Business should both Buy American and Go Green at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive.

Austin, Texas: Marketers are constantly looking for the next “big thing” to help promote their brand or message.

For the past five years, it has been green.  

Who hasn’t heard the term “going green” or “sustainability” bandied about in sales meetings, on websites and print ads, in direct marketing campaigns, in mission statements–everywhere.  

Many of the companies that have been going green have been truly working to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption.  Kudos to them.

Others liked it because “green” was hot and a way to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Now, with being and acting “green” the cost of entry for most companies, eco marketing, or green marketing, may not have the impact that it once had.

So, what is next?

Red. White. Blue.

That’s right. Buy American.  Old Glory. Patriotism.

Like going green, buying American is a good thing.  It will create more manufacturing jobs in this country, which our economy really needs.

It has already begun.

Personally, our company has seen a tremendous uptick in the number of American-made tote bags, wearables and water bottles that we have been selling these past few months.

As more and more factories produce these goods, prices will surely drop and the difference in cost from an overseas product will get closer to the cost of an American-made product, especially when you add in such other costs as ocean or air freight and turnaround time.

I am all for the Buy American mantra.  I, like most businesses here, prefer to support American jobs and grow our economy.

But, in five years, after the American flag emblem appears on everyone’s products and websites, what will be next?

Is red, white and blue the next green?

I hope so. I think so.

But please don’t abandon green.

Whether it is your marketing niche, unique selling proposition, or just the way you do business,  let’s continue to reduce climate change and continue to Think Green.

We should be able to be green and patriotic at the same time.

After all, what is more patriotic than leaving a greener planet to our families and neighbors?

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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.

Austin, Texas: Our family took a few days to vacation in Seattle before embarking on an Alaskan cruise last week, and we were amazed at what an eco-friendly town Seattle is.

Recycling stations were easy to find and very abundant throughout the city. Great public transportation, much of it was free. And a downtown that is very conducive to walking.

We made it a point to stay at the Hyatt at Olive 8, a LEED-certified hotel in downtown Seattle, which didn’t disappoint.  This silver LEED-certified hotel featured low-flush toilets, lighting powered with the room card so it would shut off when you left the room, a green roof, recycling bins in each room, as well as a ton of other green features.

Did it cost a little bit more than any other hotel in the area?  Possibly, but as the president of a green company myself, I feel that it is an obligation to support other organizations that are making a strong effort to reduce their carbon footprint.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a LEED-certified building uses 26% less energy and 30% less indoor water, while emitting 33% less carbon dioxide than its counterparts.

Are you doing the same?   When you travel, are you seeking out LEED-certified hotels in the cities that you travel to?  If not, why not?

If you are holding a conference or sales meeting, are you choosing LEED-certified hotels?

Here is the best list I can find that shows LEED-certified hotels across the US.

Let’s practice what we preach.

Unless more and more people support LEED certified businesses, fewer organizations will spend the time and money to build them.

Let’s not make LEED-certification a fad. Let’s make it the new norm.

Here’s to a good night’s sleep … at a green hotel.
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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.

Austin, Texas: Today is our city’s semi-annual bulk trash pickup, and it is a fantastic way of keeping trash out of the landfills.

This past weekend, my neighborhood cleaned out their garages and rolled out broken barbecue grills, patio furniture,washing machines, stoves, furniture, bar bells, lumber,etc., that would be normally heading to the landfill pretty soon–or just gathering dust (or rust).

But a funny thing happens in the early mornings of the weekend–as trucks and vans of all sizes patrol the neighborhood picking up our “trash”–before the city haulers come today.

I watched a pickup truck stop in front of my house and load our grill on top of his trailer — that already had at least six other grills in it and two refrigerators.   He also pickup up lumber from my neighbor and an old laser printer that I had left outside, just 90 minutes prior.

One man’s trash is another’s treasure–as the expression goes.

Bulk trash pickups are a wonderful opportunity for the re-purposing, reuse and recycling of large trash items.

Whether the people who picked up my grill use it for themselves, fix it up and resell it, strip it for parts and recycle the rest — it has a value to that person other than ending up in a landfill.

I would encourage every city to have a bulk trash pickup at least twice a year to help rid their communities of unwanted trash and to encourage a second life for unwanted, unused or unneeded items.

The key to reducing one’s carbon footprint is to use what one needs. If you have old exercise equipment, patio furniture, pool items, furniture and more- it is a simple way to part with these items– and the city only has to pick up a small share of the items left out on the curb.

It is a win-win for everyone.

Let’s make  every day 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.

Why Has There Been A Sudden Drop In Green Product Development This Past Year?

A new study shows that green product development has been declining over the past two years.

It showed that just 28 percent of companies have maintained investments in green product development, while 48 percent have increased their spend. That last number represents a drop of 7 percentage points compared to earlier this year, when 55 percent of respondents cited increased funding for green products.

Why is there a sudden drop in green product development?

Are consumers and businesses purchasing less green products?

Green marketing expert Jacquie Ottman suggests that ” lack of familiarity with green brands, inability to identify green brands on the shelf, and price premiums for greener brands that don’t have the benefit of economies of scale” are some of the reasons for the decline.

What can we do to encourage greater acceptance of green products, so that “going green” is not just a passing fad?

Government Mandates? I have written that it might be a good idea to have a program that mandates government offices to increase their green purchases over the next ten years, starting at 10% of purchases–and phasing out completely at the end of the decade. This would give manufacturers a chance to increase production, which would led to economies of scale, and lower prices.

Guilt by Association?:  Can we make the buying of non-green products seem “creepy” or “evil” through advertising and social media, such as has been done with cigarette smoking and drinking and driving over the past 10-15 years?  Can non-recyclers, for example, get the cold shoulder from their friends and peers?  It may take time, but many movements start out this way.

Education?: How much more education about the correlation of greenhouse gases to climate change must we have before real change takes place?

Sure, the younger generation has been taught about climate change in a watered down way over the past decade or so, but real change is taking too long to make an impact.

How can we reach out more to seniors? Can we get churches, synagogues and mosques to preach about the moral duty of becoming good stewards of the planet? Although this movement is certainly growing, it is not happening soon enough.

How about teens, some of the biggest polluters around?  Ten hours of climate change, pollution reduction videos before they get their driver’s license? Perhaps.

Increasing Green Product Purchases?: Sure, it may cost a little bit more for a recycled product or organic alternative, but until more people purchase them, prices will not fall quickly enough.

A 10-year tax-break for consumers on green product purchases? Might be hard to implement and administer.

A 10-year tax break for manufacturers of green products? Might be better.

Either way, consumers must shop greener in order to make real change happen. If every consumer switched just 10% of their purchases to green alternatives, imagine the positive impact that would have on the green movement.

The green movement needs participation on all sides to move forward. Green manufacturing without green purchasing equals failure.

Let’s all do our parts to go green.

It needs push, as well as pull.

Have you “purchased green” today?
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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.
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Is your organization green?  I mean REALLY green?

Many companies claim to be “going green”.

Unfortunately, many times their actions do not match their advertising claims.

Before your organization claims to be green, take a few steps backwards and examine a few crucial areas while you answer this question:

What Makes Your Organization Green?

Just because you have decided to print on both sides of the paper does not make you a green organization.

So you celebrated Earth Day this past year with some recycled frisbees or tote bags…still not truly green.

You have a recycle bin at your office? Nice, but again, not overly green.

Ask yourself these questions in coming up with a better understanding of what makes your company or organization green. Though I can probably list 111 questions, these 11 question are a good start.

1. Why are you going green?

2. Do you have someone responsible for corporate sustainability or social responsibility?

3. How high up the chain of command is the “green culture”?

4. Is the environment part of your mission statement?

5. How do you prove to your customers/press/employees that you are taking active green steps?

6. Can you substantiate provable metrics to show your improvement in reducing your carbon footprint?

7. How active are your employees in becoming more green?

8. What type of mandates do you have for your suppliers in regards to sustainability?

9. Are you purchasing local, when possible?

10. What type of incentives are you offering your employees to reduce their carbon footprint?

11. Are you  constantly searching for greener or more sustainable options in your entire operation?

Once you can answer these questions, shout it out!

Promote it!

Live it!

Be proud of it!

Then, you will never have to worry about green washing.

Actions really do speak louder than words.

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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. We’d love to hear your additions to this list.

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Green marketing messages targeting mainstream American consumers are missing the mark, according to a study released this week by consultant group OgilvyEarth.

The study, “Mainstream Green: Moving Sustainability from Niche to Normal” provides insight on how to close the Green Gap that persists between what consumers say and what they actually do around sustainable living.

One of their findings is that Green feels like niche rather than normal.  Existing green marketing is either irrelevant or even alienating to most Americans, the study asserts.

Half of Americans think green and environmentally friendly products are marketed to “Crunchy Granola Hippies” or “Rich Elitist Snobs” rather than “Everyday Americans.”

What can we, as green marketers do about it?

I think that we have already preached to the choir…and grabbed all the low hanging fruit, no pun intended.  The “greenies” are already aboard They are very committed to environmental issues and they do their best to reduce their carbon footprint.

Now, the next area to target would be the indifferent or occasional greens.  These would be similar to the independent voters,  if this analogy was an election and green was the candidate.

Many of the non-committers want to buy green products, but there are a few too many roadblocks standing in the way, such as:

• price points -which often tend to be higher on green products
• inconvenience – not having a good choice of product available at their favorite retail establishments
• confusion – as far as why a particular product is more environmentally friendly tan an alternative
• awareness – the environment is still not top of mind for many consumers
• indifference – they’ll buy green products on occasions, but it is not their highest priority while shopping

We must not let these five issues get in the way of marketing and promoting your green products or services.

Your marketing should be geared to reinforcing the benefits that your product offers the planet. Do not assume that a little green eco symbol is all that it takes to attract people.

If the benefits are understood and clearly labeled (pictures help–they really are worth a thousand words), green product sales will increase ..and the green elitist connotation will eventually subside.

It takes time — just think how long it took for smoking to become a negative connotation vs. its previous sexy or debonair persona.

Hopeful, instead of greenies being thought of as elitists, people who do not make an effort to reduce their carbon footprint will be thought of in a negative light (like racists, bigots, homophobes, drinking and driving, smokers, etc.)  All those behaviors were accepted at one point in time, but are looked down upon today.

There is only one Planet Earth – we all need to make Going Green the Right Way–not a Niche Way of Thinking.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.

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Robert Piller, president of Eco Marketing Solutions, is experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products.  He has worked to help plant over 25 million trees through his live tree seedling gift program over the past dozen years.  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.

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products, has worked to help plant over 25 million trees through his live tree seedling gift program over the past dozen years. 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.

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I came across a great interview of consumer products maker Johnson & Johnson’s Al Iannuzzi, senior director of Worldwide Health & Safety, where he was asked about greenwashing.

His reply was dead on: “ I don’t believe in green products but greener products. The only truly green product is the one you don’t use. So it’s a journey and when we have made real product improvements — we should let our customers know. You can be perceived as greenwashing when you overstate improvements.”

I think this nails the green movement down succinctly– going green is an evolutionary process, with continual improvements and adjustments, not a simple one step solution.

Sure, there are simple steps that many organizations can take immediately to reduce their impact on  the planet.  There is always low hanging fruit..and those steps should be taken immediately.

“Green” should be looked upon as  goal that reached out to inifinity, as organizations can strive to become “more green” or “greener”–but never reach “totally green”.

As I had mentioned in an earlier blog, consumers do not expect companies to be saints. A full three-quarters (75%) say it is okay if a company is not environmentally perfect—as long as it is honest and transparent about its efforts. This is according to the 2011 Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker.

If people are going to judge more harshly companies that are taking significant strides to reduce their carbon footprint, then the entire environmental movement will take three steps backwards for every one step forward.

Let’s take a continuous look at our path to green, and make significant reductions in packaging usage, energy consumption, transportation expenses, raw materials, etc.  A goal of 10% reduction in one’s carbon footprint is a good goal thatncan continue to unearth ares for refinement.

Let’s make Earth Day Every Day.
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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products, has worked to help plant over 25 million trees through his live tree seedling gift program over the past dozen years. 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.

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Earth Day is coming…and before you know it, there will be nothing left but a memory.

The real shame of Earth Day is that so many organizations and companies look it at as an isolated,  one day, feel good event–like a birthday, or New Year’s Eve.

Resolutions are made on New Year’s Eve, most of which are broken within a week.  I know that for a fact, as my birthday is January 6th and I am usually trying to re-affirm and renew my broken pledges from the week before.

Earth Day is very similar to New Year’s in broken pledges and stalled resolutions?

I have clients that I only hear from in the Spring when they prepare for their Earth Day events. It is always nice to hear from them, and I appreciate their business…but I wonder how much impact they, and others like them, are truly making with a single day GREEN  focus.

Earth Day should be about behavior modification.  Companies should encourage their employees and their customers, as well as the general public, to take a pledge to make changes in reducing their carbon footprint.

No Earth Day event or outreach program should pass without pledge cards being handed out which are designed to encourage specific steps to take in cutting energy use, changed buying behaviors and other definitive ways to cut one’s carbon footprint.

Old habits and behaviors take time to change…and businesses, churches, and other organizations need to hold green meetings on a regular basis in order to keep people following their green resolutions.

Perhaps an AA for people who want to be more environmentally friendly and socially aware.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every organization who says that they are “going green” holds weekly or monthly green meetings with employees (and the general public) helping people to better understand their individual impact on the planet and how they can take steps to reduce energy consumption and waste.

Let’s not allow Earth Day to become a one day party or event.  Let’s make Earth Day the start of a year-long green movement  and campaign that really has impact.

Let’s Make Every Day Earth Day!

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products, has worked to help plant over 25 million trees through his live tree seedling gift program over the past dozen years. 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.

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“Being Green is Gay.”    Or is it “Being Gay is Green”?

As ridiculous, outlandish and inflammatory both those statements are, according to a national survey released recently by Harris Interactive,  lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) adults are accelerating their personal commitment to pro-environmental issues.

A majority (55%) of all LGBT adults, when asked if they “personally care a great deal about the current state and future of the environment,” say this statement describes themselves completely or very well – a description that characterizes just one-third (33%) of heterosexual American adults. When all are asked if they “encourage others to be more environmentally friendly,” four Read more…