Looking for a unique way to promote your green business? One of the simplest ways is to get a car wrap done that promotes your company.

Everyone in your community will eventually see your message and will associate your brand with a green-friendly company. It is a very low cost way of marketing your green company and it can be fun to drive.  I have started to see more and more of these cars and trucks in my travels and they certainly stand out.

Three caveats:

First, make sure the vehicle you are placing the graphic on is indeed green-friendly.  I happened to see a minivan all wrapped last week promoting a green product–but it just smacked of green washing and did not convey sincerity.   Use these car wraps on hybrid vehicles, smart cars and electric cars for inexpensive advertising.

Secondly, do not dictate that everyone at your company drive a wrapped car, as it takes a certain type of Read more…

I came across an interesting website the other day that I thought my readers would find interesting, the Earth Day Network.

According to the site, through the Earth Day Network (EDN) “activists connect, interact, and have an impact on their communities, and create positive change in local, national, and global policies. EDN’s international network reaches over 17,000 organizations in 174 countries. Our domestic programs engage 5,000 groups and over 25,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year. Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a billion people participate in Earth Day each year.”

Earth Day Network’s programs and activities are guided by the following goals:

• Promote Civic Engagement
• Broaden the Meaning of “Environment”
• Mobilize Communities
• Implement Groundbreaking Environmental Education Programs
• Help Bring Clean Water and Sanitation to the World
• Inspire and engage college students to become environmental leaders
• Support Earth Day Events and Actions around the World
• Workplace Giving Through Earth Share

If you see other eco-sites that might be worth investigating, please drop me a note.

Remember, Earth Day is April 22.

Happy 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 anyone 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.

The US Department of Energy has recently updated its general information site called Tax Breaks for Businesses, Utilities, and Governments.

There are huge savings available for both commercial accounts (businesses, utilities, and government) and consumers.

The recently passed Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-343) included, extended and/or amended many offered for businesses, utilities, and government originally introduced in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT). The bill also included tax incentives for consumers. For a complete summary of the tax incentives included in the bill, download the summary of Energy Tax Incentives in The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

The following types of incentives on the commercial side are covered in the bill:

Renewable Energy Incentives
These incentives include tax credits for production and facilities using wind, refined coal, geothermal, biomass, solar, and combined heat and power systems. In addition, $800 million of Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) are authorized to finance renewable facilities.

Transportation & Domestic Fuel Security
These incentives provide tax credits for alternative fueling stations, cellulosic biofuel facilities, and for alternative fuel production, including biofuels, biomass gas versions of liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied or compressed natural gas, and aviation fuels. Idle reduction units and advanced insulation for heavy vehicles are also provided a tax exemption.

Energy Conservation and Efficiency
These incentives provide financing and incentives for state and local governments to reduce greenhouse emissions, for builders and developers to build efficient buildings or to improve existing buildings, and for manufacturers to produce efficient appliances. In addition, these incentives allow for swifter recovery of the cost of smart electric meters and grid equipment.

Consumer Energy Tax Incentives include such breaks as:

Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credits
Consumers who purchase and install specific products, such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in the home can receive a tax credit of up to $500 for improvements “placed in service” starting January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. The ENERGY STAR® website has a complete summary of energy efficiency tax credits available to consumers.

Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credits
Consumers who install solar electric systems can receive a 30% tax credit for systems placed in service from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2016; the previous tax credit cap of $2,000 no longer applies. In addition, consumers who install small wind systems can receive a tax credit up to $4,000. Geothermal heat pumps also qualify for tax credits up to $2,000.

Automobile Tax Credits
Individuals and businesses who buy or lease a new hybrid gas-electric car or truck are eligible for an income tax credit for vehicles “placed in service” after January 1, 2006 and purchased on or before December 31, 2010. The amount of the credit depends on the fuel economy, the weight of the vehicle, and whether the tax credit has been or is being phased out. Hybrid vehicles that use less gasoline than the average vehicle of similar weight and that meet an emissions standard qualify for the credit. There is a similar credit for alternative-fuel, diesel, and fuel-cell vehicles.

This tax credit will be phased out for each manufacturer once that company has sold 60,000 eligible vehicles. At that point, the tax credit for each company’s vehicles will be gradually reduced over the course of another year. Read the IRS’s Summary of the Credit for Qualified Hybrid Vehicles for information on the status of specific vehicle eligibility.

If individuals and businesses buy more than one vehicle, they are eligible to receive a tax credit for each. If a tax-exempt organization buys such a vehicle, the retailer is also eligible to receive another credit. Companies that buy heavy-duty hybrid trucks are also eligible for a larger tax credit.

Consumers who purchase plug-in electric drive vehicles can also receive a tax credit. The credit for passenger vehicles and light trucks ranges from $2,500 to $7,500 based on the tax code formula.
Taxpayers may claim the full amount of the allowable credit up to the end of the first calendar quarter after the quarter in which the total number of qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles sold in the U.S. exceeds 250,000.

The Obama Administration has promised to continue its push for more tax incentives for renewable and alternative energy –so this Act is surely just a start.

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 anyone 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.

Many businesses are now taking advantage of a new tax incentive vehicle, known as demand response.

According a recent article entitled How to Take Charge, Rack Up Revenue, Earn Incentives and Whittle Away Waste by Mary Catherine O’Connor, a demand response event occurs when heightened energy use, generally caused by weather extremes, leads to the threat of overtaxing an electrical grid. To avoid blackouts, the utility puts out a call to companies that can lower their energy usage over a given block of hours during peak demand to do so — in exchange for money.

She notes that these businesses often work through an independent third party that works both with the end user of energy and the utility provider, which is known as an independent system operator (ISO). An ISO works to maintain a balance of supply and demand on an electrical grid that serves a given region or state, and ensures that adequate power supplies are always available.

Basically the businesses participating in the manual demand response system needed only to install a special meter to measure electricity usage in intervals — usually an hour or 15-minute periods — so they can prove how much they have reduced energy usage over a given time.

Other businesses are installing large on-site power generation plan –usually large solar panels across their roofs- which can actually pay them for generating power, if they buy the equipment. If they choose to lease the solar equipment, the tax incentives go to the installer, but the property gets the benefit of reduced energy costs.

The US Department of Energy has recently updated its general information site called Tax Breaks for Businesses, Utilities, and Governments.

Free money talks – and if states and cities can do a better job of promoting their “demand response and energy efficiency improvements”, it will be a short time before most businesses seek to improve grid utilization through rebates and money back.

Some city utilities are currently offering free digital thermostats for private homeowners, which adjust temperatures automatically to peak energy demands and empty houses, such as the City of Austin.

All are good steps to take in a greener future. Whether businesses switch to these programs out of bottom-line demands just because “going green” is the right thing to do—the American people win.

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 anyone 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.

April 22 will mark Earth Day, an annual event celebrated around the world as the greenest of holidays. Established in 1970, it was created to call attention to the environment.

Earth Day coverage has grown exponentially over the past decade and will get substantial coverage in most media outlets — including national television, radio, newspaper, magazines, blogs, etc.

Earth Day creates an excellent opportunity for companies to promote their environmental activities and concerns to a broad base, as well as to their local community.

What will your company do for Earth Day to stand out to its base and capture the attention of its public? How will you let your customers, prospects, employees and/or shareholders know about your efforts to reduce carbon emissions, use more eco-friendly materials, reduce waste in packaging, start a recycling campaign, cut emissions, etc?

My suggestion: Don’t forget the kids. Children are Our Future.

A national research study commissioned by the National Environmental Education Training Foundation noted that children placed the environment third in a list of 10 issues behind only AIDS and kidnapping. This contrasts greatly with adults, for whom the economy, crime, and drugs are of greater concern. Children worry about long-term issues such as damage to the ozone layer and destruction of the rain forest.

Did you know that 99% of children in America today have access to environmental classes in school, and 31 states require schools to incorporate environmental concepts into virtually every subject in all grade levels?

Reach out to children. Children have influence over parents’ buying habits. as well as being an influencing force for recycling and conservation activities.

If you have a local business, work with a school district and get imprinted eco-friendly promotional items, which are educational, into the students’ hands. Try to target elementary or middle schools for best response and maximum impact.

Many of my clients have given out live tree seedlings in imprinted recyclable bag to the local elementary school principals to be handed out to the classrooms during their Earth Day discussions. The students will take the trees home with them and plant them—reminding the entire family of your company’s kindness and desire to re-green your community.

Other great eco-friendly promotional items for students include: reusable backpacks or cinch bags, biodegradable water bottles, pencils and pens made from recycled material, coloring books about recycling and even magnets made from recycled cardboard.
If you are a regional or national company, work with your distributors or regional offices to get your products placed.

Bonus Tip: To save money, contact some non-competing businesses in your area and try to split, or co-op, the cost of the imprinted gifts. You can split the size of the imprint two or three ways—depending on imprint area, which will cut your costs dramatically.

Earth Day will be celebrated and discussed in nearly every school on April 22nd. Don’t miss your chance to promote your business in a green-friendly way.

Happy 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 anyone 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.

Earth Day is April 22

Finally, in the waning months of the Bush Administration, the EPA is slashing the amount of lead allowed in the nation’s air by 90 percent. Has the Environmental Protection Agency suddenly turned environmental?

Well, actually, they were under a federal court order to set a new health standard for lead by midnight Wednesday, so they had no choice.

Exposure to even low levels of lead early in life can affect learning, IQ and memory. Under this new regulation, the first lead update in thirty years (yes 30 years!), the new limit for airborne lead has been reduced by tenfold, to 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter; the current standard, which was 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter.

The new standard would require the 16,000 remaining sources of lead, including smelters, metal mines, and waste incinerators, to reduce their emissions.

According to many environmentalists, the key to this program is the monitoring of these sites. “We commend EPA for taking a giant step in the right direction, but they need to greatly expand the lead monitoring network if they hope to enforce this standard,” said Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist with the Natural Resource Defense Council.

This is a positive step and one that we can hopefully see with a new administration.

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Robert Piller is President of EcoMarketing Solutions LLC, a company that helps businesses promote themselves to their customers and prospects at trade shows using environmentally-friendly promotional products that won’t end up in a landfill. He is a frequent speaker and writer on issues of green marketing. He can be reached at robert@ecomarketingsolutions.com. You can also visit his blog at www.greenspotblog.com.

Forget about the United States as the hub of the solar powered technology future, as Mexico is seeking to become a leader in this competitive industry. A $250 million project named Silicon Border Science Park is being planned as a 10,000 acre high-tech/science park…in Baja California, Mexico. Originally planned as a chip making project, it has changed its strategy to attract solar manufacturers to a location just south of San Diego. Since California is at the heart of the American alternative fuel revolution, this project looks like a sure bet. Mexico offers lower labor costs than its northern neighbors, lower operating costs and preferences under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In addition, transportation costs will be minimal due to its proximity to the United States. Although there are still a few details to work out before construction begins, Mexico can become a leader in alternative fuels, especially as its own nationalized oil infrastructure is beginning to show signs of misuse and wear and tear. In fact, Q-Cells, a German solar cell manufacturer will soon be breaking ground on a 3,000-acre site in Mexico–just on the other side of the border from Calexico, California. Perhaps this project will spur similar projects along the US-Mexico border and make North America the capital of solar and alternative energy for the 21st century.
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Robert Piller is President of Eco Marketing Solutions, which helps companies promote their brand and image at trade shows and in direct mail with environmentally-friendly imprinted promotional products that won’t end up in landfills. He is a frequent guest writer and speaker on issues of green marketing. He can be reached at robert@ecomarketingsolutions.com or visit his blog: www.greenspotblog.com.

Austin, Texas has just announced a new project, named the Pecan Street Project, which is designed to “bring great minds of clean energy — and the money and jobs that come with them — to Austin to develop the electrical grid and utility business model of the future”, according to an article by Katie Humphrey in the Austin American Statesman.

According to Brewster McCracken, an Austin City Council member, “We’ve got to change the way electricity is delivered. It involves business model changes and significant technical advances in distribution, storage and the source of the electricity”.

In the 1980′s, Austin was home to Sematech and MCC, two consortium that helped build the reputation of Austin as the base for high tech minds and high tech projects. It was very successful, as many high tech ventures were launched, then later spun off, while Austin’s high tech manufacturing and sales forces hit an all-time high.

The Pecan Street Project (named for one of Austin’s oldest and most eclectic streets) hopes to lure green projects of all scopes to Austin, and replace manufacturing jobs which had peaked in 2000. With assistance from the Environmental Defense Fund, the Pecan Street Project will try to recruit both public and private partners interested in clean energy research. They will also promote the Project at the Clean Energy Venture Summit, which will be hosted by the University of Texas and Austin Energy in December.

Let’s hope this project is successful – and spawns similar projects across the nation. America’s energy independence depends on it.
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Robert Piller is President of Eco Marketing Solutions, a company that helps businesses to promote their brand and name to their customers and prospects using environmentally-friendly promotional products that won’t end up in a landfill.You can visit his website at www.ecomarketingsolutions.com and view over 50,000 eco-friendly imprinted promotional products. Robert Piller is a frequent speaker and writer on issues of green marketing and helps companies that want to go green better promote themselves in their marketing campaigns. He can be reached at robert@ecomarketingsolutions.com or read his blogs at www.greenspotblog.com.

(Part 2 of 3)

The day you have marked on the calendar is here. Today is the first day of the trade show you have planned for over the past few months. You’ve lost sleep, spent time at Kinko’s the other night running off last-minute flyers and signage you forgot about, and now you are ready to go.

Or are you ready?

In my previous column, I discussed several strategies for maximizing your trade show effectiveness and return on investment.

In this column, I will be discussing several “at-show” trade show activities and tips you can do to ensure a successful trade show.

Guerilla Marketing: Some companies do an end-run around the show management’s policy of a 5-mile radius of non-competing activities by hosting hospitality suites at nearby hotels (or even the host hotel or at the corporate home office or regional facility). I have even heard of companies that host private invitation-only golf tournaments the day prior to a trade show to get the maximum bang for their buck as they bring in their top prospects, customers and vendors. Be forewarned, however, that if caught violating the show management’s rules, you can be fined, banned, humiliated and forced to walk the plank (well maybe not the plank). Many of these same functions can be done with the blessing of show management with a smile, charm and some money.

Walk the Walk, not Talk the Talk: Many times you can get into a trade show by applying as an attendee or by telling management that you would like to walk the show to decide whether or not you want to exhibit the following year. As an attendee, you can visit your competitor’s booth and hear their sales presentations – though you may also be kicked flat on your backside, as well as thrown out of the show by management. I have always found it good business to introduce myself to my competitors, offer to swap brochures (you are each going to end up with each others’ sales material one way or the other) and just start a friendly conversation. Sometimes you can learn a great deal just be being honest and up-front. (Remember the golden rule: “Do unto others…”)

Walking a show floor also gives you an opportunity to actively seek out potential customers, either in the aisles, at seminars, in the restrooms (yes, I have seen it and it is not pretty), at lunch or at other booths. Remember, exhibitors do not like to have salespeople visit their booth on their time (since they paid for their booth space and you didn’t). Best approach is to arrive early (just as the show floor opens) or just as the show closes, as it will be less busy then and exhibitors may welcome a conversation during a slow time.

Attending Seminars: Attending seminars is an excellent way to meet prospects and renew old acquaintances. Same strategy applies here—get there early and stay late—as you will often get an opportunity to meet many high caliber prospects. Have your 30-second elevator speech ready and met and mingle.

Celebrity Appearances: You can plan to have a celebrity at your booth or an opportunity to meet the president or CEO of your company (if that is an appealing option). I have seen booths with local professional athletes, sportscasters, painters, wrestlers, actors, cheerleaders, Spuds McKenzie (am I dating myself?), singers, body builders and “celebrities” that I did not recognize at all.

If promoted properly, a celebrity appearance can bring people into your booth, giving you an opportunity to try to qualify them while they wait in line. A typical Hollywood B-list actor can be had for as little as $5,000 and as high as $25,000 or more per day, so it depends on your budget. Although this can bring both exhibitors and attendees into your booth, I believe that anything you can afford to do that get’s people to stop in, and gives you an opportunity to qualify them, is a viable option.

Sponsorship Opportunities: There are many opportunities for sponsorships, such as hosting the show’s prayer meetings, breakfasts, luncheons, golf tournaments, speakers, concerts, beverage carts, panel discussions, Wi-Fi service, etc. Depending on your budget, these can be an expensive option, but it will give you an opportunity to get your name in the directory, on banners, and mentioned several times throughout the show. These events will also allow you to mix and mingle with many of the top companies in your industry, giving you and your firm instant credibility.

Ad Specialties/Promotional Products: As I mentioned in my first section, a well-targeted imprinted promotional product can stop a person who would normally pass by your booth – and keep your company in their minds after the show. It goes back to the billboard question I like to ask my clients: “If you can put your advertising billboard on your customer’s desk (or in their car), how much would you pay to rent that space?” A useful and meaningful advertising specialty with a quality imprint can help keep your brand identity in the prospect’s mind when they are ready to make a decision – without the high cost of “rent”.

Remember what I mentioned in the earlier column about an A-B-C selection of swag—a low-cost gift for non-qualified visitors; a higher priced gift for qualified prospects and customers; an even higher valued gift for members of the media, “A-list” prospects and others. Be sure to keep the higher priced gifts out of eyesight so they only go to those you intend them for.

I also suggest packing your literature with the imprinted gift so that when they are handed the promotional item, they get your sales information, as well. I have sold hundreds of orders of imprinted bags, both plastic and fabric bags (both made of recycled material to avoid these ending up in landfills, of course), so when you hand out the item, not only does your billboard get carried around the entire show floor, but your sales material is placed inside ahead of time—ensuring it gets to that buyer.

Another good idea is to hand out a live tree seedling tree in a tube, with a single sheet sales flyer wrapped around it. When you hand it to the recipient, tell them that you are giving them a live tree seedling, so when they get home, they should immediately take it out of their bag and plant it. What happens is that nobody wants to kill a tree, so instead of waiting for that mythical “rainy day” to go through the stack of collected trade show material, they will get home and reach for the tree seedling—with your sales flyer wrapped around it. It is a low-cost way to ensure your material gets looked at.

Lights, Camera, Action: Nothing makes a booth look bleaker than dark spaces and shadows. Pay for electricity and have bright halogen lights highlighting your booth, as well as calling out special sections. Be sure to keep the lights high, as halogen lights can get very hot – making your booth quite warm. Lighting is one area you do not want to skimp on.

Personnel: As a final suggestion, don’t forget your personnel. They should be armed with a few opening statements (open ended questions) and given a plan on how to stand, how to introduce good prospects, how to move along visitors that are not prospects, etc. I also shipping a case or two of bottled water to your booth so you and your staff can stay hydrated. Rest them and rotate the staff if possible, as breaks as few as 15-minutes can help to rejuvenate a person and make them more upbeat.

Following these ideas can help you make the most of your time on the show floor. In my final segment of this article, I will discuss one of the least used, and most important, of the three areas of trade show marketing—the post-show follow up process.

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Note: To view the other segments of this three part column, visit http://greenspotblog.com/?cat=65

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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.