Fiji water

But Fiji has also made a number of changes to back things up. They’ve become carbon negative, reduced their packaging, increased their recycling, and even gone on a mission to save the rainforest! In fact, Fiji is only guilty of 2% of the bottled water industry’s waste in America - an industry that is guilty of a mere 0.33% of the country’s total municipal waste. That’s not so bad, is it?

Yes it is…at least according to the environmentalists - led by Michael J. Brune, executive director of the Rainforest Action Network - that are not just voicing, but screaming, their opinion. “Bottled water is a business that is fundamentally, inherently and inalterably unconscionable,” Brune told the New York Times. “No side deals to protect forests or combat global warming can offset that reality.” (more…)

Before I start with my five essential tips, I want to share a quick video of encouragement from Google. (more…)

There are plenty of vehicles to choose from to satisfy a variety of needs. But if you want a green car for your next big purchase, here are the top options: (more…)

Lindsay Smith of the show visited the manufacturing plant to explore the environmental impact of printer cartridges and why it’s important to make the right choice.

Check it out for yourself:

Want to know more about the Get Connected show? Visit their website at GetConnectedTVShow.com.

To find out how you can order an environmentally friendly printer cartridge in the Greater Vancouver Area or Kelowna, visit DigitechLaser.com.

In 1996, Sprite changed their slogan from “I Like the Sprite in You” to “Image is Nothing, Thirst is Everything - Obey Your Thirst.” The change skyrocketed the brand’s success and within a matter of months sales increased by 9%. Since then, Sprite has become the fourth most popular soft drink on the market.

There are two strong ironies regarding this slogan.

1. The advertising was focussed on image more than anything.
2. While Sprite does quench thirst, like other soft drinks it can “act as dehydrating diuretic“. If you really wanted to obey your thirst, you’d drink water.

While Sprite has nothing to do with the environment (and this is an environmental blog), their marketing efforts are noteworthy because of how they parallel the advertising efforts by thousands of “green” businesses across North American today.

While Sprite promoted a thirst-quenching drink (which it wasn’t the best at doing), thousands of companies in 2008 are promoting green (when they aren’t doing all they could be).

Problem, Agitate, Solve

A very basic advertising formula is to find a problem that affects the target market, agitate it and make it seem bigger than it is, and then produce a solution - not only making the consumer feel better, but also putting some money in the pockets of the producer.

Ever since ozone depletion and global warming have become legitimate threats to our environments sustainability, companies have been searching for ways to offer solutions to the worried marketplace.

Green Marketing is one of the biggest trends of the last decade. Unfortunately, actually being green - or being completely honest about being green - isn’t so widely practiced. ESLPod.com recently stated that “American companies are trying to appeal (make more attractive) to consumers (people who buy products) by claiming that their products are “earth-friendly” or “eco-safe,” when it is not clear whether they are or not.”

It’s called Greenwashing: companies misleading consumers regarding their environmental practices or the environmental benefits of their products or services. (more…)