Recently read an article about a new site called Collectively. The stated purpose of the site is "to inspire and accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable way of life."
Nice ideal ya' got there. What'cha gonna do with it?
To accomplish their goal the site solicited sponsors. Or, perhaps it came about the other way around? Collectively is a site backed by corporate sponsors, edited by an ad agency, in hope of making the world a more environmentally friendly place.
What could possibly go wrong?
Years ago this stuff was called white-washing. Then, PR. Then it was called sponsored content. Most recently it has been called native advertising.
It is still the same old shit, no matter what you call it. I call it barf.
Too bad they didn't look to Patagonia as example. Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder, baked environmentalism into his products and processes from the beginning, and continues to make constant, incremental change. He even turned his product company into a subsidiary of a "$20 Million & Change" holding company devoted the saving the environment. Yvon has spent a lifetime proving that actions speak louder than words.
I hope the companies sponsoring Collectively figure out what Yvon and Patagonia understand well, but doubt they will.