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 Yesterday the PR giant GolinHarris announced the creation of a new public relations campaign called "Green". To read their announcements you might believe that this is a pro-environmental effort. It is a fraud and it involves the US Forest Service by way of their intimate partnership with the National Forest Foundation (NFF).
I have, for good reasons, long been a critic of the NFF. NFF's founding President is Derrick Crandall -- founding President of the wise-use, anti-environmental American Recreation Coalition.
I have written scathing critiques about NFF for more than a decade. Dozens of those critiques can be read on the Wild Wilderness website. Here's a link to a good overview written by one of Wild Wilderness' board members .
Unfortunately in spite of our best efforts, the influence of the National Forest Foundation has grown during this period. NFF's funding of conservation groups has all but guaranteed that few in this community will speak poorly of them. Some will even come to NFF's defense and will chastise me for attacking their funder(s). Those who defend the NFF are wrong to do so and they do harm to our shared goals.
Pasted below are links to, and snippets from, yesterday's news release. Below those are links to, and snippets from, three articles that expose the true nature of GolinHarris and its PR campaigns. Many more such articles can be found online.
In 1995, Joel Bleifuss wrote a most important article that was published in PR Watch and titled "Covering the Earth with Green PR." It began with these words:
"As the 25th anniversary of Earth Day dawns, the public relations industry is quietly advising its corporate clients to keep from gloating."
Bleifuss went on the discuss, amongst other things, the DOW corporation and how it was using PR to hide its many sins. DOW, along with NFF, is one of the founding clients GolinHarris' "Green". Here's what Bleifuss had to say:
Dow Chemical's environmental PR campaign began in 1984 with the goal of making "Dow a more highly regarded company among the people who can influence its future." Dow's reputation was still suffering from its manufacture of napalm bombs and Agent Orange defoliants that devastated much of Vietnam...
"Many people use [Dow] as an example of doing the right thing. There is hardly a discussion of pollution control and prevention among American industries that fails to highlight Dow and the strides it has made," writes Jenni Laidman in the Bay City Times of Saginaw, MI. Laidman notes that Dow garners all this praise even though the company "is still a leading polluter in the state and the nation. . . . fish caught downstream from Midland [Dow's home base in Michigan] remain inedible, according to state fish advisories."
Why do we in the conservation community permit the wool to be pulled over our heads?
How can any of us support organizations that work to destroy the planet and steal our democracy?
Who will join me in denouncing this newest PR GREEN-SCAM?
Scott
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September 28, 2007
GolinHarris Launches Work Sustainability Practice
GolinHarris (www.golinharris.com)
announced the launch of its worldwide sustainability practice, branded as Green.
This practice will focus on issues and business imperatives rooted in four key
pieces of sustainable development: environmental sustainability, economic
sustainability, social sustainability and political sustainability.... Green
joins three other GolinHarris specialty practices—Change, bringing corporate
citizenship solutions to companies and organizations; Insidedge, leading
companies in the development of world class employee communications; and Engage,
advising clients on activism and issues management.
--
http://www.prweek.com/us/news/article/741101/GolinHarris-launches-green-unit/
Based in Washington and Chicago, the new practice will be working with Dow
Chemical Co., Toyota Prius, and the National Forest Foundation. Golin has worked
with those clients in the past on sustainability initiatives.
Global PR firm GolinHarris has
unveiled a range of new "practices and products," including one it has dubbed
"Engage: Activist Issues Management." The firm explains, "In response to the growing influence of
NGOs, GolinHarris has formalized its approach to leverage and deflect the
influence of activists on issues ranging from the environment to animal
welfare." In a report (pdf) accompanying the announcement, GolinHarris describes corporate social responsibility as allowing companies to "take
the offensive" and that "social involvement will become the primary means for
influencing public perception." GolinHarris clients include Bristol-Myers
Squibb, Dow and McDonald's. --
July 29, 2002
Making the World Safe for Obesity
PR
giant Golin/Harris is bragging about its new "Global Obesity Task Force." The
Task Force doesn't seek to fight childhood obesity, but to protect the interests
and image of the multibillion dollar Obesity Industry. Their press release
states: "With consumers becoming increasingly wary of American 'big business,'
many companies find themselves under scrutiny. ... The increase in childhood
obesity has special interest and government groups seeking to hold someone
responsible. And, corporate America is the likely target. Golin/Harris
International has created its Global Obesity Task Force with proprietary tools
to help companies under fire in the obesity debate... Wide ranges of industries
are vulnerable and need to act to protect their brands, businesses and
reputations. Quick service restaurant companies, snack makers, beverage
producers, the television and video game industries... 'When managed
appropriately, companies can withstand issues without public confidence and
brand trust eroding,' said Kathy Weber." G/H clients include McDonald's and
Tyson Foods.
--
On August 23, 2006 G-H [GolinHarris] issued a press release
on its 50th anniversary, emphasizing its "specialty areas" of work. Number one
of seven highlighted areas is 'Engage: Activist Issues Management'. According to
G-H, "In response to the growing influence of NGOs, GolinHarris has formalized
its approach to leverage and deflect the influence of activists on issues
ranging from the environment to animal welfare."
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- Activism 
