Mom Goes Green, goes ECO SAFE

http://www.momgoesgreen.com

You’ll notice on the Merit Badge page we’ve added several new styles to the mix.

You can get our condensed versions to place seamlessly on your websites pages without disrupting design elements.

*Also, we’re working on developing a style chooser that will allow you to change the color scheme of the widgets as well.

Contact us with any ideas you have for a Merit Badge design!

This is some exciting news! For everyone that installs the ECO-SAFE Merit Badge on their website or blog they will receive an iTunes song of their choice!

Simply install the Merit Badge and then contact us to let us know what song you would like.

Helping the environment has never sounded so good :-)

The heads of AMV BBDO, JWT, Ogilvy, RKCR/Y&R and Saatchi & Saatchi have told the FT they believe green advertising will grow in the next 12 months. All were in the top six UK agencies by gross income in the most recent industry report by Willott Kingston Smith, the leading advertising auditing firm.

The agencies say environmental branding has risen up boards’ agendas, and point to the spate of recent rival green announcements in the grocery retail sector. Farah Ramzan Golant, chief executive of AMV, said: “We’re at a tipping point. I really believe we are going to see more of this.”

Advertisers that make green claims for products and services however face unprecedented public scrutiny, particularly from bloggers and other web users.

Some experts warn those that unveil unpersuasive or me-too initiatives on carbon neutrality or sustainable sourcing, for instance, will see little benefit.

At best they would not receive the free press coverage some announcements had enjoyed but would have to use paid-for marketing to persuade sceptics. At worse they could suffer a backlash if their claims proved wrong or inconsistent. -source: www.ft.com

Without sounding like we’re tooting our own horn, this gives answers as to why the ECO-SAFE Merit Badge program has seen such growth. The conversion increases have been so high we’ve even thought something was wrong.

This feedback and data supports the powerful shift going on in our culture, consumers are much more green savvy and green hungry than our wildest dreams.

New Methods of Going Green Are Turning Up Everywhere

By now the writing is on the wall, global warning is no longer just a debate, it’s a reality. The price of oil is at an all-time high. Costs of other energy sources are also skyrocketing. In addition, the air we breathe is rapidly becoming more and more polluted. Unless we all change our ways, climate change and pollution will become even more pronounced with devastating affects.

While there are serious problems abound when looking at the current situation, there is hope. Fueled by ambitious entrepreneurs, scientists, and researchers, new technology and ideas are being brought forth into the mainstream to help reduce pollution, minimize dependency on fossil fuels, and help us to simply limit our consumption and waste. These new ideas and technologies are crucial help society sustain itself in the future.

Old material, New Methodology

All around us is a material that has revolutionized the way we use, dispose of, and interact with products. Plastic has found its way into virtually everything we use on a daily basis. This revolutionary material has helped us in too many ways to be counted. However, this common material is also a danger to our environment, as it is not biodegradable and is cable of releasing dangerous, toxic compounds into the environment.

Plastic, however, is proof that it’s never too late to change your ways. New forms of plastic are being produced from revolutionary polymers and material derived from genetically altered plants such as corn and wheat. This new direction in the manufacturing of plastic is helping to make this material become biodegradable. These so-called bioplastics will soon be commonplace among the wide range of bottles, containers, and cartons that we use and dispose of each day.

Changes to Our Fuel

One common green product that is getting serious hype is biodiesel. Biodiesel fuel is derived from alcohol and fats rather than from petroleum. Vehicles can run on biodiesel without a costly or cumbersome conversion. Although this fuel still produces carbon dioxide, it produces significantly less of it and also emits fewer carcinogens.

The major downside to biodiesel is that it costs more than standard diesel fuel and gasoline. On the other hand, the biodiesel gets significantly better fuel economy than these other fuels. Unfortunately, obtaining biodiesel fuel is still a bit difficult. Until the infrastructure is in place to readily supply the fuel, it still will take some time before it truly becomes mainstream.

Carbon – You Can’t Escape It

As humans, it’s only natural that we produce carbon as a result of our energy consumption. Whether you’re driving, flying, breathing, or even turning on a light bulb, everything releases carbon into the air. One of the most important components to the green movement is trying to move toward becoming carbon neutral, or at the very least reducing our so-called carbon footprint. One method of achieving this is researching and investing in renewable energy, such as solar or wind power, which are rapidly gaining traction and funding within the public and private sectors.

Green Reading Materials

Trees are becoming a more valuable resource as we try to reduce our carbon footprint. As such, whatever we can do to reduce the consumption of paper is essential. Although books, newspapers, and magazines have their appeal, more resources are being made available online. Most magazines and newspapers have full-featured online versions. Even books can be purchased and read entirely online! Products like Amazon.com’s new Kindle is helping to promote the digital format for reading material, which helps reduce paper consumption and save trees.

Although paper is far from being replaced by digital media, great strides are being made to provide quality information, entertainment, and news on the Web as an alternative for consumers.

Green Automobiles, Green Fuels, and Now Green Websites

Thanks to new technology, the green movement is being implemented offline as well as online. The ECO-SAFE Foundation is one such company that is providing the resources to ensure websites are environmentally friendly. Using proprietary technology, ECO-SAFE can provide audits of any website, identifying important components that would help make the site more green. Some of these green components include printer friendly pages that reduce ink and paper waste, having available paper-less checkout and receipts, and a slew of other requirements and commitments to making the Web as environmentally friendly as possible.

For those who want to ensure that their website is green, and who also want their customers and site’s visitors to know they’re making strides to be environmentally friendly, the ECO-SAFE Foundation offers an accreditation program that includes a Merit Badge that would be visible to everyone who visits the site.

Increasingly, more websites are promoting green culture and green products. With ECO-SAFE’s strict accreditation process, the foundation allows websites such as these to practice what they preach and ensure that their site is as environmentally friendly as possible. Other websites that do not necessarily cater to “green clientele” will also benefit from this accreditation since the environment has become a mainstream concern.

Approximately 50 percent of U.S. consumers consider at least one sustainability factor in selecting consumer packaged goods (CPG) items and choosing where to shop for those products, according to a recently released survey conducted by Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). The 22,000 U.S. consumers surveyed were asked to determine the impact of four key sustainability features in their product and store selection—organic, eco-friendly products, eco-friendly packaging and fair treatment of employees and suppliers. One-fifth of those surveyed were determined to be “sustainability driven,” taking at least two sustainability factors into account when making their selections.

“Sustainability has evolved from a niche segment concern to a major factor influencing purchasing and shopping behavior across a sizable consumer base,” says IRI Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Salzman. “Our survey indicates that consumers are focused more and more on the social and environmental impact of their CPG purchases, creating a viable and growing U.S. market for sustainable products and packaging with the potential to mirror well-developed markets in Europe and Japan. U.S. retailers and manufacturers are beginning to respond to that demand.”

Among the IRI results highlighting the evolution of sustainability factors in consumer decision-making are the following:

* Approximately 30 percent look for eco-friendly products and packaging in their brand selection
* Up to one-quarter of those surveyed consider fair trade practices along with eco-friendly or organic designations in selecting a shopping destination
* Nearly 40 percent of consumers search specifically for organic products
See entire story here: http://us.infores.com/page/news/pr?mode=single&pr_id=246

Nearly nine in ten Americans say the words “conscious consumer” describe them well and are more likely to buy from companies that manufacture energy efficient products, promote health and safety benefits, support fair labor and trade practices, and commit to environmentally-friendly practices, according to the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report.

See entire report here, under “News & Insights”: http://www.bbmg.com/index_news.html

At an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian government has agreed to take emergency measures to curb deforestation as figures revealed a sharp increase in large-scale destruction of the Amazon forests.

Brazilian government figures showed that in just the last five months of 2007, 3,235 sq km of forest cover were lost. The worst deforested states include the state of Mato Grosso as well as the states of Para and Rondonia.

Among the measures to be initiated by the government to curb deforestation include boosting the number of federal police and environmental agents by 25% to prevent farmers and cattle ranchers illegally felling additional rainforest.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Marina Silva said environmental agents and federal police would be deployed around 36 cities and towns where illegal clearing has seen a dramatic rise last year.

Additionally, people or businesses buying anything produced on the deforested land could face fines, she said adding that the authorities will also monitor areas of deforestation to stop crop cultivation and cattle raising.

The environment minister attributed rising prices of raw materials and commodities to be the reason for the sharp increase in rate of forest clearing.

The ECO SAFE Foundation

For years we’ve been active in making technology more eco safe from our individual locations around the world. Today we open dedicated offices to embark on a mission to bring awareness and environmentally friendly practices to the Internet. Our mission: “Change the Web, Change the World.”

We have relationships with many of the green superpowers that exist today. Governments, Environmentalists, Corporations,Websites, Bloggers, and Organizations. Leveraging all of our contacts in the industry we will relentlessly pursue change.

“Change the Web, Change the World” -The ECO SAFE Foundation