Shoppers, Unite! Carrotmobs Are
Cooler than Boycotts
By Jeremy Caplan
Forget
sticks, and stick with carrots instead. So says Brent Schulkin, founder of a
fledgling movement of activist consumers employing a kind of reverse boycott
that he calls a Carrotmob. The concept is simple: instead of steering clear of
environmentally backward stores, why not reward businesses with mass purchases
if they promise to use some of the money to get greener?
"Traditional
activism revolves around conflict," says Schulkin, 28, a San
Francisco–based activist turned entrepreneur. "Boycotting,
protesting, lawsuits — it's about going into attack mode," says the
former Googler and onetime game developer. "What's unique about a
Carrotmob is that there are no enemies." The focus is on positive
cooperation, using the power of the casual consumer to help save the planet. (See pictures of a grocery-store
auction.)
The
movement was born on March 29, 2008, when hundreds of green-minded patrons
poured into a San Francisco convenience store after Schulkin solicited bids
from 23 stores in the area to find the business that would promise to spend the
highest percentage of Carrotmob profits on more energy-efficient lighting. The
crowd spent more than $9,200 at the K&D Market, which then fulfilled its
pledge to plow 22% of the day's revenue into greener lighting — with the
haul from the Carrotmob providing enough cash to make all the improvements
recommended by an energy auditor (and Carrotmob supporter).
Since
then, Carrotmobs have branched out to 10 other U.S. cities — with
offshoots in Finland and France — and this summer will be expanding into
Philadelphia, where hundreds of consumer activists are gathering today to
discuss ethos and strategy. Organizer Tony Montagnaro, 19, a sophomore at
Rutgers, has been lugging 50-lb. bags of carrots across Philadelphia's college
campuses, handing out thousands of carrots labeled with his
blog address to spread the word about Carrotmobbing. The New Jersey
student and part-time pizza chef says his carrot-toting antics are inspired by Schulkin's
manifesto/music-video mash-up. But the biggest surprise to
Montagnaro — who says he plans to start aiming Carrotmobs at small stores
in the center of Philadelphia — is how quickly older people grasp the
concept. "Someone 65 or 70 often gets this right away," he says.
"People my age can be slower."
The
reverse boycott is perfect for the growing cadre of slactivists —
slackers who care just enough about causes to sign online petitions and join
Facebook protest pages but lack the time, money or drive to do much else.
Carrotmobs
also carry extra appeal during tough economic times. Participants don't have to
donate anything. They just shop for products they were planning to buy anyway,
adjusting the time and place of purchase. By doing so, they help green a local
business.
So
what's next for Carrotmobbers? In addition to Montagnaro's plans for
Philadelphia, activists in Hoboken, N.J., Kansas City, Mo., and elsewhere are
gathering forces through Facebook, Twitter and the main Carrotmob.org
hub.
Meanwhile,
Schulkin is focusing on a for-profit Carrotmob spinoff called Virgance, which
starts up and acquires small organizations that offer collaborative market
solutions to social and environmental challenges. One of the first fruits of
the effort is 1BOG, a community-based program that organizes residents locally
to negotiate group discounts from companies that install solar-energy panels.
Says Schulkin: "What's good for activism is also good for business." Carrots
are looking greener every day.
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