Flower fantastic

You may recall my entry about the company sent clients some forget-me-nots to encourage them to think about the environment.
Well, as I mentioned them in my blog they very kindly sent me a sample and it is flower fantastic.
It came in a sturdy cardboard box with a leaflet explaining all about the company and what it is trying to achieve, then a small tin bucket, plant pot, soil and seeds. So, on Sunday I planted it all up and it is now sitting on my kitchen window in anticipation.

Week 45: Start your own business…

There a plenty of organisations that have begun to capitalise on the environmental issues we are waking up to. Recycling is the biggie and I have touched on this in previous entries, but there are so many more things we can be doing to help and to make money out of this new age.

Do you have a great idea? Is there something that you are doing on a small scale that might in fact be feasible on a larger scale?

You could be the next entrepreneur to help us have a positive impact on the environment, so seriously consider it.

You may get some inspiration by looking at www.wrap.org.uk , which highlights some superb projects and organisations that are indeed capitalising.

Week 44: Lump the pump…

This is getting rid or reducing the use of cars, which given the price of fuel at the moment is very tempting - but for me impractical. The travelling that I do is to far flung places at unsociable hours and I am usually lugging a load of literature with me so hopping on and off public transport is not appealing!

I think I speak for many people when I say that public transport is sometimes just not an option and there are very little alternatives to the car.

However, I would speak in favour of working from home, which is what I do when I am not travelling all over the place. It certainly makes sense not to travel to work when you can quite easily work from home. It saves time, money and stupid suggestions like congestion charges.

Week 43: Run for more than fun…

This is supporting oceanconvancy – www.oceanconservancy.org

Even if you don't feel inclined to sign up to their enewsletter or attend events (which are in the USA) you can buy some nice branded merchandise, send ecards and download photos & wallpaper to remind you of the worlds natural beauty.

This is a great, easy accessible and navigable site, which does a super job for their cause.

Forget me not...

Statex urges businesses not to forget the environment

A leading north east printing firm has sent a reminder to businesses across the UK not to forget their responsibilities to the environment.

Statexcolourprint is hoping to brighten up offices around the country by sending out over 500 grow-your-own Forget-me-not kits.

The kit comes with seeds, soil and a pot in which to grow your flowers, along with a guide to Statex’s own green credentials – printed on recycled paper – including accreditation to both the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

In addition to quality standards ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and Investors in People, Statex has been accredited with the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System since 2004.

The company, based in Kingston Park, is hoping the flowers will help prompt people to do the little things that could make a huge difference to the environment.

Stuart Melville, Commercial Director, said: “Many companies have environmental procedures in place but they require employees to carry out tasks that have not always been part of their jobs.

“We hope the forget-me-nots will flourish on people’s desks and act as a gentle reminder, at appropriate times, of everyone’s responsibilities. Whether it is remembering to put used paper in the recycling bin or avoiding printing an email unnecessarily, everyone can do their bit.

“There are now countless measures in place to help reduce our impact on the environment, such as using vegetable-based inks instead of oil-based inks, investing in modern plant and equipment that runs as efficiently as possible and managing all our waste to ensure very little goes to landfill.”

Statex can offer recycled paper wherever it is appropriate to its customers’ needs, while its accreditations to the PEFC and FSC prove it is also supplying paper from renewable and sustainable resources.

The company has also been working with the Carbon Trust, assessing the company’s use of electricity and gas. Work has recently started on new energy-efficient lighting together with ‘intelligent’ lighting and heating controls which helps ensure electricity and gas are used only where necessary. Among the improvements to be made the controls will ensure that lights automatically switch off if there are no staff in the area.

~Ends~

Issued on behalf of Statexcolourprint by Adessi Limited

For more information contact Steve Maybury at Adessi Ltd on

Tel: (0191) 269 9460

Email: steve.maybury@adessi.co.uk

Week 42: Quit the hit…

This is giving up smoking. I never have and never will smoke – my dad who was a smoker wouldn’t not have let me!

So, can I persuade others to stop? I think it is a nasty habit and certainly don’t find smokers attractive and with the new laws on smoking in public places, which came into force on 1^st July, it seems everyone is willing smoking into extinction. But what are your thoughts on this as I fear this is a one-sided argument?

Million Bags for Life

Following nicely on from my previous post, I received this email today, which demonstrates creative thinking and marketers really getting their act together...

A revolutionary new project is calling on businesses to pledge their support to the environment by sponsoring this stylish, durable, multipurpose Million Bags 4 Life shopping bag, this can be done in 5 simple steps by visiting www.millionbags4life.com. Developed by Skymark Packaging Solutions, this project has been developed with the aim of helping solve the waste caused by billions of plastic carrier bags used in the UK every year, costing retailers up to £80 million.

Sponsorship costs as little as £200 per advert or logo, offering advertising space from 1cm2 to 25cm2 at a maximum cost of £5,000, with up to 5 logos per side of the bag. The result will be a visually striking bag, capitalising on the trend for fashionable, reusable shopping bags which are seen as a must-have accessory. Sponsors will be able to demonstrate their commitment to the environment in a cost-effective, practical way by joining other like-minded companies such as Kimberly Clark, Barclays, Maclaren buggies and adding their branding to the bag as well as their company and contacts details on the Million Bags 4 Life website. Sponsorship details can be found by visiting the website www.MillionBags4Life.com.

The traditionally shaped shopper, with reinforced handles to fit over the shoulder, will be made primarily of polypropylene, a recyclable and durable material. The spacious bag has two useful dividers which are perfect for holding wine bottles and would be ideal for weekly grocery or local high street shopping trips.

All "profits" from the project will be used for environmental issues, energy and waste reduction projects and development of more environmentally friendly packaging concepts. A percentage of the surplus money will also be donated to the Environmental Investigation Agency to support the projects they are currently working on.

Commenting on the initiative, Skymark's Dan Richards said, "Momentum is building and we already have some sponsorship support include corporation such as Barclays and Kimberly Clark for the bag but we are looking for more businesses to get on board and join this exciting new venture. 10% of the profit will be donated to charities and the rest invested in green projects and in the development of more environmentally friendly packaging concepts. This is not a one-off stunt, but the first step in our commitment to educate and encourage the consumers to reuse, reduce and recycling their packaging waste. If everyone in the UK switched to a reusable bag, we would save billions of bags each year; that is enough plastic to tie around the earth 103 times."

Week 41: Find our inner sailor…

This week they are ‘upping the ante’ asking me to stop using planes. I don’t use planes very much but I probably fly more often than most because I visit the Isle of Man for work about twice a year. This is one of the most discussed areas of transport when we are talking about sustainability and there are many arguments to confuse the public about how detrimental air travel actually is to the environment.

I really can’t see us suddenly stopping flying, but I can see us highly intelligent people finding different ways to fuel the planes. Perhaps that is where our energies should be channelled instead of beating eachother up about it. After all it is a very efficient method of transport and asking me to swap to sailing is probably impractical in most cases especially in this day and age of wanting everything instantly.

Having said that there are some great initiatives out there to help counter air travel’s impact i.e. environmental taxes, asking travellers to donate to planting a tree and the carbon offset calculators that I have mentioned previously. All thought up, I am sure, by skilled marketers.

The Future of Marketing

The Institutes definition of marketing has not changed in 30 years but marketing as a discipline has not stood still. E-marketing and social marketing are just a sample of the developments.

At a meeting in Humber Branch a couple of months ago this topic was discussed. The conclusion was that the fundamentals have been lost sight of and marketers are increasingly focussed on co-ordination and tactics rather than strategy. The impact of technology being cited as a key factor in this as mass above the line marketing is becoming less effective and more emphasis is put on the customer experience.

There was a call to bring new life to marketing and I wonder if we have reached a dawning of that new life?

In our latest Shape the Agenda paper, Tomorrow’s Word: Re-evaluating the Role of Marketing, The Chartered Institute of Marketing is calling on marketers to re-examine how they view themselves - to challenge traditional norms and redefine where the profession is going.

I do a lot of presentations in which I use the existing definition – The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. – and there are two points that I like to pick up on:

1) It is a management process not a nice to have that can be cut when money is tight

2) Is sustainably a more appropriate word than profitably in these green conscious days?

I would welcome your thoughts.

You can find out more at our event on 18^th October in Liverpool, to book visit http://www.cim.co.uk/cim/new/html/eveResDet.cfm?objectID=15494