May 16 - Two Blogs
Blog #7 - Greenwashing
In order to avoid greenwashing companies need to remain straight forward with the consumers. Companies need to avoid using any misleading copy, most importantly avoid making up words or terms that could be misinterpreted. Another key thing that companies should avoid is anything that could be interpreted as governmentally official when it may not be, for example any badges or seals on a product.
Blog #8 - Gold Rule
I think the golden rule can applied to the environment. If nature is thought of as our home it could be used as treat nature the way you'd want others to treat your home. For example, you wouldn't someone to litter in your yard so you shouldn't litter in the environment. Also this could be applied to the idea of wanting to be treated well in general so you should treat the environment well. There are also things we are doing to the environment that will come back to hurt us. Treating the environment well now will prevent the environment from hurting us later.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Sunday, May 1, 2016
May 2 - New Rules of Green Marketing
Eco-Innovation
Ottman defines eco-innovation as "innovating at the concept stage, or developing entirely new products and services (including materials and technologies) capable of performing the same function as existing ones only with significantly less environmental impact." Essentially eco-innovation is going back to the drawing board to change the base level issues to be more environmentally sound. I definitely agree with this definition. In order to make these innovations happen we must go back to square one in order to evoke any change.
Advertising and innovation can go hand in hand or can remain completely separate. Sometimes a company may innovate something new and then need to advertise it after the fact. Other times a company may be looking for a change and advertisers may point out a place where they need to go back and make a change at the beginning.
Eco-Innovation
Ottman defines eco-innovation as "innovating at the concept stage, or developing entirely new products and services (including materials and technologies) capable of performing the same function as existing ones only with significantly less environmental impact." Essentially eco-innovation is going back to the drawing board to change the base level issues to be more environmentally sound. I definitely agree with this definition. In order to make these innovations happen we must go back to square one in order to evoke any change.
Advertising and innovation can go hand in hand or can remain completely separate. Sometimes a company may innovate something new and then need to advertise it after the fact. Other times a company may be looking for a change and advertisers may point out a place where they need to go back and make a change at the beginning.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
April 24 - New Rules of Green Marketing
Conventional VS. Green Marketing
Some of the comparisons in this chart are surprising to me. I think it is interesting that the target audience is thought of as "consumers" for conventional marketing while green marketing considers them "people." I definitely find it true that conventional advertising is more global than green marketing but I don't think it is true that all conventional advertising is one-size and that all green advertising is regionally tailored. I have definitely found traditional campaigns that tailor to the individual and green strategies that are much more broad. I also think that although green marketing has a positive intention with strategy, I feel that it can be just as competitive, secretive, and profit-maximizing as conventional marketing. I find that this chart is overall correct but also stereotypes conventional marketing as only sneaky and manipulative and green marketing as only beneficial to the world and I don't think that those roles are always 100 percent true.
Conventional VS. Green Marketing
Some of the comparisons in this chart are surprising to me. I think it is interesting that the target audience is thought of as "consumers" for conventional marketing while green marketing considers them "people." I definitely find it true that conventional advertising is more global than green marketing but I don't think it is true that all conventional advertising is one-size and that all green advertising is regionally tailored. I have definitely found traditional campaigns that tailor to the individual and green strategies that are much more broad. I also think that although green marketing has a positive intention with strategy, I feel that it can be just as competitive, secretive, and profit-maximizing as conventional marketing. I find that this chart is overall correct but also stereotypes conventional marketing as only sneaky and manipulative and green marketing as only beneficial to the world and I don't think that those roles are always 100 percent true.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
April 17 - New Rules of Green Marketing
Types of Green Consumers
I think out of all these types of green consumers I am most like a drifter. I feel as though I am very educated in what is good and bad for the environment but I don't always implement what I know into my everyday routines. The sentence "they boycott companies with questionable environmental reputations" is accurate to me. I would definitely avoid certain brands with poor reputations with the environment.
It is interesting to compare this to one of my roommates who I would say is a combination between a drifter and an unconcerned. She is definitely aware of environmental problems but often takes the approach of "well I'll be dead by the time that's a problem." Being from California she didn't know how to recycle before coming here and I often have to tell her what can and can't be recycled. She still just needs a little push further to care a little more than she does.
Types of Green Consumers
I think out of all these types of green consumers I am most like a drifter. I feel as though I am very educated in what is good and bad for the environment but I don't always implement what I know into my everyday routines. The sentence "they boycott companies with questionable environmental reputations" is accurate to me. I would definitely avoid certain brands with poor reputations with the environment.
It is interesting to compare this to one of my roommates who I would say is a combination between a drifter and an unconcerned. She is definitely aware of environmental problems but often takes the approach of "well I'll be dead by the time that's a problem." Being from California she didn't know how to recycle before coming here and I often have to tell her what can and can't be recycled. She still just needs a little push further to care a little more than she does.
April 17 - Sunday, No Impact Week (Eco-Sabbath)
This day was really easy in some aspects and more difficult in others. I had a hard time not using appliances in order to cook and I also needed to use my computer in order to do homework. But otherwise I did an okay job. I had an intramural softball game which required me to spend time outside with people that I may have otherwise spent using energy at home. We also walked out to our game which was nice because it was a nice day outside too. Also my roommates were at home watching TV and when I got there I influenced them to turn it off and we all sat outside on our balcony to enjoy the rest of the day.
This day was really easy in some aspects and more difficult in others. I had a hard time not using appliances in order to cook and I also needed to use my computer in order to do homework. But otherwise I did an okay job. I had an intramural softball game which required me to spend time outside with people that I may have otherwise spent using energy at home. We also walked out to our game which was nice because it was a nice day outside too. Also my roommates were at home watching TV and when I got there I influenced them to turn it off and we all sat outside on our balcony to enjoy the rest of the day.
April 16 - Saturday, No Impact Week (Giving Back)
This day was mostly about reflection for me. Being in a sorority has made it really easy to get involved in the community and give back. We have required community service hours for each term. Through this I have volunteered at many places from a 5k to a children's after school programs for homeless youth. This day definitely made me think about how to give back to the community while also giving back to the Earth.
This day was mostly about reflection for me. Being in a sorority has made it really easy to get involved in the community and give back. We have required community service hours for each term. Through this I have volunteered at many places from a 5k to a children's after school programs for homeless youth. This day definitely made me think about how to give back to the community while also giving back to the Earth.
April 15 - Friday, No Impact Week (Water)
This day was pretty eye opening for me. I've always thought I was pretty good at conserving water: carry around a reusable water bottle, take shorter showers. Pretty simple. But reading through the how to guide about the water day there is so much wasted water. I never thought about how much water is wasted from toilet flushing or how much water could be reused for other things. In cooking on this day I tried to reuse my water. I made pasta and veggies so I first boiled the pasta and then used the same water to steam some vegetables. This is such an easy way to conserve water and I feel like I can easily implement this into my every day routines.
This day was pretty eye opening for me. I've always thought I was pretty good at conserving water: carry around a reusable water bottle, take shorter showers. Pretty simple. But reading through the how to guide about the water day there is so much wasted water. I never thought about how much water is wasted from toilet flushing or how much water could be reused for other things. In cooking on this day I tried to reuse my water. I made pasta and veggies so I first boiled the pasta and then used the same water to steam some vegetables. This is such an easy way to conserve water and I feel like I can easily implement this into my every day routines.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
April 14 - Thursday, No Impact Week (Energy)
I've been looking forward to this day because I am usually really good about this. My room has two huge windows so I rarely have my lights on all day and since it has been such nice weather the heat has been off but the weather threw me for a loop. Since it was so rainy and gloomy today it was a little hard to just use natural light this morning but I was still able to do a pretty good job with only using one small light. I also limited my shower length and turned the temperature to half what I usually use (which made taking a short shower a lot easier). A benefit of this day was that my apartment was being sprayed for ants (not sure about how that impacts the environment... but it had to be done). But because of this I couldn't be in my apartment and therefore I went out to spend time with some friends which limited my energy use at home by being off the computer and not watching TV. One suggestion for this day was washing clothes "grape-stomping style." I sort of wish I had laundry to do because I really want to try this... Props to Colin though for doing laundry this way for a whole year.
I've been looking forward to this day because I am usually really good about this. My room has two huge windows so I rarely have my lights on all day and since it has been such nice weather the heat has been off but the weather threw me for a loop. Since it was so rainy and gloomy today it was a little hard to just use natural light this morning but I was still able to do a pretty good job with only using one small light. I also limited my shower length and turned the temperature to half what I usually use (which made taking a short shower a lot easier). A benefit of this day was that my apartment was being sprayed for ants (not sure about how that impacts the environment... but it had to be done). But because of this I couldn't be in my apartment and therefore I went out to spend time with some friends which limited my energy use at home by being off the computer and not watching TV. One suggestion for this day was washing clothes "grape-stomping style." I sort of wish I had laundry to do because I really want to try this... Props to Colin though for doing laundry this way for a whole year.
April 13 - Wednesday, No Impact Week (Food)
The biggest struggle in this day was really knowing what was good and what was bad when it comes to food. I mostly just tried to not eat a lot of packaged foods that would create a lot of trash. Looking through the guide for no impact week it says to avoid meat and I generally don't eat a lot of meat on a regular basis any way so that wasn't too difficult. Also to avoid food waste I went to my sorority for lunch. We often have too much food there which creates left overs which are often wasted so I thought taking advantage of food that was already being cooked but might be wasted was a good way to avoid impacting the environment.
The biggest struggle in this day was really knowing what was good and what was bad when it comes to food. I mostly just tried to not eat a lot of packaged foods that would create a lot of trash. Looking through the guide for no impact week it says to avoid meat and I generally don't eat a lot of meat on a regular basis any way so that wasn't too difficult. Also to avoid food waste I went to my sorority for lunch. We often have too much food there which creates left overs which are often wasted so I thought taking advantage of food that was already being cooked but might be wasted was a good way to avoid impacting the environment.
April 12 - Tuesday, No Impact Week (Transportation)
This day wasn't too difficult because I live pretty close to campus so walking isn't hard or out of the ordinary for me. I took multiple trips back and forth from my apartment to campus and walk every single one. One difficulty was that I had a meeting on campus in the evening and it had just started to rain and my roommate wanted to drive but I said we should walk and we did. Luckily it stopped raining right after we left so there were no repercussions on me for making her walk!
This day wasn't too difficult because I live pretty close to campus so walking isn't hard or out of the ordinary for me. I took multiple trips back and forth from my apartment to campus and walk every single one. One difficulty was that I had a meeting on campus in the evening and it had just started to rain and my roommate wanted to drive but I said we should walk and we did. Luckily it stopped raining right after we left so there were no repercussions on me for making her walk!
Monday, April 11, 2016
April 11 - Monday, No Impact Week (Trash)
Today was a lot better than yesterday with no impact week. It was still hard to remember that I was trying to make a smaller impact but what I did remember I was a lot better at. I went grocery shopping and stayed to the bulk sections rather than the pre-packaged foods and also avoided bagging my produce. I also originally forgot to bring reusable bags to the store and went back up to my apartment to grab some bags. I also had a reading assignment for one of my classes and hadn't thought about the impact that sticky notes has on the environment so I wrote directly in the margins instead of using hundreds of little sticky notes for one assignment.
When I think about my impact it isn't too hard to make changes but I think our careless behavior has become such a bad habit that we don't think about the consequences of our actions.
Today was a lot better than yesterday with no impact week. It was still hard to remember that I was trying to make a smaller impact but what I did remember I was a lot better at. I went grocery shopping and stayed to the bulk sections rather than the pre-packaged foods and also avoided bagging my produce. I also originally forgot to bring reusable bags to the store and went back up to my apartment to grab some bags. I also had a reading assignment for one of my classes and hadn't thought about the impact that sticky notes has on the environment so I wrote directly in the margins instead of using hundreds of little sticky notes for one assignment.
When I think about my impact it isn't too hard to make changes but I think our careless behavior has become such a bad habit that we don't think about the consequences of our actions.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
April 10 - Sunday, No Impact Week
So far this week hasn't started off great. I got half way through the day before I remembered I was supposed to be making no impact. So unfortunately I drove to campus (but I drive a Prius and I carpooled so I'm giving myself a gold star for that). I also found throughout the day that it was hard to be conscious of making an impact or not. I went out for lunch and the server brought us pitchers of water and a stack of plastic cups. It felt a little awkward to not drink that water but luckily I had a reusable water bottle with me which made it easy to avoid the impact. Overall I think just being more aware of my impact will be good but definitely challenging to remember.
So far this week hasn't started off great. I got half way through the day before I remembered I was supposed to be making no impact. So unfortunately I drove to campus (but I drive a Prius and I carpooled so I'm giving myself a gold star for that). I also found throughout the day that it was hard to be conscious of making an impact or not. I went out for lunch and the server brought us pitchers of water and a stack of plastic cups. It felt a little awkward to not drink that water but luckily I had a reusable water bottle with me which made it easy to avoid the impact. Overall I think just being more aware of my impact will be good but definitely challenging to remember.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
April 5 - Challenges of No Impact
1. Colin has to face criticism throughout his whole time being no impact. This is a huge challenge and one that would push many people to quit. Whether it was the check out girl at the grocery store judging him for bringing his own jars or his family he faces a lot of criticism. He also feels this criticism when the NYT publishes the article about him and calls it "The Year Without Toilet Paper" which seems to be poking fun at his new lifestyle (even though in the end this article spreads his story in a great way).
2. Another challenge was finding a good alternative energy source while living in a city (pg 167). Since most people live in apartments in the city with no roof access to install any sort of solar power or wind power, it is hard to find alternative energy sources that are logical.
3. When Colin turns off the power he runs into a whole set of challenges (listed on 169) including keeping food from going bad, staying cool on a hot NYC day, and powering computers needed for work. Even though almost a quarter of the world has no access to electricity, our society has set it differently making it much more necessary for us even though we are all faced with the same problems worldwide.
1. Colin has to face criticism throughout his whole time being no impact. This is a huge challenge and one that would push many people to quit. Whether it was the check out girl at the grocery store judging him for bringing his own jars or his family he faces a lot of criticism. He also feels this criticism when the NYT publishes the article about him and calls it "The Year Without Toilet Paper" which seems to be poking fun at his new lifestyle (even though in the end this article spreads his story in a great way).
2. Another challenge was finding a good alternative energy source while living in a city (pg 167). Since most people live in apartments in the city with no roof access to install any sort of solar power or wind power, it is hard to find alternative energy sources that are logical.
3. When Colin turns off the power he runs into a whole set of challenges (listed on 169) including keeping food from going bad, staying cool on a hot NYC day, and powering computers needed for work. Even though almost a quarter of the world has no access to electricity, our society has set it differently making it much more necessary for us even though we are all faced with the same problems worldwide.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
April 3 - No Impact Challenges
1. Colin and his wife both work full time and are raising a baby. Therefore getting take out food on a regular basis is the only thing they have time for. Unfortunately "food packaging makes up 20% of our solid food waste nationwide" (pg 39). This was a big challenge for Colin because having to make homemade meals takes away from family time and time he needed to spend working. This big challenge was convenience vs waste.
2. Another challenge he faces is when he goes grocery shopping. Although he does have reusable bags, he needs to be able to collect all the foods sold in bulk without using the little bags supplied for them. To get around this problem he brings jars from home and fills those. Again this problem is with the convenience aspect because this takes much longer (the checkout girl has to subtract all the weights of the jars) and makes the groceries much heavier to return home with. (page 58)
3. He also feels challenged when seeing other people with their waste. This bothers him when he is at his parents' house for christmas and sees everyone rip open their presents and waste the wrapping paper. This is hard because he doesn't want to change everyone but he wants to change his own ways and therefore feels conflicted not saying anything in this instance. (page 110)
1. Colin and his wife both work full time and are raising a baby. Therefore getting take out food on a regular basis is the only thing they have time for. Unfortunately "food packaging makes up 20% of our solid food waste nationwide" (pg 39). This was a big challenge for Colin because having to make homemade meals takes away from family time and time he needed to spend working. This big challenge was convenience vs waste.
2. Another challenge he faces is when he goes grocery shopping. Although he does have reusable bags, he needs to be able to collect all the foods sold in bulk without using the little bags supplied for them. To get around this problem he brings jars from home and fills those. Again this problem is with the convenience aspect because this takes much longer (the checkout girl has to subtract all the weights of the jars) and makes the groceries much heavier to return home with. (page 58)
3. He also feels challenged when seeing other people with their waste. This bothers him when he is at his parents' house for christmas and sees everyone rip open their presents and waste the wrapping paper. This is hard because he doesn't want to change everyone but he wants to change his own ways and therefore feels conflicted not saying anything in this instance. (page 110)
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
March 29 - Pragmatic & Constitutive Communication
This series of ads is about the overfishing of blue fin tuna and how this is a growing problem but also how much it is ignored compared to other environmental problems in the world.
This ad is informative about this growing issue and clearly shows that it isn't getting enough attention in our world (pragmatic). The ad also appeals to a more emotional side by comparing the fish, that aren't very pretty, to cuter animals that most of the world can agree need our help. People will then care more about the fish to way they care about these other creatures (constitutive).
This series of ads is about the overfishing of blue fin tuna and how this is a growing problem but also how much it is ignored compared to other environmental problems in the world.
This ad is informative about this growing issue and clearly shows that it isn't getting enough attention in our world (pragmatic). The ad also appeals to a more emotional side by comparing the fish, that aren't very pretty, to cuter animals that most of the world can agree need our help. People will then care more about the fish to way they care about these other creatures (constitutive).
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