Virgil Winston:Marketing Guru
I took my last swig of diet soda and was about to toss the empty in the trash when I was treated to an ecology lesson from my oldest daughter. She starts college next year, so I guess she is practicing spreading her wings and feels she can finally teach the teacher—as they say. “Dad!” she admonished shrilly, “Don’t throw that in the trash—it’s recyclable!” I had to smile as I pulled the offending can out of the garbage and prepared to toss it in the recycling bin we keep in the garage when she stopped me again. “Rinse it out first. Gawd! Don’t you know anything about how to recycle the right way?” I was loath to admit that apparently, I did not. Being schooled by a seventeen year old is a humbling experience so I decided to do a little research on the subject and I discovered a new holiday—America Recycles Day (ARD).
I love holidays, especially those that are a bit unusual and overlooked by the rest of society, so I decided to atone for my recycling sin by letting all my readers in on the secret. ARD takes place on November 15th and is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. Celebrating its 11th year, it has grown to include millions of Americans pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and work and to buy products made with recycled materials. On this day each year, millions of people become better informed about the importance of daily recycling and buying recycled products. After all, as stewards of the environment, we are responsible for preserving and protecting our resources for ourselves and for future generations. I think that’s why my daughter is such a stickler for recycling and doing it right—she knows that her generation will be left holding the bag if we don’t step up now.
The good news is, the nation’s composting and recycling rate It’s currently up to around 33% and last year the amount of energy saved from recycling aluminum and steel cans, plastic PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging was equivalent to:
• The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8 million Americans in one year.
• 29% of nuclear electricity generation in the U.S. in one year. • 7.9% of electricity generation from fossil fuels in the U.S. in one year. • 11% of the energy produced by coal-fired power plants in the U.S. • The energy supplied from 2.7% of imported barrels of crude oil into the U.S. • The amount of gasoline used in almost 11 million passenger automobiles in one year.
As you may know, there are three parts to the recycling process; each essential to making the system work: collection, manufacturing and buying. In fact, the three chasing arrows that make up the recycling logo each stand for one of the three components. I just love a logo with a deeper meaning! Being a die-hard marketer, I choose to emphasize the importance of buying. In order to make recycling economically viable, there must be a market for recycled products. If people buy them, companies will be encouraged to make them, and the whole system works.
Naturally, Rush Imprint is doing its part by offering a plethora of recycled products that are ready to be imprinted with your logo and sent out into the world to promote your company in an eco-friendly way. One of my favorites is the Recycled Cardboard Jotter because it’s small enough to fit in my shirt pocket and features an innovative scored cardboard pen port stitched onto the front cover so I can use my lucky pen to jot down important thoughts. Plus, it’s as eco-responsible as you can get—the cover is made from 100% recycled cardboard and each jotter contains 100 sheets of unlined recycled paper with recycling symbol printed on each page. November 15th is right on our heels, but Rush Imprint is nothing if not speedy—sometimes it is all in the name—so place your order now and you’ll still have time to celebrate.
Well, I’ve got to go help my son make a paper-mache turkey, with recycled newspapers of course! Until next time, heed the words of my old Auntie Mae: “I love recycling! Why, just this week, I had dinner with my ex-husband, my ex-boyfriend and my ex-roommate.”