Toluu : The Greener Grass

The Greener Grass

Citizen's Bank Goes Paperless With 'Green$ense'Today

Via Brandweek:

Citizen's Bank is urging its customers to sign up for paperless banking in a new campaign dubbed "Green$ense." In return, it will give a dime for every electronic transaction made up to $10 a month and $120 a year.

Most banks have already adopted a paperless option for consumers, although not many are offering an incentive in return. Rick Frisiello, a creative director at Arnold, said the campaign is meant to get consumers' attention. "We wanted to let people know that not everyone realizes how many resources they can save by banking paperlessly," said Frisiello.

By way of Transworld Business comes exciting news that an increasing number of Americans are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products:

According to a study done by Boulder, CO based Leisure Trends, an outdoor focused retail intelligence marketing firm, 23 percent of Americans are willing to pay a premium for goods perceived as being green.

“The average, for all who say they would or might pay more, is a 14% premium above what they would pay for a non-green product.”

“Gen X (29%) is more likely than Boomers or the Eisenhower Generation (20%) to say “yes” to higher prices for green products. Gen Y and Gen X lead all other generational groups by claiming they would pay 16% more for environmental friendly products. Willingness to pay a premium for green products is rising. When we asked this same question a year ago (June 2007) we found that those willing to pay more to buy green would tolerate an 11% price differential. ”

Not sure of the specific methodology of this study, but it is certainly encouraging to hear. Read more on th

Flexboards Remake the ClassroomSeptember 24

Researching education over the past month, we’ve learned a few things about how people learn. We were particularly inspired by Prakash Nair and Randall Fieldings’ writings in The Language of School Design:

We should be looking beyond the ‘knowledge’ worker who is now a global commodity. Our most valuable export as a country will be creativity and innovation and these skills are not developed in the cells-and-bells model of school.
The problem: Existing classroom furniture dictates teaching style.
The disparity between our school classes and the way we do work as Design professionals struck us as a potential opportunity. By speaking with teachers, we learned that the furniture dictates much of their teaching style, while small budgets keep their hands tied from upgrading to a better system or buying new technology. According to Nair and Fielding, there are 18 different ways of learning, but we see the typical classroom system accommodating only one, lecturing, really well.

The solution: Flexboard
To s

France considers taxing disposable goodsSeptember 23

By way of Harvard econ professor and textbook author Greg Mankiw comes news that France may start taxing disposable consumer goods as a means of decreasing demand:

Plastic forks, disposable diapers, drafty houses - if it hurts the environment, make it cost more. That's the message France's government wants to send with a raft of proposed new taxes.

France's ecology minister said Sunday the government is considering a "picnic tax" on disposable dishes to encourage people to use reusable plates and cups instead.
The idea is meant to change the habits of both consumers and manufacturers by getting people to calculate the environmental cost of their waste, though some critics - even within the Finance Ministry - fear it could crimp growth.

For more on this concept (called Pigovian taxation), read Mankiw's paper, "Smart Taxes."

McKinsey on how companies think about climate changeSeptember 22

Back in February, management consulting juggernauts McKinsey released one of their trademark surveys, this time focused on how senior managers think about the intersection of business and climate change.

From the abstract:

Fully 60 percent of global executives surveyed by The McKinsey Quarterly regard climate change as strategically important, and a majority consider it important to product development, investment planning, and brand management.Fewer companies, however, act on these opinions. More than one-third of executives say their companies seldom or never consider climate change when developing overall strategy.Nonetheless, executives express optimism about the business prospects of addressing climate change. Sixty-one percent expect the issues associated with climate change to boost profits—if managed well.Despite the uncertainties around regulation, a remarkable 82 percent of executives expect some form of climate change regulation in their companies’ home country within five years.Their surveys and articles on sustainability, climate change, and similar subjects are excellent resources, so be sure to check out everything they have to offer. Since it's from McKinsey, you can be sure the methodology is rigorous, the conclusions are sound, and the survey is generally without bias or ideological agenda- qual