Game. Set. Match.

On Monday, we took a field trip to the opening games of the 2008 US Open Tennis Tournament. Purely for business, of course. (That James Blake-- fresh off his Olympic effort in Beijing-- was playing Center Court was purely coincidental.) We went to see what the USTA was up to on the green front.

After all, the press release looked promising:

> Recycling program from Evian
> Renewable energy
> Lexus Hybrid vehicles for 20% of the transportation fleet
> Recycling of tennis ball cans and the donation of thousands of used tennis balls
> Reduction in the number of servers used
> Organic souvenir clothing
> PSAs on the video boards
> Wallet cards featuring "eco tips" from the NRDC

Needless to say, we were quite excited to see all the green action in motion. But it was awfully hard to find. Recycling program from Evian, CHECK.

These babies were everywhere. Good for you (and us) USTA.

The rest of the list remained behind the scenes. No literature or signage. No wallet cards featuring eco-tips and no PSA's focused on sustainability. Blast!

Perhaps it was just the first day, or we hit it on an off night. But to us, it felt like a double fault. Let's hope an opportunity isn't lost here. Last year, more than 700-thousand attended the two-week event.

So if you happen to go, try the foot-long hot dogs, see if you can spot Paula Abdul from across the stadium (hint: her trademark clapping is a dead give-away), and by all means, track down your wallet card.

What's Blowing in the Wind?

You may have seen the recent advertising campaign from Vestas, the U.S. wind energy company. The $100 MM "No. 1 in Modern Energy" campaign is running largely in consumer media. The message "America has some of the world's most abundant wind resources, and Vestas is here to help harness them" is certainly timely and welcomed.

But why would Vestas bother talking to consumers? That's what Dow Jones asked, too. The answer is simple: Things are not always what they seem.

As we told Dow Jones Newswire, "Consumers aren't going to run out and buy wind turbines, but they do influence government and politicians. If politicians feel that constituents support alternative energies like this, they're more likely to support legislation that allows these technologies to grow more quickly."

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200808251045DOWJONESDJONLINE000270_FORTUNE5.htm

To read the article, just follow the link. To follow the progress of this campaign, just read this blog. More in the coming weeks.

The Closing Ceremony

So it's over. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics has run its last race, pummeled its last horse, awarded its last dozen or so gold medals to Michael Phelps.

And it was a good one. Two weeks of non-stop Olympic coverage (NBC had more air coverage then hours in a day thanks to all of their networks). Recording breaking ratings -- over 34MM viewers during prime time coverage. Some pretty amazing stories told.

Throughout we've looked at the world's biggest brands try to put their best foot forward. The world's biggest stage is the perfect place to talk about the world's biggest issues. And sustainability certainly is taking center stage.

Looking back at the advertising over the fortnight (we're using our proper English in preparation for the 2012 London Games), this Olympics clearly got a "Green Medal." And that's good news for everybody.

We leave this topic with a few thoughts on what makes good sustainability strategy and messaging (or any messaging, for that matter)—in hopes we see much more of it:

1. Be Synergistic – Don't try to sell trees, if you normally sell widgets. Instead design a widget that is made from trees. Maybe that's not possible, but you get the drift.

2. Be Authentic – As David Ogilvy said, “The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife!” Consumers are smart people. Give them the benefit of the doubt and let them make their own choices. If you are truthful, they will follow.

3. Make it Relevant – The ads that worked best were relevant to the Olympics, the brands, the products and a vision of a more sustainable world. Tall order. But when it works, it really works.

4. Have a Vision – Companies that lead, win. Go ahead and seize the opportunity. Become a sustainability leader.

And most importantly, COLLABORATE.

Brands can't do it all on their own, nor are they expected to. Remember the BP line? "It's a Start.” When a company acknowledges its role in the world, amazing things happen.

After all as the Japanese proverb says, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”

(It sure would have been better if it was a Chinese proverb... but oh, well.)

Green Olympic Games

Last week, the 2008 Summer Olympics kicked off with a bang. It's a rare opportunity for people from all walks of life to turn their televisions on and enjoy true world class competition. And some of the largest global corporations have spent over a billion dollars to grab the attention of these 30 million prime time viewers each night.

The focus of their ads? Sustainability. Needless to say, we're happy to see this.

Over the next thirteen days, we will be posting some of these ads, sharing our thoughts and hoping you will share yours.

First up, The Alliance for Climate Protection's WE campaign. Their latest ad encourages us to move to "clean" electricity. Of course, we applaud all of Gore's efforts in the fight against global warming, but wonder if the campaign gives people the chance to take action?

Yes, the ad sends the viewers to wecansolveit.org, where individuals are encouraged to write their local and state politicians and ask for change. But we wonder...

Did it miss an opportunity to inspire individuals to make changes to their daily lives?

What do you think? Chime in.