that GREEN blog

Minneapolis based Target (NYSE: TGT) announced Tuesday that it is rolling out a massive nationwide recycling initiative with centers at the front of each of its 1,740 U.S. stores. The recycling stations will accept aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers, plastic bags, MP3 players, cell phones and ink cartridges.

“The launch of store recycling stations allows us to continue to partner with [our guests] to curb unnecessary waste in our stores and our communities, ” said Shawn Gensch, vice president of brand marketing, Target.

Over the course of the last several months, retail chain Target has ramped up its sustainability programs and image, partially in response to retail giant Walmart’s big push to become more sustainable, which includes programs to green its supply chain, use less energy and produce less waste.

But Target isn’t just copying the sustainability programs their friends down in Bentonville, Arkansas are rolling out (though they should probably copy some of them), they’re forging their own path with some unique programs of their own, recently announcing they would no longer sell farmed salmon.

And whether they would admit to it or not, the Target recycling move puts a bit of pressure back on Walmart to up the ante, thereby contributing to a kind of ’race to the top’ — at least until the term was commandeered by the Obama administration.

More Information: http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/4/target-opens-recycling-centers-all.cfm

Sustained Excellence
Marriott International Inc.
Bethesda, Maryland

Marriott International Inc. is a leading lodging company with about 3,000 properties located in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. In 2007, Marriott continued to lead the hospitality industry in the energy management efforts that are the core of its environmental initiatives. The company significantly reduced its environmental footprint and again achieved impressive cost savings. This is the second time Marriott has received ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence recognition. Key accomplishments include:

• Saving nearly $7.8 million in 2007 on energy bills-equivalent to a cost reduction of $0.13 per occupied room night, or an increase in the company’s average daily room rate of $0.15.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3 percent per available room since 2004-putting Marriott well on track to meet its goal under EPA’s Climate Leaders program of achieving a 6 percent reduction per available room by 2010. Benchmarking the energy performance of more than 95 percent of its properties using EPA’s energy performance rating system.
• Earning the ENERGY STAR for more than 200 hotel properties to date in more than 20 states.
• Expanding on initiatives that have resulted in superior achievements in energy efficiency, such as the Marriott Retro-Commissioning program, the appointment of an Energy Champion for each property, the installation of alternative laundry systems, and procurement policies requiring ENERGY STAR qualified products and more efficient building equipment.

In 2007, Marriott increased efforts to promote employee awareness of energy efficiency by organizing its first “Green Fair” to present Marriott associates with ideas on how to “go green” at home and at work and by continuing outreach well beyond this single event. Marriott emphasized employee involvement in energy efficiency through daily meetings, its Intranet, electronic communications, online training, and rewards for energy efficiency solutions.

Marriott continues to publicly promote its successful participation in the ENERGY STAR program and has made energy efficiency a cornerstone of its expanding sustainability and climate efforts. Never resting on previous accomplishments, Marriott has set a new goal to increase the number of properties earning the ENERGY STAR by 33 percent in 2008.

Michael O’Loughlin from the Better Living Show – Portland’s Largest Sustainable Lifestyle Show twitters. Yes he does. I’ve been following him for a few months now. He give out some really interesting information on sustainability. And he ought to know… he’s been in the trade show business most of his life and runs the ‘Northwest’s Largest Sustainable Lifestyle Show’ His father Thomas O’Loughlin is founder of the National Association of Consumer Shows and co-founder of O’Loughlin Trade Shows. Why the biography?

Michael asked fellow tweeters what they thought of the article 6 Ways to Master the Green Message by Ethan Boldt, and since twitter is for smaller shorter points, I thought I’d give a couple of cents worth here. It is a subject worthy of discussion.

In some circles, discussing green marketing is as tasteful as discussing funeral services, but it is a necessary part of life. Some people roll their eyes. Some won’t shut up once you start the conversation (ahem) and some give you that glazed stare that says they have no idea what you are talking about. To sell what you have been selling with a green twist, ‘Mastering the Green Message’ almost sounds like you are trying to take advantage of the publics newly enlightened sense of sustainable issues… you know… ‘Greenwashing’ your message.

One point Ethan made that I appreciate..

To Promote or Not to Promote?
That is the question that marketers must ask themselves. The question that does not need to be asked, however, is should you begin green initiatives in the first place?

Good advice, don’t you think?

But one sad point that was brought out, IMO, was what Alan Rosenspan, president of Alan Rosenspan & Associates, a direct marketing creative and consulting firm was quoted on…

Give Them a Benefit
“So I guess my advice would be: You can appeal to people’s higher nature and ask them to support the environment, but make sure there’s a benefit in it for them.”

I thought that supporting environmental initiative was supposed the BE the benefit. But he also stated,

Appeal to Their Pro-Environment Position, but Also Their Pocketbooks
Don’t expect immediate success, warns Rosenspan. “People still tend to vote (and buy) with their pocketbooks. We offered to ‘plant a tree in your name’ if you switched to AT&T. We sent out 30,000 packages – I think we planted three trees,” he shares.

So I guess he’s actually got a real point… and consumers can be wise in this choice to be quite selective, especially where price is concerned. It shouldn’t have to hurt so badly in the wallet to be green. So voting selectively with your pocketbook is smart, selling the benefits of your product/service FIRST, your environmental position second makes good marketing sense.

Thanks for bringing it up Michael! We wish you all success with the show next spring! Feel free to keep information about it posted here.

Green Earth Expo 2008, presented by Global Green Alliance, is expected to draw over 300 exhibitors and 50,000+ attendees

Where? Orlando, FL

Global Green Alliance announced the launch of Green Earth Expo 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The Green Earth Expo will be the largest show of its kind, allowing hundreds of Green and Sustainable corporations and non-profits to showcase their Green initiatives to other businesses and consumers.

The Green Earth Expo 2008 will feature major automakers, alternative energy providers, green construction fabricators and contractors, Green service providers, energy efficient appliance manufacturers, as well as health & wellness groups and organic retailers. Confirmed speakers include top-level government fficials, Green business leaders, and environmental experts.

“We think it is important for businesses and consumers alike to know what Green products and services are available,” said Jim Griffin, Founder and President of Global Green Alliance. “We want people to understand that ‘Going Green’ does not mean sacrificing your way of life or spending more money. It means that you care about your environment and you are making efforts to preserve it.”

The Green Earth Expo 2008 will be held from May 15-18, 2008, and is booked for the next ten years. The Orange County Convention Center is the second largest convention center in the U.S., and is the only one to earn ISO 14001-2004 certification for environmental management due to their successful recycling program. Additionally, OCCC recently announced a major solar energy project to provide power to the convention center. The Expo is designed to promote Green and Sustainable commerce.

The Expo will kick off with a Green Business Symposium and dedicated Business-to-Business day on Thursday, May 15 to network with like-minded organizations and collaborate on new Green projects and emerging technologies. The general public will be welcomed for the last three days of the Expo, enabling exhibitors to showcase their Green initiatives to tens of thousands of consumer, business, and government attendees.

The Expo is proud to feature an Eco-Kid’s Corner on Friday-Sunday, with educational activities and entertainment for children and adults alike. Top designers will host an Eco-Fashion Show on Saturday, May 17, 2008.

“Green should not be exclusive. Reducing our carbon footprint, protecting our resources, and bettering our individual health should be a natural goal of any organization or person,” noted Griffin. “We feel it is our mission to promote Green commerce to encourage its growth amongst the business community. Furthermore, we want to educate the public about the quality and affordability of Green products and services that are available to them to further incorporate Green into their lives.”

While we at the Green Blog realize that this is short notice, it was just brought to our attention today. If you live in Florida, visit the Global Green Alliance Trade Show. Show your support for the tremendous effort made to acquaint you with local and national green business. If you have children, you simply cannot afford to miss it.

Launching Today! April 25, 2008, ARBOR DAY
Jogo Green started with a common goal, a dream to help the environment and stop climate change. While many sites goals are designed to raise awareness about different environmental issues, nothing was available to make a tangible difference, at least at no cost to visitors. It was this very notion, a free platform for consumers to save the environment, that birthed JogoGreen.com

JogoGreen has created an online trivia game, that not only provides great information on how to be green, but takes people’s thoughts and puts them into action. It is a game that touts, “The more you play, the more you plant!” So at no cost, other than time, you can visit the site, play our game, and help save the world!

Here’s how it works: For every 10 questions that are answered correctly on our site, we will plant 1 tree! The trees are paid for by the advertisers on our site. Planting a single tree can take 50 pounds of carbon out of the air every year. That doesn’t seem like much, but if the average world citizen planted a SINGLE tree every 2 months, they would be carbon neutral over their entire life. Jogo Green makes it fun and easy to plant at least a tree every DAY. Imagine the possibilities!

Recent consumer studies have shown a significant increase in both individuals and businesses wanting to help protect/ save our world. Large corporations are looking for ways that they can help. Starbucks now offers Ethos water. Timberland shoes are labeling the amount of carbon emitted during the construction of their different shoes. Hallmark now has project Red, and the list continues. Every person counts in the battle against climate change; it’s truly a community effort. By creating a green website that allows every visitor to make a difference in the world, we are confident that Jogo Green will serve as the platform for environmental advocacy and change!

“Our goal is to plant 1 million trees in a six month time frame. This is enough trees to take 3 billion liters of carbon our of the air every year”.-(Rob Balian, President of Jogo Green and Stanford Freshman) By working in partnership with Trees for the Future (to date they have planted 50 million trees) we believe that we will make a considerable impact on our earth’s carbon footprint in a short period of time.

What if, by planting trees around the world, we could curb climate changes and reduce global warming? What if we could repopulate endangered species, grow economies, replant forests and feed starving people? We believe we can and we will! The revolution starts with a click! Check out their site today and take part in the change!

For more information on Jogo Green visit their website at www.JogoGreen.com