THE DOUBLE-WALL INSULATED TUMBLER: You have the capacity to reduce your carbon footprint significantly with a double-wall insulated plastic tumbler that replaces the plastic water bottle. Bottled and sold water is one of the scariest conveniences known to humanity. Each year, more than 26 BILLION plastic water bottles are thrown away, and only just 15% of them ever get recycled. The double-wall, insulated plastic tumbler is designed to replace bottled water altogether. Standard tumblers are BPA Free, are available in both 16 & 22 ounce sizes, are easy to fill with filtered or tap water (or other cold beverages), and they promise to keep your drinks cold. The tumblers come standard with a washable lid and straw. New models feature the ability to house a four-color process printed insert to maximize your logo or brand positioning.
THE STAINLESS STEEL TRAVEL TUMBLER: For the same reason that a double-wall insulated tumbler has the propensity to help save our beautiful Mother Earth, so does the Stainless Steel Travel Mug. While we don’t have more recent figures, we read at Answers.com that, “In 2002 Starbucks served about 20 million customers a week, earning $3.288 billion. In 2007 Starbucks had earned a net income of $9.411 billion. This is a growth rate of 286.2%. Assuming the 20 million customers are correlated with the net income and its growth rate, and assuming that Starbucks served 57.24 million customers a week, that is about 2.98 billion customers served per year!” Now, these staggering figures may be a bit outdated and affected by the economy, but we’re guessing all that equates to legions upon legions of throw-away cups from that one well-known coffee-house alone! Imagine the impact if everyone used a travel tumbler instead of the convenient “to go” paper cup that Starbucks distributes. Not only would there be less waste by using travel mugs instead of paper cups, but less trees would have to be chopped down to make those cups in the first place. Don’t forget the $0.10 you save per cup by toting your own beverage container. Pop your logo on this puppy and treat yourself to walking, talking, animated, human advertisers carrying their favorite cups of Joe and your brand.
THE USB DRIVE: Did you know that each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers? https://www.catalogchoice.org indicates the impact of that equates to 53 million trees, 3.6 million tons of paper, 38 trillion BTUs (enough to power 1.2 million homes per year), 5.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions (equal to the annual emissions of two million cars), and 53 billion gallons of water (enough to fill 81,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools). These Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense paper calculator. Now, enters the USB Drive. USB Drives have the capacity to ANNIHILATE the need for a print budget altogether. USB drives are fast becoming a formidable competitor to conventionally printed marketing pieces like unwanted catalogs that get thrown or tossed away. If a savvy marketer does some long-term, strategic, and out-of-the-box planning; it can be proven that USB Drives offer an affordable alternative to short and long- run printing projects. Imagine if USB drives were collected and redistributed over and over to the targeted recipient, major corporations could reduce their internal communications printing budgets, save trees and make a significant environmental impact. Your catalog or data can be uploaded on each drive before you distribute them by your promotional product marketing agency with worry-free hassle. USB drives have fast become a popular solution in delivering effective corporate communications. 
THE RECYCLED GROCERY TOTE: In January of this year, the Los Angeles Times reported that Santa Monica, CA, BANNED plastic single-use bag distribution in stores citywide. “The action was urged by Heal the Bay and other environmental groups that say widespread use of the cheap bags has created a global “plastic pollution plague.” The LA Times reports further that, “Under the ordinance, plastic bags will no longer be available at grocery stores, clothing shops or other retailers, although restaurants may use them for takeout food. Smaller plastic “product bags” with no handles, like those used for produce, will be allowed for public health reasons. Heal the Bay praised the action, saying the vote added momentum to similar proposals throughout California. Already, bans have been approved in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, Marin County and the city of San Jose. The city of Calabasas will consider its own ban next week.” Here is an incredible opportunity for corporate marketers to co-op branded grocery totes with national grocery chains who surely will follow suit. Promotional quality, eco-friendly totes solve the dilemma to the age-old question, Paper or Plastic?
(Tonia Allen Gould is the President/CEO of TAG! The Creative Source, a Camarillo, CA brand messaging marketing agency that specializes in the effective use of promotional products in the marketing mix.)
I’ve recently begun the process of learning how to live life in the moment. Even though I used to be Queen Spontaneity, somewhere along the way, life had started to become predictable and mundane, even for an A-type personality like me. But sometimes, all life has to do is smack you upside the head to get you to stop and take notice that it’s out there; you just have to reach out and grab it. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t always this way, but lately life really had become a series of processes. I’d wake-up, connect with the family, check emails, shower, go to the office, drive home, cook dinner, help with homework, work out if I had the energy, and go to bed. Over and over again, I would repeat my day in similar order doing routine things.
Tonia Allen Gould 