Marketing for Sustainability June 11, 2008

Presenters Diane Martin, Ph.D. and John Schouten, Ph.D. earned their doctorates at the University of Utah, in Organizational Communication and Marketing, respectively. Their research, appearing in numerous journals and books, has focused on consumption communities, market organizing and, most recently, marketing for sustainability.

Sustainable marketing is not an oxymoron. Marketing, too often equated simply with promotion and persuasion, is more likely to be blamed for the problems of runaway consumption than viewed as a source of solutions for an ailing planet. Marketing entails all the activities involved in bringing goods and services to the marketplace, where people the world over convene to meet their needs. As such, it is a system that, like all other systems, needs to be brought into balance with the long-term well being of people and planet. Marketing drives business. The question is, in what direction?

Through their research with companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to giants like Wal-Mart and Toyota, Diane Martin and John Schouten are at the forefront of efforts to rethink the principles of marketing in order to harness the power of business and innovation in the service of a healthier planet and more fulfilling lives for its inhabitants. Sustainable marketing involves environmentally neutral products and distribution, true value-based pricing, and promotion through forms and channels of communication that occur naturally in consumer communities.

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REGISTRATION: Register Online or use the registration form on our website and return it with your credit card information or a check made payable to Oregon Natural Step Network for $35 ($25 Network members) 317 SW Alder St, #1050, Portland, OR 97204 by Wednesday, April 9th. To assure your place, registration is required. You can fax the form to (503) 227-2917, or register via phone (503) 241-1140. For further information contact the Network at (503) 241-1140 or [email protected].

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