Lights out in Vegas

Monday night, at 9:30 pm, all of the lights at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas went out for one minute. So, who was responsible for this monumental black out? No, it’s not George Clooney or Brad Pitt from Oceans 11.

Instead, Monday night’s black out was inspired by Absolut’s “Global Cooling” campaign. The campaign aims to “draw attention to the effects of global warming” and was initially launched in January. The campaign is supported by the AOR Public Relations Agency, Ketchum.

“Absolut is encouraging consumers and bar/nightclub owners to save energy,” Sarah Bessette, PR manager for Absolut Spirits. We found this “lights out” PR strategy rather bold and thought we would share. To read more about this PR campaign read Absolut puts out lights for environment from PR Week by Nicole Zerillo.

Extreme Hybrid Vehicle Hits Philly

Okay - so here's a great example of public relations at work. Tom Schmidt of the Philadelphia Daily News reports in his Extreme makeover: Hybrid SUV edition article that "a supervan rolled into Penn's Landing yesterday and unloaded two vehicles that their owners hope will revolutionize the auto and oil industries. Inside the van were two hybrid SUVs, called XH-150s, that their creator claims will outperform anything on the road so far."

Low and behold, the man in the van was no other than the organizer of the first Earth Day celebration in Philly in 1970, South Philadelphia Native, and past regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency -- Edward W. Furia. If the name sounds familiar, that's because my "Uncle Ed" is also an attorney. He and the rest of the team at AFS Trinity have much to be proud of!

Just think, in our home town of Philadelphia, we'll be celebrating the 28th Earth Day later this week. Hmmmm - see the PR connection?

According to AFS Trinity's website, "The XH-150 started a cross country tour on 4/8/08 to give Americans their first onroad look at what CNN and others suggested may be "the car of the future," as the XH-150 works its way to Earth Day on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 20, 2008. Halfway through the cross country trip, the XH-150 was demonstrated for Austin Energy, a large municipal utility as well as for the leadership of Plug-in Partners, an Austin headquartered consortium of electric utilities and others supporting new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technologies. AFS Trinity is making the XH150 available for selected test drives in several communities from coast to coast."

Save a Tree with Catalog Choice

I was sent a link today to a great resource: Catalog Choice https://www.catalogchoice.org/ The service allow you to eliminate unwanted catalogs that come in the mail. It's an excellent tool to clear the clutter and think green. I'll bet my favorite productivity expert, Neen James, and my favorite cleaning service, Harmony Clean, will love this tool - that's if they don't already know about it....

And to all those Aussie's out there, Happy Australia Day!!! I look forward to celebrating with our Aussie friends here in the U.S.A.....

Green Practices – Giving Your Firm A Competitive Edge

Environmentally friendly trends such as recycling and energy conservation should be a part of our everyday lives. So how can you and your company capitalize on this trend?

In Hamilton Nolan’s, “Green Practices Can Benefit Firms’ Bottom Line,” in the October 1st, 2007 version of PR Week, Nolan incorporates great tips on how your company can save money by being environmentally friendly. Also, adopting “green” practices can be a great way to position your company as condoning revolutionary business practices.

General suggestions for day-to-day practices include:
-become conscience about energy consumption
-use recycled materials
-use energy conserving office equipment

There are many ways other ways to get business green.
-Hire an environmentally conscience cleaning service that uses all natural, non-toxic cleaning solutions like the one we use here in Doylestown, Pa.: Harmony Clean.
-Make sure recycling containers (especially paper) are available in all offices or at least departments in your firm.
-Recycle print cartridges by using the self-mailers that are included in the packaging. (Here’s an article on how to recycle laser and ink-jet print cartridges.) You can even turn you “trash into cash” at http://www.freerecycling.com/.

Taking steps to “green” your company’s practices can be as simple as turning off the lights when you exit a room or putting your computer on stand-by when not using it for more than 10 minutes. Post signs around the office to remind your staff to Be Green!

Little changes make a big difference. That concept is what potential clients are looking for – recognizing the little details that matter. In the end, wouldn’t you want your business relationship to care about the details?

If you want more information, check out the article online.