After spending five years in sustainability consulting, I’ve learned to stress the simplicity of going green.  “Don’t make it too complicated.  Distill it into sound bites.  Play up the benefits.  Minimize the hurdles.  Make it seem easy.”  So goes the conventional wisdom in green marketing.  The idea behind this, of course, is to sell people on change when their natural inclination is to resist it. But even as I continue down this path, a question keeps nagging me.

When did sacrifice become a bad thing?

Sacrifice is the motto of mothers, the hallmark of heroes, and the merit badge of the greatest generation.  Sacrifice is what built our country. Sacrifice is what fuels our young companies.  But in the world of green business, “sacrifice” has become a dirty word.  I used to think that playing up the ease of sustainability was a smart move. Now I’m not so sure.  By glossing over the inherent “giving up” required in the movement toward a sustainable future, we might be diluting one of the more compelling reasons to do it in the first place. 

Rob Ganger, CEO of Pollinator Media, got my wheels turning on this topic when he spoke at last week’s EcoTuesday event. "Sacrifice has been given a bum rap. The fear of giving something up has given sacrifice a bad name," Rob told the audience.  "Historically, 'sacrifice' meant an offering to our highest natures, God/Creator, our ancestors and descendants.  We must re-contextualize the word for its true meaning as a sacred offering."  Rob then quoted Native American poet and activist John Trudell, "Life is about responsibility...If you want to have the experience of being free then be responsible." 

At EcoTuesday we come together as sustainable businesspeople for networking.  So far the networking has been great, but the inspiration has been even better.  It is a forum where we can stop talking shop if we want to and simply open up about the issues that fuel our desire to operate our green enterprises.  After all, if there is one thing all entrepreneurs have in common, it’s sacrifice.  

But we’re not the only ones who have a handle on it.  Parents understand sacrifice.   Athletes thrive on sacrifice.  Believers connect with God through sacrifice.  And what do they get in return?  Achievement.  Faith.  Peace. Devotion.  Community.  Love.  Sacrifice has been defined as “the surrender of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.”  I would say the aforementioned benefits are certainly worth the price of giving up some worn-out habits.

One company that does a great job of reminding us of the virtue in sacrifice is Seventh Generation.  The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."  As the company reminds us, “every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.”  Not only is sacrifice a great selling point (in this case, spending a tiny bit more for a better world), it’s also inspired a loyal following of more than 100,000 people to join Seventh Generation’s community. 

All this engagement is working.  The Vermont-based company is the fastest-growing brand of natural products for the home and has become an international leader in 20 short years.   The lesson? Reminding people of the good they can do by making small sacrifices is like handing them an invitation to make a difference with every purchase.  That’s one selling point I can’t resist.