Austin, Texas: Since the new year has just begun, now is the ideal time to think about volunteering and helping a green non-profit organization increase awareness and help to raise much needed funds.

As a green marketer, we are all in this together.

Creating educated consumers is good for your business, as they are the ones that can better appreciate the importance of buying green and going green.

Outreach is one of the basic tenets of green marketing–promoting the need for, and the importance of, green causes, behaviors and political and social movements.

Look into some green organizations–either at the local, state or national level and volunteer your time.  Get involved.

Get known as an organization that cares about the environment-not just about making money.

Help this organization politic for greener standards.

Help them to raise much needed money.

Help them recruit new volunteers.

Help them to create greater awareness.

It is a win-win relationship. Don’t sit back and let the green movement come to you.

You need to come to the green movement.

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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 few weeks back I had attended a trade show for the wholesale trade and was amazed at the number of people with banners touting “Eco-Friendly” and “Go Green”, etc.

Being a green marketing company, those signs immediately attracted my attention and I stopped at most of these booths.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed at how these firms substantiated their claims.

Just because an item can be recycled, does not necessarily make it eco-friendly. Many of these companies had no clue as to the recycle symbols on their products, whether or not it had any recycled material, country of origin, etc.

Customers are wary of claims that cannot be backed up with proof.

Then, on top of that, the majority of these companies had business cards that were not made on recycled paper stock or FSC-certified paper– nor were their catalogs or flyers.

Pay attention to the little things.

Going green means paying attention to the details, big and small..

If you claim to be green, at least know the issues that are affecting the country in terms of sustainability, carbon footprint and even climate change.

If your business cards and flyers are not recycled or FSC-certified, take down your “eco-friendly” banners- and decide if marketing to a green niche is the right target audience for you.

Marketing takes consistency.

Is your green marketing message consistent?

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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: Noted author Seth Godin wrote a blog post today talking about how a movement actually happens one person at a time.

He says, “Products and services succeed one person at a time, as the word slowly spreads. Customers defect one person at a time, as hearts are broken and people are disappointed. Doors open, sure, but not all at once. One at a time.”

Too many people view the green movement as a whole, as an entity, without thinking about how people come to join the movement — one at a time. Or how they leave a movement.

The key to a greener planet is education and outreach.

As young children are taught more about the hazards of climate change and understand how decisions they make can impact their carbon footprint, they will tell others. And lead by example.

Other students will catch on, as will some of their parents and grandparents.

After time, the movement snowballs – as it gains momentum.

Resistance will fade over time, just as other movements, such as Civil Rights, Women’s Suffrage, etc. have ceased to be the major wedge issues in this country.

But always remember, to promote the Green Movement, one needs to practice outreach and education.

One person at a time.

As Seth Godin says, “One at a time is a little anticlimactic … but one at a time is how we win and how we lose.”

Are you continually practicing green outreach?
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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.

Going Green: An Interesting Tale

Austin, Texas: I get an email the other day –which I thought was hysterical about th previous genrations understanding of “going green”.

It was very humorous.

Here it is–verbatim:

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment.”

He was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right.

We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throw-away kind.

We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.

Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn’t have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.

We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right; we didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.

And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

Just goes to show, that everyone’s point of view of what comprises “green” or “conservation” may be in the eye of the beholder.

Let’s all find ways to be greener – without any name calling or without the passing of judgment.
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, is experienced in green marketing campaigns and 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:  As a marketer, it seems like it gets tougher and tougher to stand out from the crowd in a world of advertising, e-blasts, social media, etc.

As a green company, it is just as difficult.  Many people are using the word “green” in their name, in their product description, on their packaging, etc.

How can you catch your customer’s attention while so many other companies are also going green?

Well, have you thought about going green locally? Going green at the community level?

Think of ways to promote green outreach to your community.  It is easier to make an impact on a micro level, and it will build goodwill for your organization.

Here are a few simple ideas to keep your green message in front of your community:

1-Sponsor a portion of a highway for litter pickup.

2-Plant trees at a park or school or community center.

3-Speak at local organizations about how companies can “green their office”–such as at chamber of commerce meetings, Lion’s or Rotary Club meetings, etc.

4-Sponsor a booth or table at your city’s Earth Day Festival.

5-Start an Earth Day celebration in your town.

6-Team up with other businesses to promote green seminars, trade shows or fairs.

7-Get your vehicle wrapped with green messages and slogans.

8-Team up with other businesses and sponsor a Trash Pickup Drive–that takes oils, paints, batteries, prescription pills and other non-hazardous trash that cannot disposed of during regular trash pickup.  Get involved with your city’s Solid Waste Department to see how you can help.  You can also bring in the local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to participate with you.

9-Work with your city’s solid waste or public utilities department and see if you can help with donations, giveaways, speeches to the general public, cross promoting with their programs, etc.  City services have very tight budgets, and the more public support they get, the better.

10-Sponsor an e-Waste Trash Disposal drop off campaign.  These drop off stations can be wrapped or logoed with your brand — and you can work with local e-waste recycling centers to handle the recycling and disposal of these items.

11-Put together a YouTube or PowerPoint presentation about green issues concerning your community – and use it internally, promote it on social media, lend it to local news outlets and to city services, who might utilize it in some ways.  These presentations need to be 100% non-commercial, with just your logo and message at the end for a few seconds.  If it reeks of commercialism, it will fail.

12-Give out eco-friendly promotional items instead of plastic ones.   Each of these items, from imprinted environmentally-themed coloring books to information wheels should have educational value.

13-Practice what you preach in public.   This would include having a recycling program both at  home and at work, downsizing to a more fuel efficient vehicle, switching to CFL or LED lighting, etc.  Don’t be caught in a lie, promoting yourself as “green” just for appearance sake.

14-Keep in mind: It is important at these events to keep the focus on education and outreach on environmental issues-and not be a shill for your company.  You will have a much more positive impact on the audience.

Stand out from your competition.

Be creative.

How do you plan to promote your green organization to your audience?

I’d love to hear about it.

Let’s make Earth Day Every 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:  Many pundits have been declaring that GREEN IS DEAD over the past year or so, as the economy falters.

Recently, President Obama asked the EPA to withdraw new ozone protection laws as they might cost jobs.

Austerity measures are fine, and any legislation that might have the perception of job killing is politically dead, however true or false the assertions are.

What does this mean to the rest of us?

Well, to me it means that businesses of all sizes must step up to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce their energy dependence.

If every organization, big or small, found ways to reduce their energy consumption by just 10% per year, we will cut our usage by 50% in five short years–without any government intervention — or interference.

Each company should have a person designated as Sustainability Director who takes suggestions form ALL departments on ways to cut their electricity and power usage.

There is a great deal of “low hanging fruit” that can easily yield a 10% annual reduction.

Encourage and challenge your employees to look for simple ideas. Then keep looking.

Make it fun.

Educate your employees about why you are making these changes.

And encourage them to reduce their energy consumption at home by 10% too.

At the 10 year anniversary of the September 11 attacks, who would not be in favor of reducing our foreign oil consumption that leads indirectly and directly to Mideast unrest and wars.

Drill baby, drill? Perhaps. Perhaps not, but that it not a fix for our “energy addiction”, as former President Bush alluded to.

Schools and government organizations should lead the way in reducing their energy usage–and small and large businesses alike should be jumping in.

Will you join the 10% challenge?

Spread the word.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas:  It is now official.  There have been 10,000 commercial green building projects that have earned LEED ratings, as mentioned by GreenBuildings.com.

LEED-certified commercial space now totals 1.3 billion square feet of property around the globe, according to Erin Emery, a spokeswoman for the Green Building Certification Institute, which provides the third-party confirmation for LEED certifications.

Since the  U.S. Green Building Council initiated its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system in 2000, there has been tremendous strides.

This is a great start for the entire commercial building industry.

The chart, from Environmentalleader.com, shows the rapid growth of LEED Gold certified buildings over the past decade.

Hopefully, this trend will not only continue, but will double in scope each year.

Will it take tax incentives?  Most likely.

The National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) encourages its developer members to “proactively lobby local governments with their preferred incentives when the subject of green buildings appears on the local agenda.”

Achieving LEED certification is a win-win proposition.  The property owner saves money on their energy bills, they can more readily attract a better tenant,the property usually retains it value longer and it helps to reduce climate change.

Does achieving LEED certification take time, money and effort up-front.  Sure.  But the cost savings in the long-term ,ore than offset this effort.

Establish your business as truly green friendly and seek out LEED-certified buildings to lease, build or convert your own property as LEED certified, and/or support businesses who have earned LEED ratings.  When money flows to these companies, it will only encourage more applications for the program.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s practice what we preach.

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

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

Here’s to a good night’s sleep … at a green hotel.
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas:  As the government faces an impasse over the debt ceiling, I am struck how similar this debate about the econmy is similar to certain situations that environmentalist face.

It’s about seeing the forest for the trees- no pun intended.

The Tea Party are so dogmatic about taxes and government spending that they don’t realize that a lowering of the credit rating of the U.S. government is like a tax hike– as interest rates will surely rise.  If they were to think the situation through, they would realize that getting 75% of what they want is better than getting 100% of  bad deal.

Same holds true for some environmental battles.

I have written about the excoriation of green companies that make claims that may overreach– rather than spending their times fighting against companies that are polluting our water, air and land. Both need addressing, but one should definitely take priority over the other for attention.

A new issue has developed in my hometown of Austin, Texas, where developers are planning to cut down a 70-year old, 57-foot pecan tree to clear way for a 400-foot office/residential tower.

On the surface, you can understand the environmentalists complaint about chopping down a giant tree.

On the other hand, environmentalists are preaching the virtues of city density, where people live, work and shop within a small area to reduce the need for driving and to improve air quality.

Even Roy Whaley, the vice chairman of the Austin chapter of the Sierra Club, has mixed feelings when he says, “We do want to densify downtown and appropriate areas and put as many people downtown as possible, but we can’t stand to walk downtown if we don’t have trees to shade us.”

I think that people need to weigh each case on its individual merits and not be so quick to decide on an outcome–without doing some analysis.

Our country would be a lot better shape if people understood that the word is not black and white–but that most matters are in the grey area.

Let’s hope level-minded individuals can prevail in both issues–the economy and the environmnet.

Playing “gotcha” is fun for kids.  But aren’t there any adults left in the house?
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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.