“Convert difficulties into opportunities, for difficulties are divine surgeries to make you better.”

President Obama gave his State of the Union speech this week. In it he discusses the development of clean energy technologies and creating jobs. (For an interesting visualization of this speech click here) The recession has hit many countries hard and it’s encouraging to hear that industries are adapting to more sustainable practices as a means of encouraging job growth and working towards energy security. Besides that, though, the State of the Union turned a blind eye to foreign policy that didn’t encourage trade or job growth. We’d like to recommend some material those of you who are looking towards securing a better future for a larger portion of the global population.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals are guidelines set to improve the condition of millions of people around the world. An important goal that they’ve set is to halve the proportion of the world population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation.  Millions die every year from preventable disease and illnesses caused by poor access to sanitation and clean drinking water.

GreenGraffiti® is committed to helping improve the lives of those without access to clean drinking water. Though times are tough, we still manage to donate 10 cents per liter of water used to GreenAdsBlue. We hope that we can inspire others to be giving even when money is tight. So take a look at these goals, get inspired and ask yourself, “How can I make a difference?” 

As you all know our business is about creating messages in a green way by using no ink, no paper and as little water as possible. By doing this we are trying to lower our impact on the world, or as we’d like to say: making profit with principles. ‘Green advertising’ is another attempt at doing this but takes on a different form of action. These advertisements are in itself not that green, as they mostly use print ads or billboard. But the messages they convey are very green. These green advertisements are getting more popular lately and there are lots of very cool advertisements out there trying to make people think about what they’re doing to the world on a daily basis. These messages are mostly from NGO’s but commercial companies are using these types of messages more and more. Here are some great examples with a great impact.

As you can see there are lots of ways to try and make people aware of the damage we’re doing to our planet. The next step is to give these green messages in a green way by using advertising techniques with low impact on the environment. We can change the world by working together and thinking about what we are doing to the planet with every step we take!

Some Other Forms of Street Art

Sometimes you come across such amazing forms of street art… you have to blink your eyes in order to take another good look at it. At least, that’s what I had to do when I saw Reeboks’ street art for their range cross fit. Although it was one hell of a task in the stormy November weather, they managed to break the Guinness World Record for the largest 3D street art piece ever. Artists 3D Joe and Max did the amazing job of creating a piece of street art of over a 1000 square metres within a week. Quite a challenge, when normally they have four days to complete a street art piece of eighteen square metres. The actual piece can be seen on London’s West India Quays. So don’t forget to take a look when you are in the neighbourhood!  

Click here to take a look at their YouTube video!

Every production process has its waste streams. Key of sustainable entrepreneurship is to find waste streams, measure those, reduce them and compensate what is left over. This results not only in a more responsible business, but it can also make production processes more cost efficient. These are the kind of opportunities that we are looking for. We found some solutions in 2011 and have made plans on how to improve in 2012. We would like to share this with you and hope that you have ideas for further improvement.

At GreenGraffiti® our largest waste streams are water and CO₂. Furthermore after a campaign the templates are left over.  When we got our new cars in 2011 we chose to invest in Euro 5 vans. We plan our routes in such a way that we make minimum amount of  kilometres, which sometimes means combining projects. Despite these actions, in 2011 we drove almost 50.000 kilometres. Our driving together with our electricity usage in our office causes a waste stream of about 14 tonnes of CO₂. This we compensate for 150% by purchasing Volutary Carbon Standard credits at GroenBalans, with which we donate to the water purification project in Thailand. In 2012 we will actively look for cooperation with other companies that are situated in the far ends of our country, to reduce even more kilometres.

The reverse graffiti technique requires a lot of water. In 2011 we tested several nozzles for our high pressure sprays. We found out that we can reduce our water usage with over 35% by using a special nozzle and invested in those. We also tested the best pressure for high quality graffitis with a minimum usage of water. In 2011 we used almost 75.000 litres of water. This is a lot, but still is a fraction of the amount of water that is used for poster productions. We compensate this water usage by donating to GreenAdsBlue, that invests in water projects in developing countries. Due to our contribution of 2011 about 187 people will have save drink water for 15 years.

We would like to use open water sources instead of the tap water that we are using now. However, we cannot be sure whether an open water source contains pathogenic microbes that can cause diseases when evaporated. We do not want to take the small risk of causing any health problems to our staff or passers-by at the street. In 2012 we hope to find a way to use open water sources safely. Currently we are looking for water filter systems, like UV filter systems for in our vans. Please tell us if you have connections or thoughts about other solutions.

Our templates are made of recycled materials. We offer our clients to store them for a follow up project or give them a second live as decoration material. Templates that clients don’t want to keep are recycled again. Standard signs, like arrows, we keep and reuse for several projects.

We are proud on the progress that we have made in reducing our waste streams in 2011. At the same time we see room for much more improvement.  We would be very thankful if you would share your ideas on how to reduce CO₂  emissions and water waste. 

Dear friends, fans and followers,

THANK YOU! Around noon yesterday we reached 1,000 likes on Facebook. This may seem like a trifle to many of you but it’s become a milestone for us. It means that there are at least 1,000 people out there who care enough about what we do (and the sustainable techniques used) to pledge their digital support to this new medium.

This is, however, only the beginning. We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings in 2008 to where we are today and much of this is thanks to you. Our friends, fans and followers have helped spread our messages by sharing pictures and stories across the globe.  The true message we want to spread, though, is the sustainability message. We do what we do because we want people to think differently, to think critically about how we can live more sustainably. Every industry has new sustainable angles to explore. We’re doing our best to make communication more people and planet-friendly. Your simple investment in our Facebook page shows that you have an appreciation for the new, but we’re challenging you to activate others to challenge convention. Whether it be through introducing them to our work or the work of countless other green startups that make this world a cleaner place, you are the real heroes that keep the sustainability movement alive and we thank you for your ongoing support.

On to 2,000!

Countless thanks!

The GreenGraffiti® team

A recent study by the European Cyclist Federation (ECF) investigated the impact of various forms of transportation. They took a look at the CO² impact of driving cars, biking and taking the bus and - big surprise - they found that cycling has the least impact on the environment. The Federation took the cycling in Denmark as example and found that if the 27 countries in the EU would bike as much as the Danish do, it would mean a CO² reduction of 63 to 142 million tons per year by 2050! Now that’s a fairly easy way to save the planet! The federation has been very careful in their estimates, and did not even include parking and maintenance in their estimations of the CO² impact of driving a car. So what are you waiting for? Of course the infrastructure needs to catch up with the cycling trend but the ECF thinks this could be possible by 2050. So be like the Danish and the Dutch and cycle your way through life, it burns calories AND saves the planet! And while you’re at it, why not go really green and stylish, and ride the bike below.

This just goes to show how small adjustments in day to day activities can lead to great things. Almost everything we do can be done at a slightly different way to reduce our impact on the planet. Whether it’s cycling instead of driving a car or a company choosing reverse graffiti to advertise instead of a huge billboard. There are so many options to change our behavior to help the planet, and it doesn’t Dnecessarily have to be life changing! What small adjustments in life can you think of to reduce our impact on the planet?  

Creativity needs to be nurtured. Sometimes it is difficult to find the fruits inside the office, sitting at the same desk, facing the same wall. Last week, at Green Today I found myself in an ideal setting for some good brainstorming.

At the event there were large established production business like Coca Cola and Campina. Young professionals like Caloe van Dijk who has just started with De Buitenkok. Business based on sustainable ideologies like We Tap Water and service orientated business that shift to greener products like ING. It was a very mixed group with the same ambition: creating more sustainable businesses.

There are millions of ways in which a company can become more sustainable and hundreds of companies and products that can support other business in this. Advisers like GreenShift and Ernst & Young help companies measuring there environmental impact and finding solutions. There are products for measuring energy use and products for saving it. Coca Cola makes more sustainable bottles. Desso makes carpets from recycled materials. At GreenGraffiti we create sustainable communication solutions for companies.

We are all doing something and can all help each other to become more sustainable businesses. Unfortunately there were not as many visitors at the event as we would like to see. The sustainable product market is still small, but it is fast growing. For example, in the Netherlands the current market share of biological food products is only 1,7% but it is growing with 10 to 15 % per year. I think this new fast growing market is full of opportunities. Not only for people and the planet, also for profit. These opportunities we find by connecting to each other.

Supported by the thoughts and products of others, I left Green Today with a lot of new ideas for new sustainable products and ways to inspire our stakeholders. I would like to thank everyone that attended this event and shared their knowledge. I will keep you posted about our new developments at our website, Facebook and newsletter.

For everyone who would like to think out of the box with us, to merge our qualities and create more sustainable products please contact me at isabelle@greengraffiti.com. We are always open to share our ideas with you.

Lets get inspired!

В ролята си на представител на бизнес свързан с рекламата, а и най-вече като обикновен софиянец, реших да ви разкажа една историйка и да изложа няколко мисли:

Декември е - месецът на едни от най-обичаните от хората празници.  Шофирам си вечерта из столичните улици и без да искам погледът ми попада върху десетки (да не кажа стотици) ярко светещи и окачени през 50-тина метра над булеварда вериги, всяка от които с големи силно осветени букви и на централна позиция, указва наименованието на търговска марка! Първото нещо, над което инстинктивно се замислям. WTF? За какво ни трябва това?

Да осветява софийските булеварди? Може би има полза. Да създава празнично настроение? А дали го прави, след като в центъра на “коледната украса”, там от където потребителя очаква искри на празнично насторение и добродетели,  ще ни извадя очите до болка познатите ни на всички имена на разнообразни стоки, услуги, банки, лекарства и не знам си какво още. За мен отговора е първо да се набие на очи рекламата и някъде към края на списъка е евентуално да украсява. Нека обаче всеки си направи собствените изводи.

Страшно съм “ЗА” градът ни да бъде по-красив и приветлив, да създава празнични емоции. Не хейтвам и не искам да слагам всички спонсорирани украси под общ знаменател, тъй като има и “умно” направени празнични послания, при които дискретно в някое “ъгълче” се загатва кой е заплатил за украсата, с цел реклама. Евала! Нека да се знае, че фирма X е помислила за Коледното настроение. Но дали? Защото това, което виждам масово в центъра на София определено не е просто Коледна украса, чиято цел е да ни радва. А направо ще го нарека натрапчиво продуктово позициониране.

Дали обаче рекламистите измислили този “гъвкав” подход за смазващо натрапване на марката са в услуга на рекламираните фирми? Аз лично не съм убеден в това, тъй като реклама не е просто да “изтипосаш” централно надписа FIBANK, ТЕРАФЛУ или ДСК на булевард Васил Левски, а трябва да се прави с умисъл и да си отговориш на въпроса “Защо го правим, какво целим и какво ще постигнем?”. Иначе, вместо да изгражда позитивни асоциации с марката, рискуваш на хората да им писне и т.нар. “реклама” съвсем лесно да постигне обратен ефект. Мисля си, че акаунт директорите по маркетинг отделите е хубаво да се вземат в ръце и да се замислят до колко умело са вплетени представяните от тях марки в контекста на един от най-християнските църковни празници.

За да не бъда прекалено многословен, няма да подхващам и другата страна на въпроса, а именно кой е регулаторния орган, който позволява всички тези имена на фирми да се извисяват предколедно над столичните булеварди по подобен начин. Излишно е да споменавам институцията, но съм сигурен, че отговорът от там ще бъде, че по този начин се спестяват разходи за украса. Ясно, добре, спестявайте, нали е криза, ама ми се струва, че липсва контрол над точното значение на понятието “украса”.
Приятели, да живеем в по-хубава среда зависи от всички нас, затова предлагам да правим нещата отговорно, по-умерено и с идея!

Весело посрещане на Коледните празници на всички вас!

There are two ways to look at the results of several studies on consumer behavior and sustainability that came out lately: one way is that sustainability is still only something that really influences the buying decisions of a very small percentage of the overall public. This is disappointing at best. The other way of looking at this is that more and more people ARE making their buying decisions based on sustainable issues and this is great news as we continue to move in the right direction.

Are we setting unrealistic expectations for the sustainability movement? Or worse is the movement itself our own worst enemy? Let me explain. We as a community continue to be highly skeptical I would even say highly critical of any company’s sustainable accomplishments - steps in what we all agree is a long and often difficult journey.

During the Green Today debate in Amsterdam last week, once again the audience turned what should have been a positive encouragement of some pretty large companies (CocaCola and Campina) who ARE moving in the right direction into a hour long  negative attack of these companies who instead of being able to present their accomplishments had to defend themselves for their short comings! Talk about counter productive! I doubt either of these CEOs will do this again in the near future and why should they?

It’s high time we as a community stopped eating our own! The reward for both of these companies who are actively supporting the movement was to be raked over the coals while their competitors who were not present and are not moving as quickly dodged the bullet. Is this the way to encourage companies to participate?

We attend many sustainability events and again and again we watch as the crowd turns on those that are authentically trying to be a part of solution. Why would any company choose to support the movement if all they get is attacked because they are brave enough to be there? If we are not careful, one by one the very companies who can have a huge impact on effecting change will retreat into the background or worse stop trying to improve all together as it seems that doing nothing poses less of a risk.

A better approach may be to take the position that every step forward is a step in the right direction. So though the audience may have been highly critical and downright rude, GreenGraffiti® would like to stand up on our desks and give both of these companies and their CEOs credit where credit is due. Coca Cola, we applaud you for using more plant material in your plastic bottles. We give you loads of credit for the investment of what was likely millions of euro to do so. We know you will continue to improve and as you said, you are not perfect and still have a long way to go. Well done! Campina, we also applaud your actions which are coming from within as consumers of milk products do not seem to be motivated by sustainable production methods, treatment of your cows or any number of positive changes you have put into place yet you are still dedicated to moving forward for yourselves as a company even though it is also costing you millions of euro to do so.

It is high time that we as a community start to give credit where credit is due and to stop attacking the very companies we should be encouraging. It is too easy to point the finger of blame, to talk about what is wrong, to point out short comings. It is far more difficult to provide solutions, to be patient, to give credit for even what may seem like small accomplishments.

Sustainability may not seem to be moving fast enough but if we are not careful our frustration will result in slowing down progress not speeding it up.  We as a community are highly vocal, social media savy and very opinionated. Let’s try to use our power to encourage companies to do more rather then attacking them for not doing enough. This is not helping!

Every step forward should be seen as a step in the right direction.