Edwin Stafford
Professor
Department(s):- Marketing and Strategy

Contact Information
Eccles Business Building 304435.797.3890
ed.stafford@usu.edu
Personal Website
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Ph.D., Marketing, Arizona State University, 1994
MBA, Santa Clara University, 1989
BA, Marketing, San Jose State University, 1987 Minor: Music/Opera Performance
Interactions
Research Area(s)
Market diffusion of renewable energy, clean technology, and green products; sustainable entrepreneurship; "green marketing" strategy and message framing; sustainable transportation; air pollution outreach and social influence (the Inconvenient Youth effect).
Awards
USU Community Engaged Faculty Award - 2023
Sustainability Collaboration Award, Intermountain Sustainability Summit, Weber State University - 2023
Cazier Professor Lifetime Achievement - 2022
USU Presidential Award for Community Engagement - 2022
Green Business Award, Utah Business Magazine - 2021
Huntsman Faculty Service Award - 2016
USU Sustainability Educator Award - 2015
USU Teacher of the Year - 2003
Biography
Edwin R. Stafford, Ph.D., is a professor of marketing whose research and expertise center on sustainable entrepreneurship and the marketing of renewable energy, clean technology, green products, and sustainability issues. His most recent research and outreach have centered on the annual Utah High School Clean Air Marketing Contest (with Dr. Roslynn Brain McCann, USU Extension Sustainability), which focuses on engaging teens about Utah’s air pollution, persuasive marketing messaging, and their social influence on their parents and family about taking action to preserve Utah’s air quality (also known as the “Inconvenient Youth” effect). This initiative has been featured in a variety of business and news outlets, including Forbes, Fast Company, The Guardian, Air Quality News, the Deseret News, Tree Hugger, and PBS Utah. In 2021, Ed and Roslynn were recognized with the Green Business Award for the contest by Utah Business Magazine, in 2022, with the USU Presidential Award for Community Engagement, and in 2023 with the Sustainability Collaboration Award from the Intermountain Sustainability Summit and USU’s Community Engaged Faculty Award.
Ed’s cross-disciplinary research has appeared in business, environmental policy, and sustainability journals, and his 2006 co-authored article, "Avoiding Green Marketing Myopia,” was recognized in 2014 as being one the of top 10 most cited articles in the diffusion of eco-innovation literature. In 2020, his research on green marketing with Dr. Antje Graul entitled, “Turning Consumers Green,” was featured in Forbes and CNBC. His most recent article co-authored with his daughter, Victoria Stafford, blends foodie culture with marketing perspectives entitled, “Now We’re Cooking with Electromagnetism: Making Induction Stoves Cool.”
Over the years, Ed’s expertise and research has been featured in a variety of news media, including The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, BusinessWeek.com, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, KLS News, The Guardian, Free-Range Thinking, ScalingGreen.com, GreenBiz, Utah Public Radio, and the Christian Science Monitor. He is a frequent guest speaker for professional and civic groups, and he has presented his research at other universities, including Penn State University, Babson College, Clark University, Santa Clara University, the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, among others. He has advised for the Utah Energy Office and collaborated with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Wind Powering America in Golden, Colorado.
Ed’s applied research strives to make a difference in business practice, policy, and society, and he maintains a strong education outreach focus aligned with USU’s land grant mission to serve the state of Utah and beyond. Through grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation, Ed worked to help kick-start the wind industry in Utah, which resulted in published research, education outreach, and two peer-reviewed research documentary shorts, “Wind Uprising” (2010) and “Scaling Wind” (2013) with his colleagues Cathy Hartman (emeritus, Utah State University) and the late Michelle Nunez (GreenTech Films). These documentaries have been screened across the country. Ed has mentored many USU/Huntsman School students to pursue careers in renewable energy, and they’ve been recruited by such agencies and firms as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Intermountain Wind & Solar, Wasatch Wind, Enel Green Power – North America, ENYO Energy, and Creative Energies Solar.
Ed serves on the editorial review board for the journal, Sustainability and Climate Change. Ed and his wife, Betty, are avid cross-fitters and enjoy gardening and classical music. Their home incorporates solar, passive solar, and geothermal heating and cooling technologies.
Journal Articles
Academic Journal
- Stafford, E., McCann, R.B, (2015). 'My Mom Idles Less than Your Mom!' Empowering High School Teens to Tackle Air Pollution. Solutions Journal, 6:Nov/Dec, 48-59.
- Lamm, A., Stafford, E., (2014). Framing Sustainability for the Free, Frugal, and the Fit & Fabulous. Solutions Journal, 5:2, 31-36.
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2013). Saving the Environment and More! Lessons in Green Marketing. Solutions Journal, 4:May-June, 27-32.
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2012). Making Green More Macho. Solutions Journal, 3:4, 25-29.
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2012). Resolving Community Concerns Over Local Wind Development in Utah. Sustainability: The Journal of Record, 5:1, 38-43.
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Reategui, S., (2011). Harvesting Utah's Urban Winds. Solutions, 2:3, 42-50.
- Livesey, S.M, Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Shearer, M., (2009). Performing Sustainable Development through Eco-Collaboration: The Ricelands Habitat Partnership. Journal of Business Communication, 46:October, 423-454.
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2007). Improving the Sustainability of Green Marketing. Business Strategy and the Environment, 16:6, 456-457.
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2006). Chilling with Greenpeace, From the Inside Out. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Summer, 54-59.
- Ottman, J., Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2006). Avoiding Green Marketing Myopia: Ways to Improve Consumer Appeal for Environmentally Preferable Products. Environment, 48:5, 22-36.
- Stafford, E.R, (2003). Commentary: Energy Efficiency and the New Green Marketing. Environment, 45:April, 8-10.
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, Liang, Y., (2003). Forces Driving Environmental Innovation Diffusion in China: The Case of Greenfreeze. Business Horizons, 46:March/April, 47-56.
- Hutt, M.D, Stafford, E.R, Walker, B.A, Reingen, P.H, (2000). Case Study: Defining the Social Network of a Strategic Alliance. MIT Sloan Management Review, 41:2, 51-62.
- Stafford, E.R, Polonsky, M.J, Hartman, C.L, (2000). Environmental NGO-Business Collaboration and Strategic Bridging: A Case Analysis of the Greenpeace-Foron Alliance. Business Strategy and the Environment, 9:March/April, 122-135.
- Stafford, E., L., Developing Community Clean Air Public Service Announcements: A Typology of Message Sources and Appeals and Our Path Forward. Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Professional Journal
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2010). Sell the Wind. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 8:Winter, 25-6.
Public or Trade Journal
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2008). "Grow Revenue through Top-Level 'Green' Initiatives". Utah CEO Magazine, 46. *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2008). Grow Revenue through Top-Level 'Green' Initiatives. Utah CEO Magazine, 46.
- Stafford, E.R, (2004). Selling Conspicuous Conservation: Successfully Marketing Green Tech in a Brown-Tech Economy. www.analogZONE.com (online magazine), www.analogzone.com/grop0802.htm. *
- Stafford, E.R, (2004). Conspicuous Conservation . Green @ Work Magazine, 30-32. *
- Stafford, E.R, (2003). Scenic Wind Farms: Utah Power Buys its Wind Energy from Wyoming. How Can We Encourage the Development of Wind Farms in Utah?. Catalyst Magazine, 26-7. *
- Stafford, E.R, (2002). The Return of Green Marketing. Green @ Work Magazine, 20-21. *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2001). Enviro Groups Entering Marketing Fray. Marketing News, 15. *
Book Chapters
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2014). NGO-Initiated Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Partnerships: Greenpeace's 'Solutions' Campaign for Natural Refrigerants in North America: Social Partnerships & Responsible Business: A Research Handbook. Routledge
- Hartman, C.L, Hofman, P.S, Stafford, E.R, (2002). Environmental Collaboration: Potential and Limits. Partnership and Leadership: Building Alliances for a Sustainable Future/Kluwer Academic Publishers
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2001). Greenpeace's Greenfreeze Campaign: Hurdling Competitive Forces in the Diffusion of Environmental Innovation. Ahead of the Curve: Cases of Innovation in Environmental Management
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2000). Environmentalist-Business Collaborations: Social Responsibility, Green Alliances, and Beyond. Advertising Research: The Internet, Consumer Behavior, and Strategy
Fact Sheets
- May, W., McCann, R.B, Stafford, E., (2013). Wind Power in Utah.
Curriculum
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston Faces Community Values-based Conflicts: Part One". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston Overcomes Community Values-based Conflicts: Part Two". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston Overcomes Transmission, Pricing, and Utility Conflicts: Part Two". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston's Quest for a 'Way to Give Back'". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Social Responsibility or Insanity: The Entrepreneurial Struggle to Build Utah's First Wind Project". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). Livingston's Quest for a 'Way to Give Back'". *
MultiMedia
Video
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., Nunez, M., (2013). Scaling Wind.
Technical Reports
Research Reports
- Parker, J., Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2013). An Analysis of State-level Economic Impacts from the Development of Wind Power Plants in Box Elder County, Utah.
- Coover, A., Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2013). An Analysis of State-Level Economic Impacts from the Development of Wind Power Plants in Cache County, Utah.
- Parker, J., Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2013). An Analysis of State-Level Economic Impacts from the Development of Wind Power Plants in Wayne County, Utah.
- Ratliff, D.J, Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2010). An Analysis of State-Level Economic Impacts from the Development of Wind Power Plants in San Juan County, Utah. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
- Ratliff, D.J, Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2009). An Analysis of State-Level Economic Impacts from the Development of Wind Power Plants in Summit County, Utah. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
- Reategui, S., Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2009). Generating Economic Development for a Wind Power Project in Spanish Fork Canyon, Utah: A Case Study and Analysis of State-Level Economic Impacts. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2007). Utah Perspectives from the Second Annual Harvesting Energy Summit 2007. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
- Mongha, N., Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2006). An Analysis of the Economic Impact on Box Elder County, Utah, from the Development of Wind Power Plants. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
- Mongha, N., Hartman, C., Stafford, E., (2006). An Analysis of the Economic Impcat on Tooele County, Utah, from the Development of Wind Power Plants. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
- Mongha, N., Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2006). An Analysis of the Economic Impact on Utah County, Utah, from the Development of Wind Power Plants. Wind Powering America, U.S. Department of Energy
Magazine/Trade Publications
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2013). Wind Development as Sustainable Enterpreneurship. Rural Connections *
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., (2013). Promoting the Value of Sustainably Minded Purchase Behaviors. Marketing News *
Newsletter
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2004). Wind Power a Boon for Schools. Provo Daily Herald *
- Stafford, E.R, (2003). Selling the Wind. Diocesan Dialogue *
- Stafford, E.R, (2001). Reflections on Greenpeace in San Diego. AMS Quarterly *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2001). Forging Bridges. The Web *
Newspaper
- Stafford, E., (2014). "We Need Utahns' Hearts, Minds to Clear the Air". Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E., (2012). Don't Count Out Alternative Vehicles Just Yet. Salt Lake Tribune
- Stafford, E.R, (2005). A Greener Wal-Mart Good for Business. Ogden Standard-Examiner *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2005). Energy-Saving Measures Can Bring U.S. Security and Economic Benefits. Deseret Morning News *
- Stafford, E.R, (2005). 'Green' Cars, Buildings Good for Environment -- and Consumers. Deseret Morning News *
- Stafford, E.R, (2004). Hybrids Offer More Car with Less Guilt. Deseret Morning News *
- Stafford, E.R, (2004). Hybrid Chic is No Fix. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Watson, C., Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2004). How the Winds are Changing in Utah. Currents *
- Stafford, E.R, (2004). Fuel-Efficient Hybrid Cars Will Soon Symbolize a Better Life. Deseret Morning News *
- Hawks, L.K, Stafford, E.R, (2004). Access Clean Energy with Credits. Davis County Clipper *
- Stafford, E.R, (2004). Utah Can Help China Become Greener, Cleaner. Deseret Morning News *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2004). Wind Power Can Support Utah's School Children. Davis County Clipper *
- Watson, C., Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2004). Wind Power Could Help Fund Utah Schools. St. George Spectrum *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, Watson, C., (2003). Congratulations Moab for Your Green Power Leadership Award. Moab Times-Independent *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, Watson, C., (2003). Logan Should Lock In 'Green Power' Rates. Logan Herald Journal *
- Watson, C., Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2003). Park City Wind Power Challenge. Park Record *
- Stafford, E.R, (2003). America Surrenders Technology to Foreign Competitors. Odgen Standard-Examiner *
- Stafford, E.R, Watson, C., Hartman, C.L, (2003). Wind Power Unpopular in Utah. Daily University *
- Hartman, C.L, Watson, C., Stafford, E.R, (2003). Is Wind Power a Potential Cash Crop for San Juan County?. San Juan Record *
- Watson, C., Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2003). Utah Losing Out on Wind Power Opportunities. Tooele Transcript-Bulletin *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, Watson, C., (2003). Wind Power Could Provide Answer. Utah Statesman *
- Stafford, E.R, Watson, C., Hartman, C.L, (2003). Utah Should Cash in on Year-Round Wind Power. Provo Daily Herald *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, Watson, C., (2003). It's Time to Dispel Some Environmental Myths About Wind Power. Ogden Standard-Examiner *
- Watson, C., Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2003). Wind May be Energy Solution. Deseret Morning News *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2003). Business Innovations Must 'Leapfrog' in Order to Save the Earth. Ogden Standard-Examiner *
- Watson, C., Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2003). Gov. Leavitt, Legislature Should Jump-Start Wind Power in Utah. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2003). Utah Must Diversify Energy Sources. Deseret News *
- Stafford, E.R, (2003). Put Energy Efficiency on Your 'To Do' List, Choose Products Wisely. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2002). Renewable Energy Targets Good for Utah. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, (2002). Don't Disparage Africa Summit. Deseret News *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2002). Utah House Proves Building Green Might Just Go Mainstream. Ogden Standard-Examiner *
- Stafford, E.R, (2002). China's Pollution is Our Problem, Too. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2002). Utah House: Living Easy on the Earth. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2002). Energy Efficiency is Security. Deseret News *
- Caplan, A.J, Stafford, E.R, (2002). 'Pay-as-You-Throw' Puts Cost of Waste Removal on Heaviest Users. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, (2002). Society Ignoring Global Warming. Deseret News *
- Stafford, E.R, (2001). Fight 'Affluenza' by Shopping Responsibly. Deseret News *
- Stafford, E.R, Caplan, A.J, (2001). Why 'America Recycles Day' Matters. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, (2001). Greenpeace Markets 'Juice'. Utah Statesman *
- Stafford, E.R, (2001). Environmentalists Should Market Green Electricity. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, (2001). Silicon Moutain. San Jose Mercury News *
- Stafford, E.R, (2001). Greener, Service-based Future Gives Many Students Anxiety. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2000). Cutting Greenhouse Gases by Cutting Deals is the Future for Industry. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, (2000). Sydney Games Won Gold Medal for Superior Environmental Ethics. Salt Lake Tribune *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2000). Greenpeace Markets Green Technology. Utah Statesman *
- Hartman, C.L, Stafford, E.R, (2000). Ford's Green Example. Christian Science Monitor *
- Stafford, E.R, Hartman, C.L, (2000). Coke Can Make Environment Smile. Atlanta Constitution *
- Stafford, E.R, (2000). Ford's Admission that SUVs are Harmful is Good for Business. Salt Lake Tribune *
Miscellaneous Extension
Other
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston Faces Transmissin, Pricing, and Utility Conflicts: Parts One and Two -- Teaching Note". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston's Quest for a 'Way to Give Back'" -- Teaching Note. *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, (2011). "Livingston Faces Community Conflict: Parts One and Two -- Teaching Note". *
- Hartman, C., Stafford, E., Gentile, M.C, Social Responsibility or Insanity: The Entrepreneurial Struggle to Build Utah's First Wind Project. Western Academy of Management Casewriters Conference
- Stafford, E., Hartman, C., Nunez, M., (2010). "Wind Uprising".
An asterisk (*) at the end of a publication indicates that it has not been peer-reviewed.