Chill out, says Bjørn Lomborg, and get smart about global warming

Bjørn Lomborg, professor at the Copenhagen Business School has some controversial views on the Kyoto approach to global warming. He believes the approach is unnecessarily complex and will yield far less than simpler ROI driven approaches. I agree with his thinking.

Simple solutions like taxing plastic bags thus encouraging people to bring their own reusable cloth bags can achieve immensely beneficial results for our planet.

This article in the Washington Post sums up his views brilliantly.

Stop fighting over global warming — here’s the smart way to attack it.By Bjorn LomborgSunday, October 7, 2007 COPENHAGEN

All eyes are on Greenland’s melting glaciers as alarm about global warming spreads. This year, delegations of U.S. and European politicians have made pilgrimages to the fastest-moving glacier at Ilulissat, where they declare that they see climate change unfolding before their eyes.
Curiously, something that’s rarely mentioned is that temperatures in Greenland were higher in 1941 than they are today. Or that melt rates around Ilulissat were faster in the early part of the past century, according to a new study. And while the delegations first fly into Kangerlussuaq, about 100 miles to the south, they all change planes to go straight to Ilulissat — perhaps because the Kangerlussuaq glacier is inconveniently growing.

I point this out not to challenge the reality of global warming or the fact that it’s caused in large part by humans, but because the discussion about climate change has turned into a nasty dustup, with one side arguing that we’re headed for catastrophe and the other maintaining that it’s all a hoax. I say that neither is right. It’s wrong to deny the obvious: The Earth is warming, and we’re causing it. But that’s not the whole story, and predictions of impending disaster just don’t stack up.

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Coles bay shows the way!

Some people are succeeding in doing completely without plastic bags. The Mercury, an Australian daily tells of how the tourist town of Coles Bay celebrated their first plastic bag free anniversary! Here's what the story said:

President of Coles Bay/Freycinet Tourism Association and bakery owner Ben Kearney said an estimated 350,000 plastic bags had been saved from the environment or landfill.

You've got to hand it to these guys. The Australians are achieving a lot even without the tax. On a voluntary basis they seem to be moving people towards using cloth bags instead.

Sadly most of the world still thinks cloth bags are expensive. They aren't. See how affordable they are in my bags section http://www.badlani.com/bags/, and then take a moment to do some calculations.

Imagine if a savvy company sponsored the reusable cotton bags that got used instead. One of these is used instead of almost 500 plastic bags. So, sponsoring 7000 cotton bags would have made them the hero of this story. 7000 cotton bags would have cost less than $ 5000. Try and equate the goodwill earned with spending $ 5000 on advertising. The two just don't match.

This is a huge branding opportunity.

Read the rest of the story hereMore...

EcoLogical behaviour makes good business sense...

Cherri Gann, associate editor at PPAI wrote an article in December 2004 where she concluded that bags are a wonderful promo choice.

“One great thing about bags is that everybody uses them,” says Andrew Spellman, vice president of corporate markets for TRG Group in St. Louis, Missouri. “Since everyone has stuff to hold, there’s not one person who doesn’t have a bag of some sort. Promotionally speaking, there’s an inherent use value for the recipient, and this means, for the advertiser, there’s the frequent opportunity for seeing the company logo.”

Carol Goebelt, in LaPuente, California, adds they go beyond function: “Besides suiting the need for function, people buy bags for style. They are an extension of the person, and different styles may fit one person but not another.

I completely agree. In today’s world one-size-fits-all just doesn’t cut it. That’s why, at Norquest, we encourage our customers to customize what they are ordering. No fixed notions, no minimums, we don’t put any limits on our customers’ imaginations. It’s our job to make whatever they dream up and we enjoy it.

What goes into choosing a great bag? “Find out exactly who the audience is,” says Mary Jo Welch. “Men are not tote bag people and will use them only when necessary whereas women love them. If kids are involved, a drawstring backpack might do the best job of covering all the bases.”

Ahh, that I disagree with. When we're told the audience is male, we design totes that appeal to males. But that, as they say, is another blog. Coming soon...

Bags do work. Everyone loves receiving an attractive bag. And we’ve got plenty. See the variety at http://www.badlani.com/bags/ And then do remember to see the product pages and see how economically they are priced.

Good looking, economical, and something that everybody wants. Isn’t that how you’d like your next promotion to be?

Papua New Guinea leads by example!

I’m sure the words Papua New Guinea don’t immediately bring a picture of progressive governance to your mind (probably conjures up exotic images of tribals and beaches) but don’t underestimate them - just look at this major step they’ve taken.

The Papua New Guinea government has ordered a ban on plastic shopping bags in a bid to curb a major littering problem across the country.

To give them credit, many Indian state governments have also banned plastic bags, but when you look around you, it appears that no one has heard of this ban.

They’re being distributed like they’re going out of style and factories are churning them out by the millions.

Sad. We also happen to be the world’s largest exporter of cotton and jute bags. These attractive and economical bags are saving the world from being choked by plastic but not being used here where the damage is as much. To see just how attractive and econimical they can be see http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Read the rest of the story here More...

360 degree branding

Shelley Lazarus, the head of Ogilvy, talks about 360 degree branding here http://www.ogilvy.com/360/ . Take the time to visit. It’s well worth it. Even if you’re not in marketing. In fact, it is more relevant to the heads of companies than to marketing people.

The concept is simple and powerful.

Your brand (and this includes corporate brands), must be relevant to your customer; must stand for something that she or he values; something he considers meaningful.

Then, all your communication; ALL of it, must consistently reflect exactly those values. Not just in what you say, but also in what you DO.

Because you have no control over what your stakeholders’ opinion of your brand is. That is something they determine themselves. And they don’t go only by claims. A brand is what a brand does.

Quite obviously, if what you say is contradicted by what you do, your credibility suffers

And if they can’t trust you, you’re dead in the water. You might as well close shop and go home.












You can say you are gorgeous, but must you say it on an eyesore of a hoarding?

Behaving this way doesn't make sense and companies aren't getting away with it as easily as they used.

Except for those rare companies that have a monopoly product. Which, in today’s day and age, is not an easy thing to achieve. 360 degree branding is a far easier and more logical alternative. People want to deal with people they trust.

So, make sure that all the behaviour of your company reflects what you want it to say.

Most of the time it breaks down at the last mile. One junior guy doing something that contradicts the reputation you’ve spent millions of dollars and years to build.

Like putting your logo on a plastic bag for instance, and making a statement on your behalf that says: “We know that use-once-and-throw is irresponsible behaviour, particularly when using a material that will take 3000 years to biodegrade and will leave huge problems for future generations, but because using plastic is cheaper than reusable cloth bags, we’re going to be irresponsible anyway. We don’t think you’re smart enough to figure all this out and who cares what you think anyway”

Ouch! If you’re the head of a company that sets serious store by your brand values this probably made you wince.

There are better and very affordable alternatives available at www.badlani.com/bags

Cloth bags get reused as many as 500 times and putting your logo on one is a great way to express your brand values. Write to me at rajiv at badlani.com and we'll be happy to design a program specially suited to your brand story and your audiences.

Its your health. You decide how important that plastic bag is to you.

Most North Americans urinate plastics. Sperm counts are at a historic per capita low. Cancer is an epidemic.

Shouldn’t plastic bags be made to carry this mandatory warning?
















There are no safe plastics; all plastics migrate toxins into whatever they contact at all times.

Tax the bags, say Californians Against Waste. And I completely agree. It works. Ireland taxed 'em just 12 cents and usage fell 90% in one year. How's that for effective?

There is a proposal to tax grocery shoppers of San Francisco 17 cents per bag.

Why 17 cents? Because that’s the cost citizens of San Francisco are already paying in general taxes for some of the costs of plastic-bag trash, such as cleaning up the litter and unclogging the waste system.

Northern Californians Against Plastic presented figures to show that if each of the 347,000+ households in San Francisco were to purchase a couple of cotton or canvas bags, over the approximate 10-year life of those bags the total amount saved -- compared to everyone using eight bags each week at 17 cents each -- by consumers would collectively be over $300 million.

And, the bag fee would mean revenue to fund programs for the poor such as free reusable natural-fiber bags. The Chronicle and the Commission on Environment (the San Francisco body putting the bag fee proposal to the Supervisors for an ordinance) have this new information.

You know what? Reusable cloth bags are the only sustainable answer. And they aren't as expensive as you thought. We, at Norquest can make lovely cloth bags available to shoppers at just 99 cents a bag (that’s just the tax they’d pay on 4 bags!). Just look at the reusable cloth bags we have on offer at www.badlani.com/bags/ - see how nice they look and then see how little they cost.

Do you agree? Or am I making too much of this issue?

Recycling is a hoax says Californians Against Waste

"Recycling" and future "bioplastics" they say “distract people from keeping plastic out of their lives”.















"Disposal" of plastics is a joke, they say, because we are never rid of the stuff. All the plastic that's ever been produced is still with us today... unless, of course, it has been incinerated which spews a plethora of toxic substances into the air.

Paul Goettlich is the director of Mindfully.org, a nonprofit dedicated to exposing the effects and costs of technology on our bodies and society. The plastics section on Mindfully.org is the most extensive holistic set of documents and scientific data that exists on plastics.

"There are no safe plastics," Goettlich says. "The tendency of environmental organizations is to proclaim what the worst or the best plastics are, so we can go on using them. It is ill conceived and does not address the relevant issues. All plastics migrate toxins into whatever they contact at all times. It does not matter if it is water- or oil-based; hot or cold; solid or liquid," says Goettlich. "The concept of "biodegradable plastic" is at best a ploy by industry meant to divert our focus away from the real problem: single-use containers and packaging.

Time to recognize that use-once-and-throw-away is not a sustainable way of life. Reusable bags are a sensible, attractive and affordable answer. See how little they cost at www.badlani.com/bags/

What's your opinion? Is a switch to reusable bags desirable? Or is it impractical in any way?

Paper and plastic don’t cut it. Reusable cloth bags are the only sensible choice.

The best choice isn't paper or plastic, says Wayne Parker in an article in the Pacific Business News.

He adds “When faced with the question of paper vs. plastic bags at the local supermarket, the correct choice, according to environmental officials, is neither of the above. The best environmental choice is to skip a bag altogether, or if one is necessary, shoppers should take their own reusable shopping bags”.















You bet, Wayne!

Plastic bags get used once and then continue to contaminate our planet for 3000 years. Paper bags cause trees to get cut down – also for just one use. Cloth bags make so much more sense.

Each bag gets reused as many as 500 times. And every time they get reused, they are a potential walking billboard for some perceptive company that understands 360 degree branding and understands that consumers respect brands not for what they claim, but for the actions they take.

In short your brand image isn’t determined by what you say or claim, but by what you do. See these powerful branding devices and find out how easy and economical they are at www.badlani.com/bags/shoppingbags.htm

Do you agree? Do you think branding is influenced by such small things? I'd love your opinion