Green Printer Blog

For the past few years, corporations have been touting the launch of each new sustainability program - from employee engagement initiatives to renewable energy powered operations. And so, 2009 is an interesting year for Green Printer to check in on the results of these shop floor and boardroom decisions.

In a very interesting article, Anca Novacovici of Eco-Coach speaks about how corporations like 3M and Grossman Marketing group reaped in tangible - but unexpected revenue surges, savings and client kudos - by choosing the greener path.

“Going green can…fatten the top line. Grossman Marketing Group, a US$30-million (sales) maker of marketing, decided to spend up to US$4,000 every year to ease the strain on the nation’s energy grid by purchasing renewable-energy “credits” from two California wind farms. Adding 5% to its energy bill didn’t save Grossman money at the time, but it did attract eco-friendly customers like Google and Green Mountain Coffee. Envelope sales — which represent 45% of Grossman’s top line — grew 20% in 2007, which is a pretty good return on a $4,000 investment!” Read the rest of this entry »

Design Goes Green - The first of a series of articles by Green Printer on the cross-section between the environment, business and the creative communications industry.

By Contributing Writer Melissa Chungfat.

Every day we hear about companies going under and pub meals having more value than bank stocks. At at time when profits are low across the nation, some company executives think that now is not the time to implement environmental initiatives. So why did companies committed to sustainability in 2008 perform better that those that didn’t?

Management consulting firm A.T. Kearney did a study comparing the performances of  99 companies with strong commitments to sustainability against industry averages from May to November 2008. Companies that leaned towards green outperformed industry averages by 15% over the six months in 16 of the 18 industries. Read the rest of this entry »

A special guest by Michelle Galley of Mighty Pixel Productions.

I applaud each and every company and person that makes an effort to “Go Green“. I personally feel that if you contribute in any way, you are helping out! I also believe that there are a lot of companies who don’t realize the little things do help. I have compiled a list of ten ways that almost every company can contribute to, by making these small but significant changes.

1. BE A PART OF THE GREEN COMMUNITY
Support green communities online. It is a great way to market your company as well as getting involved. Join associations or charities. Some of my favourites…

♦ Design Can Change
♦ Green Energy Act
♦ Ontario Environmental Directory Read the rest of this entry »

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

The verdict is in from the top social media honchos: social media isn’t just a fringe benefit to add as a complementary side dish to your regular marketing plan - it is your main marketing plan for 2009.

Case in point. Etsy.com, branded by the New York Times as a cross between Amazon.com, eBay and “your grandmother’s basement” has over 100,000 sellers worldwide and had online buyers spend $4.3 million purchasing 300,000 items in November 2007.

What is interesting is that Etsy has intentionally avoided big glossy ads in magazines in favour of seller-created street teams and video content to pull off the best, tried-and-true marketing strategy of all: word of mouth (WOM). Read the rest of this entry »

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

A post by contributing writer Melissa Chungfat.

The next big green

I’ve been seeing a lot of Thomas Friedman on the tube talking about his book Hot, Flat, and Crowded. The three-time Pulitzer Prize winner is getting a lot of buzz stressing the necessity of a green global industry. Ecopreneurs are key in developing innovative solutions to deal with the tremendous global environmental problems.

The book title refers to the convergence of global warming, the rise of the middle class, and the exponential population growth. These factors drive the following five trends over their tipping point:

• Energy and resource
• Petro dictatorship
• Biodiversity loss
• Climate change
• Energy poverty

In our culture of convenience, so many people want to help the environment – if they can keep all of their luxuries; they want to green their habits – if it’s convenient enough; they want to buy green products – if it’s easy enough to find. But this attitude won’t fly anymore with the problems we are facing. Read the rest of this entry »

A www.greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

You cannot stop a negative habit without knowing how much and how often you are doing it. Enter the financial “carrot”: the online environmental calculator with a finance edge.

True, public demand, employee engagement, shareholder interest and newly defined sustainability goals are the “pressure points” for companies to cut their consumption habits and curb carbon emissions.

But today, organizations like Xerox, RecycleBank and Creative Citizen are offering more than just a climate change reason to decrease consumption: money. And, they are doing it by showing your employees the financial figures generated in conjunction with their online, environmental calculators. Read the rest of this entry »

Image source: National Geographic

A short, weekly “school of hard knocks” history of why paper supply chain management is not as easy as it looks - but can be. A Green Printer dispatch.

Deforestation hurts. Just ask Harrison Ford - he waxed his chest and demonstrated just how close forests are to his heart.

Sustainable management of forests, not simply trees or more recycling, is what Rainforest Alliance’s executive director Tensie Whelan recently advocated for in GreenBiz and she’s right: while recycling has its environmental limits, sustainably managed forests as a whole ensure the well-being of the forest ecosystem and biodiversity survival for generations to come. Read the rest of this entry »

Image source: http://timblair.net | Lights out for Sydney, Australia 2007

An http://greenprinteronline.com dispatch.

Earth Hour is tonight, March 29th from 8 to 9 pm. The idea is to turn off the lights as a symbolic gesture that us citizens, business owners, uber-corporations (hello, Google’s black screen, hello McDonalds in Toronto saving 10 000 kilowatt hours) local governments and non-profit groups are taking climate change seriously.

Despite gripes that Earth Hour falls on the NCAA basketball regional, it’s lights out for over 23 major cities worldwide like Toronto and Bangkok. Read the rest of this entry »