It seems that in the month of April there is a raised awareness of being environmentally friendly since Earth Day is observed on April 22nd. “Green” is the buzzword of the month, you hear phrases such as Going Green, Be Green, Think Green, and Become Greener!

But what does green really mean?

Green is about making conscious decisions about anything we do in our lives that will have a minimal, negative impact to the environment and making greener choices to improve our health.

When it comes to selecting a greener lifestyle, you may feel that “It’s not easy being Green,” because you have to make drastic changes in your life or spend your entire savings on Green products in order to make a difference.

The fact is that we all can take simple steps to become greener that will significantly contribute to improving the environment, the communities we live in and our health. Incorporating eco-friendly practices can also save you money (and who doesn’t want to save money)!

It's Easy Being Green!

The Goods team knows first hand how easy it is being green. After taking a few simple steps, we have been able to reduce our ecological footprint while providing a healthier and more productive place of work as mentioned in previous blogs.

There are so many little things that we can do that would have a considerable impact on the environment. Buy from your local farmers market – you are not only getting healthier foods but also supporting the folks that live in your community. You don’t have to buy a new hybrid car (although that would be cool!) but perhaps make fewer trips or carpool, this way you are saving the earth while saving money on gas!

Below are some resources to help you Go Green, Become Green, Be Greener or whatever Green you prefer!

Resources:
Tips on Going Green
Check out USA Today’s cool "Going Green" interactive that will provide you with tips on what you can do at home to live a "greener" life. 

Tree Hugger's How to Go Green Guides
Features a plethora of handy guides to help you green your lives with ease, while understanding why.  

Simple Ways to Reduce Energy Use and Save Money
Sources: Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund

• Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Replace outdoor lighting with a bulb or fixture equipped with a motion detector.
• Buy appliances that have the ENERGY STAR label from the Environmental Protection Agency, because they use less energy and water than standard models.
• Add insulation to the water heater.
• Install low-flow shower heads and toilets.
• Check for and seal any cracks or gaps in walls particularly common in older homes with caulking and weather stripping.
• Lower home thermostat.

At Goods we are excited to work with clients and vendors who have implemented their own Green Initiatives. Our Green Client spotlight features three of our clients that have implemented a Green program: InterfaceFLOR; Sanctuary Real Estate and Standard Press.

InterfaceFLOR started Mission Zero, a promise to eliminate any negative impact their company may have on the environment by the year 2020. As described by InterfaceFLOR:

"To InterfaceFLOR, Mission Zero means taking the time to understand the natural world and all of its species and to understand how everything we do, take, make and waste affects nature's balance and, ultimately, our children and the children of all species. From this knowledge, we can build processes throughout our business that mimic nature and support the environment. Processes that:

• Sustain the environment by taking nothing from the earth that we cannot easily and rapidly replace.
• Sustain society by educating our employees and associates on our impact on the environment and helping them create solutions that reduce our footprint.
• Sustain our economic health by creating products and solutions that are not only environmentally-friendly, but profitable as well.

We strive to achieve success in all of these areas, while consistently providing beautiful, high performing products delivered with integrity and responsibility. We’re not at zero yet, but since the ecological epiphany of our Founder Ray Anderson in 1994, we've had a lot of time to work on it, resulting in environmental advances in all areas of our business - people, process, product, place and profits. "

InterfaceFLOR’s contribution to improving our environment has been recognized worldwide. InterfaceFLOR Chairman and founder Ray Anderson was named Hero of the Environment by Time Magazine. Ray commented, "To be recognized alongside such notable people is a testament to the pioneering spirit of Interface. If a single, $1 billion company can make a difference, imagine the impact if everyone did it."

The Goods team congratulates Ray Anderson and InterfaceFLOR for winning such a prestigious accolade and for their commitment to the environment.

Sanctuary Real Estate sees being environmentally conscious a way of life and not just a trend. Sanctuary has incorporated eco-friendly best practices into their company operations along with making a commitment to assist clients make their homes more environmentally sound.

Sanctuary started the Green Life 2008 Initiative - its mission is to "offer resources on creating a healthy, fulfilling environment in your own Sanctuary by providing advice and resources to help reduce your ecological footprint." Learn more about Sanctuary's Green Life 2008 Initiative.

Rita Bacot Scott, Principal and Broker of Sanctuary, believes, "Green living is about improving the environment and providing a healthier setting in which to live in. Sanctuary strongly believes in providing green strategies to our clients to help them live a greener life."

As one of the GreenLife 2008 initiatives, Sanctuary designed an environmentally-friendly downloadable 2008 calendar, which you can print out the calendar pages only as needed. The calendar is filled with terrific tips and resources to help you live as green as possible. View the Green calendar designed by Goods For You. Download now >>

Sanctuary Real Estate has opened a second office located in Inman Park, Atlanta and continues their commitment to the Green Life Initiative by incorporating eco-friendly practices into their new office location.

Leslie Zweben, Associate Broker of Sanctuary Inman Park explains:

Minimizing the impact on the environment is important to all of us, whether at home or in our place of business. In building out our new office space, Sanctuary Inman Park, we wanted to incorporate "green" tips whenever possible, not only to address energy efficiency or water conservation, but to use as a basis for educating our agents and clients in hopes that they will also "pay it forward!" As an added resource, our partner and managing broker, Carlson Collier, has earned an EcoBroker Designation which offers innovative energy, environmental, and green tools for real estate professionals. Our goal is that each Principal of Sanctuary Inman Park as well as other agents will participate in the program and earn the EcoBroker designation by the end of 2008! One of the most important things to remember is that each of us in an effort to think and act green, even on the smallest scale, really do make a difference!

In the words of Lady Bird Johnson, "The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is the one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become."

Sanctuary Inman Park will have their grand opening celebration during the Inman Park Festival, one of Atlanta's most spirited and eclectic neighborhood festivals. If you are in the Inman Park area, please join the Sanctuary team to celebrate their grand opening! View Open House details>>

Grand Opening Open House
Saturday, April 26th from 11am to 7pm
Sunday, April 27th from 11am to 7pm.

Below are some of the things Sanctuary Inman Park is doing to reduce their footprint on this amazing planet!

PARTNERSHIP WITH ALTERNACORP

• Installation of a high efficiency/dual flush Caroma toilet and matching sink for water conservation
• Installation of Plyboo (bamboo plywood) for interior office walls
• Sanctuary Inman Park and AlternaCorp will be distributing up to 300 discount coupons to our guests during the grand opening weekend ($100.00 applied towards a new, high efficiency Caroma toilet) 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

• Energy Star rated appliances and equipment
• Low Voltage primary lighting with supplemental task lamps (all using energy saving bulbs)
• Heat Pump system-13 SEER with programmable thermostat 

INDOOR POLLUTANT CONTROL

• Low and/or reduced VOC paints and sealants 

RECYCLING/RECYCLED PRODUCTS

• Commitment to recycling (paper, plastic, and aluminum) on a daily basis with recycling bins located throughout the office
• Necessary paper goods (toilet paper, paper towels, copy paper, business cards) all made from recycled materials
• GreenPrint installed on office computers to save wasted print pages 

MISCELLANEOUS

• Using, washing and reusing drinking glasses and coffee mugs for everyday office usage instead of disposable cups
• Purchased (some) used and/or refurbished office equipment in the spirit of recycling
• Supporting local artists and vendors. Primary furniture pieces in reception area purchased from vintage dealer or made from recycled/reclaimed materials; Conference table design and crafted by Robert Witherspoon.
• Sanctuary Inman Park will be distributing up to 300 reusable, cotton/canvas grocery bags during the grand opening weekend

Standard Press, founded in 1932, is Atlanta’s oldest, independently owned full service printer has started their own Green initiative program.

Standard Press has also made a concerted effort to partner with vendors who share this same perspective to further facilitate their green initiatives.

Detailed below are a few of many initiatives that Standard Press has put in place:

• Dual certification for both FSC(Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI(Sustainable Forestry Initiative).
• Continuing education of customers and staff on aspects of green printing.
• Quarterly audits to ensure we are introducing and testing the safest materials in our facility.
• Official Sponsor of earthhour.org event.
• Soft proofing in pre-press which not only eliminates substrates for proofing but eliminates energy usage transporting proofs back and forth from customers.
• Elimination of all hazardous materials in pressroom.
• Converted one press to blanket wash cloths with the solvent already in them which reduces VOC’s reduces waste handling by employees.

 Account Executive for Standard Press, Steve McCart commented, "At Standard Press, as a dual certified printer with both Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (FSI), basically ensures responsible and verifiable forestry practices are followed through a chain-of custody. We are committed to helping our customers in their efforts to protect the health and well being of our forest and being an environmentally friendly print user."

ECO Widget

To be connected to the Eco-Conscious World, receive up-to-date environmental information and resources for sustainable living, download the ECOWIDGET, a desktop application powered by The Environmental News Network that provides headlines, facts, and tips of how to reduce your carbon footprint.

There is even a local search menu, where users can find sustainable food choices in their area!

Ecological Footprint Quiz

Take the Earth Day Network Ecological Footprint quiz to find out your impact on the planet. This Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard.

Clearly music is big business on the Web. YAHOO! Music has an extensive Internet offering and has positioned itself recently as a thought leader with a great radio player called LAUNCHcast. LAUNCHcast's tagline of "Music that listens to you" is pretty accurate, as its player serves up music to you based on your personal taste.

I call it "predictive radio" because it is similar to predictive marketing techniques on the Web, whereby information is served up to a user based on their activities and behavior online.

For eclectic music lovers like myself, LAUNCHcast is a dream come true. I can truly listen to a customized radio station made just for me, while also having over a hundred other stations to choose from. "Radio Rama" serves up anything from Counting Crows to Kayne West to Joni Mitchell. My LAUNCHcast station 'gets to know' me better via an easy-to-use rating system. If there's a song or artist that I want to hear more often, or never again, LAUNCHcast will make it so.

The best part about the player is that it can be experienced for free with most of its features intact. You can upgrade to a paid version for a mere $2.99/month and enjoy 70 additional stations, unlimited song skipping and completely commercial-free radio.

Kudos to YAHOO! for engineering a great innovation in Internet radio. The only downside to LAUNCHcast is that, for now, it is only compatible with PC Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher browsers. That means that music lovers who are on a Mac OS or who prefer a browser other than Internet Explorer cannot partake.

Take some time to try out the free version of LAUNCHcast and let us know about your experience!

iMixes on iTunes are a great way to share your own killer playlists with all other iTunes users. They provide a great audio reference library in which to locate songs that match a particular genre, occasion, tempo, etc. On a personal level, I research iMixes often when I am looking for great running music, or just fresh musical suggestions.

At Goods, we've been brainstorming lately on how iMixes or playlists can be marketed on a one-to-one level with consumers. Since iMix playlists can be published directly from iTunes to the Web and can be posted to your own Web site or blog, there is an opportunity to engage a captive audience.

Below is an example of a published iMix. I created this mix for a friend who ran in last year's New York City Marathon. It has since become a staple for me and other friends on long runs! iTunes provides the code that is needed to "advertise" the iMix in this fashion:

iMixes can be leveraged to tie-in with relevant aspects of your business and can be updated or added to as often as desired. For instance, if you own a fitness or health-related business, you can publish custom mixes to your clientele that will encourage peak performance. If you sell residential real estate, you could formulate sounds that promote warmth and happiness in the home. For just about any industry sector, guaranteed there is a soundtrack that can accompany it - determining that soundtrack's marketability is the key.

Think you need a soundtrack for your business? Let's discuss some ways that you could market more effectively with iMixes.