Soon there will be millions of consumers looking for ways to do their part to curb global warming. Branding noise and clutter vis-a-vis global warming will be almost as overwhelming as the issue itself. If you want your brand to own a piece of the solution, get on it now, AdAge reports (via Base Camp). It’s going to get very crowded very quickly.

Here are four rules from Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor’s New York office and author of BrandSimple, for any organization getting ready to take on the cause:

Make It Simple – Consumers must be able to immediately understand how your brand is going to help them help the planet.

Take a Long-Term View – Invest legitimate amounts of time and money into looking at ways your brand can make a legitimate and sustainable difference. But be realistic. You’ve got a business to run.

Ensure Your Efforts Align with Existing Brand Equity – If there isn’t some natural connection, don’t play.

Make Sure It’s Authentic – As consumers become wiser to the issue, any disingenuous behavior is going to be transparent.