Green Spot Blog » Robert Piller

New Study Shows Earth Day Is Not An Over-Hyped Event

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:35:20 +0000

Earth Day Celebration

I read a recent study by GreenBiz.com that showed that despite the heavy advertising and marketing of Earth Day’s 41st anniversary this year, only 3% of those polled feel the event is overhyped.

Nearly 60 percent of those members surveyed said it is just about right, while 37 percent feel Earth Day is underhyped. The members studied were part of the GreenBiz Intelligence Panel (GBIP).

The report goes on to say that overall, Earth Day activities at companies have stayed about the same, or grown, over the past five years. Just 14 percent said Earth Day activities have shrunk.

The economic recession appears to have had minimal impact on companies’ Earth Day activities for some 73 percent of those polled.

“I would attest to the accuracy of these statements, as this year saw a marketing spend on eco-friendly promotional items for outreach campaigns up abut 9% from last year, the 11th consecutive increase our company has seen”, says Robert Piller, President of EcoMarketingSolutions.com. ” The recession and ensuing economic doldrums have not seemed to negatively impact the impact of Earth Day, for businesses and organizations of all sizes”, he continued.

In a very positive note from the report, it notes that in terms of employee engagement, 41 percent of GBIP members see Earth Day as one effort among many. The event also has buy-in from the top, with 80 percent saying their senior management supports the day’s activities.

This should bode very well for Earth Day 42 and beyond.

Let’ continue to make Earth Day about outreach with advertising, marketing and promotional items that educate the public, rather than promote a strictly branding effort or campaign. It will be a win-win situation, as the public will think more highly of the businesses and organizations that get involved with Earth Day celebrations without blasting their logos everywhere. Subtlety of message is important for Earth Day marketing.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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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.

Earth Day Marketing: How Are You Communicating Your Green Message?

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:16:43 +0000

Earth Day is just 2 weeks away and many marketers are still scrambling to find a last minute effort to come up with their Earth Day campaigns.

In fact, my phone has been ringing off the hook for the past three days (and nights…I just finished a phone call at 8:30 P.M. with a client in Massachusetts) with clients looking for last minute eco-friendly promotional ideas for their outreach programs.

Putting your name and logo on recycled promotional items is great. I would not be able to stay in business without it, nor I would have chosen it as my profession if I did not believe strongly in them.

That being said, my questions to most of these callers are:

1. What is The Goal of Your Earth Day Message?

Are you looking to change behaviors?
Are you trying to change the public’s perception of your organization?
Are you looking to educate the public–as sort of a public service or outreach campaign?

All three of these agendas require a different mareting message. Make sure your message matches your goals.

2. Can You Back Up Your Message With Deeds and Achievements?

As they say in my home town of Austin, Texas, are you “talking the talk–or walking the walk”?
Did you just wake up this morning thinking that you had to do something green for Earth Day?
Did your boss call you in for a meeting and declare that you will be participating in an Earth Day event–and this is all news to you?
Or has your organization been planning your green agenda for many, many months and Earth Day is a natural extension of your marketing mix?

3) How are You Planning to Communicate Your Goals, Message and/or Agenda?

Will you be using social media?
Will you be giving a speech?
Will you be exhibiting at a community Earth Day event?

Hopefully, if you are truly a green company, the answer is all three.

According to the 2011 Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker, 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.

My advice: Be real. Don’t fake it.

Happy 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 at Twitter (http://twitter.com/ecomarketing) or #ecomarketing , by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.

Motivational Quotes for a New Year

admin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:35:01 +0000

As we begin a new year, I wanted to take the time to offer some of my favorite motivational quotes. Hopefully they might be helpful in motivating you to a successful new year.

“Good, better, best, never let it rest until the good gets better, and the better is best!”

“When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.” – Leo Burnett

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough!” – Mario Andretti

“I had no shoes and complained; until I met a man with no feet.”

“You don’t have to see the entire staircase in order to take the first step.” – Rev. Martin Luther King

“The true measure of your character is what you would do if you were sure no one would ever find out.” - John C. Maxwell

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden

“Once the mind has been stretched by a new idea, it will never again return to its original size.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” - Henry Ford

“Start by doing the necessary, then the possible and soon you are doing the impossible.” – St Francis of Assasi

“Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.” – Robert Piller

Happy New Year!

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive 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.

9 Green New Year’s Resolutions for 2011

admin — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:11:11 +0000

Every time this year, we all start thinking about our New Year’s resolutions.

Last year, my diet lasted through January 3^rd—which was a day longer than the previous year. Maybe my willpower is getting stronger as I age.

As we go out and celebrate the start of a new year, you will inevitably be asked about your own resolution. Don’t freeze up – or give the same old lame answer that you gave last year… and the year before… and the year before: Quit Smoking, Lose 10 pounds; Join a gym. Any of these sound familiar?

Here is a cheat sheet for you in case somebody asks you what your New Year’s resolution is for 2011: Be a Greener Shopper in 2011.

Below are 9 ways to become a greener consumer in 2011.

1. Support brands that are green, such as Clorox Green Works, Tom’s of Maine, Ikea, Toyota, Disney and others. If you don’t support them, where is their incentive in keeping green? Money talks.

2. Become an educated consumer. Read labels. Understand what the different recycling arrows mean. Learn about sustainability. Know the difference between recycled and recyclable.

3. Question wasteful packaging. Blog and write about products that come in wastefully large boxes when something half the size can be just as effective. It is one thing when it needs cushion to avoid breakage (such as computer boxes) but it is another thing when protecting most other products. Let’s all reduce landfill waste.

4. Learn more about Global Warming. Whether you think it is man-made or not, global warming is real and will have effects on water supply, land use, crops, population shifts, etc. Read at least one book on the environment this year (at least skim a few chapters.)

5. Trade for a Hybrid or Electric Car. These have become quite sporty. Though not cheap, you will be making a statement, while reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

6. Quit buying bottled water. Use a reusable water bottle instead. Bottled water is one of the most wasteful products that are used on a regular basis—from the plastic that needs up in landfills to the pollution caused by its transportation. Get water filter and use your own water bottles.

7. Enroll in online payment programs. Many of your utilities, bank, retailers and other vendors will have an online statement option available, as well as online payment feature. Use Paypal when applicable if you are afraid of using credit cards. A paperless society begins with you.

8. Proudly Wear Your Green...on your shoulder, on your sleeve, on your clothing, etc. Be proud to be green and let others know it. People mimic what they see others doing and what they see others wearing. Why be a follower? Be the green leader of your own mini-network and others will soon follow. Lead by example.

9. Celebrate Earth Day. April 22^nd is celebrated worldwide as a celebration of the great planet.

There it is. Nine painless ways to become a greener consumer for 2011. Don’t break your green resolution too early—at least hold out until Earth Day this year. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself, and others, with your dedication.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.

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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive 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.

FTC has Announced New Green Rules Against Broad Eco Statements

admin — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:40:18 +0000

The FTC has made some of their proposed revisions to the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, which are a set of guidelines aimed at clearing up confusion since its last update in 1998.

These are preliminary guidelines, as the FTC is still seeking public comment on the updated guidelines for 60 days, before issuing a final version, which will not be announced until late 2011, at the earliest.

“The Green Guides were designed to help businesses avoid making misleading environmental claims,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. “That, of course, helps consumers.”

Leibowitz described an “explosion” of green claims being made for a variety of goods, ranging from paper towels to textiles, leaving consumers confused about what they’re buying. “We’re not always getting what we think we’re getting,” he said.

At the same, businesses are also unclear about the environmental attributes of their products, so clear cut rules will help all parties. These new guidelines were supposed to be ready by 2009, but, like every other government project, things seem to take much longer than anticipated.

The FTC is looking mostly to have companies able to substantiate their environmental claims, and to use more narrowly-focused terms rather than “eco-friendly” or “green”, to avoid confusion.
I am sure the final guidelines will be watered down, unfortunately, as “interest” groups on all sides weigh in.

However, best business practices are to always be able to substantiate claims a company makes, be it in terms of sustainability, biodegradation, energy efficiency and any other factors. Common sense will prevail in the end.

Let’s make every day, Earth Day!
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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive 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.

Burger King Dropping Current Palm Oil Supplier

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:04:02 +0000

According to an artcile in GreenBiz.com, Burger King has become the latest company to stop buying palm oil from an embattled Indonesian company its critics accuse of deforestation.

Burger King will no longer purchase palm oil from a subsidiary of Sinar Mas after an audit “raised valid concerns about some of the sustainability practices of Sinar Mas’ palm oil production and its impact on rainforests,” Burger King announced on its Facebook page.

According to the article, the fast food giant will transition to a new supplier for 176 restaurants that received palm oil from Sinar Mas subsidiary PT SMART Tbk. Over the last year, Unilever, Nestle and Abengoa Bioenergy, a Spanish energy company, have walked away from PT SMART’s palm oil. Staples, Woolworths, and U.K. retailers Tesco and Carrefour stopped buying products from Asia Pulp and Paper, another Sinar Mas subsidiary. HSBC also sold off all of its shares in Sinar Mas.

The article notes that the driving force behind these developments has been Greenpeace, which launched a series of campaigns to raise awareness of what it considers to be Sinar Mas’ destructive forestry practices, while also applying public pressure on consumer-facing companies to cut ties with the Indonesian conglomerate. Underpinning these campaigns were a series of reports with titles that include “Caught Red Handed,” “Burning Up Borneo” and “Sinar Mas Continues Rainforest Destruction.”

In response to allegations in the reports of land-clearing and other wrongdoings, Sinar Mas hired a team of independent auditors to verify the Greenpeace claims. The report found Sinar Mas had indeed cleared and planted on deep peatland “but not as extensively as claimed,” and it cleared land in certain areas before required environmental impact assessments were approved. The report also noted weaknesses in PT SMART’s documentation of its engagement with landowners during compensation dialogues.

Robert Piller, president of Eco Marketing Solutions, a provider of natural lip balm, some of which contain palm oil, says,”Last year, after learning about the destructive conditions of deforestatio in many of these rain forests, we immediately switched suppliers to one that is part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). We hope that this publicity that Burger King has been getting will encourage other companies that use palm oil as one of their ingredients to switch to RSPO suppliers, as well.”

In response to this growing concern of non-regulated expansion, many palm oil producers and users of Palm oil formed the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The goal of this group was to develop a strategy, guideline, and even an inspection and certification system for Palm Plantations throughout the world. The objective is to be able to show that these certified Palm Plantations are in fact sustainable and are not practicing deforestation to expand their productivity.

Good stewardship is important and companies should look toward vendors who are working to improve sustainability. Kudos to Burger King for being socially aware.

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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.

Too Many Green Labeling Choices Means Greater Confusion for Consumers

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:23:58 +0000

It has been reported that ULC Standards has acquired TerraChoice, the managers of Canada’s EcoLogo program. This consolidation might make it easier for consumers to differentiate between green claims—so as to compare apples to apples.

Currently, the EcoLogo program covers more than 7,000 products in 80 categories—with 70 different standards.

Simplicity is the key to any certification and for ease of understanding. Until we get to just a handful of green certifications and labels, manufacturers will continue their greenwashing claims and obfuscate their actual compliance to green initiatives.

An educated consumer is the greatest weapon against false claims, but too many labels will make the entire process into a joke. How about a grading system- A through F—like used in most schools. You can add a plus or minus beside the grade to help draw more attention to detail, if so desired. But it would be a simple system that would work for most comparisons.

Here’s to simplicity.. and a greener tomorrow, today.

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Journey through Climate History…and Beyond

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:58:30 +0000

I just saw this website that had a fascinating presentation on the history of the planet’s climate changes ..and what the future may hold.

It is a interesting and interactive site based on 40 possible scenarios and based on as study by the IPCC, the non-profit Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The results can greatly effect world populations, in terms of famines, droughts, warfare, etc. Global issue can be considered a security threat that needs to be addressed.

This study is an eye-opening look at what our planet can become if steps are not taken by leading countries and economies to address global warming in the immediate future. It is time that people take a serious look at alternative energy sources, increased sustainability in manufacturing, transportation, farming, as well as other activities, before we pay an even steeper price.

Earth Day cannot be a yearly celebration. It needs to become a way of life.

Let’s make Earth Day, Every Day.

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Starbucks’ Awards Winner of Contest for Reducing Paper Waste and Consumption

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:16:45 +0000

The winner of a competition sponsored by Starbucks to gather ideas for reducing non-recyclable paper cup use isn’t even a cup at all, but a concept for encouraging customers to bring their own cups for possible free drinks.

The top four winners of their contest are all excellent ideas to reduce paper consumption, but only one was a reusable or biodegradable cup.

“We’re very interested in looking at the winning ideas and many of the other submitted ideas as we develop new solutions to reduce cup waste,” said Elise Chisholm, Starbucks spokesperson. “We haven’t yet had a chance to determine specific action plans. Increasing adoption of reusable cups – including travel tumblers and our own ceramic serveware – is definitely an important part of the equation for us.”

The Betacup competition offered a total of $20,000 for ideas that could eliminate paper cup consumption. Starbucks sponsored it as part of its efforts to only offer reusable or recyclable cups by 2015.

The winning idea was the Karma Cup, a simple concept for putting a chalkboard by the register at a coffee shop, having customers that use reusable cups make a mark on the board, and then giving a free coffee to every 10th customer that uses a reusable. This is a fun and creative idea – but be sure to move back toward the end of the line once you see the 10^th person get their reward.

The three honorable mentions were:

1) Band of Honor

This novel idea revolves around a rubber band with a barcode on it that a customer can put on any reusable cup and have scanned every time they use it, getting larger discounts the more they reuse it.

2) Champion Cup

Similar to the Band of Honor, is a platform in which customers tag their mugs, register them online, get rewards for reusing them and track how many cups they’ve saved,

3) Reusable & Biodegradable Cup Contest

Probably the biggest no-brainer of the contest, any reusable or biodegradable cup would save on paper waste. This particular cup would be made from rice husks that has a sleeve with an RFID tag that can be scanned for tracking cup use and receiving discounts.

Unless Starbucks stops offering drinks in disposable cups completely, millions of tons of paper waste will continue to be created. Robert Piller, President of EcoMarketingSolutions.com, says, “Reusable and biodegradable coffee mugs would clearly be the easiest to get into their stores, as they are readily available. We currently offer dozens of reusable and biodegradable coffee mugs that Starbucks could offer with their logo – along witht heir ten cent per cup discount for each use.”

According to GreenBiz.com, recycling has been a sticking point in Starbucks’ environmental efforts. In its 2009 Global Responsibility Report, it stamped “Needs Improvement” on its three recycling goals of developing a recyclable cup by 2012, setting up front-of-store recycling in company-owned stores by 2015 and serving a quarter of beverages in reusable cups by 2015.

In April, Starbucks hosted its second cup summit, bringing together municipalities, suppliers, manufacturers, recyclers, NGOs and more to develop solutions for making paper and plastic cups more widely recyclable. Earlier that month, on April 15, Starbucks ran a promotion giving a free coffee to anyone who brought in a reusable mug to use.

Kudos to Starbucks for acknowledging their problem and working to improve sustainability.

McDonalds & Dunkin Donuts, you’re next. What will you do to raise the bar in order to reduce waste and improve reuse?

Let’s Make Earth Day, Every Day.

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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.

New Eco Index Developed by Outdoor Industry Association

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:00:26 +0000

As companies are becoming more green, the next phase is trying to quantify exactly how much energy is being used in the processing, manufacturing and distribution of their products.

A new tool developed by the outdoor gear industry hopes to simplify the comparisons of “eco-friendliness” and to help companies understand what goes into their products and then improve any stage, from sourcing raw materials to recycling clothing.

The Eco Index, a project of the Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) Eco Working Group, is being launched this week at the Outdoor Retailer trade show for beta testing is intended for a range of products, from clothes to backpacks to camp stoves.

“It helps you identify the holes in the sustainability of your product and the impact your product is having,” said Beth Jensen, OIA’s corporate responsibility manager.

According to GreenBiz.com, the version of the Eco Index being released isn’t complete, but the OIA wanted to get a version out and in use so it can gather feedback and tweak it if necessary as it finishes up the rest of the Eco Index.

From Guidelines to Facts and Figures

The Eco Index, a web-based tool, has three levels, Jensen said, which are guidelines, indicators and metrics. The guidelines are just what they sound like, guidelines for how companies can be more conscious and sustainable when making products.

The indicator level is where companies score individual products by answering yes/no questions related to materials, packaging, manufacturing and assembly, transportation and distribution, use and service, and end of life.

Within the packaging section, for example, a company is asked if it has a restricted substance list, how much post-consumer recycled content it uses, if it sources materials from certified sources and other questions.

The third level, metrics, is where companies plug in all the nitty gritty details to get product-specific information on energy and greenhouse gas emissions, water, waste, land use, chemicals and toxics in humans and the environment, and biodiversity.

By early 2011, the OIA plans to have this first phase of testing complete. Later this year it will form working groups to flesh out the missing details, which are the transportation and distribution indicators and metrics for land use, chemicals and toxics, and biodiversity. Those groups will work through 2011 on the final version.

The OIA’s Eco Working Group formed in 2007 out of a desire in the outdoor industry for a common way to rate and talk about sustainability. “We needed to get everyone talking in the same language,” Jensen said.

As these metrics become more standardized, they will surely be adapted to many other industries. As green metrics become more commonplace, greenwashing will eventually become a nonentity. More educated consumers will lead to more demand for green products – and all this without government intervention.

Kudos to the Outdoor Industry Association.