What if you could cash in all those airmiles for something other than, well, more air-polluting flights? Canada’s Green Rewards program, set to launch this summer, takes as its premise the idea that consumer incentive programs can offer rewards that are both “fun” and also “good” (think of applying those points to an electric scooter instead of that free trip to Bermuda). We asked Green Rewards mastermind Andrew Souvaliotis about this pioneering program, and why he’s launching in Canada before dipping his toe in the much larger U.S. market.

The perils of misleading consumers into thinking your product or service is green (when it's not) are well documented. Even do-good companies now face a certain amount of skepticism from consumers. SLM contributer Matt Heinz asks William Brent, senior vice president of PR firm Weber Shandwick's clean tech practice, how marketers can overcome growing consumer distrust of corporate environmental claims.

Audio | Run Time: 30 Min. | Listen now...

Digital media expert Brian Reich discusses how marketers can use the web to connect with green consumers. His new book Media Rules Mastering Today's Technology to Connect with and Keep Your Audience illustrates how recent technological innovations such as podcasts, social networks, and search advertising are altering the playing field for marketing and branding professionals.

Michael Darmanin wants to design a marketing message that sticks. The New Zealand-born commercial animator has recently set up shop in New York with Sticky Pictures, a motion design boutique with a green edge. He says that aesthetically, his designs lends themselves toward eco-conscious branding initiatives. (Broadcast Newsroom) Read more...

Stakeholder research strategist Rob Kerr knows a thing or two about asking the right questions. As director of GlobeScan's Survey of Sustainability Experts, he rolls up his sleeves not once but twice each year to canvass the opinions of 3,000 sustainable development and corporate responsibility experts worldwide. In this exclusive interview we got a chance to turn the tables, asking Rob to divulge some secrets of the trade.

They're discerning, informed, demanding and one of the fastest growing segments of the purchasing public. Gwynne Rogers of the Natural Marketing Institute shares some insight on marketing to the LOHAS consumer.

After serving as business strategist for such heavy-hitters as Royal Dutch/Shell and Basell (a joint venture between Shell and BASF), Seetha Coleman-Kammula co-founded Simply Sustain, a management consulting firm that guides companies to be profitable by doing business in ways that benefit both the environment and society. We asked Seetha how sustainability leaders overcome organizational inertia and what's holding some companies back.

As director of General Electric's history-making Ecomagination program, Jeff Renaud sees the brand value in green business. In this SLM interview, Jeff outlines how Ecomagination is unfolding at GE and the impact it's having on brand equity and the companys bottom line.

At the heart of every successful branding effort is effective communication, and the Internet offers a sturdy, relatively low-cost platform for sharing your company's core competencies and goals. Nobody knows this better than Sun Microsystems the Silicon Valley giant has built up a strong online presence dedicated to the company's commitment to corporate social and environmental responsibility. We spoke to Susan Space, Sun's Director of Branding and Advertising, about transparency, changing consumer expectations, and the art of branding on the web.

Last May we reported on the release of the ImagePower Green Brands 2.0 survey, which pegged the top ten green brands in the U.S. as well as globally by industry. We snagged some face time with Annie Longsworth, Executive Vice President at Cohn & Wolfe (which, along with Landor Associates and Penn, Schoen and Berland, developed the survey) to identify some key takeaways for companies looking to bump up the green factor in their own branding strategy.

Audio | Run Time: 15 Min. | Listen now...

Annie Longsworth, executive vice president of San Francisco PR firm Cohn & Wolfe, discusses the agencys new green practice, the dangers of greenwashing, and the challenges faced by companies seeking to incorporate sustainability messages into their communications strategy.

A pioneer in the field of experiential branding and culture building, Janine James has brought success to some of the worlds most influential brands. In this exclusive interview, she explains why the concept of innovation should be given pride of place in any green branding effort.

Steve Bryant, president of Publicis Consultants, is a prominent food marketer best know for bringing soy from geek to chic. We sat down with Steve for a freewheeling discussion of the growing "lifestyles of health and sustainability" (LOHAS) market, the rise of the veggieburger, and what you can learn from Jared, the weight-watching pitchman for Subway.

Our readers are already familiar with Jacquie Ottman, host of Sustainable Life Media's Sustainable Brands newsletter and content channel, and chair of Sustainable Brands '07 conference. Now we'd like to introduce our conference co-chair, Pam Van Orden, another veteran in global brand development, eco-innovation, and green marketing.