Cut to the Core

Community Gardening: Organic, Green and Sustainable

Because so many individuals lack the time, space and know-how to plant their own gardens, community gardens are gaining members. Such an effort to green the local food chain, and make Jacksonville that much more sustainable, is underway by Ethical Markets friend, Thomas Dumas. (Pictured here with Maria Pinochet, he and Maria frame the EARTHVISION poster by Ethical Market’s President, Hazel Henderson.)

The Argyle Area Community Garden is a first step toward the vision Mr. Dumas has for West Jacksonville to become a fully sustainable community. The garden is cared for by the garden members. Most of them garden in the "community" section (for $2.00 per month) where they all contribute seeds and fertilizer and make decisions jointly (e.g., what and where to plant). Currently, they are growing cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, collards, Brussels sprouts, squash, kale, lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, tomatoes, pole beans, arugula, garlic, sweet potatoes, peppers, bok choy, cabbage, strawberries, blackberries and cooking herbs. The community garden also offers members the option to have "private" plots that measure 4'x8' for $5.00 per month.

The gardeners strongly value the idea of sharing – with each other and with the community at large. Extra produce is regularly donated to the Wesconnett United Methodist Church food distribution program and to SafeHouse Ministries. An added treat: In addition to gardeners, the community garden welcomes artists who wish to showcase their outdoor art.

If you have questions or wish to arrange a garden tour, e-mail Sandi Newman at argylecommunitygarden@gmail.com.

If you want to learn to garden, want to share your love of gardening in the community plot, or want to arrange for your private plot, please plan to join us! Find out about the garden workdays at http://www.meetup.com/Argyle-Area-Community-Garden/. 

Today's Trend - Marketing That Targets All Stakeholders

After the much publicized problems with the unintended acceleration of some Toyota models, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., has recalled more than 12 million vehicles worldwide and 10.5 million in the United States. The company also has responded by creating a safer technology, The Star Safety System™, along with a marketing campaign to tell us all about the innovation.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) will run its Star Safety campaign well into 2011. The Star Safety System™ combines five safety technologies as standard equipment on all new Toyota models. The Star Safety System includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.

The marketing campaign centers on the message of safety and focuses on conversations about safety and quality between Toyota owners and engineers. (See the advertising online at www.toyota.com/safety.) The critics of Toyota’s safety campaign take issue with the advertising, stating that Toyota has not spent a sufficient amount of time and effort to apologize for its problems and has jumped, instead, into “selling safety” too quickly.

 

Do you agree? If your company had a major setback, how would you communicate about the incident? 

This marketer remembers the shocking Ford Pinto Memo that openly disclosed the cost/benefit analysis performed in order to justify the decision not to fix a fuel system design element, known to be faulty, when that design increased the chances of an explosion. The decision not to act was made despite the fact that an explosion upon impact greatly increases the possibility of burns or death to both driver and passengers. In contrast, the actions and messaging in response to Toyota’s design fault, although it is also potentially life-threatening, seems commensurate with the inherent danger.

Unlike the Ford scandal of the 1970’s, Toyota’s response has been one of immediate action. The company has set about to fix the problems on the existing models by issuing massive recalls and, in a very timely manner, assembled a team of engineers to design the best automobile safety system on the market. Their goal was to begin, within the quickest timeline possible, the installation of the new system, The Star Safety System™, as standard equipment on all new Toyota models.

 

In order to communicate this action plan, one of the advertising spots highlights Toyota’s fundamental pledge to invest the time and the people needed to follow through with their renewed commitment to safety. View the spot.

 

In another advertisement, Toyota acknowledges that they have not lived up to the expectations of safety they, and their customers, have for Toyota products. The ad outlines their plan to restore their customers’ faith in the company. View the spot.

 

In yet another advertisement, Toyota states that “everyone deserves to be safe no matter what you drive.” The ad highlights the Star Safety System, Toyota’s answer to automobile safety. View the spot.

 

In order to give a backbone to their claims, Toyota is also running a spot that talks about the safety awards their new innovations have won during 2010. View the spot.

 

Key Point - An interesting element of this marketing campaign is that Toyota has promoted the idea that safety is an issue that involves all of Toyota’s stakeholders. The messaging contains language meant to create a strong emotional connection to the primary value of safety, a value that is certainly a priority for all of us. After all, even if we do not drive a Toyota, the person who drives down the neighborhood street near where our children play, or the person who drives our husband to work in the carpool, may well be a Toyota owner.

 

Thus, Toyota’s advertising has placed the company in the spotlight as one of the responsible citizens of our communities. As such Toyota will have to live up to the ethical and moral stand they have just created for themselves, their employees and their products.