Readers of Pellet Mill Magazine may have heard about Feel Good Heat, a regional campaign aimed at raising consumer awareness about automated wood heat as an excellent alternative to fossil fuels. The Northern Forest Center has worked with dozens of stakeholders for longer than two years to develop and implement this collaborative effort to grow market demand for central, bulk-fed wood pellet heating systems. Now, we&rsquo;re starting to look at creative ways to keep Feel Good Heat going for the long term. So far, the campaign consists of digital marketing (Facebook and Google ads) and grassroots outreach that drive people to www.feelgoodheat.org, which offers clear, attractive information about automated wood heat&mdash;including an animated video showing the journey from forest to pellet mill, to delivery truck to home. The site links to vendors across northern New England, Massachusetts and New York. Companies and organizations that sign on as Feel Good Heat partners gain access to a suite of graphics and collateral, including logos, photos, signage, t-shirts and promotional items that they can incorporate into their own marketing and communications. Like any sustained marketing campaign (think &ldquo;Got Milk?&rdquo;), it takes lots of exposure in different formats and media to start sticking with consumers, so Feel Good Heat needs to reach as many people in as many ways as possible. Feel Good Heat has been funded by a variety of public sources so far, including the New York Wood Products Development Council, Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, Northern Border Regional Commission, U.S. Economic Development Administration and several private philanthropic foundations. We&rsquo;re deeply grateful for their catalytic investments, which have shown that even modest investment in digital advertising and grassroots outreach using the professional Feel Good Heat materials is driving hundreds of interested consumers to wood heat companies and already leading to sales. It&rsquo;s now time to find a long-term funding and organizational model that allows Feel Good Heat to scale up and make a more substantial impact on the market. We&rsquo;re starting to explore creative opportunities to couple business investment with public funds to create a larger-scale effort that reaches hundreds of thousands of consumers in target demographics and locations across five states. While Feel Good Heat resources currently focus on the Northeast, they could be adapted for use in other regions. With the right national or regional nonprofit partners, we look forward to seeing Feel Good Heat assets take hold more broadly and develop into a more nationally coordinated campaign. The Northern Forest Center looks forward to collaborating with more Pellet Mill Magazine readers to help people feel good about how they heat! Author: Maura Adams Program Director, Northern Forest Center madams@northernforest.org www.northernforest.org

2019/05/Maura-Adams_15580980373373_largethumb.jpg

2019/05/Maura-Adams_15580980373373_thumb.jpg

2019/05/Maura-Adams_15580980373373.jpg

With the right national or regional nonprofit partners, we look forward to seeing Feel Good Heat assets take hold more broadly and develop into a more nationally coordinated campaign.

Feeling Good About Wood Heat

Upcoming Events

2024 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

Biodiesel Summit: Sustainable Aviation Fuel & Renewable Diesel

Carbon Capture & Storage Summit

North American SAF Conference & Expo

RNG Conference