Going green will distinguish you from your opponent and connect the campaign’s message to voters with an effective call to action.

reception, use local food and produce, avoid dispos- able plates and flatware unless it is biodegradable and keep servings small. You can go a step further and offset the carbon emissions for your guests if this fits with your message. Use a folded note card on each table to explain your green initiative.

Rule #7: Capture the environmental benefit (and the phone numbers)

If you have purchased an SMS short code, ask event attendees to send you the distance that they traveled so that the campaign can offset the green house gas- ses for them.

It will cost about pennies for each

attendee to make their travel carbon neutral, and the cell phone numbers you capture will help keep your database updated.

Rule #8: Go green as early as possible

Start your environmental initiative early and update it consistently to help establish your authenticity with environmental issue voters. Kathy Dahlkem- per defeated six-term incumbent Phil English in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District and be- gan counting carbon emissions nine months be- fore Election Day. “I felt it was extremely important that my cam- paign be a carbon-neutral campaign because it clearly signifies the importance I place on the issue of becoming a cleaner, greener world,” she said. “I made this pledge early in the campaign and it resonated with voters. I believe they took this as a sign of my commitment.” John McCain was fortunate to be able to estab- lish his environmental message and climate change plan before “drill, baby, drill” became a campaign slogan. Any later and it would have been impos- sible for him to remind voters of his environmental message.

Rule #9: Follow through with your commitments

If you pledge to run a green campaign and then

March 2010 | Politics 55

fail to implement and communicate the environ- mental improvements you have made, your cam- paign’s green initiative will seem phony. Avoid this mistake by putting a campaign staffer or volunteer in charge of your green initiative from start to fin- ish. Establishing environmental credibility early in the race can preempt negative attacks, but this is irrelevant if your campaign goes green and then fades to brown.

Brendan Woodward is the president of Standard Carbon LLC, a nonpartisan environmental consulting firm specializing in climate change solutions for businesses, individuals and campaigns. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69