting, and (what it really comes down to) makes me think more positively of them.

IAB Canada, on the other hand, doesn't seem to get it. Here's a quote from their latest event announcement:

"Since 2004, there have been over 80 carbon neutral events in Canada; unfortunately, none of them seems to have originated from within the Interactive marketing or advertising sectors... Today, IAB Canada along with the sponsors of our new MIXX Canada Conference Series are stepping up to the plate, and vowing to finally make good on one of the so-called "promises" of the digital age, and harness this technology to deliver less waste and less impact on the environment."

Great. Theyre doing the right thing. I applaud them for this, but it's still secondary to the actual content and value of the event. I don't need an 8 paragraph announcement with 7 paragraphs talking about how they're (finally) being environmentally responsible. If anything, they're reminding me how behind the times they have been until now.

It's like thinking that saying "Good news! Our products are now mostly non-toxic!" is a good announcement....