OP-ED It isn't easy publicizing green

Author: Michael McKenna

One of the challenges of working in public relations is that whenever you share news with people, they often assume you are trying to 'spin' them. Unfortunately there are many examples of public relations 'flaks' that support this cynical point of view. (Anyone see the recent political campaigns?)

As a result the media have their defenses up whenever they hear about the latest and greatest green initiatives. Don't get me wrong - they are covering it. It's one of the most important issues of our times and there is a lot of research that indicates people are inclined to support products and services from 'green' organizations. Google alone lists some 23,700,000 green stories out there as I write. "Being Green" sells news.

So let's just say it's sometimes hard to impress reporters in the particular media that are read or watched by the people Middlebury wants to reach.

However, the best public relations is always true, so Middlebury College is in better shape than most. We don't need to spin. We just tell the facts: Our environmental studies program was the first to be established in a liberal arts college. Our Snow Bowl was the first ski facility to go carbon neutral. Our students helped launch the bio-diesel bus tour trend. Our students continue to lead in environmental activism with such programs as Step it Up and 350.org. And our newest campus addition is a bio-mass facility that can change the way we capitalize on sustainable natural resources.

And we are lucky to have so many leaders in the field in our community, from professors like Jon Isham and John Elder, to Scholar-in-Residence Bill McKibben and Dean of Environmental Affairs Nan Jenks-Jay, among many others. Their writing, research and actions provide the daily evidence to believe our stories.

Ideally one wants to be able to offer a "No kidding" story, as in when a reader or viewer sees something for the first time their reaction is "No kidding? I didn't know that. That is very interesting."

Those are the stories that get repeated - and when positive word of mouth spreads like that, we are doing our job. Because it's always better to have people saying nice things about us rather than having to say nice things about ourselves.

Fortunately Middlebury has had a great green story to tell for years, and we continue to build on that every day. We can present facts instead of hopes, accomplishments instead of aspirations, and results instead of rhetoric.

Together these facts often get the desired "No kidding," and start a chain reaction that leads to results like the Sierra Club rating Middlebury as the nation's coolest school, or Grist's list rankings of top environmental colleges, or highest marks according to the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

When you walk the walk while many others are just talking the talk, you build trust. Over time, and with lots of repetition, positive momentum builds. Reputations are made. Your name means something.

And while we occasionally hear from reporters, "Oh no, not another Middlebury story, our editors are getting tired of you guys," we keep getting good coverage. It's not easy, but the hard work here on the part of the entire community seems to be paying off.

(Michael McKenna is the College's Vice President for Communications.)