Although it is honorable for companies such as Microsoft to take action, we should not forget that small and medium sized businesses are needed in this battle as well. It will take hundreds if not thousands of us working together to make a significant change.

At Bizcard, we have followed these guidelines and a few more since our inception. We usually participate in Green Forums, blogs… and we ask industry experts as well as readers what we can do to improve our green practices.

“Together We Can”

Go Hacker Group!!!

I checked out your suggested additions to the guidelines and I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for the thoughtful addition! Definitely worth checking out.

Chris

Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to read MarketGreener. I think the main reason the talk has been about direct mail is because it seems like that’s where the recent guildelines’ focus is. Yes, trees are a renewable resource, but there’s a lot more that goes into making paper and then sending it as mail than just the trees. That direct mail piece has a lot of miles on it with a pretty heavy carbon footprint by the time it reaches the intended recipient.

That said, I’m glad to hear that the Green Marketing Coalition is focusing on other areas as well. I also agree and am well aware that nearly nothing we do as marketers will be completely carbon neutral. Add to that the fact that nearly everything we marketers create is headed to the trash heap as soon as we’ve made it. Oh, the shame!

We’ll never be a carbon neutral society until we’ve given up our capitalistic, consumptive ways and all of us—marketers and everyone—are out of business. But knowing that even the most idealistic of us probably don’t want that to happen, we do the best we can. I’d love to learn more about the Green Marketing Coalition’s effort and will certainly investigate further.

Thanks again,

Chris

I shouldn’t be surprised that the talk about our group has all been about direct mail. But it’s the Green Marketing Coalition, not the Green Direct Mail Coalition. As you point out, email and other electronic media may be a better way to go for many marketing strategists. Our agency always recommends electronic solutions whenever they make business sense — just as you recommend mail in select circumstances. (I have to point out that people sometimes forget that paper is a renewable resource and computers and servers have their own carbon footprint and some nasty, non-recyclable components. I’m just saying that there isn’t really anything we do as marketers that’s going to be completely carbon neutral.)

Anyway . . . I appreciate that you think the Coalition is a least a small step in the right direction in terms of determining best green marketing practices. Thanks!