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THE BUSINESS OF GREEN MEDIA CONFERENCE AT CAL POLY
JANUARY 22, 2009
There's still time!
Igniting Green Media Business Growth,
Innovation & Resilience
Growing Lean, Green and Profitable in a Shrinking Economy
"The Business of Green Media conference embodies a fundamental change in management
ethos. The California market is a leading laboratory for what is possible and as well as practical. Organizations of all types are re-examining operating procedures, committing to methods that minimize harmful impacts, and maximize benefit to society as a whole."
Bill Esler, Editor in Chief, Graphic Arts Monthly
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
REGISTER
NOW
Presented by
SustainCommWorld and
The Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
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GREEN MEDIA CONNECT
SITE LAUNCHED
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The NETWORK for marketing, advertising, publishing and enterprise communication professionals seeking profitable and sustainable supply chains has now launched. Join us today. It's FREE.
Check out GreenMediaConnect.com and add your ideas, ask your questions, view videos, download resources and listen to podcasts.
Visit now, set up your account and invite your colleagues to join us oline.
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ELEPHANT POOP PAPER
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We just couldn't resist.
Just announced . Paper is made from 75 percent elephant dung (the other 25 is all post-consumer waste), which is collected from elephant orphanages in Sri Lanka.
From Mr. Ellie Pooh:
Since an elephant's diet is all vegetarian, the waste produced is basically raw cellulose. Thoroughly cleaned and processed, the cellulose is
converted into a uniquely beautiful textured product, marketed as "Ellie Pooh Paper".
It makes for an "acid free, linen-like papyrus-type paper.
But how Viable can a Poop Paper Industry Be?
If you think the whole idea of paper-from-elephant-poop seems to be a desperate effort - think again. An adult elephant creates 500 pounds of dung a day, making it a very reliable, very renewable resource. Elephant poop
paper could prove to be a sustainable, lucrative boon to the Sri Lankan economy.
And there's the fact that the paper uses absolutely no trees in its creation is a huge bonus to eco-minded consumers.
The poopy paper is now being sold by Pixxlz, a Massachusetts based printed products company, so expect to see more of it around the US soon. If you'd like to purchase some, it's available in numerous colors and covers and card stocks. And no, it doesn't smell like sh*t.
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| Greetings! |
We've been writing for a year now about sustainability, the economy and business - your business. We've written that sustainability is a business opportunity. More than a "fad," it's a global movement and a politically mandated perspective. We've urged you to commit to moving your department, division, company and to align your business goals to take advantage, profit from a differentiated marketing position and avoid the risks that might ensue with lack of preparedness.
We're seeing early initiatives bearing fruit. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) reported in their January newsletter that Sharp retooled an old plant to become the largest U.S. producer of solar panels. The Cree company of North Carolina is posting record revenues as a manufacturer of LEDs. A report from Duke University, Manufacturing Climate Solutions, concludes that the ripple effect from companies like Cree could boost employment in entire networks of supporting industries.
The EDF and a broad coalition of firms and nonprofits called the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) have unveiled a blueprint for Congress to act swiftly on climate by requiring significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Get a copy of the Blueprint for Legislative Action here.
These are legislative actions that will effect our businesses, our supply chains and our respective industries. And they're
coming at us fast. Perhaps there's still time to make a New Year's Resolution. Here are two suggestions.
First, Education. Sustainability is going to be a part of our society's activities for a long time to come so on-going education on the topic is both cumulative and profit producing. While many current books and articles have addressed the basics of sustainability, few have covered how we might adapt to the large climate changes that are already "baked into" the world picture.
Second, perform or review your company's Carbon Footprint calculation. Few inquiries surface as much useful information about areas of potential savings. Also, there is increasing pressure to direct the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation to cover green house gasses emissions reporting. Having your "ducks in a line" if and when this happens, could spare your company undue expense and disruption.
Have a happy, healthy and profitable New Year.
Lisa Wellman
CEO, SustainCommWorld
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MARKETING: NOTES OF INTEREST
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MARKETING IN A RECESSION
In a 2005 report published by the Penn State Smeal College of Business found that:
An economic recession should not prompt marketing cutbacks, but rather aggressive increase in marketing spending to achieve superior business performance. The study finds that firms entering a recession with a pre-established strategic emphasis on marketing; an entrepreneurial culture; and a sufficient reserve of under-utilized workers, cash, and spare production capacity are best positioned to approach recessions as opportunities to strengthen their
competitive advantage.
Findings from a Pennsylvania University study determined:
1. Firms that invest aggressively in marketing send a reassuring signal of confidence to concerned customers about their staying power and provide an incentive for customers to switch from firms that they perceive as weak.
2. During a recession, reduction in input costs combined with the increased marketing effective of the proactive firm should result in improved business performance.
Research on firm performance in hostile environments suggests that risk-taking may be necessary for survival and growth.
COKE'S NEW DRINKING CUPS - MARKETING GREEN
Coca-Cola debuted a new compostable fountain drink cup last week at the University of Washington. The city of Seattle has passed a mandate that will require all packaging to be compostable
by July of 2010. It seemed to some that Coke had just seen an opportunity to up its green cred by turning in its homework early, and calling its compostable cup at UW a "pilot program" for compostable cups. We don't know how long Coke has had a compostable cup - but, Coke saw an opportunity, jumped in with their solution and got great press. Now's the time for companies to make their plays with good green stories and take advantage of first mover positioning.
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IGNORE "SPECIES DIVERSITY' AT OUR PERIL
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In a media company's sustainability plans, "maintaining species diversity" is far down the list of priorities. Perhaps that ranking requires some review.
Maintaining species diversity means preserving habitats and conditions that foster the growth and maintenance of all plant and animal species.
You may ask, "Who cares if human activity eradicates frogs?" Simply stated, frogs feed on mosquito larvae and keep that malaria-carrying insect population in check. Malaria is the leading disease causing human deaths.
The same obvious dependency can be linked to bees that pollinate a huge range of plants. Should bees disappear, food supplies would quickly dwindle.
Our problem is our ignorance. We lack the knowledge
of how many other species provide health benefits and their role in beneficially balancing the biosphere.
Some species keep tree beetles in check and if those beetles multiply out of proportion, entire forests are killed. This is happening in the western United States today with global warming that provides milder winters that in turn fail to kill the beetles. Entire forests have been blighted. Forests provide fiber for paper and thus affect all print media.
Also consider that all living beings are composed of the same DNA components and that all living beings - plant and animal - arose from the first living cell and thus all living beings are more closely related to humans than most people consider.
Finally, the reason we've been able to evolve is that we've enjoyed living in a "balanced biosphere" where each species has its niche and is interdependent on other species for its breathable atmosphere, food and habitat.
Humanity has succeeded and bread so far out of proportion to its available resources that we've unbalanced the biosphere. Maintaining species diversity is another way of saying we must rebalance the biosphere to reach a sustainable level of human existence.
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"CLEAN" COAL ADVERTISING
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this past December that tobacco firms can be sued under state law for deceptive advertising of "light" cigarettes."
We ask why can't coal companies be sued for their deceptive advertising about "clean coal", CO2 sequestration, and the ads deflecting the effect of "holding" ponds like the recent case of the pond that spilled thousands of gallons of polluting waste into Kentucky waterways and aquifers.
When will their ads and their unchallenged pollution be brought to court and charged with the true cost of clean-up?
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