Marketing Sustainability

Recently I have been revising my Green ICT coruse to take into account developments such as the Australian Government released its "Clean Energy Future" strategy. In the three years since the course was designed, not much has changed. The science on climate change is clear, the problem is essentially one of marketing. The ANU has a course in Sustainable Marketing, using social networking and digital video. This is something the Australian Government needs to look into more to sell its strategy, rather than old fashioned TV ads:

The concept of sustainability has moved to centre stage in recent years generating much public discussion and increased the focus on firm impacts and responsibilities
and consumer choice processes. Increased awareness of the significant environmental degradation, decline of natural systems and resources along with community, national and global social inequalities has placed a focus on sustainable business practices. For many it would seem that marketing has been perceived as part of the problem rather than the solution to social problems such as pollution, over consumption, the depletion of natural resource, unhealthy lifestyles, and human rights abuses. However markets provide a coordinating mechanism through which changes take place. Importantly marketing systems provide the crucial link between
market participants including individuals, households, and firms.

This course evaluates the role of marketing and marketers by examining how firms create value, reduce risk and build sustainable thinking and processes into their marketing activities and strategies as they respond to opportunities and threats that arise from both social, economic and environmental change, and changing
consumers attitudes and behaviour. Sustainable marketing requires a rethink of the assumptions that underlie traditional marketing practices and therefore presents a new paradigm through a holistic integrative approach that puts equal emphasis on environmental, social equity and economic / financial concerns in the development of marketing strategies and tactics. ...