The risk that President Barack Obama’s plans to promote “green jobs” could bog down amid local and state opposition to the transmission lines, windmills and other clean energy hardware is becoming an issue for both supporters and critics of the president’s agenda, according to a recent blog posting by Wall Street Journal writer, Ian Talley.

It notes that a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce web site shows 62 wind, wave, solar and bio-fuel projects and 15 high-voltage transmission proposals across 25 states that have faced significant local opposition, often enough to shut them down entirely. It also documents how 18 natural gas projects, 17 nuclear power plants and around 175 coal plants worth more than $62 billion in investments have encountered local antagonism.

“Just saying you’re for green jobs or green technology doesn’t get the project built,” said William Kovacs, the Chamber’s vice president of environment and regulatory affairs. The Chamber advocates setting stricter deadlines for environmental reviews, among other actions.

Even Carl Pope, the executive director of the environmental organization Sierra Club says, “It is possible to put a good thing in the wrong place. But [local opposition] is a real issue and we need to plan a rational, national location and transmission strategy for renewables, and that won’t be universally applauded.”

With the Obama’s plans for a massive deployment of clean and green energy for the next generations, legislation will have to be enacted on a federal level to give right of ways wand priorities to these programs, or they will be DOA. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has proposed legislation that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission greater authority to site transmission lines across the country.

Some environmental groups are trying to broker solutions independent of government intrusion. The Natural Resources Defense Council is working with Google Earth to map the most prospective sites and corridors for wind, solar and geothermal, taking into account environmental sensitivities. They are also facilitating discussions between utilities, local communities and environmental groups. “It’s quicker to lock yourself into a room and say, ‘We’re going to figure this out,’ than it is to just bicker it out endlessly through emails, letters and lawyers,” said NRDC spokeswoman Julia Bovey.

Let’s hope rational minds prevail so that we are not stuck without clean energy progress for the next decade. Infrastructure programs take time, and unless the federal government steps in, much as it did with the Federal Highway Act of 1956, local landmines and obstacles will continue to pop up along the way. Some will be honest disagreements and some will be manufactured by the far right extremists hoping to derail clean energy programs at any cost.

Let’s hope that these obstacles are minor bumps along the road to cleaner energy for all.
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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

As the economy continues to be in recession mode, consumers have been tightening their belts (and purse strings) –forgoing vacations, automobile and big screen TV purchases–and generally, closely watching and monitoring their dollars. This has been the first time that the US savings rate has increased in decades, as people want to conserve their cash.

However, a recent study commissioned by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation reveals that half of the 1,000 people surveyed say they are buying just as many green products now as before the economic downturn, while 19 percent say they are buying more green products. Fourteen percent say they are buying fewer environmentally green products.

While these numbers may surprise many, the fact is, buying green is here to stay. As consumers become more educated and continue to understand, and appreciate, the value of recycling and reducing landfill waste, the trend will only continue. In a matter of five to ten years, being green will be the cost of entry into the marketplace–and those that do not understand that, will fail–and hopefully without any type of government bailout.

It will no longer be a matter of whether a company is green or not, it will soon be to what degree is the company green.
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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

A report from Clean Energy Trends 2009 has just been released–which provides a very interesting analysis of the future of clean energy over the coming decade, in terms of job growth and potential size of the market.

Some findings from the report include:

Clean Edge reports that global revenues for solar photovoltaics, wind power, and biofuels expanded from $75.8 billion in 2007 to $115.9 billion in 2008. For the first time, one sector alone, wind, had revenues exceeding $50 billion. New global investments in energy technologies—including venture capital, project finance, public markets, and research and development—expanded by 4.7 percent from $148.4 billion in 2007 to $155.4 billion in 2008, according to research firm New Energy Finance.

Severely tightened credit markets also began to take their toll. In late 2008 and early 2009, the extent of constrained credit became apparent, with a range of clean-energy companies delaying plans, laying off staff, or scuttling projects entirely. While we expect to see continued growth for the sector in the mid- to long-term, we believe 2009 will be a year of refocus, consolidation, or retrenchment for many firms. At the same time, new government spending, regulation, and policies should help the sector weather the current economic crisis better than most other sectors. On balance, we believe clean energy and energy intelligence will be seen as a means to help economies around the world pull out of the current economic malaise.

According to Clean Edge research:

* Biofuels (global production and wholesale pricing of ethanol and biodiesel) reached $34.8 billion in 2008 and are projected to grow to $105.4 billion by 2018. In 2008 the global biofuels market consisted of more than 17 billion gallons of ethanol and 2.5 billion gallons of biodiesel production worldwide. For the first time, ethanol leader Brazil got more than 50 percent of its total national automobile transportation fuels from bioethanol, eclipsing petroleum use for the first time in any major market.

* Wind power (new installation capital costs) is projected to expand from $51.4 billion in 2008 to $139.1 billion in 2018. Last year’s global wind power installations reached a record 27,000 MW. In the U.S., which accounted for more than 8,000 MW, wind installations represented more than 40 percent of total new electricity generating capacity brought online in 2008 – and moved the U.S. ahead of Germany as the world’s leading generator of wind energy.

* Solar photovoltaics (including modules, system components, and installation) will grow from a $29.6 billion industry in 2008 to $80.6 billion by 2018. Annual installations reached more than 4 GW worldwide in 2008, four times the total set just four years earlier, when the solar PV market reached the 1 GW milestone for the first time in 2004

Together, we project these three benchmark technologies, which equaled $75.8 billion in 2007 and expanded 50 percent to $115.9 billion in 2008, to grow to $325.1 billion within a decade.

Total Investments Reach $155 Billion

The global growth rate in clean-energy investments, across a wide range of investment categories, was much smaller than that exhibited in the U.S. venture sector. According to New Energy Finance, new global investment in clean energy increased 4.7 percent, from $148.4 billion in 2007 to $155.4 billion in 2008. This figure includes investments made by VC and private equity investors; public market activity (IPOs, etc.); project financing; asset financing; government research & development; and corporate research, development, & deployment. This is a far cry from the previous year’s growth rate: Between 2006 and 2007, global clean-energy investments expanded by approximately 60 percent. One reason: Pubic market investments saw a significant decline, falling from $23.4 billion in 2007 to $11.4 billion in 2008, while other investment arenas either remained steady or increased slightly.

To read the full report from Clean Edge, which has been tracking the growth of clean-tech markets for nearly a decade, please download the PDF file by clicking here.

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any company interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his green blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

Earth Day will be celebrating its 39th anniversary on April 22nd and many companies are using this special day to kick off their green marketing program initiatives.

Earth Day 2009 will be getting a great deal of media coverage both in the United States and abroad. Here are seven ways to tie in to this worldwide event that can help you to maximize your reach and optimize your marketing expenditure.

1. Give it Away: Promote your company’s participation in Earth Day by giving away custom-imprinted promotional products, from recycled tote bags, biodegradable sports bottles or imprinted seed packets or imprinted live tree seedlings.

2. Spread the News: Notify the media about the ways your company is getting involved in the green movement. It is newsworthy and favorable news coverage will be the best form of marketing.

3. Donate Green: Donate your green promotional products to a variety of organizations or groups, including schools, non-profit organizations, sports teams, churches and synagogues, etc.

4. Cooperate: Work with other local businesses to coop the cost of your green friendly promotional products. Contact other businesses to put each organizations logo onto a recycled tote bag, for example—spreading the costs among a handful of “green community leaders”.

5. Give to Get: Encourage your employees and customers to recycle. When they bring in a bundle for recycling, give them a free imprinted tree seedling or recycled sports bottle. Encourage the media to visit during this recycling effort.

6. Green Fridays: Have your employees wear imprinted green t-shirts and green caps to promote Green Friday. Make the last Friday of each month Green Friday—where employees wear green and must report how they have done an energy saving activity for the month. Top 5 winners get the afternoon off or a free eco-friendly gift.

7. Car Pool: Calculate the savings that your employees will help to make by car pooling, turning off lights, recycling, etc. You can use the US EPA’s Carbon Calculator to see how much your carbon footprint can be reduced. Keep a chart, much like the United Way posters, to track your organizations carbon reduction for the year and hold a party when your goal has been met.

Let’s Make Every Day, Earth Day. It’s a win-win opportunity.

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any company interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

These days, customers are running more green-friendly promotional, advertising and marketing campaigns. Going green has become a priority for many companies that are turning to organic, green and biodegradable giveaways. Because of the growth in green-friendly promotions, live custom-imprinted tree seedlings (also known as saplings) have been one of the most successful eco-friendly promotional giveaways since we created them nearly 18 years ago.

Although we ship millions of these tree seedlings each year, many businesses and organizations still have questions about how they can use live tree seedlings for their next promotion.

Here are some idea starters based on popular slogans we often use for these saplings, which can help when planning your next marketing program:

1. We’re Branching Out: Whether it is a bank, restaurant, dry cleaner or other retail establishment that is opening another office or branch, this slogan will help your customers remember you.
2. You’ll See More Green: Does your company offer a money-saving service or product? Is it a lower-priced alternative than your competition? If so, this is a good slogan.
3. Putting Down Roots in Your Community: Are you a financial service provider? Real Estate Agent or Broker? If you would like to remind your customers of your long-history in your community, this is the perfect slogan.
4. Come Grow With Us: Similar to the first slogan, inviting prospects and customers to grow with you shows stability, especially in these financially uncertain times.
5. Thanks for Helping Us Grow: Celebrating an Anniversary? Holding an open House? Don’t forget to thank your customers for your success. They were the ones that helped you to grow your business and their support will be crucial to future growth.
6. We’re Saving Thousands of Trees: Does your company offer a product or service that is eco-friendly? Have you switched to a web-only catalog instead of a printed catalog? Can you calculate or estimate the number of trees that have been saved by your company in the past year by switching to a new technology or service? Noting that you’ve helped save 5,000 trees clearly illustrates the impact of your business –especially when coupled with a live tree seedling. It is a strong 1-2 punch that can help your company to generate favorable free press, as well.
7. Go Green: Probably one of the most eco-friendly promotional items you can give away is a live tree seedling, that actually helps to convert carbon dioxide into pure, breathable oxygen, as noted in the article: Earth Day Promotions: 12 Reasons to Give Away Live Tree Seedlings. Giving a way a live tree seedling with this message will help brand your business as green-friendly.
8. One-Two-Tree: Ideal slogan for children-oriented promotions. Did you know that 99% of school children in America have environmental studies as part of their curriculum in at least one of the classes?
9. Green and Go: Using tree seedlings at trade shows is extremely popular because customers will not throw them away. Wrap a flyer or sell sheet around the tree and when giving to attendee, say. “Here’s a live tree seedling. When you get home, be sure to plant it”. Customers will dig down through their bags to find the tree seedling (and will get your flyer) – while all the other brochures and catalogs from the other exhibitors will remain in the bags until that mythical “rainy day”.

Come up with your own slogans for one of the most unique and functional eco-friendly promotional giveaway. Live tree seedlings will help you to stand out from your competition. They will grow for 4 or 5 generations—helping to re-green America.

Click here for more information on live tree seedlings for promotional use.

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Robert Piller, president of Eco Marketing Solutions, is experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

In our relentless search for new eco-friendly promotional products, my company, EcoMarketingSolutions.com has just introduced a new all-natural bamboo towel that is truly remarkable. It is made of organically-grown bamboo, comes compressed into a fun 1 3/4″ x 1/4″ disk and it can be imprinted with any logo.

Simply moisten the compressed 1 3/4″ x 1/4″ disk and it expands into a 14″ x 21″ wonderfully refreshing towel. It is durable and inexpensive, absorbent, lint-free and streak-free, soft and comfortable to the touch. The eco-friendly towel is not bleached, dyed or scented and is biodegradable.

Bamboo is among one of the most popular natural ingredients for clothing and textiles because it:
- is a fully sustainable crop which requires no replanting.
- has naturally occurring anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties.
-is highly biodegradable.
-takes in five times the amount of greenhouses gases as an -equivalent stand of trees.
-the strongest plant on earth, with a tensile strength comparable to mild steel.

For more information on these compressed natural bamboo towels, which wholesale for under $2, click here.

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any company interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

The third anniversary of Earth Hour will be here soon. Earth Hour will occur at 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm (your local time) on Saturday, March 28, 2009.

During this hour, people around the globe are encouraged to turn out their non-essential lighting in hopes of creating one of the largest climate events in history. Across the globe, in major metropolitan cities, skylines will go dark for one hour as individuals, businesses, government buildings, schools and major landmarks turn out their lights.

Everyone is encouraged to participate, so encourage your school, office, place of worship, and any organization to just say no to light– for just one hour.

Please participate and spread the word. Turn off your lights for one hour. This year’s Earth Hour’s goal is 1 billion participants in 1000 cities around the world.

According to Earth Hour US, Earth Hour began in 2007 as 2.2 million people turned out their lights in Sydney, Australia in a stand against climate change. From the famed Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to skyscrapers and individual homes, Sydney went dark.

During Earth Hour 2008, the event grew as more than 50 million people in 400 cities on all seven continents turned off their lights and major icons also went dark, including the Coliseum in Rome, Stockholm’s Royal Castle, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Google turned its homepage black for an entire day in tribute.

Hokey–maybe? Effective as a PR tool to call attention to climate change–definitely.

Happy Earth Hour to you…and you…and you…

Note: Does your city participate in Earth Hour? I’d like to hear from you if it does — or how you will help convince your city to join in for 2010.

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and environmentally-friendly promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive eco-friendly advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco promotional items in all price ranges, for any company interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

Earth Day is just around the corner (April 22nd) and companies keep asking for me for the best item to give away for that event.

Although I sell tons of eco tote bags, biodegradable sports bottles, and items made from recycled tires, denim, plastic, etc. – I sell hundreds of thousands of live tree seedlings for Earth Day Promotions.

These live seedlings come in either a recyclable 10″ plastic bag or tube—with a logo on them.

Here are 12 reasons why live tree seedling are the perfect gift for any Earth Day event or promotion:

1. An average tree absorbs ten pounds of pollutants from the air each year, including four pounds of ozone and three pounds of particulates (Source: Center for Urban Forest Research, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Davis, California)
2. A full grown tree provides an estimated $273 a year in reduced costs for air conditioning, erosion control, storm water control, air pollution, and wildlife shelter. (Source: City of Portland, Oregon)
3. Shade from trees can cool buildings up to 20 degrees in the summer. (Source: City of Portland) One medium-sized tree planted within 60 feet of the west side of an average-sized home in the reduces carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming and lowers the home’s cooling costs by about $260 over a 40-year lifespan, assuming an average cost of $.07 per Kwh. (Source of calculation formula: Center for Urban Forest Research, Davis, California.)
4. A typical tree produces about 260 pounds of oxygen each year. Two trees can supply a person’s oxygen needs. (Source: David Nowak, USDA Forest Service, Syracuse, NY)
5. Unlike some other investments that depreciate, a tree’s value increases with each passing year. Trees increase home property values 7 to 21 percent, depending on the number and size of the trees. (Source: City of Portland)
6. The leaves of a mature tree intercept an average of 760 gallons of rainfall a year. Each tree that lives about 40 years saves $10 a year in reduced water flow treatment. (Source: Trees for Green Streets, Metro)
7. Trees have a positive impact on the incidence of asthma, skin cancer and stress related illness by filtering out polluted air, reducing smog formation, shading out solar radiation and by providing an attractive, calming setting for recreation.
8. One acre of trees grown to maturity would absorb the carbon emissions of 100 average family cars driven for one year, about 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
9. Every tree we plant today will save more than a thousand dollars in storm water management, pollution abatement, and energy costs. (Source: Center for Urban Forest Research, Davis, California)
10. Trees contribute to neighborhood livability by reducing city noise and glare, and by calming and slowing traffic.
11. Trees improve habitat for endangered fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife.
12. Trees stabilize soil, reduce erosion, and mitigate flooding.

For under $3.00, your company or organization can give away live tree seedlings with your custom imprint and logo – and make this a greener world.

By giving away 500 trees, you can help reduce 5,000 pounds of pollutants for the air in your community – every year. In 20 years, the result will be 100,000 pounds of pollutants removed because of your Earth Day promotion.

Live tree seedling trees are truly the gift that keeps on giving – Earth Day and beyond. Click here if you want more information about live seedling trees for promotions.

Happy Earth Day!
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.