I just returned from the International Spa Association Annual Conference held in Austin Texas. This was my 4th ISPA event and it is always a treat. It certainly is the most well groomed, beautiful person event I go to. Spa is a big piece of LOHAS as it incorporates
health and wellness along with personal care and green building. The last few years has seen a surge in green health spas have seen a surge in green orientation with things like eco-friendly towels and robes along with natural and organic skincare, essential oils and body treatments. These elements are a no brainer for modern LOHAS consumers who want LOHAS products without sacrificing quality. LOHAS consumers are also a main target audience for spas as many are those who frequent spas for massage treatments or other forms of wellness for the body and soul. (that would be me!)

The spa market has exploded in the last 10 years but the term 'spa' has been butchered quite a bit. I can go to my local Wal Mart or strip mall and find nail and hair salons with spa incorporated into their name - (usually in bright neon lights). However when I go into them nose gets singed with smells of chemical toxins from manicures or hair products or get blasted into the street from techno music. I often see  articles and pictures of exotic locations with luxurious hotels with spas included in glossy magazine spreads. All of course with a hefty price tag that limit me to my imagination as to what the lifestyles of the rich and famous is like. Call me old fashioned and snobby but that is not what I consider the true meaning of spa. The whole point of the creation of the industry was to generate awareness of self and healthy lifestyles. These initially were wellness centers that provided space for integrative alternative medicine practices such as massage, acupuncture, energy healing and meditation. Somewhere along the way external beauty, pampering and opulence founds its way into the mix and led the growth of the industry. When I was growing up hotels that had golf courses were all the rage and was a status symbol of a quality hotel. Now if the hotel has a spa it is considered a luxury hotel.

The economic crisis has caused many hotels to reconsider this paradigm. Insiders of the industry have told me that many hotels that incorporated spas into their properties from a 'me too' type of keeping up with the Jones attitude often did not factor the costs of operation into their profit/loss margins. Rather it was blended enigmatically into overall hotel costs. A spa on hotel property was a thing to have and since business was good the scrutiny on spas was limited. Nothing like a crisis to mix things up. Now that hotels are struggling with occupancy so are hotel spas. Those that did not have a structure to measure costs and profits are really floundering. This is also true with destination spas. Some say the wealthy are still booking and traveling - that market will stay the same regardless. But the so called 'wealthy wannabe' are the ones who are not spending. Overall spas are seeing their customers still come to their spas but are spending less per visit. This was echoed by many who I spoke to over the course of the event. For us to have a sustainable economy on all fronts we need to hit the reset button.

The spa industry was visibly hit at the event as well. Last year the ISPA conference had over 3000 people. This year there were about 1700. The exhibit space was also about half as many vendors as last year. Obviously the foot traffic was much quieter than years past. Yet I was surprised when I spoke to most vendors that they felt positive about the event. They said that although the traffic was less those that were walking the floor were serious buyers who were purchasing orders from them and there was more time for a deeper discussions and relationship building.

I think this brings up a very significant point for all businesses - how deep does a relationship go once the transaction is taken out of the equation? This is something that many companies are facing as many people are not spending. The old ways of business are being re-evaluated to figure out how to maintain relevancy in an environment that is transaction less. If you have ideas on next steps please share your thoughts.

I think that this is also a time of opportunity for spa leaders to refocus attentions on wellness. Health care is on the forefront of many people's minds with the debates on health care reform getting a lot of media attention. I think spas are a great place for educating people on preventative care and relaxation. Plus if you think a massage or organic living is expensive you should look at the price of health care. The spa industry has seen a purge of businesses. Now if they can re-establish the focus on the reasons for wellness I think we would all find that refreshing. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Admittedly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to wind turbines. For decades, they have decorated – or defaced? – the desert alongside Interstate 10 near Palm Springs. A curiosity, to be sure, but not too many folks complained because nobody lives in their immediate area except a few roadrunners and rattlesnakes.
 

Wind turbine sight pollution was also an issue recently off Cape Cod, where the likes of the Kennedy family – known greenies with serious environmental credentials – fought (unsuccessfully, I might add) against a new wind energy farm.
 

Renewable energy comes in many forms, and let’s face it, most of ‘em ain’t beautiful. No matter how you design them, solar panels are tolerable at best but not a thing of beauty. Same for the wind turbines. As the two most common and growing applications for renewable energy, we are going to see a lot more of them around. Which raises the issue of sight pollution.
 

Believe it or not, a number of “environmentalists” have been complaining about proposals to add exponential numbers of solar panels and wind turbine machines to several areas of the desert throughout the Southwest. It seems the critics are saying these devices will ruin the pristine sight lines and unmolested views of nature as it has looked for hundreds of years. Are they right? Of course. Is that reason enough to stop these critical experiments to mass produce solar and wind energy? Not even!
 

So we have the quandary of every tree hugger when examining man-made structures on a collision course with nature – to deface or not to deface, that is the question. You’d think we’d all be rejoicing since this administration is embracing alternative energy and sincerely trying to build a new green industry, with America as a global leader. You’d think environmentalists would be willing to see a few turbines and solar panels on their desert hikes or drives. But no. We support wind and solar energy so long as it’s not in my backyard, and not in my hiking grounds either. Come on, people, get with the program! If this is the biggest concession we must make to nurture and grow mass solar and wind energy installations, count me in. I am willing to look at some solar panels and wind turbines, even while hiking in remote areas. If you allow yourself, you can even find something sublime about the installations. As I biked through the Netherlands across perfectly manicured fields of wind turbines, I was in awe of the grandeur of the structures and what they represented – clean energy for all.
 

The bigger problem than compromising aesthetics is transmission. As in, how do we get the power created by solar panels and wind turbines to the city from out in the desert when we are locating them? This is a technology issue that will be solved as we pursue improved renewable energy designs. In the meantime, we may have to deal with these structures on rooftops, in empty lots and possibly even in public areas of major cities. I, for one, am willing to accept this with a smile. These are good problems. As good green citizens, let’s support these renewable energy proposals even if they aren’t eye candy. It’s now or never to step up and gain energy independence.
 

From their ranks came the leaders of Ben & Jerry’s, Whole Foods, Starbucks, Silk Milk and Celestial Seasonings.

Their vision for prosperous businesses sprang from idealism they had embraced in the 1960s and 1970s. Their names are synonymous with Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, long before LOHAS had a name.

Cohen. Greenfield. Mackey. Schultz. Demos. Siegel.

They tapped into an anti-plastic food zeitgeist that would shatter complacency and move markets toward healthy, natural, organic, ecofriendly and socially responsible products. They were the visionaries who first grasped and then capitalized on the changing moods of a generation.

They are Baby Boomers. They are men. And they launched an industry.

That’s why farsighted LOHAS marketers are taking another look at these men, both the innovators and the legions who buy their products. Millions of men, infused with idealism and health-seeking values, constitute an enormous segment that’s only going to become more lucrative in its aging.

Steve Demos, founder of WhiteWave and NextFood, already foresees the next giant marketing opportunities to target a generation. Simplistically, they are still Boomers, and they are aging, and they are changing aging.

They’re in play for new products that deliver substantive health and chronic disease mitigation benefits. So Demos has launched GoodBelly, a line of stomach-soothing probiotic juice products developed for Boomers. He’s made a good decision, even if it’s daring.

The market rewards daring. The market rewards clarity about the market.

Why This Generation, Why Men?

Never before in the history of this nation have so many men entered the 50+ lifestage. Nearly six thousand Baby Boomer men turn 50 every day, and a Boomer male turns 60 about every 15 seconds. This generational march to 60+ will continue for the next seventeen years.

Demography by itself does not predict the future course for this generation. The idiosyncratic Boomer value set, inspired by the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960’s and 1970’s, adds dimension to future scenarios. How so for Boomer men?

First, this generation of men has experienced the consumer power that came with being at the top of the nation’s traditional social hierarchy. When they were young adults, Boomer men were favored with jobs, wage and salary advantages, and access. Social status influenced them to resonate with heroic marketing archetypes such as the Marlboro Man and the Shelby Ford Mustang. They like mythologies around conquering individualists such as Ben & Jerry.

Second, they remember standing side-by-side with female peers during long months of struggle to achieve greater economic and social equality for women. Many protested for greater racial inclusiveness. A man coming of age in the sixties and seventies learned to empathize with the underdog and challenge authority. An iconic magazine ad campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle – “Think Small” – embodied the underdog achieving celebrity status. The movement toward local growers of organic foods is thinking small but with big implications.

Third, Boomer men have a feisty history, and they’ve transformed every lifestage they’ve occupied. For example, they ushered in the yuppie and gravitated to products such as the BMW sports car and Mont Blanc pen, reflecting their well-honed sense of technology, design and luxury. Starbuck’s and Whole Foods executives understand how to create the “being places” that cause Boomer men to linger…and buy: holistic, healing, eco-green places, down to earth.
 

Powerful Influences of Gender on Attitude

Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), based in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, has been conducting consumer research into the Boomer generation mindset since the beginning of this decade. Boomer men and women share many core values. For example, based on NMI’s Healthy Aging/Boomer Database, 81 percent of Boomer women and 78 percent of Boomer men strongly or somewhat agree with taking responsibility for health matters:  I’m very concerned about my personal health and am actively managing it.
 
Both sexes strongly or somewhat agree that exercise is a primary way to promote healthy aging (94% of women and 92% of men). Both sexes strongly or somewhat believe vitamins and nutritional supplements promote healthy aging (75% for both genders). Both sexes believe that maintaining independence as they age is of highest priority (98% of women and 96% of men).

However, upon closer study of NMI data, noteworthy gender differences emerge. Steve French, managing partner of NMI, believes many attitudes have distinct gender influences that marketers can use to construct and target commercial messages.

“NMI research follows the opinions of 10,000+ Boomer men and women, and our survey data is revealing surprising gender insights,” said NMI’s French. “For example, Boomer men are more likely to aspire to live very long lives, but they are less likely to embrace the behaviors that correlate with longevity, such as prioritizing a healthy diet and pursuing supportive social networks. Differences between men’s aspirations and reported behaviors create opportunities.”

When asked if they would like to live to 100-plus years old, 61 percent of Boomer men strongly or somewhat agree, while 53 percent of Boomer women hope for such advanced old age. Concerning a belief that the best years of life are still ahead of me, 77 percent of women strongly or somewhat agree while 68 percent of men share this degree of confidence in the future.

A large percentage of Boomer men aspire to long lives; yet, many do not have faith that bonus years will be so golden. A gap between ambition and outlook is an underdeveloped opportunity for marketers promoting products that empower Boomer men in their quest for self-directed health care and healthy living.

Organic products. Natural products. Nutriceuticals. LOHAS products.  

Boomer men are more prone to spend discretionary dollars during the economic crisis. They are more likely to make impulse purchases than women (25% men versus 9% women). They are more apt to spend than save (37% versus 28%). They are more self-directed on investment decisions (70% versus 46%). At the grocery store, they are more willing to buy national brands over generic store labels (46% men vs. 26% women).

Research and market observations point toward a new sociological construct for maleness after 50. It's a construct that includes awareness of natural and organic products, ecological living, holistic health modalities, social accountability, and integrative alternative medicine.

Boomer men are changing the meaning of aging and masculine identity and will expect more, acquire more, challenge more, and give more than their predecessors. 

Founders of the LOHAS movement, many of them Boomer men, already know this, and they’re acting on it.  

Facts of global warming
80% of our energy is dependent on fossil fuels.
50% of our fossil fuel consumption is wasted through heat, processing or other areas of inefficiencies.
7 gigatons  (7 billion tons) of carbon are annually emitted by the U.S.  The atmosphere holds about 750 gigatons of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide. Humanity currently emits about 22 gigatons of carbon dioxide, about seven gigatons of which is carbon (excluding traditional biomass burning of one gigaton). That 22-gigaton annual output of carbon dioxide comes from burning about seven gigatons of the current mix of hydrocarbon.  
To stop global warming we will need to eliminate 350 gigatons from the atmosphere. Lane stressed the concept of technological "wedges" which, when fully deployed in 2050, will result in one gigaton per year of carbon emissions reductions.

Those are some big numbers. So what are our options?

Solar – Solar energy is energy directly from the sun. This energy drives the climate and weather and supports virtually all life on Earth. Heat and light from the sun, along with solar-based resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available flow of renewable energy. The sun emits 100,000 terrawatts (if you don’t know what that is – it is A LOT) constantly. Lane stated that it is estimated that in 2050 the world will use 15 terrawatts per year.

Challenges - storage and capacity issues as well as costs. If we are able to develop better ways to store large amounts of solar produced energy we can then get it closer to the cost of energy provided by coal.

Opportunities - We are a few product generations away from producing solar in an efficient and cheap way that can be affordable for power companies and consumers to utilize solar on a mass scale. A grid 92 x 92 miles could power the U.S. needs. More information on solar options can be found here. http://www.ases.org/

Wind – In 2005, wind machines in the United States generated a total of 17.8 billion kWh per year of electricity, enough to serve more than 1.6 million households. This is enough electricity to power a city the size of Chicago, but it is only a small fraction of the nation's total electricity production, about 0.4 percent. The amount of electricity generated from wind has been growing fast in recent years, tripling since 1998.

Challenges – transmission lines from wind farms to communities is expensive. Reliant on wind blowing and may be intermittent.

Opportunities – This is one of the fastest growing sector of alternative energy. The U.S. leads the world in wind installations. More information on wind energy can be found here.

Bio-fuels – Biofuels are produced from living organisms or from metabolic by-products (organic or food waste products). In order to be considered a biofuel the fuel must contain over 80 percent renewable materials. 

Challenges – competition of crops for fuel vs. food.

Opportunities –  1.4 trillion gallons currently produced. The U.S. consumes 6 trillion.
Cellulostic crops produce fuels competitive to those of last years high fuel prices. For more info on bio Fuels here is a good resource.

Geo Thermal – is energy generated by heat stored beneath the Earth's surface or the collection of absorbed heat in the atmosphere and oceans. It offers a number of advantages over traditional fossil fuel based sources. From an environmental standpoint, the energy harnessed is clean and safe for the surrounding environment.

Challenges – not everyone lives in Iceland and has hot pools outside their doorways. Environmental concerns with drilling and drilling expenses.

Opportunities – It was estimated that geo thermal power can provide 100 gigawatts of thermal power. Once accessed it can provide clean efficient energy and a competitive cost point.  For more info on geo thermal click here

Product Energy Efficiency – The next generation of vehicles need to be more fuel efficient. If car fuel efficiency increased to 60 mpg would reduce emissions by 25%.

Challenges – people are incentive based.

Opportunities – build in technologies to manage efficiencies. Sleep modes, etc. Learn what cars are the most and least fuel efficient here.

Other – The consumption habits of modern consumer lifestyles are causing a huge worldwide waste problem. 15 billion megawatts of energy is lost to waste. Some alternative energy companies are developing new ways to recycle waste by generating electricity from landfill waste and pollution.

Pricing Carbon – Experts believe this will occur between $20-$50 per metric ton. Others disagree.