Austin, Texas: My home town of Austin, Texas is considering a plastic bag ban, as several other cities throughout the country have done so far.

Not surprisingly, a poll sponsored by the  Texas Retailers Association  and the Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council shows an overwhelming number of people against a plastic bag ban.

I think that any time a city or government entity tries to ban behavior or legislate morals, they are setting themselves up for both hostilities and for failure.

Perhaps, bag manufacturers and retailers can pay into a fund, much like the  anti-smoking campaigns in the United States run by the American Legacy Foundation, which was founded under the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement.  They used the money from a tobacco lawsuit settlement to fund The Truth and other campaigns aimed at preventing smoking.

If we spent more money on advertising and PR campaigns to educate people on the hazards of plastic bags and show how they often end up in the water streams and comprise a disproportionate amount of most city’s residential waste stream.

The key would be to make plastic bags viewed in a negative light.  Education and public shame would help to convince many people to bring their own bags. So would contests and incentives for customers that brought in their own reusable bags (the carrot and stick approach).

How about communities putting a link on their websites for retailers that are offering reusable tote bags instead of plastic bags? That type of free positive publicity might encourage more retailers to have imprinted tote bags available by their registers at a nominal price.

Would you get 100% participation rate?  No, not even close– but nothing will get you complete compliance for any behavior.

But I would guarantee that in a few years, the number of stores that offered plastic bags as freely as they do now would drop considerably.

But can we legislate behavior modification successfully? Should we?

I still remember flying on airlines when the non-smoking section was usually the first few rows of a plane. Now it is banned.

Same for smoking at many restaurants, convention centers, some outdoor parks, etc.  Legislation did the trick, not just public scorn.

Same for drinking and driving, mandatory helmet laws and seat belts, in many cities and states.

However, with Prohibition and the War on Drugs, laws and enforcement proved not to have been successful, probably because the people did not necessarily agree with the laws.

I am of the mind that public awareness, education and outreach are the best ways to reach  consensus and truly change habits over any length of time.

What would you suggest communities throughout the country do to prevent plastic bags from being used so freely?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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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: Nearly three years after Congress passed the original (CPSIA), President Obama has signed a separate bill modifying the controversial legislation. The amendments to the law, recently passed almost unanimously by the U.S. House and Senate, expand the discretion of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), allowing regulators greater flexibility in directing third-party testing standards.

The amendments specifically address several enforcement questions that have lingered since 2008, clarifying product exemptions and the responsibilities of manufacturers. In effect, the new law narrows the CPSIA’s lead-testing requirements to products manufactured since the date of enactment, creates certain exceptions for small-batch manufacturers (annual revenues under $1 million) and removes lead limits for used children’s products. As part of the changes to the CPSIA, the CPSC must also seek public comment on ways to reduce the burden and cost of third-party testing.

On the topic of tracking labels, the CPSC now has authority to exclude specific products from previous mandates. If the commission determines that placing a tracking label on an item is not practical, a manufacturer will earn an exemption. The legislation also seeks to ease some manufacturers’ concerns about the CPSIA database, which allows virtually anyone to post complaints about a product. The CPSC is now required to stay publication for five extra days when it receives notice of materially inaccurate information. The CPSC must also attempt to get a serial number or a photo of an item from the consumer questioning the safety of a product.

The amendments, while providing more authority to the CPSC in determining testing requirements, have not changed the action schedule regarding lead limits. The amount of lead allowable in children’s products dropped from 300 parts per million (ppm) to 100 ppm on August 14, but only products that are manufactured after this date will have to adhere to the stricter limits. The mandate applies to all manufacturers, importers, retailers and distributors of children’s products.

This looks like a compromise bill that looks better on the surface than it actually is.  It is completely watered down, and in the climate of economic uncertainty, it appears that business interests came before health and safety.

I do not know why the government even bothered with such an ineffective law, unless it was just for appearance sake. It appears to have many loopholes and exceptions, and personally, I think it is a complete sham.

We can do better.

Are the lobbyists running this country– or concerned citizens? No wonder the Tea Party movement has resonated so fast.  People are getting fed up with a governmnt that wastes time on issues– but never comes up with solutions.

The role of government is to provide a safety net for its citizens–military,roads, education and public safety.  Can’t they get any of these right?
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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.

Pain-Free Ways to Cut Your Companies’ Energy Consumption

Austin, Texas: The automotive industry is being required to double their fuel economy standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 in an effort to reduce global warming and cut oil consumption.

That’s right–double what today’s standards are in 14 years.

Or, if you want to break it down, that’s about 7% more efficient per year over that time frame.

Breaking a long-term goal into smaller targets actually is a much more reasonable way to meet your goals.

7% per year.

Can your organization reduce its fuel consumption and carbon footprint by 7% per year?

Here are twelve simple ideas to cut your fuel consumption and becoming a greener organization.

1. Thermostat adjustments.
2. More efficient lighting.
3. Newer HVAC equipment.
4. Solar panels.
5. Local buying.
6. Bicycle parking spots.
7. Double-sided printing mandates.
8. Re-Think business travel.
9. Use a green energy provider.
10. Increase tele-conferencing.
11. Enforce sleep-mode computer settings.
12. Unplug all chargers at night.

7% per year.

Any organization can do it.

What steps will you be taking to cut your energy usage by 7% each year?

I’d love to hear about your list.

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.

Austin, Texas: A New study by the Brookings Institute gives a detailed study of clean jobs in America, and it shines some new light on its impact to the economy.

The report  shows that the clean economy establishments added half a million jobs between 2003 and 2010, expanding at an annual rate of 3.4 percent. As a whole this is very impressive, but is still trails the overall growth rate of the economy, which grew at 4.2 percent for the same time period.

The study also shows that the clean economy is manufacturing and export intensive. Roughly 26 percent of all clean economy jobs are in manufacturing, compared to just 9 percent in the broader economy.

Another benefit of clean jobs is that they offer more opportunities and better pay for low- and middle-skilled workers than the national economy as a whole.  Median wages in the clean economy—meaning those in the middle of the distribution—are 13 percent higher than median U.S. wages.

Surprisingly, among regions, the South has the largest number of clean economy jobs though the West has the largest share relative to its population.  Seven of the 21 states with at least 50,000 clean economy jobs are in the South.

As the 2012 election campaign season begins to heat up, do not let politicians dismiss green jobs as a part of a ‘liberal” agenda or scheme. It should transcend party lines.

The numbers do not lie.

Green jobs are good for the entire US economy and any politician that calls it out for anything other than job creating just does not have their facts straight.

What city or state would not want clean, green jobs in their backyard?

Be active in the 2012 elections and ask questions of your politicians.

What are they going to do to bring in more green jobs?

If they cannot answer this question, perhaps they are not the best candidate for the campaign—regardless of party affiliation.

Vote for more clean, green jobs in 2012.

Sounds like a winning campaign slogan to me.

I’d vote for that!

How about you?
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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.

Data Capture or Go Green Movement? Depends on the Retailer

Austin, Texas: Retailers, are you looking for an easy way to capture your customers’  email addresses and go green at the same time?

Well, many retailers are now offering to send cash register receipts by email--to prevent receipts from getting lost, and also for capturing customer data.

There can, of course, be hyperlinks to your Facebook page, twitter page, etc.

But please, if you are not a green company, do not use the excuse that you are doing this to “save the trees”.

Not only will customers roll their eyes, but you will only make it harder for legitimate green retailers to promote the green movement.

At the same time, be sure to offer a reusable tote instead of plastic bags.

You don’t want to be  a hypocrite.

Help 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.
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An article in Resource Recycling notes that Starbucks has released a report outlining its plans to make all of its cups reusable or recyclable by 2015, as contained in their report, Starbucks Global Responsibility Report: Goals & Progress 2010.

Last year, Starbucks tested the recyclability of its paper cups containing old corrugated cardboard with a pilot project in seven stores in Manhattan, which was later expanded to 86 of its New York locations. In 2011, it launched additional pilot projects to get a handle on the most effective ways to collect the cups.

The article reports that recycling the ubiquitous cups has been challenging for Starbucks, with coordination of its 17,000+ shops nationwide, as well as finding limited demand for the recycled cups, which account for about 95 percent of the company’s in-store beverage packaging.

“The real obstacle is the lack of robust commercial and residential recycling systems in many of the communities where we do business,” reads the report. Starbucks also plans to introduce front-of-store recycling in all of its company-owned locations by 2015, and so far has it in 5 percent of its stores.

“While we have a long way to go to reach our 2015 goal, we hope to see significant improvement in this area in 2011,” reads the report.

Perhaps if they became the primary purchaser of recycled paper cups, it would create momentum for this movement.  Starbucks can take the lead by using only recycled coffee cups. I think a market would be created immediately.

In the meantime, kudos to Starbucks for taking the green challenge seriously and promoting good corporate social responsibility.
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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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Countdown to Earth Day Promotion Ideas: Marketing to Adults

Countdown to Your Earth Day Promotion: Marketing to Adults (Part 4 of 4)

Choosing the Right Gift for Your Earth Day Promotion: Marketing Your Earth Day Promotion to Adults

Earth Day is the one time a year that many adults ever think about the environment.  Sad, but true.

Earth Day also provides an opportunity to educate and inspire adults to take action and to instill some useful information that might persuade them to become more energy efficient or to reduce their carbon footprint.

If you are a company that is trying to market a green product, Earth Day is the ultimate opportunity to promote your brand or product or service.  In fact, if you have a green product and you are not promoting it heavily during Earth Day, you are missing out on a tremendous marketing opportunity.

Here are my Top 10 selling eco-friendly promotional items that businesses and organizations have used in 2010 to better promote their cause and message:

1: Informational Slide Wheels : These handy eco guides will be used over and over again, keeping your imprint and message in front of your audience for years.

2: Flower Seed Packets: Whether it be butterfly mixes or standard Spring flowers, the large imprint area on the back of a flower seed packet allows you to imprint a miniature billboard of information.  Great for lists and environmental tips.

3: Pens and Pencils Made from Recycled Materials:  There are imprinted writing instruments now made from recycled denim, currency, newspaper, plastic and even tires.

4: Tote Bags: If you are promoting Earth Day at an outdoor event or a trade show, nothing will be Read more…

Earth Day Marketing Ideas

Countdown to Your Earth Day Promotion: Determining Your Plan of Action  (Part 2 of 4)

In the first part of this Earth Day series, we discussed the need to determine the goal for your participation in an Earth Day promotion.

This article helps you to determine the plan of action for your Earth Day Promotion, so you can choose the right product mix and agenda.

Over the past few years, more and more companies are claiming to be green-friendly, environmentally sensitive or environmentally aware and concerned about their carbon footprint.   Most are genuinely concerned about doing the right thing; others don’t necessarily “walk the walk”.  Still others just think of the environment on Earth Day, circling it on their calendar as if it was a birthday, anniversary, or other one day, annual event.

If your company or organization is truly environmentally-friendly or is going green, Earth Day is an ideal opportunity to promote your company in a positive light.

Once you establish the reason for your Earth Day promotion, the next plan of action is to get answers to the following questions:

Who is your target audience? Male or Female.  Young or Old? Families or Singles?  Everybody? (Really…everybody??)

Understanding the audience is crucial in determining what type of product you will hand out.  For example, if it is seniors, perhaps a jar opener made of recycled rubber tires in the shape of a foot with instructions on reducing their carbon footprint might be in order.  If it is for families, a live tree seedling or sapling might be the best option.  For women, imprinted recycled tote bags are still extremely popular.  People never seem to have enough tote bags.

What is the desired action? Do you want the recipient to go to a website to learn more or to take further action? Do you want the person to think of your organization in a more desirable or positive light?   Do you want to educate them with the item?

Don’t forget to print your URL for the follow up, which should be Read more…