No Swag Left Behind......

Recently, I had the opportunity to read a blog post from a gal named Jen , author of the blog “The Martha Project” titled, “So you are going to be hosting Blogher at your hotel……”

Jen penned an…….let’s call it  “instructional” post for the Chicago Sheraton to assist them with catering to the needs of the 2013 Blogher Conference attendees. Her post has sparked a firestorm of comments and a wee bit of a controversy.  

One piece of advice jumped off the page and sadly….provoked a physical reaction that caused me to spill my morning coffee.

I love my morning coffee.

What could possibly have caused such a reaction?

This:

 

Who knew?

Not me.

I had no clue that there were still conferences that did that kind of thing. I had no clue that there were still conferences where attendees would receive so much “swag” that they would have to leave three feet of “stuff” stacked in their closet with a note explaining that housekeeping could have it.  If you don’t want your crap….what makes you think that Housekeeping does? And why does it suddenly become the responsibility of Housekeeping?

That was the comment that made me spill me precious java.

As a sustainable meeting planner, swag is looked at very carefully, very thoughtfully. I am a wee bit horrified that a high level event such as Blogher may not have a policy in place to limit wasteful/unwanted swag. And while we are on the subject of policy……Jen advises that the hotel should come up “….with a policy for items left behind in the room for housekeeping”.

Ummmmm…..no.

The Blogher conference organizers should be creating the policy surrounding swag and communicating that policy to expo or tradeshow participants. If Blogher already has a policy surround swag then.....the Blogher conference attendees should have an ethical policy NOT to accept items that they will not use or items that will simply get left in their hotel room for Housekeeping to manage or dispose.

There is a silver lining…..If the attendee’s of Blogher are the “shopping powerhouse of the family”, then this conference has a tremendous opportunity to influence behavior.

YAY!!!! OPPORTUNITY!!!!

I know many sustainable meeting planners who would LOVE the opportunity to green the Blogher conference….myself included.

After I cleaned up my coffee and poured a fresh cup, I immediately sent this tweet to Heidi Thorne. 

Heidi is a promotional products marketing expert and speaker and has a background in the tradeshow and hospitality industries. She is also editor of the Promo With Purpose Today blog and author of SWAG: How to Choose and Use Promotional Products for Marketing Your Business. 

Heidi is also a friend and I knew that she would have something to contribute to this conversation:

I totally agree that it is not the hotel's responsibility to deal with the overabundance of swag, it's the conference's. Being from a hotel background, I recognize that this creates a difficult scenario for the Housekeeping Department. Housekeeping personnel are instructed not to mess with guests' belongings. Say the Housekeeping Manager observes one of the staff walking out with a bunch of these items (since Jen says they were nice). Was it given to the staffer? Or stolen? It puts the Housekeeping staff in a difficult position.

In Jen's defense, I understand the problem. I've been to these types of affairs myself and come home with a TON of swag that I don't know what to do with. What I usually do is donate it to our local charities. But for those who are traveling by air and have to drag the swag home, it's a problem.

What I'd suggest is a "Share the Swag" collection bin near the exits of the conference on each day. Since it appears that many of the items were of good quality, they could be donated to a local charity, maybe a women's shelter. The charity may even agree to pick up the items in exchange for some plugs during the conference or even a donation. Otherwise, the conference could box them up and ship them to the charity. True, sponsors may be a bit unsettled by this plan. But alerting them in advance of the program may make them think twice about what they are giving away.

It is also the conference's duty to guide sponsors on what is appropriate for the group. Conferences can even limit the amount and type of swag that is distributed, selling those limited items as sponsorships. For example, a conference could have a T shirt sponsor, a water bottle refreshment sponsor, etc. I've observed a couple of events over the years who have done this and I think it's the alternative to a giant bag o' swag that no one wants. It also eliminates the duplication of items. No one needs three water bottles.

Thanks Heidi! You have provided some great tips. Thanks to Jen from "The Martha Project" for sparking so many different conversations about the importance of rethinking giveaways. The time for deciding what to do about the swag is BEFORE the event, not during.

Judy

I really don't need a pony. Do you?

Bigstock photo www.bigstock.com

Last weekend while browsing one of my favourite shops in Edmonton, the Southside Goodwill Store, I found myself thinking a lot about my wants versus my needs.

I walked out of the store after purchasing 4 pairs of almost new jeans, a jacket, and 5 tops for the low, low price of $77.00 – it was a steal of a deal and I was thrilled with my purchase. I saved a ton of money……but did I really need any of it?

No….not really. I have plenty of clothing at home, so I definitely didn’t need any of it. I rationalized the purchases with, “you can’t beat that price!” and “I would be crazy to pass up deals like that!” and the most important, "my tush didn't look too horrible (which is difficult to accomplish) in those jeans".

Returning home, my feeling of melancholy continued to plague me………

Here I was, writing about sustainability and the “less versus more” mode of thinking and what do I do? I am out there spending more, buying more, filling my closets with more. 

I know, I know….purchasing from a second hand store is a great way to extend the life of an item, keeping it out of the waste stream; thrift/second-hand/Goodwill store's also provide a valuable service to the community. BUT! I still didn’t NEED any of it.

I began to consider what I really DID need and the list was extremely short.

I need:

• Family
• Food
• Fresh water
• A roof over my head
• Clean air to breathe

I do not need more jeans or jackets or tops.

Sustainability is about balancing and prioritizing our needs and wants. It is about making smart choices, taking circumstances into consideration. It is about remembering that every action has a consequence worth thinking about.

My light bulb moment? Something that I am going to try my best to remember in my personal and work life?

"Sometimes when we satisfy a 'want', we make it more difficult to fulfill a need"

Judy

Darned if you do? Inexcusable if you don't

A few days ago, I clicked through to a link tweeted by Marc Stoiber (I knew that if Marc was saying he loved something, then it was worth checking out). The link took me to a wonderful article written by Park Howell on the Sustainable Brands site. The article was about a new mobile app called "FlashFood" which was designed to help divert restaurant food waste to feed those going hungry.

Click to read the entire article "FlashFood Mobile App Diverts Restaurant Food Waste to Feed the Hungry" 


A brilliant idea. I loved it as well.

The article went on to explain that adoption of the program was slowed by the fact that business owners were concerned about potential liability if someone were to get sick from the donated food and that not every business owner is aware of the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act that provides protection to those donors participating in projects such as FlashFood. 

Liability......yes, that old chestnut.

I retweeted the article and then sent a message to those tagged in the post saying that it was:

 "A gr8t idea limited by misplaced fear of foodsafe liability. Aren't we liable if we DON'T do it? 

Yes.....aren't we liable if we DON'T do it? When we don't do something that will possibly save a life and most definitely improve a life

What about our moral and ethical obligations? 

What type of world do we live in that we would deliberately sidestep a starving human being? Because that is what we are doing when we allow ourselves to be limited by misplaced fear. 

I applaud those involved with this project and I look forward to hearing more about FlashFood. 

If you want to read more great stuff by Park Howell, you can find his blog here or at www.parkhowell.com

Judy

Dear Tim Hortons.......

Disclaimer: I love Tim Hortons coffee. In fact, I brew it every morning at home in my Tim Hortons home brewer and drink it out of my Tim Hortons reusable mug. It is the beginning of my day….every day.

February 18^th, Tim Hortons will be launching its 2013 “Roll Up the Rim To Win” Contest (the link is to the 2012 contest - I will change it once the new one is launched). For my non-Canadian readers, the contest involves specially created disposable cups that have a “rollable” rim. After drinking your java you roll up the rim to reveal if you have won a freebie. Prizes include: coffee, food prizes, camping packages, televisions, gift cards, cameras and even a new vehicle.

Ya….it’s a big deal in Canada

As a result, Tim Hortons disposable cups with the rollable rim become a valued commodity (there have been court cases because of the cups). Why is this contest so popular? I think it is because the Roll up the Rim contest is the great Canadian equalizer. Anyone with enough money in their change purse to purchase a coffee has the chance to win a brand new vehicle or…..in most cases a free doughnut. It crosses all economic boundaries and demographics. We are being rewarded for being good customers.

There is a down side……..

The contest can only be played on disposable cups. Result? Contest = more people buying coffee = more cups in the garbage.

But….I have my own reusable cup…what happens then? During the contest, if you present your reusable cup at the coffee counter, they will graciously fill your cup, but will hand you a disposable cup as well, so that you can play the game.

Another scenario is sometimes near the end of the contest they run out of medium/large/extra large coffee cups with the game playing rollable rim. In this case, you are given your coffee in “normal” disposable cup AND given a game-playing cup in a different size.

It just seems wrong and there has to be a better way to run this contest…one that is less wasteful.

Is this a case where the marketed and branded “Roll up the Rim” contest is so recognizable that any deviation would frustrate and alienate the customer? I don’t think so. I think they could slowly introduce another option….another way for folks to play the game that creates less waste.

Are you listening Tim Hortons? Please don’t make me feel bad about drinking your coffee……I really like your coffee and I want to feel good about the choice I am making.

The contest is successful, the brand is established....now it is time to move forward - improve it by embracing a more sustainable strategy.

What do you think?

Update*** After posting a tweet about this blog post, I had a response from Brett Pickering (@BrettP65) who had this to say:

@judylaine this year you are able to play on the Tim hortons website. You can even play without purchasing anything online. They're trying.
— Brett Pickering (@BrettP65) February 12, 2013

Thank you for the information Brett. The link for the 2012 game can be found HERE

The will no doubt play a similar game for the 2013 campaign. They also have a few other cool social media links on their site HERE

Judy

Pens In Space

We have all heard the “space pen” pseudo legend: a kind of/sort of/trueish story passed down for generations since the 1960’s when we began sending folks to the moon. A story that grew and changed over the years until it finally became an uber ridiculous example of some overachieving agency spending millions of dollars and countless hours developing a pen that writes in zero-gravity.

The question still remains: why not use a pencil?

Did the early astronauts need to sign legal documents while in space or was it simply a case of someone not seeing the forest for the trees? Was it an overwhelming urge to improve on something that didn’t really need improving?

Perhaps it was the “simple equals boring” theory.

Why do we insist on over-thinking? We spend a lot of time, resources and energy trying to determine whether or not the zebra has white stripes on a black background or black stripes on a white background. Why not just enjoy the zebra for the beauty that it is, and focus our energy somewhere more worthy?

In our zeal to constantly be improving, evolving and changing, we sometimes (often) miss the point.

Yup…..we could have used a pencil.

There is something strange happening in the green meeting industry, a pre-epidemic of sorts where reduce, reuse and recycle is being trumped by “redesign" (imagine rethink/repurpose injected with performance enhancing drugs).

Why?

The beauty of sustainability is that it needs little, if any, embellishment. It needs no bedazzling. It will always work in zero-gravity.

It requires commitment. It requires partnership. It requires communication. It requires education. It requires persistence. It doesn’t always require a label that says, “NEW and IMPROVED”.

How can we resist the urge to over-think?????......resist the urge to throw glue all over the project and glitter the crap out of it (metaphorically speaking of course….)

How can we resist the urge to “redesign” when “rethink” is the most appropriate R to use?

Here are some that I came up with – Keeping Sustainability Simple (KSS):

1. Communicate your skills and abilities early in the planning process – if you are aware of a strategy that is proven, if you have valuable knowledge to share that will help streamline a process – share it with your team. You can convince them that this time, the space pen is unnecessary.
2. Reduce – Ask yourself: Do you need it? Is it necessary? Can it be combined with something else? Can it be replaced with a product or service having less of an environmental footrprint?
3. Reuse – Can I use it again?
4. Recycle – What am I going to do with it when the event is over? Can it be recycled?
5. Repurpose – One example: Creating conference bags out of old vinyl signage
6. Every now and then….get back in the box – There has been so much emphasis on thinking outside of the box that honestly…..there is no one left in the box anymore. And do you know what? That is where we keep the pencils.......and they write just fine

Judy

Get Your Green On Team wins at IMEX Frankfurt!

From left: Judy Kucharuk,
Trevor Roald, Shawna McKinley

I am so proud to have been a part of the Get Your Green On Development Team. 


Co-development and co-creation of the GYGO Game for Event Camp Vancouver was one of the most professionally and personally rewarding experiences in my career. 


I was proud to stand on the stage with Shawna McKinley, MeetGreen and Trevor Roald, Quickmobile to accept the IMEX-GMIC Commitment to Community Award during the Gala Dinner, May 23rd, 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany.


What was Get Your Green On? You can download a post project report here


Judy

Fizzy Water & the Triple Kiss

Standing atop the Frankfurt Main Tower,
Frankfurt, Germany May -2012

“Madam, would you care for water?” asks the waiter with a heavy German accent.

“Yes, please” I reply (the humidity is taking my breath away and my 12 hour deodorant is calling for a generator back up).

“Fizzy or Flat?” he asks politely

“Tap? With ice?” I respond (teetering precariously on my sustainable soapbox that I have brought with me from Canada)

The waiter returns with a teeny, tiny glass (the kind in which restaurants serve freshly squeezed orange juice) and a glass bottle of water. He uncaps the lid and pours me about 2 oz of water (1/2 of the teeny, tiny glass), sets the bottle down with the flourish of someone serving the finest Pinot Noir and slips away.

At this point a droplet of sweat has escaped my neckline and is now trickling down my back. Eyeing the bottle piously (I had requested tap water) I consider calling the waiter back, but hey…..the bottle is already opened! (I lose my footing on    the sustainability soapbox and fall off)

Grasping the glass with both hands I drink, gulping….heavens to Betsy it tastes good!

14 miniature glasses of bottled flat water later, my internal fluid levels have returned to normal. By my mathematical calculations, I have taken in more fluid than is leaking out and my brain function is now fully functional.

I begin to reflect.

Here I was….miles from home, sitting in an open air restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany with a group of friends and work colleagues.

My first transatlantic crossing evah! To be fair….they say we flew over the polar ice cap, but hey….it’s my story and transatlantic sounds much more glamorous.

The trip had not been without it’s {cough} issues. The first bump in the proverbial road (or is it the first proverbial bump in the road....which one?) came in Calgary as we all sat waiting to board the aircraft.

“Attention Ladies and Gentlemen” crackled the loudspeaker “We regret to inform you that we are having some difficulties with the in-flight entertainment system. Our engineers are working on it, but we may have to depart without it fully functional. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may  cause. If you would like to purchase a magazine or other reading material, there is time to do so before we board the aircraft”.

Then they repeated it in French.

We (all of us sitting in the boarding area heard it as) “Yo Passengers! The TV is super broken on the plane, and no….no one is actually working on it cuz it’s real broke, like blue screen of death broke. We have tried control+alt+delete, but it didn’t work so we will be flying 9.5 hours without it. Yep! No movies, no music, no television programs…..nada, nil, nothing. You will be really bored, and honestly…. you will have that single magazine read before we begin our in-flight food service, so perhaps save your money and use it to purchase more booze. Yeah….we know it sucks”.

Sigh…….

Which brings me to this moment, sitting in the restaurant, trying to look like I belong when I so clearly do not. The jaunty blue scarf, tied at my neck that looked so European that morning, now appeared wilted and damp; high heels had been abandoned for flip flops; my makeup a distant memory in the high humidity. 

We get up to leave.

“So nice to see you again Judy” states G, a friend from Barcelona and he leans in for “the kisses”. (Insert haunting strains of banjo music here as I begin to completely over-think the situation)

1. Will we start on the right or the left cheek?
2. Who initiates? (always have trouble with that one)
3. Do you hang on for the kiss? Do you embrace or is it more like one of those little ‘chickens that pick up the toothpick situation’ – do you both “bob in” for the kiss, arms at your side?
4. Would it be two kisses or (as I had seen recently) the kiss “trifecta”?
5. Will I fumble? If he does go for the third kiss and I am not prepared, it can change from an elegant goodbye to something more akin to a bad first date.

I lean in and we kiss right cheeks (so far so good), pulling back slightly we go to the left (almost done) and then pulling away….I hesitate ever so slightly in preparation for the rogue third kiss. Wait for it…wait for it….no! It was not to be. G is a traditionalist and a double kiss kind of fellow. My hesitation went unnoticed (thank goodness).

Whew! I glance around. My friends were laughing and smiling and for once it wasn’t about me. I was fitting in!

Over the next couple of days I mastered the double and triple kiss and by the time I arrived home safely in Canada I felt so damn European!

The next time we meet….I just might lean in for a kiss!

Maybe even attempt a quad!

Judy