BALLANTINES PR ANNOUNCES NEW ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION
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Link to articleLOS ANGELES, May 22, 2007 – Ballantines PR (BPR) today announced the formation of Ballantines Green (BPR Green), offering consulting services to clients who are seeking to enhance their environmental profile and increase focus on their socially responsible practices.
BPR Green combines the skills of veteran environmental consultants Scott Fischler and Kahlil Kettering with the personal touch, premium client list and A-list media contacts of BPR, a boutique PR agency founded in 2000 by Sarah Robarts.
“We want to make a positive difference through our work,” said Robarts, who noted her agency works with clients in film and entertainment, travel, hospitality, fashion and leisure. “We think of ourselves as a creative, out-of-the-box PR firm. Many of our clients already have a strong ecological consciousness, and we would like to encourage others to follow their example.”
For example, Uncharted Outposts, a BPR client based in Santa Fe, N.M., is a leading safari company and ecotourism pioneer that also supports Tusk International, a wildlife preservation fund. Meanwhile, BPR helped Los Angeles-based Viridis Luxe introduce its luxurious fashions, woven from eco-friendly hemp-cashmere and hemp-silk blends.
“BPR Green’s consultants offer the agency’s new and existing clientele strategic consulting and positioning services,” says Fischler. “We’ll work with our clients to identify where they are, and show them where they need to take their organization and their brand image by intentionally transforming the market, relative to their competitors. We’ll provide our clients with an assessment of where their organization is on a ‘Green Continuum’ and assemble a team of specialists who have the specific knowledge and expertise to help them meet their green objectives.”
The move comes at a time when many businesses are actively looking to improve their environmental profile, says Kettering. “Consumers are actively supporting businesses that promote sound environmental practices, increasingly seeking them out as a reflection of their own values. There is an urgency to advocate for and portray the benefits of sustainability – and that is where we come in. Ultimately, we believe companies can reconcile environmental and financial benefits by making relatively simple changes in the way they do business.”
Robarts, who grew up in Africa and worked in London before moving to the U.S. in 1999, has long worked with wealthy individuals and corporations who are committed to sustainable development. “I have been inspired to see how they give back to non-profits, and I am committed to building a portfolio of socially conscious clients with the common thread of green awareness running through them,” she said.
About BPR Green
Scott Fischler is President and CEO of Netozoic, Inc., a technology consulting company specializing in alternative energy commercialization. Scott spent more than 20 years working with Fortune 500 companies in entertainment, financial services, IT and marketing. He has devoted the past several years to promoting sustainable energy. He is particularly interested in renewably-sourced hydrogen, biofuels and waste-to-energy technologies. He participates in regional and national hydrogen organizations, and is an appointee of the U.S. Department of Commerce / U.S. Commercial Service District Export Council. His clients include Infintium Energy, Applied Nanotech, the California Community Colleges Advanced Transportation Technology & Energy Initiative, and the Fuel Cell and Energy Laboratory at Lamar University in Texas.
Kahlil Kettering has a background in environmental policy and sustainable design. Based in Washington, D.C., he holds a B.A. in international studies and a master’s in global environmental policy (both from American University), and provides expertise with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. In his academic research he has studied the ‘greening’ of sports franchises. With this background, he can help companies become “green-certified.” He has also worked in policy research, legislative development and enforcement issues at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington. He is a senior analyst with The Cadmus Group Inc., an environmental consulting firm that advises government, non-profit and private-sector clients on energy and environmental issues.
BPR is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in London, New York and Santa Fe. The agency’s clients include the New Mexico Tourism Department, Albuquerque Studios, Lionsgate, Virgin, Ruby Jeans, Kenya Film Commission, Gerald Peters Galleries, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, City of Santa Fe, Naked International, Everychild Foundation, 29 Cosmetics and Bill Richardson for President.




