Tag Archive: Green

Thinking Before You Buy

Roughly 9 months ago I wrote in a post titled, The Disposable World,

Of late I’ve been taking stock of a lot of things that all seem to be tied together. I know that seems vague and classically introspective, as if I’m trying to sound deep. I’m not. I promise. To sum it up, I think we live in a very disposable world – our mindset is always on short term, rarely on long term.

I’m not a tree hugging sort of fellow, but I do believe in not purchasing unnecessarily. I don’t do trinkets, nick-nacks or tchotchkies. When I buy something, I usually am willing to “over pay” for quality…something that’s timeless and will last. It’s the reason I’d gladly pay the seemingly outrageous price of a Burberry Trench that will last me more than a decade (I’m currently at 7 years) than several Michael Kors knockoff versions over the same time period. Generally what you pay is what you get. It’s what makes me shake my head at all the people who buy and wear Tory Burch shoes, Marc Jacobs bags or cheap sunglasses. I’d rather have a few items that will last than 100s that I’ll “go through” every season or year.

I think that’s why this new ad from Patagonia resonates so much to me:

I’ve never owned a single thing from Patagonia. I was always more of a Nike or a Columbia guy. That is, until this weekend. After seeing the ad, I did some digging to learn more about their Common Threads philosophy and their Ironclad Guarantee. I encourage you to read both…they’re over the top impressive and set a bar for every retailer. Well after doing some homework I looked at my coat closet and decided it was time to donate a Nike jacket I had that was similar to the Patagonia R3. I purchased an R3 and couldn’t happier. Next up is a thicker, warmer jacket for the winter that will protect from the wind and elements. That will replace a Columbia jacket that I’ve had for over 10 years.

Don't Buy This Jacket

I recognize that this campaign from Patagonia could all be marketing and not authentic. Either way, it’s working on me. I’ve bought in and I plan on getting others to do the same. Smart.

The Best Of Intentions

Yesterday I went grocery shopping at my local Jewel-Osco on Desplaines and Kinzie, in Chicago. Mind you, this isn’t just any ordinary Jewel-Osco. Nope, this is the new and for Jewel-Osco, the first, LEED certified store. What does that mean exactly? Well, according to Wikipedia, here’s what Jewel’s LEED certified store means:

This new store was built with recycled materials and recycled 98% of its construction debris. It features a rooftop garden, uses water-saving devices, has non-ozone-depleting refrigerants in cooling equipment, uses a refrigerant detection system, and has energy efficient lighting.

Ok, so in short, it means that the store is “eco friendly” and better for the environment than their normal store design. Great! I can applaud them for being proactive and trying to do what’s best for the environment. However, what I can’t applaud them for was the huge mistake, created with the best of intentions, that I came across.

I think we can all agree that cars give off carbon emissions, those emissions are bad for the environment and reducing emissions is a good thing. I think we can also agree that some cars give off more emissions than other cars. For example a Hummer would give off more emissions than a Prius. And lastly, I think we can also agree that the further you drive the more emissions your car gives off.

Ok, so with all that out of the way, why would Jewel offer preferred (aka closer) parking for fuel efficient cars? I’m serious. There was signage clearly indicating that the closest spots (after handicap parking of course) were reserved for fuel efficient vehicles. Think about it. The cars that give off the least emissions are going to park closer, while the ones giving off the most emissions will park further away. Guess what? In order to park further away, you have to drive further away. If you drive further, you give off more emissions. And if you’re a high emission vehicle, like the Hummer, it’s a double whammy for the environment.

I understand what Jewel was trying to do. They wanted to reward low emission drivers, because in theory those drivers share similar “green thinking” with Jewel and are more considerate of the environment. Unfortunately, while their intentions were great, their execution was poor.

10 Things I Think I Think

Peter King is easily one of my favorite sports writers. His Monday Morning Quarterback column is simply some of the best writing out there. Perhaps the best part of his column is a section called 10 Things I Think I Think.

He’s been on vacation the past few weeks, leaving Monday Morning Quarterback in the hands of guest writers. They’ve all taken their crack at filling the void, but none have really nailed it.

With that in mind, I got the inspiration earlier this week to write my own 10 Things I Think I Think column. So hear it goes…

  1. I think I’m ok with TechCrunch posting all the “secret” and “confidential” documents. TechCrunch is only slightly above the National Enquirer, so it’s not like they have journalistic integrity. Their decision to post didn’t surprise me and the voyeur in me was fascinated to see the inner workings of a company clearly struggling with their own success.  I also think it was nice to see the folks at twitter realize they weren’t gods.  Sometimes you just need to be knocked down a peg or two.
  2. I think Google is the ultimate frenemy. You need them to succeed, but you clearly don’t trust them. I think this distrust of Google is exactly why twitter decided to partner with Microsoft to create Bing Tweets even though Google would have given them even more exposure.
  3. I think I’m just not all that interested with Posterous.  It could just be that I’m stubborn, but I don’t see the value in the platform over what WordPress, tumblr, etc. already offer.
  4. I think the best aspect of the social web is that it’s helped me meet new people in person. Through twitter alone, I’ve made 6 new “real” connections. These are people that I now call upon for advice or just to talk shop. That’s the real power of social media. It’s not the technology and the platforms; it’s the people.
  5. I think in the next 3 years, we’re going to see a quantum shift in the cell phone business. Consumers will be able to buy their phone and then be able to use it with any service provider they choose. This will change the face of mobile in the United States and force service providers to rethink their business model.
  6. I think expectations are a good thing, but ridiculous expectations are completely silly.
  7. I think the term “partnership” is overused and generally misunderstood. True partnership means more than 1 person/team/company/etc. working together for the greater good. It means give and take is expected. It means you look out not only for your own interests, but also the interests of your partners.
  8. I think the whole green movement is a fad and that when put to a choice between a green product that costs 40% more than a non-green product, the non-green product will always win with consumers. When I was looking at houses in Minnesota, I explored so called green houses. The concept was cool and the payout was supposed to be fantastic because of how energy efficient they were. Sure, they are…but they also cost nearly 60% more than a non-green house and the payback happens after roughly 15 years of being in the house. Not exactly what I’d call an exciting return on investment.
  9. I think as video game systems advance, I’m finding them less exciting. The wii doesn’t do it for me and if Microsoft is serious about the next generation in gaming being a controller free world, I’m done with gaming.
  10. I think I’d rather work with passionate people that want to be better than smart people who are devoid of emotion. It’s not even a question.

I enjoy writing. I enjoy sharing my thoughts. The self publishing capabilities that have launched in the last 3 years have made my life infinitely easier and brought me closer to all of you out there. That’s the beauty of an always on, easily connectable, and simple to use internet. I think I’m really thankful for that.

ECO-SAFE Merit Badge Follow Up

In a post I made the other day, wrote about the very cool ECO-SAFE Merit Badge.  By placing the badge on your site, you are advocating the use of emailing the page or sending it as a PDF, instead of printing it on paper.  ECO-SAFE would love everyone to use the badge.  As a means of motivation they offer you a free iTunes song after they’ve verified your placement of the badge on your site.

Well, it only took 1 business day for ECO-SAFE to reach out to me and this is what they said.

“Hi :)

I just noticed you’ve placed ECO-SAFE on your website – The Eco-Safe widget you have is great for your website because it allows people to download and save copies of your pages (rich PDF format) as well as spread your website via PDF emails to friends. It’s value is powerful. As such I was hoping we could send you a song from Apple iTunes. Do you have a request for a song you like, or would you like us to pick something unique for you? If you’d like us to pick something special for you, please let us know your music taste. Look forward to sending you some great music!

Sincerely,
Jason (& everyone else at eco-safe)”

Talk about a company/brand that’s really in touch with their users, audience, and their mission. Just think if more companies were this proactive.

ECO-SAFE Merit Badge

This is so damn cool.  According to ECO-SAFE ”The Merit Badge is a symbol of hope & love for the world we all live in. It allows all of us with a website or blog to make a positive impact on the environment by simply placing it on our websites. The Merit Badge offers website guests alternatives to printing pages. The number of web pages printer per day are staggering.”

It’s a cool idea, a great concept, and you get FREE music from iTunes for participating.

About
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
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