This March, the world celebrated International Women's Day, recognizing both the extraordinary successes and continuing challenges that women face globally. In accordance with that theme, I'd like to reflect on the role of women in the green economy and the influence that women have as green consumers and green leaders.

How often do you receive free calendars, stationery sets, or custom return-address labels from really amazing organizations trying to raise funds for their equally amazing causes? How often do you reciprocate and send a follow-up donation?

With carbon footprint and energy independence on everyone's minds, many marketers are looking to capitalize upon their product's biobased content. But not all biobased claims are alike. The scientific rigor of an ASTM standard combined with the credibility of the USDA raises the bar for the industry and makes the USDA Certified Biobased label a new source of competitive advantage within the consumer and government procurement markets for brand owners who make the effort to get their biobased products certified.

In his "New York Times" opinion piece, "Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts," Jonathan Franzen describes his return to loving the environment as a consequence of loving a part of the environment: birds. "... now those threatened forests and wetlands and oceans weren't just pretty scenes for me to enjoy. They were the home of animals I loved." Indeed, we need a personal connection to truly love something, and when we love, we become less interested in what's in it for us. Funny how that works.

There is a public water spring near my home in the rolling hills of Qubec. The village of Wakefield, where the spring resides, is the bohemian hub of the region. It's a place where you encounter all sorts of people: hunters, hippies, yuppies, truckers, farmers, dentists, emissaries, hockey players, commuters and grandparents. Advertisements are occasionally posted on the walls of the spring's enclosure: daycare; butter chicken poutine; and - of course -- Save Our Spring (SOS) protest announcements, as the industrialized world extends its tendrils ever closer to the quiet hamlet.

I’d like to modify the philosophical query, “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” to ask: if a tree is recycled in a forest and no one ‘Likes’ it on Facebook, does anyone care? This week, pollster firm Harris Interactive released the findings from the 13th annual Reputation Quotient study, which is described as measuring and ranking the reputations of the 60 most visible companies in the United States. It’s an interesting evaluation of corporate reputation, not only for the findings it produces, but additionally for …

Outdoor industry companies rely on a green world to keep their products relevant. They employ a wide spectrum of green marketing ranging from subtle messages that connect the company with environmental organizations important to their consumers, to programs, reports and advertising that demonstrate the authenticity of their environmental conscience.

1. Exercise more Find ways to connect senior management to products, and products to people. Get the CEO to walk the talk with employees and customers by taking your sustainability message into the community. At the very least, corporate leadership will gain a better understanding of the barriers you face when trying to sell stuff.

Facebook has become a fascinating barometer of social preference over the years. This is true on both a micro-scale (say, amongst my own friends), and on a larger scale (examining the collective behavior of Facebook users in general).

Has the World Economic Forum been reading "The Hunger Games?" While the recent Global Risks Report doesn't predict a world where children fight to the death for sport, it does warn that the "seeds of dystopia" are being sown. It's definitely not a report to be read alone or before bedtime.