As a green organization, what are you doing to reduce your energy consumption?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in the commercial sector, energy consumption is broken down the largest percentage of energy usage:

• 25% lighting
• 13% heating
• 11% cooling
• 6% refrigeration
• 6% water heating
• 6% ventilation
• 6% electronics

I recently read where HP is looking to turn cow manure into energy at some of the data centers. Surely, if companies can convert manure into energy, your company can cut its annual energy usage by 5-10%. Perhaps the hot air from some of your colleagues can be harnessed into wind power for your office?

Be creative and keep looking for ways to become more green-friendly. After all, you cannot promote yourself as a green company or do green marketing without pushing the envelope and finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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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.

Gardening has fast become one of the biggest forms of recreation for Americans, especially since First Lady Michelle Obama has been speaking out and encouraging more people to plant more gardens. As the economy has cooled over the past few years, interest in gardening has soared.

According to 2009 Edibles Gardening Trends Research Report, conducted by the Garden Writers Association Foundation, in November more than 41 million U.S. households grew a vegetable garden in 2009; over 19.5 million grew an herb garden and 16.5 million households grew fruits.

Help your customers get back to the basics with imprinted gardening gifts with your brand and logo. You can have your imprint on a variety of custom garden kits, including imprinted seed packets and imprinted GroKits, metal buckets and even a garden that grows from within its own pouch. These Gardens in a Pouch can even be mailed without any additional packaging material (talk about zero waste). Read more…

According to a report by the Texas Campaign for the Environment, my home state of Texas ranks last in recycling computer parts among states that require manufacturers to take back their electronics.

E-waste is a fast growing problem, as many cellphones and computers contain such hazardous materials as lead and mercury, which often find their way into the water streams and contaminate land. Many of the items considered to be e-waste can be recycled, refurbished or reused by e-waste recyclers.

According to the report, Read more…

I was at an environmental trade show today and was surprised at the number of “non-green” giveaways that were being handed out at the booths. Plastic light up yoyos, imprinted plastic pens and key chains, synthetic tote bags and plastic sports bottles with logos, etc. This gives promotional products the poor stereotype of “trinkets and trash”, instead of them being used as effective trade show or marketing items, which is how they can and should be viewed.

In fact, I have spent the past decade weaning my clients from promotional products that usually end up in a landfill to items that are biodegradable or made from recycled material. You can view about 5,000 green products at my website, www.EcoMarketingSolutions.com in order to get an idea of the types of green-friendly branded and logo items for trade shows that are available.

There are eco-friendly alternatives to nearly every promotional items, including pens, frisbees, yo-yos and water bottles that are produced with an additive that enables them to break down in a landfill. There are tote bags available that are made of natural cotton, Read more…

Do you continue to use printed catalogs and flyers? Do you print the same number of catalogs each year – regardless of the trend away from print media?

If so, it is time to consider a few thoughts.

• Can you reduce the number of catalogs you print and distribute? Think about it. Ask your sales force. Talk to your clients. How many catalogs do you send off to be recycled at the end of each year? You can probably cut out at least 20% next year.

• Does every prospect get the same catalog? Have you considered a simple one page flyer for trade shows instead of the full line catalog? I have witnessed countless numbers of trade show attendees dump out pounds of catalogs at the airport so they do not exceed weight limitations for their luggage.
Read more…

Instead of celebrating Earth Day once a year, let’s try to make it a daily event.

Here are some ideas that anyone can use to make this a greener planet:

• Think of ways you can reduce your carbon footprint-both as an individual and also at work. Strive to cut your energy consumption by 10% each year. Baby steps lead to long reaching permanent changes.
• Support organizations and businesses that are going green, as they have made a conscious decision to help better the planet and would appreciate your patronage.
• Vote with your pocket book as well as at the ballot box. Avoid companies that are still using wasteful packaging or are not going green.
Read more…

Earth Day is on April 22 – and this year marks the 40th anniversary of this popular and fast-growing holiday.

What is your company doing to promote and celebrate this event?

1) Volunteer to talk to school groups about the environment: Whether you are a B2B company or B2C, children appreciate the green movement – and the message will reach their parents. Whether it is a private or public school, and grade—use slides and videos and you will reach this audience.
2) Plant Trees: A single tree can absorb as much as 600 pounds of carbon dioxide and convert it to pure oxygen – which is enough clean air for a family of four for a single year. Plant trees in a park, find neighborhoods that would like more trees and plant a tree or two at your own business.
Read more…

As Earth Day fast approaches (April 22), now is a good time to consider what items you will be using to promote the event and to brand your company’s image. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, many schools, churches, clubs and other organizations are reaching out in promoting Earth Day and its message to children.

What type of custom imprinted items can you provide to these organizations that can help to promote ecology and “going green” for Earth Day when you have a tight budget?

Below are five inexpensive items for Earth Day—all for under 25 cents. Read more…

The US EPA estimates that as much as 30% of the energy consumed in office buildings is wasted. This suggests a significant opportunity for energy use reduction, cost savings, and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions through cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities. With the tremendous amount of existing office and warehouse space currently available, is LEED Certification for existing buildings going to be the next phase in growth for the construction industry?

According to some studies, existing buildings represent only 4 percent of LEED certified square footage, but they account for 20 percent of LEED registered square feet. This trend should lead the way for a complete retrofit and revitalization of existing buildings, whether it be office, warehouse, retail or other space. Read more…

In one of my previous posts, I had mentioned the five steps to starting a Go Green program at any office. One of the first steps is choosing a Green Team Leader. In future posts, I will cover each of the other steps in more detail.

In order to find the right candidate, what type of attributes should you look for?

Depending on the size of your organization, these are the traits and characteristics of the ideal Green Team Leader. Read more…