As the late Michael Jackson instructed us to “Heal the world—make it a better place,” he may not have realized how complicated that task could be—for consumers and businesses alike.

With jargon like greening, energy efficiency, energy conservation, eco-friendly, sustainable, carbon-footprint and greenwashing (just to name a few), it’s no wonder most folks aren’t sure where to start when it comes to saving Mother Earth.

With the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, every social media site and Internet browser was chock-full of articles related to these very topics.

Some of the most intriguing articles I read included: “What Companies Need to Know Before Launching a Green PR Campaign,” “The History of Earth Day Plus How You Can Get Involved” and “Public Relations and Green.”  

As is sometimes the case with annual events, monthly holidays or days of the year devoted to anything under the sun, core messages can get lost in the mix. 

Consulting clients on how to keep their messages clear and their business objectives transparent, including sustainability efforts, are just some of the ways public relations practitioners guide their clients on how to be visibly and honestly impactful—not just in the interim, but for a long time to come.

Of course, Kermit the frog said it best when he sang, “It’s not easy being green.” But then again, everyone must start somewhere—professionally and personally.

To read more “In the Profession” blogs posts regarding environmental fodder, check out: Mary Beth West’s discussion on the “PR Impact of Externalities,” – whether environmental or not, and how the voice of public relations can enable organizations to balance their business objectives with serving the public good.

Similarly, last December I wrote about how corporate social responsibility makes a difference and included thoughts from Scripps Networks President John Lansing during a recent PRSA meeting. His message still rings true today—keeping the community around you healthy is the true return on investment.

Until then, here’s to wading through the green waters of environmental responsibility.

The current issue of Harvard Business Review features as its cover article, “The Big Idea: Leadership in the Age of Transparency.”  In it, Christopher Meyer and Julia Kirby delve into the issues of managing “externalities,” defined by economists as “the side effects – or, in the positive case, the spillover effects – of a business’s operations.”  

An example of an externality as cited in the article: “A smokestack in Akron may send particulates into the air that descend on farmlands downwind, but in the absence of any measurement of those, the factory isn’t charged for ensuing crop damage.”

Of course, we all know that the company may not be charged a monetary fine by a government agency (yet), but if the matter is brought to public attention, there can be an even higher price to pay.

In public relations, we are confronted every day with managing the reputation and relationship impacts of our employers’ and clients’ externalities.  In more cases than not, we are called upon to mitigate negative outcomes.  And as the Harvard Business Review article title suggests, we operate in an age of transparency wherein every negative externality is in full public view and subject to vast scrutiny – even activism – via social as well as traditional media.

As “In the Profession” focuses on sustainability this month, the issue of externalities in the realm of environmental impact is timely.  My firm advocates for the role of public relations to help guide management leaders in not only identifying and managing the outcomes of externalities – but perhaps more importantly, to be proactive by avoiding practices and decision-making that give rise to negative externalities in the first place. 

That company with the Akron smokestack, for example, might be counseled to seek out cleaner production processes to cut particulate emissions and then communicate with stakeholders about its efforts.  Of course, most decisions are not so clear-cut.  Many costs and complications can make the “right” decision difficult, if not nearly impossible, for a company to make and still be profitable – or even be able to exist as an entity. 

Managing these complicating factors effectively makes the case that public relations professionals should be at the table, influencing decisions and policy.  Our profession seeks out and understands the attitudes, opinions and behaviors of all stakeholders to an organization – particularly relative to externality impacts in the court of public opinion.  As such, we’re best prepared to represent those views in the context of decision-making. 

Whether an externality is environmental or not, the voice of public relations can enable organizations to balance their business objectives with serving the public good.  And this approach can help companies consciously strive for externalities that are positive rather than negative.

With April 22 as Earth Day and the green of spring abounding here in East Tennessee, “In the Profession” will focus this month on sustainability as an organizational ethic and how green issues are impacting companies’ reputations.

For the past number of years, we’ve been fortunate to count among our close colleagues Knoxville-based advertising agency Shelton Group, led by entrepreneur and green strategy guru Suzanne Shelton.  Suzanne has spearheaded Shelton Group’s focus on understanding the national consumer mindset on sustainability and helping clients motivate mainstream consumers to make sustainable choices.

Tomorrow (April 9), Shelton Group will release Eco Pulse 2010, one of several annual Shelton Group proprietary studies, which will uncover “American consumer perceptions, drivers and knowledge issues for green products.” 

One of the major themes Shelton Group identified years ago and relentlessly hammers home to its clients nationwide is the issue of making sustainability real and authentic as an organizational value – as opposed to touting green messages as the flavor of the moment. 

From a public relations standpoint, that counsel is critical for all organizations to heed – particularly those in consumer products or with consumer stakeholders.  As Suzanne routinely points out, there is indeed something worse than a company failing to craft a strong sustainability message – and that’s crafting a false one.  Consumers get wise to phony green claims with even a whiff of contrivance. 

And that’s good.  It forces companies to get real about what they want to stand for on sustainability, both philosophically and in genuine practice.  Complete alignment of organizational messages with motivations makes for the best in public relations outcomes.  We tip our hats to Shelton for preaching good gospel on that front.