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Beth Ziesenis from Life on Avenue Z has tagged or “memed” me (I admit, I had to look it up too). Which means you, dear reader, have to suffer through another completely un-serious blog today. (And, unfortunately, this one isn’t even about going green.) It also means that I have to write seven things about myself and “tag” seven others, based on the rules below.
And even though I have vigilantly deleted every single chain email I have ever received, I’m going to do this. I am rationalizing to myself that doing this will help increase traffic to my blog and website; thus, I am actually marketing! But you know what, sometimes you just have to break it down. It is my blog after all. And besides, it’s Friday.
Here are rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know they have been tagged and comment on their blog.
Here are my 7 facts:
1) Everyone I know believes that I am so incredibly organized. But my dark secret is that I practically “rent” my library books. Even with online renewal and reminder notices, I seem to always have to pay fines. And at 25 cents per book, per day, that can really add up. I’ve been this way since I was in grade school.
2) I like having curly hair, but I never tell people that. Whenever someone compliments me about my hair, they always follow it with, “But I bet you hate it.” And some compulsion inside me makes me nod in agreement, or at least find something to complain about. Oddly enough, I usually pride myself in honesty. Which brings me to….
3) I am an absolutely terrible liar. I have no idea why, but people always seem to know when I am not being completely truthful, which means I seldom go this route. Except in the case of no. 2 above (or maybe I ring false even then). I was once in a job interview where the interviewer actually said to me, “You’re not interested in this job.” And I wasn’t, but didn’t think she knew that!
4) I don’t drive a green car and feel guilty about it. It’s just not in the cards right now to buy anything new, what with me starting my own business and all. I’m still driving my ‘99 Honda CRV, which gets terrible mileage for a 4-cylinder. But, I try to make it better by taking public transportation as much as I can. And in my most recent job, I worked from home two days a week for the last 8 years.
5) I started dating my husband when we were both in high school – I was 17 and he was 15. And I was too embarrassed at the time to tell more than just my closest friends that I was “robbing the cradle.” But we’re still together, so I guess he wasn’t too offended (although he does still bring it up now and then).
6) Sometimes I can be incredibly naive, to the point that I shock myself! Yet most of the time I consider myself someone with an plenty of common sense, an assertion with which those who know me best would likely agree. ‘Nuff said there.
7) Some days I feel like I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Like maybe I just want to run away to the foothills of Virginia and become an organic farmer. Or write a novel. Or paint pictures. Or live in Africa. Although I am thoroughly committed to what I am doing, of course.
Here are my links so far (more to come):
More Than We Know
Green Girl Guide
Work It, Mom!
Life:Version 2.0
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
We were all just waiting for it to happen, the ubiquitous articles on greening your Christmas. Well the Washington Post was right out there in front of the pack with a full spread on how to have a green Christmas. From presents, to trees, to wrapping paper, to lights. The Post article goes on to discuss which is greener, a fake tree, a real tree that is recycled into mulch, or a burlap-root tree. In the end, they couldn’t decide. I do, however, have an alternate suggestion. It’s environmental because no trees were cut down, and apparently 100% recyclable: a Festivus Pole! And, as a bonus, if you want to leave it up all year long, it converts into a basketball net. What could be better?
Perhaps this post is a bit less serious than my usual, but I simply could not resist.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
I just received an excellent tip from Vinay Kumar, co-owner of printers GRCDirect, on how to reduce your junk mail by 90% by signing up for a junk mail removal service for $19.95 per year — still a bargain when you think about it. And they’ll plant a tree in your name. The nice thing about this service, is that it works for small businesses as well.
Most of the free resources that I wrote about previously, are for residents only, not small businesses. By following my own advice there, I’ve reduced my junk mail substantially — but admittedly not as much as I would have liked. The problem is all of those anonymous mailings that go to all residents. I’m not quite sure how these items would be handled, but I think it’s worth a try.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
In my online travels (that’s the only way I get to travel these days), I came across a few things well worth sharing. I hope you find them useful as well. First, a new CFL bulb, called the CCFL bulb, which has much lower mercury, better color, and is dimmable and usable with motion sensors. It’s available locally in the DC area from Better Bulb in Bethesda, MD.
Now onto the videos. You’ll need to devote some time to these, but well worth viewing. First, for those skeptics still out here who aren’t convinced that Global Warming is a reality or are unsure whether or not it’s caused by humans. This airtight argument will be fun to use at upcoming holiday parties with you favorite naysayer.
The second video, Black Balloons, provides a visual for energy consumption. Very creative.
Sorry for the amalgam of stuff today. I just thought these resources were well worth sharing. Hope you enjoy.
You’ve decided that your organization needs to go green. You have the support of most of many of the staff. You’ve started meeting as a team and have come up with a draft plan. You also know that to be successful, you’ll need the support of the top tier of your organization, whether it’s the CEO, executive director, board, or president.
Failure to garner top-level support for an environmental sustainability initiative could kill it quickly and quietly. But where do you begin? Unfortunately each situation is unique and will require a slightly different approach. The size of your company, the personalities involved, its mission and goals, will all determine the approach you should take. Fortunately, there are a few simple rules you definitely should follow regardless:
- Don’t over-promise. While many initiatives do end up saving money, there is no guarantee that this will happen. So before you promise your board or CEO that going green will save millions (or even thousands) of dollars, remain as conservative as possible in your estimates. And if you’re not sure, don’t commit.
- Show the value. While keeping in mind the above, be sure to site the benefits of going green. Both the measurable, like money and energy, and the not-so measurable, like increased customer loyalty, improved employee productivity.
- Do your homework. To even begin to site some measurable statistics, you’ll need to at least have some idea of how much your organization can cut back and where. Homework also includes understanding where you will find the greatest value for your organization. Which brings us to …
- Measure, measure, measure. Ideally you’ve started to track some of your company’s metrics – energy and water use, waste generation – as this will provide your baseline. These are the figures with which you will begin.
- Site peer pressure. Find out what others in your industry are doing. Your customers, your suppliers, your competitors. Find a few that have made a commitment to sustainability and tell their stories. No one wants to fall behind the competition or fail on their customer’s expectations.
- Ask for input. You don’t need everything written in stone, but do have a draft plan on which you can ask for input. Looking to the people within your own organization for ideas will generate enthusiasm and ownership, especially from the top.
- Try pairing projects. If one strategy might cost money, but another will save it, then present them together. For instance, if you want to purchase more expensive renewable fuels, then pair it with energy efficiency measures that will reduce your energy use. Together, you might be able to show a neutral financial impact.
- Keep it simple, but relevant. Your sustainability initiatives should feel like a natural extension of your company. And it certainly doesn’t need to be complicated. Start small, but think big.
Following these steps will not guarantee success in gaining support, but it will put the odds in your favor. And remember, if at first you don’t succeed, ask for forgiveness, not permission. Wait, I think I got something wrong there…
The other night I was watching Desperate Housewives. (I know, I know. But I read that it had gotten much better this season.) And I absolutely cringed when I saw one of the characters dump his medication down the kitchen sink (the plumber, who really should know better). Right there on national television — a character caught polluting our water.
According to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, most pharmaceuticals should not be flushed down the drain. There are some exceptions (maybe Mike the plumber was aware of these, or maybe he just knew he’d be taking them out of the drain later after Susan went to bed anyway), for those medications deemed controlled substances.
But why, you ask, should I not flush my medicine down the drain? The simple answer is that these chemicals can and do end up in our waterways and in our drinking water. While many of these chemicals are removed during treatment at the plant, trace amounts do remain. These chemicals can accumulate in the environment since they do not all break down.
The EPA recommends mixing pharmaceuticals with coffee grinds, cat litter, or some equally unpleasant matter (I’ll let you fill in the blank), to discourage anyone from using them once disposed of in your trash. Although realistically, if anyone is fishing through your garbage, how discouraged will they be by a little wet coffee? Bottom line: Put your unused medications in the trash, not down the drain. In fact, U.S. EPA offers lots of helpful advice on proper disposal of all sorts of items that we use every day.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
I must have good timing. Today’s top story in the Health section of the Washington Post was all about anti-bacterial handwashes and other products containing triclosan. This article provides a more detailed look at triclosan and how using these products could be contributing to the growth of super bugs, those antibiotic resistant microbes.
I did want to also point out that in my blog, I made no distinction between hand-sanitizers with and without triclosan. Many of those hand gel cleaners are alcohol-based and do not contain triclosan, and are, relatively speaking, safer. The products that we need to be concerned about are all of those soaps, hand-washes, cleaning, and other products that say “anti-bacterial” on them. They’re usually the culprits. But I was particularly surprised to find it in toothpaste — be careful of those toothpastes that claim “anti-gingivitis,” as those are usually the ones with triclosan.
I was interested to note the statistics they site in the article that “71 percent of adults who do some or all of the household cleaning ‘prefer [to use] antibacterial and germ-killing cleaning products.’” Do they really prefer to use them or: 1) do they find it nearly impossible to find gel soap these days that is not anti-bacterial and 2) are they aware of the potential dangers of triclosan.
I bet if they had prefaced that question with a bit of background on this chemical the results would have been significantly different. Consumers simply are not aware of the dangers of many of the products they use very day. It’s a perfectly natural assumption, that, as my neighbor told me: “Why would they be selling it if it’s not safe?” Good question.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
Each September we get a supply list from my children’s school. Inevitably to be found on the list is hand-sanitizer. Now I understand the teacher’s intentions are good — everyone knows schools are germ breeding grounds — but with all of the research showing that the active ingredients in many of the hand-sanitizers are potentially cancer-causing, I can’t understand why we are still being asked to bring them in each year. Perhaps I am just too close to the issues, or know too much for my own good, but I still wonder why these products are still being used in our homes, our offices, and our schools.
Probably my biggest mistake is to assume everyone knows about the research on these chemicals. And there is plenty.
And probably the biggest question I have is why manufacturers are still using triclosan when there are doubts about its safety. Not to mention that there is a very simple, elegant, safe solution: hand-washing. An FDA panel (PDF of report) of experts conducted a multi-year study, which found that hand-sanitizers are no more effective than hand-washing at reducing the spread of bacteria. They also found the ingredients in these products were potential health hazards and that they were persistent and bioaccumulative in the environment. So the downsides are great: potential cancer-causing agent; possible endocrine disrupting; and suspected breeder of super bugs — you know, those bacteria that can resist all antibiotics.
In the EU, they have a the REACH directive, which ultimately will require manufacturers to prove that the chemicals they are using are safe. Now the directive is not without it’s detractors who argue that it doesn’t have enough teeth or is too Big Brother. But it certainly makes sense: A product is not used by consumers until the safety of all its ingredients is assured. Right now the system is working in reverse: new chemicals are produced and used to manufacture products every day that are not proven safe.
And where do these chemicals end up? In our environment and in our water. Here’s an example. Triclosan is in your toothpaste (not all of them, but many). You brush your teeth. Spit out the excess toothpaste with triclosan. The water goes to your local treatment plant. Most chemicals are removed during treatment. Most, but not all. You do that day after day. So do millions of other people. These trace amounts add up. They enter the environment and don’t break down. Those chemicals end up in our lakes, rivers, streams, and then back into our drinking water. It all comes full circle.
Sorry to be so radical, but the ubiquity of the anti-bacterial personal care products are going to be our next water bottle debacle. Both of these issues are sure to remain hot topics on the environmental sustainability agenda. Two unnecessary products that only 10 years ago were virtually unheard of and are now having a huge impact on the natural world.
OK, enough of my diatribe for today. Bottom line: We as consumers need to stop buying this stuff for our homes and offices and schools.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
It seems like everyone is going green these days. Whether this movement is in response to recent studies showing the rise of the “green” consumer or because it’s the right thing to do, associations and nonprofits are getting on board too. In your efforts to go green, one critical area to examine closely is your marketing efforts. Marketing is the public face of your organization and the first area that your customers will notice when they’re measuring your sustainability. Below are some tips for greening your marketing efforts.
- Re-Design Your Materials. One of the most effective ways to go green is to consider the potential environmental impact of your printed material at the design stage. That means taking into things like paper weight, item size, and mailing format at the beginning. A smaller, lighter piece will not only reduce the amount of paper you ultimately use, but also the emissions of the trucks delivering your pieces. Self-mailers eliminate the need for envelopes. And, of course, always use both sides of the paper. The official term for this process is known as Design for the Environment, or DfE. For more about it, see EPA’s website http://www.epa.gov/dfe/.
- Choose the Right Paper. Re-design leads us to the importance of making the right paper choice. To produce a more sustainable printed piece, look for a minimum of 30% post-consumer content that is processed chlorine free. Ideally choose paper that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forest Initiative. And avoid using add-ons that might make it difficult for consumers to recycle your piece, such as coatings, metallic embossing, or inks containing heavy metals. You can also look for paper that is blended with other, more sustainable fibers, like hemp or kenaf.
- Select the Right Printer. Select printers that practice sustainability. Look for providers that use Energy Star printers and copiers; soy- or vegetable-based or recycled, filtered inks; and solvents free of toluene and methylene chloride. Check to make sure they use alcohol-free printing processes. Ideally, look for printers that employ green practices throughout their plant, such as a comprehensive recycling program, energy and water efficiencies, and purchase of renewable fuels. You can also choose a printer that has received chain-of-custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.
- Clean Up Your Mailing List. You can save money and reduce paper use and delivery impacts simply by cleaning up and reducing the size of your mailing list (PDF). Software and mailing services provide tools that remove undeliverable addresses, duplicates, or fix those with missing fields, thereby saving resources. Also regularly check with your customers for address changes and personnel updates. Finally make it easy for your customers to opt out of your mailing list or to receive notices electronically instead.
- Use Electronic Savvy. Until this point, we have assumed that mailings compose a substantial part of your marketing efforts. And this fact remains true for the vast majority of businesses that aren’t effectively using the Internet to reach their target audience. Yet research has shown that organizations that micro-target their online efforts often see a high rate of return. To micro-target your customers, identify the most targeted online publishers, websites, blogs, and email newsletters. Many will offer advertising on their websites or in their email newsletters, which reach thousands of people at a fraction of the cost of traditional media. Or do it for free by writing articles or news items, or by posting comments to blogs or list serves.
- Send Effective Emails. Despite spam, statistics show that email remains an excellent way to build relationships with your customers and promote events and products. Build a solid email list of your customers that you can also break down into specific audience segments to better target your message. Ensure that your list is permission-based and that any email you send out has a prominent opt-out link. Include only the highest quality content and provide value to your target audience with minimal self-promotion.
- Leverage Your Website. Make sure to design the landing page of your website with your promotion in mind. Whatever Internet marketing strategy you use, be sure that the page that brings visitors to your website is designed specifically for them and clearly highlights what you are promoting. The page should be simple and easy to read. It should highlight the value to the customer of the product, service, or event and outline why your organization is the right one to deliver it to them. Also make sure it’s clear how visitors can gather additional information, including how to contact you. And don’t forget to post absolutely every document you can rather than mail it.
- Use Online PR. Press releases aren’t just for the press anymore. With online distribution channels, like PR Web and PR Newswire, you can use news releases to reach your customers directly. But be sure to write press releases in a way that targets your customers, including making a compelling offer to get them to react in some way, such as by going to your website. Also make sure to optimize your news release for searching and browsing by including keyword-rich copy. And don’t wait to send out a press release only when you have big news, look for reasons to distribute them regularly.
- Offset Your Impact. You can donate money to green initiatives to offset the environmental impact of producing and mailing hard-copy marketing pieces. You can buy renewable energy credits (RECs), in which you are purchasing the attributes of green power that have been separated from the power itself. Green-e provides a resource of certified providers in your area. Or purchase offsets from NativeEnergy.com or Cargonfund.org. In both cases, your investment supports development of alternative fuel sources, such as solar, wind, or biomass energy. To determine how much to purchase, you can calculate your impact using an online carbon calculator.
- Have a Plan. In moving to a greener marketing plan, it’s important to put something in writing. It doesn’t need to be complicated or lengthy, but you should outline the steps you need to take to ensure effective execution of your overall marketing strategy. Overtime, you will add new tools and ideas to your plan and will remove those that don’t work for your organization.
Regardless of which marketing efforts you use, remember to track your success. For your e-marketing efforts, use free, online tracking tools, like those provided by Google, so that you know exactly what is working and what is not. By weeding out under-performing tactics and focusing your energy on those with the highest return, you will end up with a good mix of marketing strategies that will help you meet your organization’s goals while improving sustainability. A version of this article also appears on the website of ASAE & Center for Association Leadership.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
In addition to the post about DC’s sustainability conference I wrote for this blog, I also wrote a couple of stories for online green news sources that I wanted to share:
1) DC Region Leaders Gather at Summit to Shape Sustainability Efforts
2) DC Region Grows Green Business Opportunities
3) Green Building Standards Drafted For Use in Local Building Codes
4) Compete on Green Or Fall Behind
There might be a couple more to come. I’ll update this list when they are available.
Elizabeth Striano
Consultant and writer on sustainability and the environment
www.agreenfootprint.com
Helping you leave a green footprint on the world…
