Many of our clients work in or with sustainable industry sectors and, as an ISO 14001 certified agency, we keep our finger on the pulse of the most recent developments. We thought we would share some of our favorites that highlight effective communication strategies, leveraging technology and innovation.

Urban Development

A recent urban development project in Napa County has people turning heads this year. The newly developed “living river”, an infrastructure improvement project was finished in 2015, and not fully tested until the rains of this year. Original approved in 1998, this project serves two uses: acting as a flood plain for the Napa River when needed and a reestablished wildlife habitat for native fish, birds and other wildlife.

As is often case with construction and development projects the final phase took much long than expected. Original estimates mentioned a seven year period; instead it took 16 years in total. However, the extended timeline greatly benefitted the outcome as a key component of the effectiveness of this this initiative was the cooperative spirit and outstanding communications among multiple stakeholders involved in the process. The San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission recognized this in their case study and noted that “garnering and maintaining public support [was] critical for local project funding, especially when construction [surpassed the original] intended timeline.”

Initially approved as part of a flood control project, it was planned to be a fairly standard operation by the U.S. Army corps of Engineers—effectively deepening and widening the river. However, The Sierra Club and the Napa Chamber of Commerce were thinking in much more ambitious terms and envisioned a “living river” that would not only protect properties in the area but reestablish natural flora and fauna in the process

Read more here.

Cleantech Proliferation

More and more Cleantech Incubators are being launched. And what’s even more interesting still is that funding is coming from corporate entities. For example, according to Green Tech Media, Wells Fargo launched its incubator in 2014 “to connect with young companies that can reduce the energy consumption of commercial building.”

The incubator is expanding beyond just building energy as well. This year the company added an addition $20 million in funding to expand to transportation, micro grids, energy storage and sustainable agriculture. Wells Fargo isn’t alone, however. Shell, Enel and BMW are all pursuing sustainable incubators as well.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Cleantech Incubation Europe has done an excellent job of auditing the Cleantech incubator landscape. As part of their effort to “enhance the business conditions for growing environmental SMEs”, they created a best practices report that covers everything from Cleantech incubation ecosystems, idea generation to startup selections, business services, and even models for measuring performance.

Should be you be looking to measure your own performance or need trusted, research backed tools to get a one up advantage in your industry, please reach out to us. We will be happy to leverage our 20+ year history of helping start-ups connect with their target audiences in innovative ways.

100% Renewable Energy Future

The Sierra Club just released a report that shows over 300 cities have committed to 100% renewable energy as of 2016. The global movement is known as the 100% renewable energy (RE) movement. The report also details the “10 building blocks” for cities trying to reach the 100% goal.

The good news is that many of the essential requirements to reach the goals are straight forward, including retrofitting existing buildings, upgrading infrastructures and adding efficient technologies, such as district heating and cooling systems, decentralized electricity generation, smart grids and recapturing industrial waste heat and other secondary heat sources.

The Sierra Club has been at the forefront of the public eye on this campaign—engaging in innovative digital strategies to reach out to citizens, government agencies and policy makers alike. In particular, the interactive Sierra Club website employs modern design and engagement tactics. For example, the page features an animate web design that user can interact with. Rather than relying on text heavy pages to share information, the website relying upon the interactive and responsive design to clearly communicate key campaign aspects. Additionally, the sierra club has also created a successful trending hashtag, #Mayors4CleanEnergy with over 3,871,586 impressions in the last 10 days alone.

You can read the full report here.

If you are looking to for innovative, digital engagement strategies for your audiences, let us know. ARTEMIA is your innovative strategic communications partner.