If you are a green builder in Brooklyn you are so much more than a contractor. You are a PR person, educator, nature custodian, community outreach person and social networker.
Doing normal contracting is “easy” in comparison. You post in the yellow pages and get a call. You go in, look at the existing boiler say how much the replacement boiler costs and you’re done (sort of).
But as a green contractor you are going in and trying to explain why you are exchanging the existing boiler with a turnip (the vegetable). Or at least that is how it feels. You have to explain WHAT kind of boiler the new one is, why that kind of boiler, whether it can tie into a storage tank for solar hot water 9what solar hot water IS) and if radiant heat is involved and what that is.
It is an art to juggle the many elements while keeping it simple to the customer.
Then on the other side you are educating on a larger scale via the local media. Since green in the new NY black hey come to you wanting material to fill their rags and spots.
Or….if they don’t know yet that they should be coming to you, you go to them. Here are some good sources to reach out to local Brooklyn and NY media.
New York State Newspapers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_New_York
Television Stations in New York:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_New_York
Radio Stations in New York City:
http://www.citidex.com/747.htm
You can also do a release on the large PR circuit (Business Wire), but sending directly to the media helps to get mentions in local papers, radio, and occasionally on TV as a local news story.
Go to the website of the newspaper, radio or TV station, and seek out either ‘newsroom’ or ‘contact us’, some will also have a direct email for press releases. Always send the text in the body of the email – they do not like to receive attachments.
Then you have the myriad of green blogs, but that’s another story.