When it comes to promotional marketing items for companies, they have a reputation for not being very eco-friendly. One of the most popular promotional items is pens. Pens are a great promotional choice because people always need them, people are always snagging them from places and taking them with them and they are often found in homes and offices. This means imprinting your info on a promotional pen is a great way to get the word out about who you are and what you do.

But if you’re an eco-friendly company, you may have tried to steer clear of promotional pens in the past because they are not good for the environment. Now there are new eco-friendly options such as the cornstarch pens I recently read about which are completely biodegradable. If your biodegradable pen every gets dropped, lost or thrown away, it will eventually disappear instead of polluting the environment and taking up more space at the landfills.

These corn based pens will disappear without harming the environment but they look just like normal plastic pens. They will be slightly lighter to the touch but most likely, no one will even know they are eco-friendly because you can barely tell the difference. You may choose to have an eco-friendly logo or message added along with your company message so that people know you care about going green with your business.

There are also eco-friendly pens that are made from recyclable materials. This is a great example of how we can reuse in our culture today and not allow things to go to waste or end up in the landfills. Plastic bottles can be turned into promotional pens and it’s a win-win for everyone all around. With such a large range of options now available to you, even the eco-friendly company can use promotional pens.

Is your company currently marketing in a wasteful, ineffective manner? Do you spend thousands of dollars on print advertisements including postcards, brochures, tri-folds, etc.? Well, the times are changing and you need to step up to the table.

Green, eco-friendly marketing takes all forms and is imperative to business growth and preservation of the environment. The world contains 50 million or more businesses and if all transform their mission to be green the environment will greatly thank us. Properly analyzing marketing efforts and distinguishing between what’s working and what’s not working is important to cut down costs and be eco-friendly. The epitome of eco-friendly marketing is summed up in two words: Internet Marketing.

Utilizing the internet to promote products and services is far greener than printing and distributing postcards, brochures and other similar materials. The internet eliminates the need for printing, which saves trees. More importantly, internet marketing is timeless. Advertisements can be created and will last much longer, and have more of an impact, as opposed to sending someone a brochure which, usually, will be tossed in the trash can after a few days.

Green online marketing can be achieved through the following mediums (to name a few):

1) Web Design – Having a clean, representative, functional website is far more important than any print ads. A website helps build online exposure, thus increasing sales generated through online marketing efforts.

2) Social Media – Posting videos and photos on various social media websites and sharing them with the world is an excellent way to gain online exposure and build a more unique, eco-friendly brand. Typically photos/videos are sent in a press kit, printed in a brochure, or on a CD, but posting such media on websites and sharing with individuals across the world is more effective and timeless. If posted properly, with varying keywords, rich media is the key to success and will last for years

3) Social Bookmarking – Bookmarking websites and blog posts on social bookmarking sites (Digg, Reddit, Technorati, etc.) is an excellent marketing strategy and creates increased brand awareness and linkbacks (links to your site). Social bookmarking is a fairly new phenomenon and is on fire.

4) Flash Banner Ads – Fully-relating one’s company mission and product/service is typically a challenge, though Flash banners allow varying information that serves as a mini video (10x better than static ad placements). Creating Flash banner advertisements and posting them on blogs, forums and other high-traffic mediums is a key strategy to build online traffic and exposure. Targeting a niche market and displaying a useful, informative banner ad will surely increase traffic and ultimately sales; I’ve seen it happen time and time again.

5) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Optimizing keywords on a website, blog, forum, etc. is pertinent to brand and company growth. In all reality, if you have an amazing site but nobody can find it, what good is it? Strategically targeting keywords is another important element in the brand exposure mix.

As anyone can see, the possibilities of internet marketing are endless and should definitely be explored. In the years to come the internet will continuously take over all aspects of life, from networking with friends to promoting ones business, and not keeping up with the bandwagon wil be detrimental for most, if not all, businesses.

I hope this article was inspiring and good luck!
Best Regards,
Aaron Schoenberger

Aaron Schoenberger is an advertising executive with 10 years experience in creating globally recognized brands via online and viral advertising mediums. Successful at building coherent, intelligent marketing teams that work hand-in-hand to achieve a common, determined goal. Knowledge extends across all forms of advertising including but not limited to print, television and online advertising: search engine optimization, social media, banner advertisements, pay-per-click advertising, blog marketing and forum marketing. Marketing experience at companies with over $500 million in annual sales. Aaron Schoenberger is President/CEO of The Brainchild Group — a marketing + consulting firm in Los Angeles, CA.

The Brainchild Group’s Blog
http://www.thebrainchildgroup.com/blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Schoenberger

The state of North Carolina has recently put into effect a law banning plastic bottles from the landfills. Now, this doesn’t mean that the state will be sending out officials to go through people’s trash to see they’re obeying the law. It’s simply their way of making the residents realize just how much plastic goes into the trash each year.

The use of plastic has steadily increased in the state of North Carolina over the past several years. It’s estimated that a little over 25,000 pounds of plastic bottles are discarded every couple of hours and that is what led to this ban. This is such a waste when all of this plastic could be recycled and put to good use.

The law was put in place in hopes that it will help encourage people to recycle and be responsible citizens when it comes to doing their part to help the environment. It will be up to each individual household to adhere to the law and take all of their plastic bottles to the recycling center nearest them, if they don’t have recycling pick-up in their area. The only way the ban will be a success is if the residents do their part and obey the law.

Eventually, there may be many more states putting this type of ban in place. Recycling is becoming more important every day and it’s not something that’s going to fad away after awhile. Anything that can be recycled, regardless of how large or small it is, should be. As a whole, we have a responsibly to take care of this planet and recycling is a big part of doing just that.

Don’t wait for your state to put a ban in place to try and force you to see the importance of recycling. Today is a good day to start making changes in your lifestyle. Recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans and anything else that you can. The decisions you make today have a huge impact on the fate of the planet’s future.

One of the easiest ways to go-green is with your wardrobe. Everyone needs clothing so when you’re already out and about shopping; why not just choose the organic alternatives. Likewise, when it comes to dressing your employees’ eco-friendly apparel is the way to go. As businesses turn to all organic promotional apparel, the options of eco friendly clothing flourishes in retail stores everywhere. Now let’s take a look into the shift of gears in the promotional and retail worlds for environmentally friendly clothing.

Eco-Friendly Apparel is good for the environment.
California provides roughly 13% of the United States cotton each year and in a study done in 2005, over 5.8 million pounds of chemicals were used on the golden states farms. These chemicals pose a threat to major bodies of water and eco-systems when they are carried off by run-off rain water. At the same time the pesticides used to keep insects and animals away from the cotton crops are main factors in the greenhouse gas effect.

Organic clothing doesn’t need chemicals to be made. In fact, buying four organic shirts saves about a pound of chemicals from entering the earth. That means if you chose to reward your 72 employees with stylish organic custom polos, you’d be saving the earth from almost 20 pounds of chemical abuse. All of this goes without saying that organic clothing also reduces waste because it breaks down naturally. For these reasons alone, it’s clear why retail stores are making eco-friendly apparel mainstream.

Eco-Friendly Apparel is cost effective.
Many people are deterred from organic clothing because of the daunting price tag. But just like with any shopping, you’ve got to scout out deals. Wal-Mart offers an eco-friendly t-shirt for only three bucks. Similarly, a culinary school could order new students custom non-woven aprons for as low as $1.95 each. Putting thrifty sales aside, organic clothing costs more for you because it costs more for the manufacturer. However, as eco-friendly clothing becomes more widely accepted, the market will grow and sales will improve as prices drop. Eventually, many people will adopt eco-friendly custom apparel as the norm for its long lasting abilities and environmentally sound production.

Environmentally Friendly apparel is trendy.
As materialistic as it may be, customers care about the latest in trends. What are the Hollywood elites wearing? How can I get my hands on that hand bag? These are questions that are asked everyday, and now as celebrities boast about their awesome green clothing and accessories, eco-friendly apparel is becoming mainstream.

All of the sudden a silk kimono takes the back seat to a custom bamboo robe and a star chooses the H&M organic clothing line over the latest one of a kind bejeweled dress. Nike and Wal-Mart join H&M as some of the top 10 worldwide brands selling organic cotton lines. In the future, many more hot names in fashion will be turning to eco-friendly alternatives to show stopping looks. By the beginning of 2010 these going-green company’s expect 33% of their products to be made of eco-friendly organic cotton.

With trend setters turning to eco-friendly apparel, the price gap growing thinner and a constant drop of harmful chemicals entering the atmosphere, going-green with your wardrobe seems widely attractive. Models are strutting their stuff down the run way and giving eco-friendly a whole new make over while organic farmers work to harvest cotton in the most sustainable ways possible. Likewise, traveling business executives are looking their finest in organic custom polos and schools across the world are arming students with cool promotional eco-friendly tees. So join the revolution and make a statement today by greenifying your wardrobe.

Jenn Jimenez is an e-marketing specialist for Motivators Inc., a Long Island based promotional products distributor. Among many wonderful items, eco-friendly apparel has stood out as the item of the future. As new trends are taken on, we strive to bring the hip, like eco-friendly apparel, to your industry.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenn_Jimenez

In my previous article I wrote about eco friendly carrier bags and how you can do your part to help with the environment. Well the carriers are not the only products that can be made environmentally friendly. Probably the most popular eco products are packaging in general. Standard corrugated boxes are also an item used everyday whether it be to package products to send to shops or for people to place products in for storage or transportation. These boxes use a lot more of the environments resources than a carrier bag due to their size is it is even more important that these can be made eco friendly.

A lot of companies now offer a range of these as well, they are made from paper that has been sourced from managed forests or recycled fibres and each box can be recycled 100%. These boxes are environmentally friendly and the material is still strong enough to support items of the same weight a standard corrugated box could hold.

This has taken off rather well and a lot of companies provide these variations in packaging and it is a good thing as well because a lot of people do not take care of the environment so someone needs to, companies offering these eco friendly products are doing a service to the environment so why do you help them out as well by changing your supplier to an eco friendly one. It is not likely to cost you any extra than you already pay but it will help the environment and even enhance your company credentials.

If you are in need of this service check out our product pages, they contain many companies that specialise in this. Wesley Clarke writes about Eco Friendly Packaging. Visit the Businessmagnet product page for details and suppliers of Eco Friendly Packaging.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wesley_C_Clarke

I don’t know about you, but I get at least three or four catalogues in the mail every single day. Do you have any idea how wasteful that is?  The days of recycling catalogues by using them in the outhouse are long gone, my friends!  And we are not just talking about paper here…what about the inks and chemicals?

To stop the constant influx of catalogues to your mailbox, call the 800 number of the company, making sure you have the catalogue, or at least the label from it in front of you.  Tell them to stop sending catalogues and to remove you from their mailing list.

You can also look them up online, go to contact us, and give them the same information.  Or tape the label to a FAX cover sheet with instructions and FAX that to the company.  Make sure you send it to the attention of customer service.

If the company includes a self-addressed, postage paid envelope with the catalogue, you can simply tear off that label, and put it in the envelope with your instructions to take you off of their mailing list. Again, make the envelope to the attention of the customer service department.

Another annoying and wasteful thing is when you keep getting both junk mail and first class mail for people who used to live at your address.  You can cross out the address and write “moved, no longer at this address” or “left no forwarding address” across the front of the envelope, and hopefully, it will be returned to the sender. If that doesn’t work, speak to your carrier about the problem.

Most of us are going to have to be frugal this holiday season.  Why not consider having an environmentally good Christmas…and one you can even afford…this year!

Obviously, you can decorate the house with pine cones, nuts, gourds, holly, and other natural things.  You can get the kids to make ornaments, string cranberries and popcorn as they did in the good old days.  But there are other ways to be frugal as well.

Did you know that keeping your freezer full lowers your electric bill?  So if you are going to stuff your turkey for the holidays, buy lots of day old bread and toss it in the freezer .  And instead of serving those expensive soft drinks, and bottles of wine, why not go back to the old fashioned punch bowl?

Start by freezing small containers of lemonade, orangeade, limeade, and one larger container of lemon, orange and lime slices in plain water. You see, you are packing the freezer and saving on the electric bill, and you also have your punch almost ready to serve!  Before the party begins, pour a bottle of good red wine and a bottle of ginger ale or 7up into your punchbowl, and float your frozen juices and slices in it.  It is delicious, stays cold, and is decorative, too!

Check out the local farmer’s market for your holiday produce, and don’t forget to bring your own bags that can be reused.

If the party is large, arrange car pools for your guests.  It ends the parking problem, worries about too much drinking, and how to get that last guest to go home!

Acid rain is not something that you hear a lot about these days but that doesn’t make it any less of a problem. Acid rain is just one more problem caused by pollution and because it hasn’t reached a point that interferes with everyday life as we know it, it’s not something that the average person hears much about.

Acid rain is caused by both natural and manmade pollutants. One of the biggest natural causes of acid rain includes the eruption of volcanoes. Power plants and automobiles are two of the biggest manmade pollutants that contribute to this problem. This is because they produce gases which contain nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. These harmful gasses fill the air and then they combine with the moisture forming acidic clouds that eventually leads to acid rain.

It’s important to realize that the term acid rain also refers to any type of moisture that falls from the sky such as, fog, dew and snow as well as rain. The effects of acid rain are certainly undesirable and something that everyone on the planet should be aware of. If this problem is not addressed and dealt with now, it will be much harder to do so in the future when it has escalated.

Acid rain affects everything on the planet. It alters the composition of the soil which has an adverse effect on all plant life. Eventually, the soil will become unusable for planting and cultivation. When the acid rain falls into the oceans, lakes and streams, it dissolves in the water and destroys or alters the aquatic life in the water. This in turn, affects the food chain and the world’s water supply.

You may not hear much about acid rain with all the other more immediate problems the world is facing. Still, it’s a real threat and one more reason why everyone should do their part to reduce pollution and conserve the earth’s natural resources.

It is getting more popular by the day to recycle things, and this also applies to your gift giving.  Book stores, garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, estate sales, and auctions, are not only an interesting way to pass the day, but also can come up with rewarding gifts for your family and friends.

With Christmas on its way, why not start shopping right now?  Make your own Christmas cards, using recycled paper and your imagination.  Whenever possible, email your cards instead of sending paper.  That saves both money and trees, since you won’t need envelopes or stamps. This is a good idea for holiday invitations, as well.

Do some of your shopping online.  You’ll be saving on fossil fuels, and you can find bargains easier.  Used items are guaranteed to please on Amazon, and the savings are terrific. For user to user sales, go to EBay or Craig’s list.

If you still want to buy new, why not think of something that would be good for the environment as your gift.  A few good ideas would be books on how to save both money and the environment, information on solar power, indoor herb garden kits, staple-free staplers, soy candles, or CFL light bulbs.

And speaking of Christmas, I really do understand why so many people want a live Christmas tree.  They are beautiful, and smell so delicious!  Since most of them are now grown on tree farms for that express purpose, you are not damaging the forests by purchasing one.  But what do you do with it when you take it down?

These trees are NOT safe to burn in your fireplace.  The tars can cause fires in your chimney as they build up.  Instead, have the tree chewed up into mulch, and use it to protect your outdoor plantings.

Conserving water is high on the list when it comes to living green and protecting the earth’s natural resources. Using your own water supply instead of buying bottled water is one of the ways that you can do this. To make sure your water supply is safe for you to drink, you can have it tested. It’s a simple process that can be done two different ways. You can do it yourself by picking up a home water test kit. Run tap water into a clean glass and then follow the directions on the test.

Your other option is to take a sample of your water to a local facility where they will test the quality of the water for you. This would probably be the most precise test you could get but the home testing kits should be accurate if used correctly. Keep in mind that if the water from your tap is cloudy for the first minute or two and then it clears up, this is usually not anything to worry about.

If you test your water and discover that it’s not up to standards, you can consider adding a home water purification system to make the water drinkable. After installing the system, it’s a good idea to have the water tested again to be sure the system is working correctly. It’s recommended that you have your water tested annually. This is even more important if you get your water from a private well because it’s up to you to make sure your water is safe to drink.

When you know the water in your home is safe it can make a world of difference and help you do your part to conserve natural resources. Plus, it’s just comforting to know that the water you bath in, brush your teeth with and cook with is within the safety range.