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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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.

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According to an article in Advertising Age, the Federal Trade Commission is planning to introduce a  new set of so-called Green Guides that are used by the FTC to guide enforcement of existing laws. They are the first environmental-marketing guidelines in 12 years and could radically reshape how far marketers can go in painting their products, packaging or even corporate images green.

These guidelines should help to clarify terms that are used by many manufacturers and retailers to promote sustainability.

Currently there are nearly 300 different Green Seals of Approvals used to grade a products “level of eco-friendliness”, and these guidelines will help to clarify these terms and definitions for consumers once and for all.

This can help to render much of today’s green washing claims obsolete.   However, as with any new rules and guidelines, it is important that the American consumer learns to read the labels and to understand these labels.  However, after a recent trip down the candy, cookie, soft drink and cereal aisles of my local grocery store last week proved, just because labels are out there, doesn’t mean anybody will be reading them or paying attention to them.  Sugar, fructose, corn syrup and other sweeteners are still high on the ingredient list of many of these products, and they are still selling quite well.

Let’s hope the public takes the time to learn these new guidelines — and supports those companies that are helping to make a difference to make the planet greener.

Let’s make every day, Earth 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.

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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: Read more…

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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. Read more…

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I just read a great article, From Seed to Shirt, in Wearables, an industry magazine, which described in detail how organic cotton clothing is made.   The article describes how organic cotton is grown, harvested, processed and turned into shirts. I have uploaded the article here, so everybody can learn about the specifics.

I sell a great deal of organic shirts, caps and hoodies with clients’ logos, and many times have to justify the price differential in comparison with ordinary cotton. Today, in fact, organic cotton costs approximately $1.20 per pound vs. 90 cents per pound for ordinary or conventional cotton… and it will be a while before the price differential evens out.

Currently, organic cotton represents only about 1% of the world’s cotton supply, but this percentage is seeing a strong increase as customers are beginning to demand organic materials as they get back to nature.

Hopefully your organization will trend towards organic and other eco-friendly materials in your daily use, as well as in your promotional use. As demand for organic clothing grows, prices will surely drop.

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.

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Although BP advertising, like the one online at WSJ.com tries to portray the company as fighting 24 hours a day to clean up their oil spill mess, WSJ.com points out today that BP’s incoming chief executive said it is time to scale back the effort to clean up the spill — but stressed that the commitment to rectify problems hasn’t weakened.

Bob Dudley, who heads BP’s spill-recovery effort and will take over as CEO in October, said it is “not too soon for a scaleback” in the cleanup, and “you probably don’t need to see people in hazmat suits on the beach” in areas where there is no oil. He added, however, that there is “no pullback” in BP’s commitment to clean up the spill.

As they say on SNL—REALLY!??!!?!?! Not too soon for a pull back in the cleanup?!?!?

I find it hard to believe that there will be “no pullback” after this statement.

Just because they used chemical dispersants that sunk the oil from the surface does not mean that the oil has miraculously disappeared.

I hope Congress and the public does not let BP off the hook this easily. They have helped to destroy marine life in the gulf region and should not leave until all oil has been cleaned and the area returned to its previous condition.

Write to your Congressmen.
Boycott the company.
Get involved.

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.

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American citizens are becoming more worried with the environment. The growth in this number is evident in the 1.4 million members and supporters of the most popular and oldest non-profit green organization, Sierra Club. With greater number of people making their residences more energy efficient, driving cars which are consume less fuel, recycling waste materials and purchasing environment friendly products, this trend has led to a substantial increase in the number of self-sufficient companies on Main Street selling to green consumers.

Small businesses selling green products have become a growing business community. At the same time businesses dealing in general products are increasing the percentage of green products they are offering.

Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, says his company, which produces custom printed eco-friendly products for retail, has seen a record number of retailers increasing their product mix to include green products. He states, “Last year, we had many retailers, both small and independent accounts, as well as major national chains, begin to increase the number of recycled and biodegradable items in their product mix and planograms. From recycled tote bags to biodegradable and reusable drinkware—insulated tumblers, stainless steel bottles and ceramic mugs, we saw a 36% increase in same store sales to these accounts.”

The following information is designed to enable local companies to recognize green opportunities and to better market to the green consumer.

How to Identify the Green Consumer?

While the truth remains that all green consumers are not the same, knowledge of a few of traits they have in common will enable businesses to make a more careful study of the market for eco-friendly products and services.
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Budgets and hiring in corporate environmental departments are on the rise. Those are core findings of the twice-annual “Green and the Economy” survey, conducted by GreenBiz Intelligence. While the overall economy still seems shaky, corporate environmental and sustainability departments seem to be on much more solid ground.

One big finding of this mid-year 2010 survey is that “the economic downturn is no longer driving most large companies’ environmental strategy”. That means environmental initiatives are being driven more on the basis of strategic business decisions, as they should be. Chief among them, according to the survey, is that “the economic downturn has taken a backseat to growing customer requirements as the principal driver of corporate environmental strategy.”

Hiring is up, too. Large companies, in particular, are increasing headcounts for environmental and sustainability roles. In early 2009, 27 percent of large companies reported hiring freezes and only 8 percent planned to increase headcount for environmental departments. Today, only 11 percent report hiring freezes and more than 28 percent plan to increase headcount, a major swing.

Although the economy has not fully recovered, signs are positive that the green economy is no fad and is here to stay.

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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.

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While various businesses are resorting to sustainable manufacturing and are taking many CSR plans progress is falling way short of the challenges of change in climate, energy security and dearth of natural recourses brought about by growing economic activity.

Furthermore increased efficiency in a few regions are getting offset by increased consumption in other.

The cost of measures practiced by climate policies can be kept low in the upcoming years if the governments make clear their climate change intentions for medium, as well as long durations. Using resources and energy more efficiently, and taking part in a variety of modernizations which work towards a green economy, will also produce fresh jobs and industries in the tears to come.

The present economic crisis and campaigns to deal with changes in climate should so be viewed as a chance to move to a more green economy. Short term improvements are not good enough. The industry has to reorganized and the technologies that exist and are advanced has to be applied cleverly to realize a green economy.

Modernization has for a long time been viewed as essential to economic performance as well as social well-being. Modernizations are also fundamental to improve practices of corporation that work for a green economy.

Innovations/modernizations towards a green economy are usually similar to other innovations/modernizations but with a couple of differences:
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Sofia Ribeiro, Founder and co-owner of Kiwano Marketing, mentions that in order to be a sustainable business, an organization needs to integrate its beliefs in three main areas:  planet, people, profits.  She says that “in order to own a truly sustainable brand, businesses must integrate environmental, social and economic sustainability across the 3 brand elements:

Products/Services, Business Standards and Company Style.

Products/Services: Self explanatory, but only one leg of this tripod of ideas.

Business Standards: These would include strategies, implementation, hiring practices, and mission.

  Company Style:This would include communications, image, logo and branding, etc.

 
 She goes on to note that in order to own a sustainable brand, businesses must also practice these 5 principles:

1.    Have a policy in place, documenting all the values and standards the business stands for and acts on.

2.     Incorporate the principles of environmental, social and economic sustainability into each of the business decisions.
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