Green Spot

I never thought of bamboo as being anything other than a plant – a plant that was eaten by panda bears and was considered lucky to keep in your home. Today, bamboo has taken on an entirely new identity. It has become a symbol of eco-conscious products.

As I’ve learned from reading many different articles and searching many different websites, “Bamboo is one of the most important nature’s substitute for the endangered rainforest hardwoods. Bamboo is a fast growing non-timber forest product whose rate of biomass generation is unsurpassed by any other plant”.

Bamboo plays a role in preventing soil erosion due to its widespread root system, it produces 35% more oxygen and minimizes CO2 generation.

In addition to its wonderful ecological nature, it is a fabulous source of raw material for a wide variety of products. Bamboo products have so many wonderful qualities, they are inherently hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial, anti-static, mold and mildew resistant.

The wearables that I have seen are soft and beautiful. I’ve been t dl that they are breathable and are more comfortable than cotton. Towels are soft and plush. They are much fluffier than a regular terry towel and more absorbent.

I’ve seen a variety of flash drives that have bamboo cases that are beautiful, and household wood products, ie. Cutting boards, cheese boards that are beautiful, anti-microbial and I’ve been told are very durable. A variety of desk accessories from bamboo are also available.

A very popular Promotional Product is a bamboo stalk ready to be planted in a dish, or a plant that has already been put into a decorative dish and is ready to have a company logo put on it.

I am very excited about the possibilities of encouraging my clients to use bamboo products. There is the double benefit of a beautiful product and eco responsibility at the same time.

Check out some of these websites and find great Promotional Products made out of bamboo:

www.ashcity.com for beautiful wearables.  www.Bamboomoon.net for plush towel products.www.allinoneline.com for beautiful USB drives made out of bamboo.

Everyone receives hundreds of pounds of paper a year that ends up in the trash can.  We can help you promote your company and eliminate wasteful paper at the same time.

One option is seeded paper.  Seeded paper can be creatively used for bookmarks, greeting cards, invitations and gift cards.  The  seeded gift cards come from 100% post consumer junk mail!  Plant the card when you are finished with it, it degrades and what is left are seeds to grow into beautiful plants – Nothing left for the trash can.  This is a wonderful and innovative way to project your company’s interest in protecting the environment.

Another great idea - gift cards (credit card type cards) called “CornCards” that are made out of 100% corn an annually renewable resource.  They are attractive and have the same functionality as traditional plastic cards.

Our final suggestion -  cards made out of high percentage of post-consumer waste.  This type of card is just another way to show your organization’s commitment to a cleaner environment with less waste.

While the economy is as bad as I can ever remember, more than ever there is an emphasis on our environment.  Gas prices may be down but they will surely go up again.  Global warming is real and will not go away just because we would like it to.  New energy sources are going to be a big effort in the new administration coming in January.  Our big 3 car manufacturers are about to go under in part because they didn’t respond to the necessary changes in energy needs.

I believe that although my part is small in the big picture, there is a responsibility to at least try to create an awareness about how the Promotional Products Industry is trying to do its part in the global effort to be environmentally conscious.  I am trying to practice what I am selling – giving up plastic shopping bags and bringing my own reusable ones.  These bags are just a small way of contributing to a better environment.

The bags come in a variety of sizes, colors, descriptions.   Some are just totes that are open at the top, some have zippers.  There are bags that fold up.  They are made of non-woven materials as well as canvas, many are made of  recycled post consumer use materials.  The most important factor is that they are reusable – not the plastic bags that come home from the supermarket and end up in the landfill.

Every little bit helps.  

I recently read an article titled” Green is the New Black” by Kenneth Heim published in Counselor Magazine (our trade publication).  While my colleagues question whether or not the consumer of Promotional Products is really interested in buying “green” I think that this article as well as many others are showing that the interest is most certainly out there.  Statistics from the OTA show that there will be a 40% increase in “green” apparel sales by 2011, that is certainly a significant number that answers the question of interest.

Wearables are made of bamboo, which is really soft, coconut fiber and believe it or not recycled plastic. “The trend is so front and center that Coca-Cola, one of the best-known brands in the world, has even begun selling branded T-Shirts”. Interesting, who would have thought your used soda bottle could be worn!

Many of our customers want to make certain that their image of contributing to a safe environment is reflected in the products that they are advertising their name on.  There are many that are engaging in activities for Energy week by giving out “green” products with their message on it.

Protecting the environment is important to us. Finding new and better ways to do it along with finding good clean alternative fuel sources is one of our biggest challenges today.

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In our marketplace today, there are so many wonderful choices when it comes to purchasing wearables (ie. t-shirts).  For the athlete, the synthetic wicking materials have been a huge success, but the average person purchasing t-shirts, I believe organic cotton is the way to go.

We want to help our customers choose organic.  Our goals is to do our best to protect the environment as well as people’s health, going organic is one small way for us to accomplish this.

The traditional cotton garment is made of fiber that originates from cotton plants grown on cotton farms.  These farms rely on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.  From what I am understanding about the process, it uses a lot more water than the organic farming process.

Organic farming restores and builts up the soil.  The organic content is increased, this increases the soil’s water-sustaining ability.  Using less water and having healthy soil is a good thing.  This soil is not polluted by synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.  It appears  that far less water runs off the organic fields.

In a piece that I read by one of our sources for wearables, they gave some interesting statistics:”Conventionally grown cotton consumes 25% of the insecticides and more than 10% of pesticides used in the WORLD today! Conventional farming devours roughly 150 grams of pesticides and fertilizers to produce enough cotton for a single T-shirt”. I think these statistics are enough to make us look at the organic alternatives.

Organic ring-spun cotton wearables are incredibly soft.  They come in lots of styles and colors.  Many of the shirts are in natural off white while others are made with non-toxic dyes and inks.  A couple of our best vendors have beautiful organic products: www.vantageapparel.com and bodekandrhodes.com.  There are many more vendors that we have access to, these two are among our favorites.

Check it out!

We are back from a trade show and full of good information I would like to share.  There are more and more good eco-friendly products on the market to get excited about.  We are going to be putting on more links to visit.  Please order our special offer.  It’s a packet that contains a BIC Ecolutions Pen and Pad.  Both items are made out of recycled material.  The pen is 65% post consumer use plastic and the pad is 100% recycled paper.  Just send us your information and we will be happy to send you the packet and some information to go along with it.

How great is it to have “green”products to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness in October (or any other time).  Think about this - promote Breast Cancer Awareness and safe environmental practices at the same time…double benefit.

I have been very pleasantly surprised to find eco-friendly products that can enhance any Breast Cancer Awareness event.  Put together a Goody Bag packed with eco-friendly products for the particiapants:

A 100% certified organic cotton t-shirt/ and or cap to wear for the event.

A recycled plastic PBA free water bottle to keep with them while they walk or run.

A ribbon pin made out of recycled jewelers metal that is lead free.

Recycled paper or recycled plastic pen and recycled paper notepad to keep as a reminder of the event with your information on it.

A reusable bag to give each participant with the products included in it.

All of these products can be imprinted with the breast cancer ribbon and your information.

If you go to www.promotionresources.net all of these products can be found.  Call us at  732 297-8855   or 800 843-0435

for more information.  We are ready and waiting to answer any questions you may have.  We love to put on our creative thinking cap.

There is a tremendous awareness and exitement in the Promotional Products Industry regarding “Green Promotional Products”.  There has been a conscious effort to bring these products to the marketplace.

Several years ago when we began to present eco-friendly  solutions to our clients, there wasn’t much to choose from.  We attended trade shows and searched for what we felt would fill the need, it was frustrating.  Today there are over 1,000 products and the scope of what is available is growing rapidly.

“Green Products” include a large variety of categories and products.  There are beautiful organic cotton wearables that are embroidered or imprinted with non-toxic materials.  Many of them are natural in color, but there are more and more that are being introduced that have been died with non-toxic alternatives.  Writing instruments have always been a mainstay of the Promotional Products Industry.  Many suppliers now pens have (as well as pencils) made out of recycled paper and recycled plastic.  All of the items indicate the percentage of recycled post consumer use materials.  Recycled paper is being used for note pads and folders as well as all types of bags.  Even greeting cards have gone green.  Many are being produced out of recycled paper and even recycled paper that have seeds embedded in them.  Just think, read the card and then plant it!  Corn- it is amazing what has been done with corn: Mugs, Pens, Letter Openers, Clips.

The eco-friendly shopping bag has been an unbelievable success.  Supermarkets and specialty stores are encouraging shoppers to stop using plastic or paper to bring home their groceries and instead bring home the reusable bags (that also have the store name and message that stays with the customer).  These bags are flying off  of our suppliers shelves, they can’t keep them in stock.  It is amazing how many retailers have jumped on the bandwagon.

Eco-frinedly personal items have grown tremendously.  Organic lip balm, biodegradable compact tissues…Items like shampoo are biodegradable and contain quality vegetable base products that have certified organic additives.  They are not animal tested.

We will keep adding information on new and exciting products.