GreenMark Public Relations®, Inc.

The new, eco-friendly Glenview Public Library officially opened on Oct. 9, 2010.

The 85,000 state-of-the-art facility features recycled and regionally-sourced materials used throughout construction, including bamboo flooring and carpeting. Steel, roof shingles, metal sliding panels and tiles are also made from recycled products and some shelving is being reused from the former library. Wall insulating technologies reduce cooling demands, heat loss and water infiltration, resulting in better air quality and reduced energy expense - 43.8% less energy than an equivalent building. Sunlight is harvested from 93 windows through built-in control systems designed to dim lights in the presence of adequate daylight, providing natural lighting to 90% of the building.

According to Vickie Novak, the library’s director, “the new library meets patron’s informational needs and expands its level of programming in a comfortable, efficient environment.”

Hear more from Vickie and read about more eco-friendly features on the article from MakeItBetter.net.

Glenview Public Library is located at 1930 Glenview Road, Glenview, Ill.

See what the library looks like and get more information on the Glenview Public Library web site.

GreenMarkers are doing all kinds of things to welcome spring.  Marketing Associate Beth Burdin chairs her park district’s Greening Advisory Committee which just held their first-ever burn of a native planted area.  One volunteer brought marshmallows.  Yum!

Read more about the spring cleaning here:

http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/oakpark365/2010/03/march_19_2010_-_lindberg_burn.html

Somehow I was in the dark about Earth Hour being Saturday, March 27. Until I had read earlier that day about Sydney, Australia turning off its lights, I had no idea the event was to take place locally only a few hours later. Unfortunately, I don’t live in a region where I can step out on my balcony and look over a darkened city, showing somber respect for the environment and the fragile, yet powerful hold we as humans have over its fate. In truth, looking outside my window you’d see the lights, sights and sounds of a small, expanding town.

What I really wanted to do was to sit on my front porch with a candle, to see neighbors outside doing the same, to gaze at the stars and reflect on the magnitude of our existence. This romantic idea was soon washed away by a brief, but hard swept storm followed by a chilly temperature drop. Alas, during Earth Hour, I was forced to stay indoors.

Around 8:30, my girlfriend and I scrambled to turn off all the lights, the computers, the television and anything else whirring, blinking and glowing. It was 8:40 by the time we finished, but we vowed to make up for lost time by making our Earth Hour last until 9:40.

Matt reading during Earth Hour 2010

We decided to light some candles and read in the living room. I read my book, she read hers. I don’t quite know how to explain the strange phenomena when reading by candle light, an urge to read something scary. I put down my book and pulled out that famous collection by Alvin Schwartz, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” We read the one about the dead guy walking through a town, not realizing his demise until he read about his funeral in the newspaper; the one about the group of fishermen who take refuge in a spooky house with the big, green face. After a few stories, the darkness around us settled in and the apartment, though only dark for 30 minutes or so, became rather creepy.

The fact that a less than an hour earlier, a place whirring and whizzing, bright as the day could so quickly be foreboding simply by cutting some of the power is a strange sort of paradox and something of a repercussion to 21st century living habits. Our dependency on modern energy is a deeper issue for another day, but it led to an interesting conversation while we waited out the rest of Earth Hour that night.

We had three large candles going and, for a time, a flashlight. It was pointed out that burning these manufactured candles and eventually discarding (even recycling) their glass containers consumes large amounts of energy. The battery in the flashlight would be one of the worst things disposed of in a landfill. Compared to a single light bulb, all of which costs about half a penny on the monthly electric bill, we were probably consuming more energy in our recognition efforts.

Regardless of whether or not we actually helped the environment in this year’s Earth Hour, it gave us pause to think about the value of resources, to participate in the global event and an excuse to read scary stories with candles. It was a highlight to an otherwise ordinary weekend and, for an hour, made the world seem smaller and more connected. Searching Earth Hour 2010 on Flickr, it’s refreshing to see others and particularly cities who’d gotten involved, hopefully inciting a positive change on a larger and more substantial scale. I know Earth Hour takes place at the end of every March, but would it really be too much to ask if we moved it to, say, late June? If only so I could live out that romantic plan of sitting on the porch and gazing up at the stars.

Karen Barnes at GreenBiz recently posed a very interesting article about Millenials (people between the ages of 18-24) and their habits and attitudes about being green. Here’s the link:

http://greenbiz.com/blog/2010/03/08/truth-about-millennials

Being on the older end of this age group (a ripened 24-year old), and the youngest team member at GreenMark PR, I feel I should weigh in on these impressions with some personal experience.To summarize, Barnes writes that attitudes outweigh habits, though the newest collective group into the “real-world” is generally positive towards adopting a greener lifestyle. True, true and true. Here’s another thing: practical cynicism. This is mostly a result of graduating high-school and college during an economic recession and hyper-partisan politics. Though I’ve grown up in Chicago, I currently live in a college town in Western Kentucky. It’s a beautiful, rural region. I am within a 15-minute drive from a large, well-attended national park. Public transportation is offered to the students, though many ride their bikes or walk (I walk to campus when the weather’s nice). There is no city-authorized recycling service, but we have some green entrepreneurs who will pick up your paper and plastic for a reasonable fee. The place I work during the day, the NPR-affiliate, WKMS, uses this service. So, there’s some context for the environment in which I live.

On the topic of green attitudes, almost everyone I’ve spoken with agrees that practical legislation must be passed, that drilling in national wildlife reserves is wrong, that solar and wind are the future of energy, that their next car will have some kind of fuel-efficiency or hybrid aspect, that they do at least something to conserve energy even if its as little as bringing their own canvas bags to the grocery store.The report suggests that attitudes outweigh behavior, or that young people will talk but not walk. I take some issue with the “walk” being weighed by our purchasing power. It’s true, people in this age bracket don’t have as much expendable income at the moment. But what’s also true, is that, given the financial circumstances of the country, Millenials are being led to give greater consideration to the route of their dollar.

I’ve written several times in this blog that being green doesn’t mean spending money on new cars and fancy light-bulbs. In truth, I drive a clunker. It’s a car almost 15 years old and the back end is busted. It drives like a bull out of the gate and, while I don’t drive it very far or very often, it’s not the greenest car on the road. But if I were to get a new car, a Prius hybrid, what then would happen to my still functional clunker? Would someone else drive it around? Would it sit and rust and leak chemicals in a junkyard? Buying a new car would not only be a huge expense, it would also not be the greenest option. Millenials are aware of this, despite the efforts of advertisers, who try very hard to convince you that you need to spend a little more to save the planet.

Many of the young people I know are either vegetarian or have heard Michael Pollan speak for five minutes and realize that Americans eat way too much meat. This is an area of being green that is both intriguing and off-putting to many. In my own joy of cooking, I’ve discovered that my best recipes just so happen to be vegetarian ones (I make a mean curry). But I’m not above an occasional hamburger, either. We are very much aware of the obesity epidemic, large portion sizes and attributed diseases. Being aware is the first step, doing something about it is more or less optional, but I give this time.Okay, so I work for GreenMark PR, I read GreenBiz and I listen to NPR. Am I an exception to the majority of Millenials? Perhaps. But of those who I observe on a daily basis and of those whom with I interact online, via social media sites, I can generally agree with Barnes in saying that the green outlook for my generation is fairly positive. Of course, there’s always the stubborn and the naysayers, but to them I say the grass is greener on my side.

Last month, February 2010, Greener World Media, Inc. held the “State of Green Business 2010″ event. Unfortunately, we could not attend, but we were there in spirit. We promise. Instead, I picked up a copy of the Cliff Notes from their web site, a fantastic report summarizing 2009 and presenting some outlook for 2010. Look for it on their web site, www.greenbiz.com.

“We’re still here”

A simple quote, but it couldn’t be more accurate to describe the state of green business after a very tough 2009. As was the case for most businesses, GreenMark PR included, 2009 was tasking, but we too can proudly say “we’re still here.” In some cases, a recession can actually be good for a business, provided it has the endurance. Similar to one’s personal finances, it demands that we consider what’s important enough to keep and what can be eliminated. This is obvious, of course, it’s simply a matter of trimming the fat. Luckily, folks and businesses who practice green, sustainable living are already quite lean. It’s in our nature to “reduce, reuse, recycle.” And, while the three R’s may come with much adjustment for some folks, may they also consider a greener way of living. Riding a bike to work suddenly doesn’t seem so bad if it means saving money. Once it becomes routine and once the fresh air becomes addicting, maybe it could become a green habit worth keeping once the economy turns around. That’s just one simple example of, well, just pick any green solution.

This puts green business who are lucky enough to still be around in a pretty good place in 2010 and in the future. The report uses some interesting statistics to back up these ideas, namely, “Four out of five people said they were still buying green products and services, even in the midst of the recession.”In tough financial times, people usually tend to focus more on their immediate surroundings, rather than the greater good. Monumental tasks like climate change, fossil fuel reduction, wind and solar power, world hunger, etc. are not going to be the primary concern of the average citizen. Unfortunately, this may always be the case unless the average citizen recognizes a clear cost incentive. In other words, people will live green if they can save (or make) some green.

According to the State of Green Business report, large companies have found cost incentives for adopting greener ways of producing their products, like the recent move by Coca-Cola to produce their plastic bottles with a percentage of bio-degradable vegetable product. IBM, Nokia, Pitney-Bowes, Sony, Best Buy and Nike have begun contributing patents to the public domain and Creative Commons, allowing other green innovators to collaborate with the intellectual property. These movements will create a nice “trickle-down” effect that will eventually hit the average citizen.

GreenMark PR is no stranger to the world of LEED Certification. One of our clients, The Green Exchange, is an LEED-certified green marketplace in Chicago. The report cites GreenerBuildings.com, which says the “floor area registered and certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building rating system in 2009 is estimated to grow by over 40% compared to last year’s totals, for a cumulative total of over 7 billion square feet worldwide since the standard was launched in 2000.” This is excellent news, of course, resulting in thousands of jobs and millions of happier people in cities across the country in the years to come. The report says, “By 2030, the annual gasoline savings from LEED-certified green buildings are expected to equal current U.S. imports from the Middle East.”

Is it all just dandy, then? Will green living become commonplace rather than a fringe effort? Not every aspect of green reported well in 2009. A good two-thirds of this report focuses on specific areas of green business that are either “swimming,” “treading,” or “sinking.” It’s quite interesting to read that while the areas of energy efficiency, water intensity and green IT thrive; employee telecommuting, carbon intensity and E-waste are getting water-logged.In some upcoming blog posts, I’ll look into some of the areas that are thriving and why such is the case. I’ll describe some of the information presented in this report and do some research of my own, too.

In the mean time, please take a look at the report mentioned here in this blog at www.greenbiz.com. All of the quotes used in this post are from their fantastic report and so I’ll give credit where credit is due. The report, titled “State of Green Business 2010″ is copyrighted 2010 by Greener World Media, Inc.

This Argentinian guy, Tito Ingenieri, took the classic song literally and then multiplied it by thousands. He’s made a house, an impressively-sized house, out of beer bottles, mud and other “found objects.” He’s not only helped to reduce trash in the streets, he’s helped build a stronger sense of community in his village and he’s accomplished an impressive feat. Ten years ago, he would have seemed crazy, and perhaps he still is to some, but I find his work quite inspirational.

I’m not suggesting that we all crack open some 40s and get started on our summer homes, but rather to consider everything we have, use and discard with a second thought. Be happy with what you have and be mindful of what you throw away. A long time ago, someone looked into an empty bottle and thought, “I wonder if I could build a tiny ship in there.”

Next time you look into an empty bottle, consider what’s possible… other than, of course, “if only this could be re-filled for free.” 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIx6f1DrQIo

GreenMark PR Associate Beth Burdin’s greening efforts have not been held back by Chicago’s winter. As the Chair of the Park District of Oak Park’s Greening Advisory Committee, she has helped steer the group in its preparations for spring. A zero waste program is in the works for the community’s sports programs, after a successful t-ball pilot in 2009. The group has introduced and will perform the park district’s first prescribed burn of its naturalized areas. Plans are underway for the installation of a fen as part of Taylor Park overhaul, which won an Openlands grant. Energy audits are being conducted of some of the district’s field houses. Plots are being chosen for the field testing of organic fertilizers. Things are looking greener already

In her spare time, Beth applies marketing ideas to our clients businesses, to help them grow. Let us know how we can help you!

Global warming is of concern to many environmentalists, but another issue creeping into the forefront is the increasing rate of desertification at the world’s equatorial belt. The Sahara Desert has been expanding, wiping out already sparse vegetation, driving out wildlife and making agriculture difficult to sustain in countries that, perhaps, need it the most. Some efforts have been made to reduce this spread, namely to protect endangered flora and fauna, and trees have been installed as fences, shielding areas from becoming heaps of sand, though the encroachment seems hopelessly inevitable, see this example of a fence in Northern Sahara.

Recently, however, National Geographic News recently reported on an exciting new project to be built this year, which is essentially a “sustainable energy oasis” in the desert. The oasis is being designed by the Sahara Forest Project, who is currently scouting locations not just in Africa, but in all of the world’s great deserts. Using high-tech equipment, the oasis is essentially a self-sustaining greenhouse aimed to create jobs, food, water and energy for local communities. Here’s one example from the article: “special greenhouses would use hot desert air and seawater make fresh water for growing crops, solar energy would be collected to generate power, and algae pools would offer a renewable and easily transportable fuel supply.” But of course, click here to read the article in its entirety.

Not everyone seems to be on board, though. Some ecologists believe building trees in a biome that never really had forests could be impractical or create problems to the natural environment. A similar argument could be made that the earth is constantly changing and desertification is a natural part of this change, let nature take its course. So then what is the green choice? I would argue that the green choice is one that recognizes humans as part of earth’s natural environment, not necessarily as antagonists. People need to be fed and they need jobs. Wildlife needs to exist. A balance needs to be struck and the Sahara Forest Project offers an exciting and feasible solution.

See for yourself on their web site.