34 LOHAS JOURNAL | SPR ING 2010 www.lohas.com

Hedonics—the study of seeking plea-sure and avoiding pain—is at work here. Many of us get caught up thinking that to be truly sustainable we must tightly align intention to outcome. If we honest-ly reflect on how we choose to act and purchase each day, we’d quickly con-clude that seeking pleasure isn’t inher-ently wrong. In other words, buying ice cream because it tastes good doesn’t mean that the intent (pleasure) behind a sustainable choice is any less noble than “planet first.”

Let’s look at the flip side of LOHAS—the concept of Lifestyles of Hedonics and Economics (or LOHOE, to go with the vernacular!) as the way to remove the preaching and get on with the teaching. For indeed, if the adoption of health and sustainability is a universal goal, we should take the sacrificial, enlightened, “us vs. them” attitude and chuck it. Work with human nature to make green color-less—to make sustainability a given.

Not convinced?Think of how you get around. Did

you buy a hybrid or perhaps a clean die-sel? Or maybe you gave up your car and

now you walk or bike everywhere? How does it make you feel? Look deeply. Even if you gave up the convenience of a car, do you suffer from your choice for the good of the planet alone? NO! Even those who sacrifice get pleasure out of refraining from purchasing/buying/us-ing, because ultimately it makes us feel good for the very reason we are protect-ing the planet.

However, utopia isn’t quite ours. It is true that humans seek pleasure and try to avoid pain—however, we do that within the realm of resources available to us. Consequently, economics drive our choices more than ever. For example, who wouldn’t want to own a Tesla? Un-fortunately, for many of us, our income doesn’t permit that kind of purchase, giv-en other priorities. In fact, the economics of sustainability often drive behaviors more than altruism or evolved thinking. Swapping out light bulbs and replacing old appliances with energy- and water-saving alternatives is driven by a desire for cost savings. And yes, the act itself of consciously consuming can be very plea-surable—dare we say, hedonistic. (How

excited are you when you get something you desire and to your delight it’s also on SALE?) So how can anyone argue that intention must be aligned with the end goal in order to achieve success?

Consumers whose attitudes and be-haviors are not fully aligned with the LOHAS lifestyle—and that’s about 93% of the U.S. adult population (see chart at right), offer honest assessments as to why they buy eco-friendly versions of prod-ucts. You may find it surprising that the motivations of “Enthusiasts” and “The Rest” really are not all that different from one another.

So what’s the takeaway? It’s not their fault. Yes, consumers must do their part to

not waste, but as manufacturers and service providers, if we don’t make it convenient and pleasurable for them, our chance of success is practically nil. Americans are a resilient people; they rise to the occasion. However, unless they derive pleasure, they will not easily be shaken from their habits. That’s why programs such as Recycle Bank work so well. The rewards of measuring your efforts and being realized for your efforts are marketing dopamine. The pleasure outweighs the pain (inconve-nience) of recycling.

Teach, don’t preach.Consumers often don’t know the story

behind the products they buy. In a world of a million SKUs, it’s impractical to know the history of all the products we use. Won-

THINK ABOUT THE last time you stood in front of your grocer’s freezer gazing through the glass doors, daydreaming about ways to save the planet while looking for a frozen, sweet

concoction to eat. WHOA! Stop right there. You weren’t thinking about the planet, honestly, were you? Oh sure, you may have decided to buy some ice cream made of soy milk or tofu, or with “just 5 natural ingredients”—but your mouth watered at the thought of the experience, the creamy sensation, the sweet, flavorful taste of the treat. That’s really why you selected it, right?

WENDY COBRDA AND MEGAN KOVACS

LOHAS and LOHOEMAKE GREEN COLORLESS AND SUSTAINABILITY A GIVEN

www.lohas.com LOHAS JOURNAL | SPR ING 2010 35

derful new tools such as Good Guide—an app that allows you to scan a barcode and quickly link to nutritional and sustainable information—is great, yet will not engage the masses, the LOHOE-driven popula-tion. How do we provide information that people will use at ‘point of choice’? Share

why your product is better—explain why they will feel good when they buy from you. Help them rank your product against other options. Using eco-guilt will backfire. Embrace the concept “it’s okay if sustain-ability is a byproduct” of their decision-making rather than the main driver.

Convenience and economy often trump altruism.

Few would disagree, for example, that public transportation is a better use of our resources. But in areas not densely populated, it isn’t always a practical

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ENTHUSIASTS

Taste

Ingredients

Lifestyle

Manufacturing

Future Health

Source

Brand

Price

Availability

Packaging

Current Health

Recommended

THE REST

Taste

Ingredients

Lifestyle

Price

Availability

Future Health

Brand

Manufacturing

Recommended

Source

Packaging

Current Health

FOODENTHUSIASTS

Cost Savings

Quality

Impact

Brand

Price

Health/Safety

Beliefs/Values

Materials

Manufacturing

Recommended

Recyclable

Source

THE REST

Cost Savings

Brand

Quality

Price

Impact

Recommended

Beliefs/Values

Health/Safety

Manufacturing

Materials

Recyclable

Source

DURABLESENTHUSIASTS

Health Safety

Ingredients/Materials

Quality

Beliefs/Values

Brand

Manufacturing

Price

Recommended

Availability

Packaging

Cost Savings

Source

THE REST

Ingredients/Materials

Health Safety

Quality

Brand

Price

Beliefs/Values

Recommended

Availability

Manufacturing

Cost Savings

Packaging

Source

PERSONAL CARE

Motivations for making “green” purchases (Ranked by selection frequency) LOHOE Motivators vs. LOHAS Motivators

Enthusiasts = 7% and The Rest = 93% of respondents—Eco-Insights 2009 (30,000+ surveyed). Respondents scored on a series of questions relating to sustainable attitudes and behaviors, with Enthusiasts rated High on both attributes.

Continued on page 47 >

www.lohas.com LOHAS JOURNAL | SPR ING 2010 47

LOHAS AND LOHOE< Continued from page 35

WHERE ARE THE GREEN...< Continued from page 7

choice. (And while we may plan a smart-er sprawl, we don’t necessarily need to live in a city to be “green.”) Buying or-ganic milk is arguably better than buying regular milk—but with a difference of up to $5 a gallon, it pits economics against health or societal costs. If we as a society want to really embrace sustainability, we must banish the premiums by making all products sustainable by design. Until that happens, people will more often choose the path of least resistance.

Conclusion:Is our green glass Half Empty or Half

Full? It’s all about perspective and atti-tude. Whether we admit it or not, we all want the same basic thing—enjoyment from the products we choose to buy and use, whether driven by our own personal tastes and interests or a desire to mini-mize our footprint on the planet. Keep in mind that human nature is driven by a desire to feel pleasure and avoid pain, and that even those with the best of in-

tentions are constrained by economic considerations.

An actual societal shift will occur when sustainable options become the norm, because they meet our needs with-out sacrifice. The burden must be shoul-dered by those who manufacture and market products and services; consumers shouldn’t have to work so hard to do the “right thing.” LJ

Wendy S. Cobrda, CEO & Co-Founder of Earthsense, is a veteran of the target marketing industry who has spent the last

twenty years building innovative data and consulting enterprises.

Megan Kovacs is Insights Product Manager of Earth-sense and leads efforts for making Eco-Insights the most

comprehensive study of the green consumer.

seattle june 5|6was h in gto n stat e c o n v en t i o n & t r a d e c en t er

san francisco april 10|11c o n c o u r s e e x h ib i t i o n c en t er

chicago may 22|23n av y p ier

san francisco nov 5|6|7c o n c o u r s e e x h ib i t i o n c en t er

washington dc oct 23|24was h in gto n c o n v en t i o n c en t er

We need to begin by thinking green, beginning with our own homes and life-styles and practices at our places of busi-ness. On the cusp of a new economy, the door is wide open for the next big idea(s). The small green business of to-day could be the Fortune 100 company of tomorrow. LJ

MaryAnne Howland is owner and president of Ibis Commu-nications, an advertising and marketing solutions firm that

builds bridges between brands and commu-nities of color. They connect consumers with brands, employers with talent, purchasers with minority suppliers, and philanthropists with nonprofits. MaryAnne is vice chair of Social Venture Network, Diversity Chair for the American Advertis-ing Federation—Nashville, and member of Multicultural Marketing Committee for National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications, Community Outreach for Frist Center.