Recently in Green Promotion Category

Green printing is more than using recycled paper.  California is one of the forerunners in recognizing that not only does the ink and paper matter -- but the printing processes including washing the press after every run.  Many operations you never see make a difference in green printing.  Including getting the printed product TO you.

GreenPrinter has put together a solid green printing strategy.  They offer a variety of FSC certified paper stocks for your diverse needs -- from weights to finishes.  They offset transportation by purchasing offsets.  They participate in their local green business certification program as well as FSC certification.  This is good!  I always love to see a company's growth in their green strategies and I've watched GreenerPrinter for several years. 

My hat is off to this greener approach to resource management and quality business service.

Eco-friendly design, printing and online print ordering from GreenPrinter

Conduct your printing online using recycled papers and a green certified company. GreenerPrinter delivers green  quality printing and design and they're 100% Wind-Powered via Renewable Energy Credits (REC's).

That's why in addition to featuring recycled papers exclusively, GreenerPrinter also:

• Adhere to the strict environmental standards of being a locally Certified Green Business.
  
  
• Operate on 100% Wind Power through investments in Renewable Energy Credits (REC's).
  
  
• Print using only water-based coatings and soy & vegetable based inks.
  
  
• Offset the carbon emissions of our shipments through the purchase of carbon offset credits.
  
  
• Adhere to the practices outlined in GreenerPrinter's FSC Chain-of-Custody Certification.
  
  
• Eliminate dangerous chemicals and compounds from the GreenerPrinter production facility.
  
  
• Invest in printing technologies that reduce makeready and ink wash-ups, and eliminate plate processing.

Greenprinter
Berkeley, CA 94710
http://www.greenerprinter.com

100% of Printed Postcard Products Now Chain-of-Custody Certified

Carlsbad, CA, June 19, 2008 - Modern Postcard, a provider of postcard products and full-service direct mail, announced that it has received chain-of-custody certification from both the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI Inc.) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Both certification programs are designed to ensure that paper used in printing is obtained from forests that are managed in an environmentally responsible manner.

"We are thrilled to receive these certifications as we continue to strengthen our commitment to environmental sustainability," said Steve Hoffman, founder and CEO of Modern Postcard. "We continue to lead the way by being one of the first printing companies that is able to certify that 100% of printed products shipped or mailed from our facilities for our clients are fully certified. Our dual chain-of-custody certification empowers our customers to make educated choices about the products they purchase and helps them demonstrate their own environmental commitment."

The SFI sustainable forestry is a standard based on principles and measures that promote responsible environmental behavior and sound forest management including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk and forests of exceptional conservation value. For more information about the SFI program, visit www.sfiprogram.org.

The Forest Stewardship Council promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. It accredits independent third party organizations who can certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC standards. For more information about the FSC program, visit www.fsc.org.

Chain-of-custody (COC) is the path taken by raw materials from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution. Chain-of-custody certification by both of these organizations means Modern Postcard has a tracking system in place that identifies the amount of certified, uncertified and recycled content in the forest products it purchases, uses or sells.

"With COC certification we will be able to service the increasing market demand for environmentally-friendly products which is good for our clients, good for our industry, and good for our forests," said Jason Anderson, Director of Manufacturing for Modern Postcard.

Located in Carlsbad, Calif., Modern Postcard is a full-service provider of postcard products and direct mail services, as well as emerging direct marketing applications and Web-based solutions to efficiently manage and execute campaigns.

Discovery Studios Develops original content for Planet Green and other Discovery media

Discovery Studios Discovery Studios is the recently-created division of Discovery Communications charged with developing and producing original series, specials, theatrical documentaries and short form content for Discovery’s television networks. Veteran television executive Nancy Daniels has been named Vice President of Development and Production for Discovery Studios. Based in Burbank, Calif., Daniels will oversee all West Coast production and development activities for Discovery Studios. Projects now under her supervision include programs for TLC, Travel Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Health Channel and others. About Discovery Studios Discovery Studios is devoted to the creation of original television series and specials, theatrical films and short-form content within Discovery Communications, the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Through TV and digital media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health and Discovery HD Theater. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information about Discovery Communciations visit www.discoverycommunications.com. For more information about Planet Green visit planetgreen.discovery.com For more information about SUBMISSIONS visit submissions.discovery.com

Discovery is introducing Planet Green, a cable brand promoted as the first 24-hour channel dedicated to eco-friendly living. The 24-hour eco-oriented lifestyle network will launch with 50 million cable homes. It is the highest-profile cable channel introduction of the year, and an equally risky one. By wrapping itself in the planet, Discovery is betting that “eco-tainment” will appeal to viewers.

The channel’s programming is studded with celebrities such as

• Chef Emeril Lagasse hosting a cooking show featuring organic and locally grown foods, and "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier living a green life.
• "Greensburg," a 13-episode documentary series, follows the story of a small Kansas community coming together after being hit by a 5-rated tornado in May 2007. The series is produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, along with Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Films & Television.
• "Hollywood Green," a weekly entertainment magazine, will showcase earth-conscious celebrities.
• "G Word," a daily series hosted by two news correspondents
• "Wrecklamation," billed as recycling on steroids.

The channel has almost all original programming — partly because there was not an available vault of entertaining environmental programming to tap into. Part of their challenge has been educating the production community that may have had certain expectations of what green content is.

Planet Green's Target Audiences

Planet Green will speak to people who want to understand green living and to those who truly want to make a difference by providing tools and information to meet the critical challenge of protecting our environment. Planet Green's platforms include leading eco-lifestyle website TreeHugger.com and the recently launched solutions-oriented PlanetGreen.com.

Discovery is also launching Discovery Education Green, a K-12 service that hosts dynamic media content correlated to state standards. Discovery Education Green will help teachers integrate Green lessons into their curriculum and empowers students to make more environmentally conscious decisions.

Planet Green's Promotion

Timed to the switch from Discovery Home to Planet Green, Discovery marketers are conducting “Random Acts of Greenness.” At the Indianapolis 500 last month, they handed out T-shirts and beach balls to consumers who exemplified green living, and sponsored the cleanup day after the race. The giveaways will continue in New York, Milwaukee; Washington; and San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.

On launch day, Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Mr. Zaslav will throw out the first pitch in Washington, and the stadium’s JumboTron will count down to the channel’s 6 p.m. debut. Also that day, all the Discovery cable networks will show green logos.

The New York Post is going green on Wednesday, too: the newspaper will turn its flag green that day and feature advertisements for the channel all week. The newspaper will also give away 250 bicycles with Planet Green branding.

“This is a new genre,” Ms. O’Neill said. “People don’t have any set expectations of what green media is, and we’re defining it — as really funny, engaging, entertaining and definitely credible.”

Planet Green: planetgreen.discovery.com

Discovery Studios: www.discoverystudios.com

MARYLAND
1 Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: +1 (240) 662-2000

LOS ANGELES
2600 West Olive Avenue
5th Floor
Burbank, CA 91505
Tel: +1 (818) 333-5255

Reducing is the number one way to conserve our natural resources...and our way of life.  One easy way to reduce your use of trees and the great amounts of water that papermaking uses... is to change the kind of paper you buy and use.  Use higher percentage RECYCLED paper! 

Because of cost issues with recycled paper and seeing the need to help improve usage of recycled content paper, the Recycled Products Cooperative was created in 1999 with two goals in mind:

(1) To leverage purchasing power of members to reduce pricing, and
(2) To educate buyers on the importance of using recycled paper and other products.

The Co-op is committed to bringing about transformations within the marketplace which conserve trees and other natural resources.

The Cooperative was originally one of numerous creative and progressive programs under the umbrella of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation. The Solana Center is a non-profit organization based in Encinitas, California. For 25 years the Solana Center has been a leader in addressing and finding creative solutions to many of the environmental challenges both locally and globally. To find out more about the Solana Center and its other programs, visit www.solanacenter.org. Last year the RPC spun off on its own and is now a for profit corporation. Although we have changed our tax status our guiding principals are still based on saving environmental resources.

Another informative resource is...

Environmental Paper Network --  a resource for purchasers, environmental organizations, industry, and individuals. The Environmental Paper Network is a diverse group of environmental organizations joined together to support socially and environmentally sustainable transformations within the pulp and paper industry.  The Network developed the Common Vision as a framework to guide necessary shifts in production and consumption.

The Green Press Initiative is to help those in the book and newspaper industries better understand their impacts on endangered forests, indigenous communities, and the Earth's climate. GPI also works with those in the industry to implement solutions, and to provide the tools and resources necessary to support industry transformation.
 

Specificity

An environmental marketing claim should specify whether it refers to the product, the packaging or both, or just to a component of the product or its packaging.

A box of cereal is labeled "recycled package." The package consists of a paperboard box with a wax paper bag inside holding the cereal. By itself, the claim "recycled package" could apply to both the box and the bag. If only the box is recycled, the claim is deceptive. It should be qualified to say, for example, "recycled box."

A steel can that contains vegetables is labeled "recycled." No qualification is necessary for this claim because it is obvious to consumers that the can is recycled-not the vegetables.

Qualifications (that is, disclosures or explanations) pertaining to an environmental claim should be clear, prominent and understandable. Clarity can be achieved through the size of the type face, proximity of the qualification to the claim being qualified, and absence of contrary language that could undercut effectiveness.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeks to prevent deception and unfairness in the marketplace. The FTC Act gives the Commission the power to bring law enforcement actions against false or misleading marketing claims, including environmental or "green" marketing claims. The FTC issued its Environmental Guides, often referred to as the "Green Guides," in 1992, and revised them most recently in 1998. The Guides indicate how the Commission will apply Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, to environmental marketing claims.

Federal Trade commission:  Facts for Business

The award-winning show was based on Common Vision's  DVD "Planting the Vision." The special episode of "Natural Heroes" aired on PBS across the nation. This award is a huge tribute to programs like Natural Heroes and the featured groups that are working for positive change. We hope many more people will see the show and be inspired to plant a tree in their community!

Watch a 6-minute trailer for the DVD "Planting the Vision" below.

> Watch the Natural Heroes Fruit Tree Tour Promo on the Natural Heroes site

Finding new ways to use "short form" Internet marketing media is a challenge for green companies. Not all consumers buy green products as impulse items...but finding green products when the sink is leaking, the kids are hungry, or summer heat arrives COULD provide the impetus to search for a solution.

Cell phone messages save paper and ink, as well as distribution transportation. They provide consumer convenience and are available 24/7, wherever the consumer wants to shop. This is a great solution for local consumer businesses with national market and brand visibility.

Think...Mobile Phone coupons.

Carvel, the ice cream retailer will now let mobile phone users send text messages to company spokesmammal "Fudgie the Whale" and receive in return a coupon for a blended coffee drink and a chance to win a 42-inch TV.

Cell phone users who text "FUDGIE" to short code 78247 through July 31, 2008 will get a coupon for one of Carvel’s new Arctic Blender drinks.

OTHER Mobile Phone Coupon Applications: How about on-site, or "in the shopping mall" Point of Purchase mobile phone offerings?

Bath & Body Works announced it is offering coupons to its customers via mobile phone.

Cellfire

Cellfire Wins E-Tech Award For Innovation In Consumer Mobile Applications at CTIA Wireless 2008

Brent Dusing, CEO of Cellfire says Cellfire 3.0 is the latest version of Cellfire’s mobile coupon and discount offer service that enables consumers to easily find, store, and use many discounts across multiple merchants and locations directly on their mobile phones. Unlike text-based offers, Cellfire’s application-based service is like a coupon wallet that consumers can access on demand to discover and use discounts specific to their geographic area. New merchants and offers are added on a regular basis.

Features in Cellfire 3.0 include an enhanced user experience, external offer discovery, 1-to-1 offers, and the ability for consumers to save on groceries with mobile grocery coupons.

Cellfire is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information or to download Cellfire, visit www.cellfire.com.

What ARE green business cards?  Eco friendly business cards that are printed using soy inks, etc., and FSC certified paper, or high recycled content.

Other features that can be incorporated to up the "green" impact of your business cards:

• Add a blurb about the recycled content and/or green printing method
• Print at a local, eco-friendly printer to reduce shipping distance and provide local business sustainability
• Limit the amount of ink and coatings used ... and keep them environmentally friendly
• Print no more than you need.  Info changes, so don't waste paper that gets sent to the landfill
• Use lighter weight stock...100# cover isn't always necessary. Lighter stock conserves paper resources
• Print a green message on the back side -- don't waste space!

Treehugger (and BoingBoing) found this interesting business card  design by Jamie Wieck. This is a fantastic way to bring a little nature into the business world.

Some printing sources we've found:

Greener Printer, - Certified green business in Bay Area
Berkeley, CA
www.greenerprinter.com

123Print - 100% recycled paper from
Hagerstown, MD
123print.com

Wizard Graphics - Recycled Business cards
Chico, CA
www.wgiprint.com

TIP ONE for marketers:  Look at tips for consumers, and reverse engineer the themes and messages that appeal to consumers...for your retail and community clients.  For instance:

Sustainable tourism covers a variety of criteria, from low environmental impact and energy use to respect for the culture and well-being of the local population.

There is more than one way to travel green. Eco-Friendly travel (ecotravel) is tourism that promotes a sustainable environment. By its nature, travel can be both an opportunity for people to experience the environment they visit and at the same time is a threat to it. Destination Villas offers the seven sustainable travel tips.

1. Travel less and stay longer. Air travel leaves the largest carbon footprint than any other form of travel. If you must fly, do it fewer times per year and stay longer, or travel closer to home. 
2. Don’t fly at night. Dr. Piers Forster from Leeds University has discovered that trails of condensation from aircraft - contrails - have a greater warming effect at night, trapping heat but without reflecting any of the sun's rays back into the atmosphere as they do during the day.
3. Leave no trace. Enjoy the beautiful places on the plant but be mindful that your very presence damage it. Do not pick flowers, take rocks or break coral. Don’t liter. Be familiar with cultural mores prior to arrival be respectful of cultural practices.
4. All transportation requires the combustion of fuel, so the greenest thing you can do is use public transporation. When possible, try taking the train or bus instead of flying. If you're driving, try to get as many people in the car as possible, instead of taking multiple vehicles. Always rent a hybrid vehicle.
5. Visit eco-friendly destinations that use renewable energy sources: visit Burlington, Vermont, Dry Tortugas National Park or Vail, Colorado.
   
6. Choose eco-friendly lodging. There is a wide variety of eco-friendly lodging these days. Start with the Green Hotel Association and EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com or DestinationVillas.com.
7. Shop local: Head to local markets, where you can purchase fresh food from local vendors. This benefits the community by increasing their economy, and you will get fresh fruits and veggies and maybe even some handmade souvenirs. Never buy products made from endangered species.
   

Source of Eco-travel tips:  Destination Villas

"Engagement" is the touchstone for Web publishing in this Web 2.0 world.  How will your readers want to participate in your offerings, your community, your publishing content?

Penguin Classics set up a blog where anybody can post a review of one of their books. Well, not exactly anybody. The selection process is random because they have a limited number of books. But if you win their lottery, type away about how you feel about Virginia Woolf.

ABC.com hopes to generate as much ad revenue as it does from its on-air programming.  To keep viewers interested in ads ABC has found that ads should be created specifically for the Internet and not repurposed commercials from broadcast TV. ABC research that revealed better results for ads that promoted interactivity like casual gaming.

Slide.com layers social content applications on top of Facebook, Orkut, Friendster and more.  Slide enables you to make a slide show onliine, personalize your pics with stickers and graffiti, have a personal Guestbook, frame your YouTube videos with snazzy borders, upload your images, and get screensavers.  All designed for "engagement" so that you'll use their website and drive up their community engagement for advertisers who want comsumer eyeball time.

My question is...what do green consumers want?  Do they want to spend more time on their computers, just like their not-so-green siblings?  Do they want to belong to a virtual community with similar values?  What do YOU want from your green online media?

Seriously, I'd love to hear from you.  Send an email or call me.  I'm an approachable editor searching for common sense  ways to share green solutions around the digital campfire.  Carolyn Allen:  310-827-2510  or email at CAROLYN  (at)  CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com

... or add your questions, suggestions, observations in our COMMENTS.  Let's talk!