Page 315 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

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MARKETING SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT: A MILLION

SHADES OF GREEN

DAN MONROE AND LISA LILIENTHAL

SUMMARY

Taking a long view of real estate development is rare in a world where
short-term gains typically rule. Couple that with a lack of data about long-
term returns, and the misperception that green requires a premium and the
business case for sustainable development might not sound particularly
persuasive. Pioneering, as Melaver, Inc. has done, has its advantages. But
being the first-mover can also be challenging if your ideas are too far
ahead of the curve, however grounded they might be in the right thing to
do. Balancing that message—that green is both right and smart—was a
challenge for Melaver, Inc., its outside marketing firm, and its outside
public relations people. But the payoff is clear: today the company is
widely regarded as an expert with deep roots in sustainable development.
In this chapter, Dan Monroe, a principal in the marketing firm Cayenne
Creative, which is responsible for Melaver, Inc.’s marketing work, and
Lisa Lilienthal, an independent contractor who oversees the company’s
public relations work, focus on the evolving challenges of green market-
ing. Section one sets the scene of a burgeoning green movement occur-
ring against the backdrop of weakening brands and a growing need for
values, in many ways an ideal setting for a green bottom line company.
Section two looks at the early work of Melaver, Inc. and its need for a

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