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<title>Gaia RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/index.html</link><description>News from The Gaia Partnership</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator></dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2008 The Gaia Partnership</dc:rights><dc:date>2009-02-05T17:06:57+11:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Thu, 07 May 2009 15:30:05 +1000</lastBuildDate><item><title>The dangers of being tainted by the &#x27;Carbon Neutral&#x27; tag</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Printing</category><dc:date>2009-02-05T17:06:57+11:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/0e5ac549d3b499d1449338d2d56ba65f-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/0e5ac549d3b499d1449338d2d56ba65f-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Engaging a carbon auditor (definitely a species that is not on the endangered list) to take a look at your books and have a stroll around your company is a very fashionable exercise these days.  The result is a report that shows the shoe size of your carbon footprint.

Now that you are enlightened as to the contribution you are making to world pollution and global warming, you can walk around any given corner and run into a gaggle of carbon off-setters who will magically change your CO2 into a majestic stand of whispering casuarinas.

...Turning the first sod is always a great photo opportunity for the company&rsquo;s next newsletter.

Then you and the rest of the corporate team can then rush out and celebrate the metamorphosis of your company into a lean, green, planet saving machine.

...They play an essential role in protecting water tables, reducing soil erosion, provided natural habitat for the diverse living entities that have the misfortune to share the planet with us, and oh yes, also help absorb some of the pollution you are spewing out.

...It is not enough to just measure and offset to claim &lsquo;carbon neutrality&rsquo;.  The carbon neutral sign swinging gently in the warming breeze does not actually reduce your CO2 contribution to the planets woes.

...Would you be so quick to claim &lsquo;Pollution Neutral&rsquo; on the company website?  Embedding reduction policies into your business plan and every aspect of your daily production will make the real difference.

...An environmental audit saved the company not only 9200 tonnes of CO2 but &pound;1,200,000 in the first year....  Source: &lsquo;Carbon footprints in the supply chain: The next step for business&rsquo;, published by The Carbon Trust.

By understanding the high and low environmental impact areas within your business you can embed a meaningful policy deep into every link of your company&rsquo;s supply chain.

...Then and only then are you ready to find a credible partner to identify the most appropriate carbon offset strategy with robust, traceable and government approved carbon offsets....  If you then feel it is the correct marketing policy to claim carbon neutrality, again that is your choice.  At least the sign will be a lot more solid and be better prepared to withstand any cynical wind that may blow your way.

Finally when you are labouring your way through the latest tender document with it&rsquo;s increasing growing list of environmental requirements you can, with confidence, add a lot more substance to your answers.

...To bastardise a well known metaphor for the charlatans guide to running a &lsquo;carbon neutral&rsquo; company &ldquo;just pay peanuts and keep polluting the monkeys&rdquo;.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Are carbon offsets the first refuse of rogues?</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>General</category><dc:date>2008-11-08T11:54:57+11:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/be457f30f46f79b3d85809bb8528e6f4-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/be457f30f46f79b3d85809bb8528e6f4-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In this special audio presentation Chris Sewell who also is Business Director for TrinityP3 consulting services, sits down with David Crew of On Paper to talk about the explosion of marketing businesses claiming &lsquo;Carbon neutrality&rsquo; as a marketing position while not understanding that offsets are the first refuse of rogues.  Chris is passionate about reducing carbon emissions in the business he knows - advertising.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Greening the internet by the Americans?</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Printing</category><dc:date>2008-10-31T18:04:06+11:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/07c3b27aa5e2959ec8b73ea2039de07b-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/07c3b27aa5e2959ec8b73ea2039de07b-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We had arranged to see a number of companies including the leading advertiser industry body to test the water with our environmental marketing solutions.

...Would anyone be interested in greening up their marketing spend in a strategically and balanced way when simply slashing the advertising budget would do the trick?

...The old adage of &ldquo;if you cannot measure it you cannot manage it&rdquo; was being clearly understood so our offering of knowledge of the carbon footprint across all media channels was clearly understood and welcomed.

It was interesting to note that the keynote speaker at the Green Media show in Boston, Mr Michael Harrison deputy VP of brand marketing Timberland, was able to attribute a carbon footprint to all areas of his business except the advertising.  So he had his staff make some calls to the TV stations to get an idea and then doubled it.

...The internet is the 6th biggest user of electricity in the US. The data centres and servers that power &lsquo;The Beast&rsquo; use over 61 billion kWH per year.  That&rsquo;s a lot of coal burning carbon just to allow your next pop up ad to appear on the latest green offsetting portal.

CO2Stats has an application that sits on the website and measures the CO2 being generated by all the networks and the end users consumption of the data on their screens.  Things like bad functionality leading to slow loading times will not only keep you off Google search, it will also lead to a higher carbon footprint.

There are currently over 28,000 on-line companies from around the world using this measurement tool to help understand the carbon impact of the web.

...Unfortunately this carbon information is not being shared with us. It is being used to help reduce costs internally within on-line companies, which is fantastic.  But just image how much quicker some advertising sites would minimize their carbon emissions if this information was in the hands of the media planners and buyers.  Oh, and yes the advertisers who they are working for need to care about the environmental footprint when they sell their goods and services.

...Until then it will be up to the likes of TrinityP3 to give companies, who have sustainability as a cornerstone of their future business planning, a guide to the carbon impact of their advertising.

...This is sad and bad business as it shows how slow the UK and especially Australia is reacting to the global threat of climate change.  We should be taking this far more seriously as Government legislation has caused carbon mitigation to be a necessary for business everywhere.

...To quote Professor Ross Garnaut from Australia when he released his final Emission Trading System report amongst the financial turmoil "Financial crises are short-term phenomena ...

...To date, marketing has been largely overlooked in the business of environmental strategy and yet ironically it is the way most companies and organisations go about informing the public on their environmental achievements.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Advertiser&#x2019;s Carbon Footprint equivalent to 380&#x2c;000&#x2c;000 cars</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>General</category><dc:date>2008-08-25T14:53:17+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/23da045fc091ae16c66a2d9f68658a1f-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/23da045fc091ae16c66a2d9f68658a1f-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to our calculations marketing communication globally is responsible for over 500 million tonnes of CO2-e per year and is forecast to grow by over 5 percent every year thereafter.

To get this into some prospective, this is the equivalent amount CO2-e generated in the same period by over 380,000,000 average fuel-efficient cars.  This is more than half the total number of cars on the road today!

This figure is made up of $450 billion in media spend which equals approximately 162 million tonnes CO2-e a year plus the commercial print, direct marketing, design and production related activities; making up the balance.

Carbon should be used as another measure when advertisers plan their media.  This will not only reduce the advertisers&rsquo; emissions it will also send a message to the media channels and marketing suppliers to improve their footprint.

And no, just shifting to on-line is not the simple answer.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The carbon impact of printing. A simple guide</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Printing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:30:57+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/225b45dfec0098a10bc9f4eff7860fb6-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/225b45dfec0098a10bc9f4eff7860fb6-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&lsquo;Carbon neutral&rsquo; doesn't mean you have a carbon efficient printer.  The printing process with it&rsquo;s electrically driven equipment accounts for another 10% of the carbon.  And while it&rsquo;s a smaller impact than paper, it is the one decision you can influence the most.

...How your printer deals with it's waste will have approximately the same percentage impact as the printing process.  Newspaper production produces about 10% of it&rsquo;s emissions from the transport of waste and returns and collections.  Commercial print does not have returns and collection but waste is still created if the product has a limited life-span.

...Distribution of the printed item accounts for about 5% of the carbon.

...Transport of the paper to the printer and the carbon cost of ink production.  Imported paper may have a lower carbon footprint but what did it cost in carbon to get it here?

...Time in a warehouse will cost carbon.  While traditional economics of print more and store, or print for pull distribution, were correct historically, in the Carbon Age, print on-demand needs to be looked at again.

...While no one sets out to print and destroy, it happens.  And the cost has moved beyond the wasted money, the wasted carbon needs to be factored in as well.  One approach is to review the re-print triggers to check whether the approval procedures for re-orders need changing.

...Strike a more equitable balance between direct cost savings and increased carbon costs for transport.

...Beware of the carbon neutral shingle hanging out front.  Carbon neutral does not mean carbon efficient.  Measured and continuous carbon reduction is what is required.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Big Brother&#x27;s shrinking carbon footprint from it&#x27;s rating demise.</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Media</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:30:05+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/315312a730f81d92d647250e6409497c-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/315312a730f81d92d647250e6409497c-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As the station bosses worried themselves, then the show into an early grave, there is some good news.

Big Brother was contributing over 1.5 tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere for each 30 seconds of viewing during the peak of the latest series.

This national audience was very attractive to any would be advertiser wishing to promote their goods and services during the show.

Unfortunately as the shows popularly waned so did the advertisers enthusiasm.  As the ratings tumbled so did Big Brothers massive carbon footprint.

He finally got his marching orders when during it's lowest ratings period it could only claim responsibility for just over half a tonne of carbon for each 30 second spot.

So having failed to attract the necessary number of carbon eating plasma watching consumers he was finally laid to rest.

Look on the bright side, the show was so boring that the carbon emissions were reduced by over a tonne!

Let's just hope that all those viewers turned their TV's off and had a game of cards under their energy saving light bulbs.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>IT industry&#x27;s carbon footprint equal to aviation&#x27;s</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Media</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:28:51+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/f4628d0b1d241f882fee35621f1df2e4-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/f4628d0b1d241f882fee35621f1df2e4-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The lack of comment from the IT industry on the new Carbon Age has been suspicious in it's absence.  And for good reason.

Those good people at Carbon Trust in the UK have just announced a new programme to help companies understand the energy use within data centres.

You can read the release for yourself below but it is interesting to note that the 2% of world wide energy consumption that is being used to power the IT industry is equivalent to aviation industry.

So if you are a lover of carbon offsetting your interstate flights you may want to start considering planting a couple of trees after you have read this blog.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title> Carbon emission reduction NOT Carbon neutral</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>General</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:27:39+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/4376490b2850bac02c4aa8350950fb89-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/4376490b2850bac02c4aa8350950fb89-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These standards require continuous reductions in emissions to maintain their status.

The claiming of being Carbon Neutral without disclosure of what amounts are being offset (produced in the first place!)  is frowned upon.  As it should be.

Come on Australia get on the front foot and stop running up the carbon neutral flag and congratulating yourselves on a job well done.

Let's make who can reduce the most a competitive measure in this great capitalistic country of ours.

Instead of who planted the most trees it should be about how has reduced their carbon emissions the most.

It's about not doing it in the first place stupid.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Hidden Carbon Culprit</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:26:26+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/c53f594ea2abf7a7bec6d070cce2224a-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/c53f594ea2abf7a7bec6d070cce2224a-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The paper industry continues to cop the brunt of the environmentalist anger when it comes to the evils of carbon emissions.  Some of this is justified.  But there is another CO2 monster lurking in the office.

Marketers tend have a simplistic catch-cry of &lsquo;move away from paper based communications and go on-line&rsquo;.  So let&rsquo;s have a look at some basic facts and figures about on-line.

Approximately 1.5% p.a.  of power consumed in the United States goes to running the server farms.  That&rsquo;s over 1 GtCO2 p.a.  ( 1,000,000,000 tonnes) A basic national buy of banner ads on one of Australia&rsquo;s top search engines will give the advertiser over 700,000 views delivered per day.  This adds up to over 7 tonnes of CO2-e entering the atmosphere every week for this simple cost effective medium.

In the current uninformed, unmeasured world of marketing communications this works well for marketers as they can buy bucket loads of on-line banners and pop-ups for a fraction of the price of print.  Being so cheap means there are literally millions of page views sent out that by sheer weight of numbers (and carbon) they target their specific audience.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beware of the carbon neutral lure</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Printing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:25:04+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/4c3d6df45ef24e1c1c571c6b979489bd-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/4c3d6df45ef24e1c1c571c6b979489bd-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In Australia there has been a rapid growth of marketing services companies claiming &lsquo;carbon neutrality&rsquo;, and built-in offsets&rsquo;.

Also some of these suppliers are now indicating offsets as a loading (some TV production estimates are starting to have an 0.8% carbon offset fee as a line item) or claiming, either with accreditation or on their own calculations, to be &lsquo;carbon neutral&rsquo;.

So is it a case of business as usual and charge the end consumer for planting a tree?

In my option advertisers should take ownership of any offsetting they wish to buy.  This will ensure that is compliant and also lines up with the company's environmental strategy.

Regardless of how many trees you pay to plant the point is the emissions are still occurring in the first place.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The perils of claiming the Green high ground</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:23:24+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/451c01a7fb794160487486c255743bdb-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/451c01a7fb794160487486c255743bdb-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Slowly but surely examples of bad luck or bad management of a company&rsquo;s environmental positioning are creeping into the media.

The resent classic was Sir Paul McCartney&rsquo;s gift for helping the planet, the eco-friendly Hybrid Lexus, being delivered by jet from Japan!

In the rush to measure these offset emissions, care must be taken before using this &lsquo;carbon neutrality&rsquo; and putting your company&rsquo;s flag on the moral high ground.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Green-washers beware: Tesco show the the correct way to market their eco direction</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:22:06+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/8742fbe510f2087d36d10a2f2499d0e7-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/8742fbe510f2087d36d10a2f2499d0e7-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Too many companies are waving their 'carbon neutral' accreditation flags out of their windows without telling us the contribution they are making to climate change.

While Tesco have a long way to go, I for one think it is a great example for all those Green-washers out their on how correctly to position their environmental credentials.

Who's next?  And do not forget about measuring the amount of carbon that is generated from telling us what a great green job you are doing.  "Tesco Launches Carbon-Labeling on Products"

Tesco, the world's third-largest food store launched a carbon labeling system that makes it easy for shoppers to compare the carbon footprint created by competing products like detergents, juices, and light bulbs.

With the help of Britain's Carbon Trust, a government organization, the retailer is measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each of 20 products from "seed to store."  Letting consumers know how much energy it takes to create, ship, package and use the product.

A simple set of numbers on a black footprint label tells shoppers how many grams of carbon or equivalent greenhouse gases were emitted as a result of bringing a product to market.  It also considers the impact of preparing or using a product and then disposing of any waste.

For some products it will also tell you how the carbon footprint compares with other similar products, so you can tell which has the smallest carbon footprint.

Some labels will also give you tips about how to reduce a product&rsquo;s footprint when you cook it, use it or dispose of it.  For instance, the potato when baked uses far more energy than when it is boiled or microwaved.

The carbon label has been added to four sets of products for this trial: potatoes, orange juice, washing detergent and light bulbs.  For each product, a variety of different types were compared -- like chilled fresh juice with cartons of juice made from concentrate....]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Hidden Carbon Culprit</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Printing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:20:11+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/0a3e643ef67593fda302bbffda4d9412-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/0a3e643ef67593fda302bbffda4d9412-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The paper industry continues to cop the brunt of the environmentalist anger when it comes to the evils of carbon emissions.  Some of this is justified.  But there is another CO2 monster lurking in the office.

Marketers tend have a simplistic catch-cry of &lsquo;move away from paper based communications and go on-line&rsquo;.  So let&rsquo;s have a look at some basic facts and figures about on-line.

Approximately 1.5% p.a.  of power consumed in the United States goes to running the server farms.  That&rsquo;s over 1 GtCO2 p.a.  ( 1,000,000,000 tonnes)

A basic national buy of banner ads on one of Australia&rsquo;s top search engines will give the advertiser over 700,000 views delivered per day.  This adds up to over 7 tonnes of CO2-e entering the atmosphere every week for this simple cost effective medium.

In the current uninformed, unmeasured world of marketing communications this works well for marketers as they can buy bucket loads of on-line banners and pop-ups for a fraction of the price of print.  Being so cheap means there are literally millions of page views sent out that by sheer weight of numbers (and carbon) they target their specific audience.

When used in a very targeted manner on-line is a very cost and carbon efficient way to market.  Print needs to think about targeting and be transparent about the emissions caused by the process, unlike the silent on-line industry.

The print industry does need to continue to reinvent itself in the new climate change era.  It is now vital for both future cost control (carbon will have a cost and so electricity prices will rise) and reputation, to reduce waste and operate a more energy efficient business.  Plus help your customers better target their communications, even if it does mean printing fewer items.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Comparing Carbon emissions</title><dc:creator></dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2008-07-25T16:18:53+10:00</dc:date><link>http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/d6323434cabda575e6c4d80208ba0e65-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.gaiapartnership.com/page0/files/d6323434cabda575e6c4d80208ba0e65-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With all the new terms appearing around the world of greenhouse gases it is hard to keep up.  Carbon offsets, carbon trading, carbon neutral and green washing are a few of the more common that are being bandied around.  When looking at the world of marketing communications it starts to get harder to know if you are doing the 'right thing'.

Should I specify recycled stock for the brochure or a FSC labeled gloss paper?  Or even better why not put it on-line or burn to a disk and save the rain-forest.

Here is a statistic to ponder.

A 24 page brochure during it's life from chain-saw to the final printed product in your hand will have emitted approximately 25 grams of greenhouse gases into atmosphere.  When burning it to a humble CD it will had added 350 grams!  That's 14 times the weight of CO2e adding to climate change.]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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