By Steven Feldman
ORLANDO, FLA.—On the eve of the International Builders Show, Armstrong brought together one of the most diverse yet inclusive groups of individuals who share one common vision: making the world a greener place. The goal of this “industry-first environmental summit” was for Armstrong to identify unique marketing and communications opportunities and continue to better its position in the marketplace.
Armstrong has made a serious commitment to the environment and sustainability practices through a number of initiatives. Now it is trying to learn how green can translate into green, as in dollars.
“As we continue to invest in green, we want to build and utilize this team,” said Carlene Moloney, marketing communications manager. “We need to find ways to parlay the talent in this room into the execution of a marketing strategy to influence consumers to insist on Armstrong for its environmental programs and products.”
Once the Builder show opened its doors, Armstrong offered its booth as a platform for its “Green Team” to further their respective messages. “Each faction has a different mission under the Armstrong sustainability umbrella, but because of the passion within this group they were able to use Armstrong as the conduit to carry out their mission and reach the trade,” Moloney said.
As an example, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) used the booth to educate hundreds of builders on its new LEED for Homes program. “We are a founding member of the USGBC, and with the launch of LEED for Homes, we are perfectly positioned in the residential market with these strong relationships,” Moloney said.
Among the participants:
• Barbara McClendon, Hardwood Forestry Fund (HFF), the philanthropic arm of the Hardwood Plywood Veneer Association that matches environmentally conscious companies with projects on the ground. “We plant the trees and manage them,” she said. “We are about establishing sustainable forests on public lands so future generations will have adequate supply of hardwood. We are a vehicle for people who want to do something about the environment but don’t have the land to do it.” The HFF will plant and manage more than 500,000 trees in the spring of 2008 for Armstrong in its effort to put back more than it uses as the world’s largest harvester of hardwood.
• Keister Evans, Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF), the third-party verifier of Armstrong’s exotic hardwood supply. TFF manages Armstrong’s chain of custody verification and works with its suppliers on reduced-impact rainforest harvesting.
• Linda Sorrento, USGBC, the trade organization that publishes building standards. Although better known in commercial, USGBC is now introducing residential LEED standards and remodeling guidelines of best practices.
• Michael Sharharari, ecoScorecard, the new Web-based industry tool that allows anyone to search, evaluate and document building products and their relevancy to industry rating systems (NAHB, LEED for Homes, ReGreen, etc.). Armstrong is going to be the first hard surface company to launch ecoScorecard. “We are launching with rating systems that aren’t even yet final,” Moloney said. “How much more ahead of the curve does it get?”
• Annette Stelmack, Inspirit, author of “Sustainable Residential Interiors,” the first environmental residential interiors book.
• Eric Cohler, Eric Cohler Design, a world renowned interior designer who appears regularly on ABC’s “The View” and is often quoted in consumer shelter magazines.
• Also on hand were representatives from GreenMind and Viridity, two environmental consultancy firms to the trade.
“This summit shows we have the strongest environmental partnerships in the industry,” Moloney said. “I don’t know of any other hard surface manufacturer that has as many great partners. Now, with all these experts, we want to position ourselves as the environmental education leader.”
What they were saying
Cohler: “Green is a dangerous word. Consumers are not attuned to what it means. It’s up to me to drive green with the support of manufacturers. I think we are three to five years away from consumers becoming attuned to asking me about it. Designers need to take the lead, the press has to support us, and manufacturers must supply the right products.”
Stelmack: “It’s all about future generations, and that’s why I’m passionate about what we are doing in terms of educating children. We target kids because they are the ones who can take home the message to their parents.”
McClendon: “By promoting what we do, we are allowing people who have an environmental consciousness to make the right selections. People who may want to have a hardwood floor but are concerned about trees may choose tile. Reforestation efforts may alleviate those concerns.”
Cohler: “How does the consumer understand what we are talking about? It is overwhelming. There is a plethora of information. This needs to be digestable. Consumers don’t know labels. What about good/better/best? It’s so easy for the consumer to understand. I need these tools. I’m on the front line. I need you to help me help my client. I need to take all this through the eye of the needle to take to my clients.”
