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Mark Your Calendars: Great Day on the Horizon

Put a Big Green Circle for Go on March 29. That is the day that something big in your life will happen if you just follow the instructions below. By doing so, you create happiness, do something good and feel great all at the same time. It's like Christmas in March. All you need to do is buy a copy of Age of Conversation from Amazon.com to support the Social Media Bum Rush!

But you have to put a hold on your buy-the-book enthusiasm until March 29. Here's why: Chris Wilson has set out a plan of action designed to push the Age of Conversation up the best seller charts. Here's how it works:

Plan of Action for March 29, 2008

• Buy the Book & send others to buy the book. This is the number one call to action, because this is where we want to see the most impact. NOTE: Please buy one copy at a time because Amazon counts bulk orders once, and please use this affiliate link, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847992994?ie=UTF8&tag, which will help us in tracking sales. Remember, all the proceeds from the book sales and referrals will go to charity.
• Blog About It - Make sure you have a prominent link to the Amazon listing so that readers can easily purchase the book.
• Twitter Commentary - Join Gavin (@servantofchaos), Chris (@Freshpeel) and Drew (@DrewMcLellan), as they give a Bum Rush play-by-play on Twitter.
• Trackback or Comment on the post that Chris leaves on March 29, at 12 a.m. CST, so that everyone can follow the conversation and help promote exposure on social sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, etc.).
• Digg the posts listed on Chris' site and send emails and shouts to friends requesting Diggs.
  Stumble the posts listed and tell friends to do the same.
• Bookmark your posts on Del.icio.us
• Add your post to other social media outlets ( Technorati, Ma.gnolia, Furl, BlinkList, Newsvine, Facebook, etc.).
• Send an old-fashioned email to your friends about the Bum Rush for AoC.
• Keep talking. Get on ooVoo, iChat, Aim, or where ever you like to talk, and start talking.

What you can do right now

• Spread the word - Surely you are connected to people outside of your marketing cronies. Start talking … hence the word “conversation” in the title of the book.
• Add the Join the Rush Badge to your Blog or Web page. (Just copy and paste the HTML: <a href="http://freshpeel.com/2008/03/AOC_BumRush_March/"><img src="http://www.freshpeel.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/AOC_banner.jpg" alt="Join the Age of Conversation Bum Rush on March 29th" /></a>)

What Size is Your Footprint?

Green products and services are receiving much positive press, and getting lots of attention. Global warming is the impetus. But are all green products and services effective and worthy of attention? For example, what can we conclude based on the following:

• Hybrids get greater gas mileage but during recharging cycles, they spew carbon into the skies, as power needed to recharge the batteries probably comes from a plant burning coal or petroleum sources, which make up a large majority of the energy sources feeding U.S. power plants.
• Energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs burn longer and require less energy but contain mercury and if disposed improperly the mercury poisons our soil and ground water.
• Nuclear is non-polluting, until we measure the waste issues.
• Cotton is natural but requires as much energy to turn into a shirt or a blouse as does polyester.

What to do?

Whether you are a business operator or an individual, I recommend you measure the size of your environmental footprint. Start with your present state and work toward a future state that reduces your footprint.

How big is it?

To measure your footprint, you must first commit yourself to doing so. I read lots and lots of folks talking about green or criticizing others for not being greener--especially the business haters--but my first question is to all those who write, lobby or talk for green: "What size is your footprint?" Because talk is cheap and having been an activist for a variety of causes, both on the right and the left (I am unaligned with any political party), I observed more than a few who are good at being loud and at calling for change but who are not so good at changing their own behaviors. They hurt the cause. Having been a talker instead of a walker, I must now walk the talk with all those also finding the path to doing good. Therefore, I must first ask that question. I did. The answer wasn't so great. I can do better. And I must do better.

After Lead With Your Heart was published, wherein I call on businesses to do good, not out of altruism but because it is good for the planet and for business, I committed myself to being a better caretaker of the planet and to reach out more often to help those who need a hand-up (not a handout). Now I must walk the talk. And that is where the second step comes in.

Once we commit, we must educate--both ourselves and others. I began with something I already knew a bit about. Compact Fluorescent bulbs, also called Energy Saving Bulbs. They have come a long way since I first purchased one in 1993, when I worked as a manager with a utility company. Then, they cost too much and they didn't fit lamps with shades. Both issues have been resolved, and the issue of their mercury being safely recycled is being worked on. Bearing an average life of 10,000 hours, I am confident the mercury problem will be solved before I need to replace the dozens of bulbs I purchased and installed in our offices and my home a few months back.

On the other hand, Hybrids do little to reduce my environmental impact. Their mileage standards are not much better than either of our current cars and might in fact not reduce our current carbon emissions. Instead, we drive less and take the train more. Not a perfect solution but we are confident that doing so reduces our footprint. Furthermore, we try to conduct most client communication and conversation using e-mail, fax and telephones, to avoid driving.

As for paper, we use very little. We do not print anything unless it is absolutely necessary, and we recycle every piece of paper we produce or receive in the mail or otherwise. We also recycle all glass and plastic that is recyclable. When I say we, I mean both in the business and in my home.

The above areas are the ones we have focused on in our business and our personal lives. It is a start but our footprint remains too large. And we will do more. But none of what we do decreases either our bottom line or our quality of life. And that is the primary point of this post, where we use our small efforts as examples to make a bigger point, which I also make in Lead With Your Heart.

If we expect altruism to drive doing good, we execute on a bad strategy. And if we criticize business for doing good only because it benefits their image and/or their bottom line, we miss the point. Those of us who believe doing good is smart and the right thing to do need to get on the same page. And that page depicts doing good, no matter the motivation behind it. Results matter. Motivation and inspiration for results can come from many places and it can take many forms. Who cares where it bubbles up, certainly not the planet or those being helped.

The planet and those being helped only know that good is happening. They don't judge the means creating that good, for doing so is foolish and unproductive. Good is good. That's it! If you want good to happen, do something positive. Walk the talk and remove your critic's hat and only put it back on when you find harm being done. Finally, let's first put our own houses in order before we take a critical look outside our windows.

Businesses Profit from Doing Good

Business and investment professionals have long debated whether or not there is a real connection between socially responsible business practices and positive financial performance. An increasing number of studies have been conducted to examine this link.

The 2004 “Cone Corporate Citizenship Study” revealed that 80% of Americans trust companies that work for good causes, a 21% increase since 1997.

“Our report is the nation’s longest study of American attitudes toward corporate support of social issues,” says Carol Cone, CEO of Cone, a Boston-based strategic marketing firm. “This study, in a series of research spanning over a decade, shows that in today’s climate, more than ever before, companies must get involved with social issues in order to protect and enhance their reputations.”

On the flip side, the research found that American will react negatively to companies that behave illegally or unethically. Those surveyed said they would likely respond in a variety of ways:

• Consider switching to another company’s products or services (90%).
• Speak out against that company among my family and friends (81%).
• Consider selling my investment in that company’s stock (80%).
• Refuse to invest in that company’s stock (80%).
• Refuse to work at that company (75%).
• Boycott that company’s products or services (73%).
• Be less loyal to my job at that company (67%).
• Some companies aggressively communicate their efforts. Others are reluctant and see such communications as boastful. But 86% of those surveyed want companies to talk about their efforts.

“These facts side-by-side are a mandate,” says Cone. “For senior executives, they are a mandate for action on social issues. For marketing executives, they are a license to communicate the company’s commitment and efforts.”

When communicating the good they do, business needs to understand which tools possess the greatest credibility. Cones research indicates that those tools most believed are family and friends (59%), government agencies (38%), news organizations (37%), the Internet (31%), religious organizations (29%), charities (26%), and the company itself (23%).

Business leaders need to understand what customers are thinking if they are to meet their wants and needs. Cone’s research showed what Americans most value:

• Quality of products and services (98%).
• Fair-priced products and services (97%).
• Employee benefits (93%).
• Laws and regulations (93%).
• Human rights and manufacturing (93%).
• Support of a social issue (80%).

In short, Americans don’t just want businesses to communicate about their good works; they want businesses to walk the talk. This is particularly true about young Americans who are significantly more likely to consider a company’s citizenship practices when making purchasing, employment, and investment decisions.

Note: Excerpted from Lead With Your Heart.

Doing Good is Good for People, the Planet and for Business

Check this story out at the Daily Fix today. I include both the DELL story that ran here last week and a great Yoplait effort to raise money to combat breast cancer. Click here.

DELL Breaks New Ground in Social Media--Again

I logged on to Twitter for the first time today (3:30 p.m. EST), and was rewarded by a message from RichardDELL (aka Richard Binhammer) alerting me to today's launch of Regeneration. Once at the site, the first thing I saw was an box inviting me to leave my idea in answer to "What Does Green Mean to You?" I love being asked my opinion, so right away, Regeneration won me over.

As you know, I believe every person and every business and institution should make an effort to put people ahead of all else and contribute to making the planet a better place to live and work. DELL's new interactive blog is dedicated to The Regeneration, which is a global movement made up of "people committed to sustaining the world's natural environment."

Sean Donahue, DELL's resident green guru, offered these insights into what visitors to the site can expect:

Inspiration: The most innovative and inspiring ideas our customers, suppliers and partners are putting into practice every day. Examples include the University of California - San Diego, which recently installed a seawater air conditioning system and The Conservation Fund, whose Project Go Zero was the foundation for our "Plant a Tree for Me" and "Plant a Forest for Me" programs.

The Blog: Trends, interviews, thoughts and ideas, from Dell employees and outside partners and customers around the world. Our goal isn't to create a news center, but rather to tap into our vast global network to provide perspectives on key environmental topics and trends affecting our customers every day. Already several posts there. If you have an idea or a post, feel free to send along.

The Backpack: Before heading out on a movement to change the planet, we'll package the latest tips, tools, screensavers and links in a portable (and downloadable) "green" backpack.

We hope this encourages companies and individuals alike to think about changing things for the better. We look forward to working alongside all of you as we add new features, languages and content in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out the site, drop us a comment with your thoughts and ask ten of your friends to join us in this campaign to change the planet.

Thank you DELL for leading with your heart.

Give the Gift of Hope and Life

During this season of giving, the Frozen Pea Fund represents a wonderful way to give the gift of hope and life. All contributions to the Frozen Pea Fund until October 2008 will go to Making Strides, the breast cancer campaign of the American Cancer Society.

Click here to read the heart-warming story of a brave woman and how frozen peas helped her through a difficult time in her life. And then, please donate.

NBC Going Green: Fact or Fiction?

If you watched 30 Rock last night, you may have found yourself relating to the dichotomy played out during the 30 minute comedy: Go Green or Go Green only in ways that will increase profits.

Doesn't GE own NBC? Am I missing something? GE has been a major contributer to anti-green, haven't they? If they have had a change of heart, good for them. If not, why bother with the campaign, as briefly described in the following graph, in the event their green logo hasn't moved you to action? Scam or authentic? You decide. I am skeptical but willing to jump into their campaign if it is authentic.

"NBC Universal is going green with 7 days of environmentally focused programming and a new "green" look on our channels and sites. Visit GreenIsUniversal.com to get tips, clips, and a blog covering what we're doing at NBCU, and beyond. Dive in, join the conversation, and help make "green" universal."

My truth: I really want to believe that businesses are doing everything they can to be better stewards of our environment. However, it begins first in our hearts and then within our businesses, before we invite others to join us. Question: What are NBC and GE doing within their businesses to place less stress on the environment?

Be A Hero, Help A Kid

The eBook Age of Conversation has nearly reached our goal of raising $10,000 for Variety, the Children's  Charity. Be the one to be a hero and help a kid. Buy a book, do good and and get a book well-worth the read.

Less than 2 months ago, 103 hopeful authors and two  publishers launched Age of Conversation. Now you can win twice: Any one who buys a book between today and September 16, 2007, will be profiled on the Age of Conversation blog and get link love from many, if not all, of the authors. Check out Drew's post for more information.

Helping Others: Firstgiving Teams with Facebook to Help Others

I have written before about ways that we Social Media bloggers can give back to our communities. One  of the interviews I conducted was with Brittany Blackmon at Firstgiving. No matter our income or our politics, Firstgiving represents an easy way to have your voice heard or your money make a difference in someone's life. If you cannot afford to give, perhaps you can share the news below.

Here, in Firstgiving's own words, is the news:

"Over the past few weeks, our developers have been working tirelessly on creating a fund-raising application for Facebook, and we will be releasing it within the next few weeks! Our goal is to create the most user-friendly and far-reaching fund-raising applications possible.

"As soon as the Facebook API was ready, so were we, because we know that our fund-raisers are already using Facebook as an important platform for communicating with their online community.

So, how will it work?

"For those that have a Firstgiving page, all you have to do is enter your page address when prompted. Your profile will then display your fund-raising total and your friends will be able to donate from there. Donations your friends make are represented on your page and once the donations are mailed (or electronically transferred) they are attributed to you, so your nonprofit will know what you’re doing for them. Creating a page takes less than 5 minutes, so if you don’t already have one, go get one. Your friends can also help you by using the application to promote your page on their Facebook profile. The donation process is totally secure and we transfer the funds directly to the charity. We accept credit cards from anywhere in the world.

Who are we?

"We’re a small, sincere, hard-working group of people based in Somerville, MA (right outside of Boston) who believe that we are all a part of something bigger. We’ve been doing this in the U.S. since 2003, while our sister company Justgiving has been doing it for UK charities since 2001. You can find out more and see live fund-raising pages at www.firstgiving.com and on our blog at http://firstgiving.typepad.com/communityblog/. We'd love to hear what you think about what we're doing and are always open to any questions or suggestions."

Best,

The Firstgiving team firstgiving 48 Grove Street, #106 Somerville, MA 02144; (p) 617.591.2121 x1006; (f) 617.591.2127

A Little Girl Needs Our Help

Sometimes we need to set aside moments in our lives to help others. A little girl named Olivia needs us to do that today. Please consider helping her. Toby, Diva Marketing Blog, tells the story and provides the details for us to answer the calling: Can You Help Olivia, Please? Here is a summary of Olivia's need:

Olivia is a typical kid. She's 10, loves school, her friends, her dogs and recitals. She lives in a suburb north of Atlanta. And she's pretty cute too. But Olivia King is not your average 10-year old. She has Cystic Fibrosis. She needs a liver transplant.

Many are reaching out but $185,000 is a lot to raise, and insurance won't cover it all. If you want to step outside yourself today and create one of those special moments in life, click here and donate what you can. The link following will take you to Toby's blog, where you can get all the details. Can You Help Olivia, Please?