NAPL Nominates AGC for an Environmental Award

"We are delighted to provide this letter of support for AGC’s nomination for the Northeast Ohio Environmental Award. AGC is a member in good standing with NAPL, the National Association for Printing Leadership. NAPL is a not-for-profit business management association representing progressive leadership companies in the $120+ billion graphic communications industry. Located in Cleveland, OH, AGC is a full-service, eco-friendly marketing communications company and was recognized by NAPL this year for a Marketing Award in green/sustainability efforts in the printing industry.

Nominated Program: AGC has produced a capabilities brochure in a desk calendar format. Entitled 52 Weeks 52 Works, the project highlighted ways community businesses could be more environmentally friendly in producing their own corporate material. In addition, the project showed how AGC is leading the way toward more environmentally conscious work processes through its own continuous improvement and integration of new environmentally friendly technologies into its manufacturing processes.

Community Needs Addressed: AGC recognizes that environmental sustainability is a community-wide effort. The project was designed to showcase local talent to create greater awareness of resources available in the community and highlight how innovative, forward-thinking individuals and groups can draw on each other’s expertise to make a bigger difference together. As part of the project, AGC developed a list of best practices local businesses could use when undertaking new communications projects including using nontoxic soy and vegetable-based inks and varnishes and looking for FSC certified business partners.

Innovative Solutions: The AGC project notes that: “Images are powerful marketing tools.” The entire project is a graphic symbol of how to produce an effective marketing piece while maintaining environmental stewardship. AGC is becoming a local thought leader on how to approach a traditional communications effort in an innovative and environmentally consciousness- raising way. In teaching about environmental alternatives including not only recycled paper, but recycled inks and solvents, AGC is encouraging change in standard business communication procedures while leading by example.

Effect or Impact: AGC has been proactive in teaching clients to consider the entire life-cycle of a product or campaign from raw material usage to end use and disposal. The calendar is well known throughout the creative community as an outlet for highlighting local talent. By dedicating this familiar vehicle to environmental messaging, the project sought to invoke change through a ripple effect, providing a strong message and environmentally sound options currently available to those responsible for other local business marketing efforts. In addition, many of AGC’s clients are nonprofit organizations in northern Ohio including education and health care organizations. By demonstrating their services, AGC is encouraging other organizations on lean budgets to consider environmental alternatives for their business communications needs.

Leadership Qualities: The high quality project demonstrates that environmental products and production processes have improved to the point where no compromises are necessary for businesses to achieve effective and excellent effectiveness in their own customer outreach efforts. In order to produce the piece, AGC, itself, has undergone substantial changes in its production processes. As a result, it was the first commercial printing facility in Ohio to be dual certified by both the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative. It invested heavily in upgrading equipment throughout the print cycle and exclusively uses EcoPride process inks and varnishes. Its comprehensive recycling program goes beyond most printers who simply use recycled paper and AGC’s processes includes a zero waste management system. AGC applies the same stringent standards to its own partners and vendors, thereby encouraging a complete Chain of Custody sustainability program.

When discussing environmental concerns, there is much hype put out by key lobbying groups on the negative impact paper, inks and print can have on the environment. Much less is known about the industry’s dedication to forest stewardship and ongoing commitment to environmentally friendly means of helping people communicate effectively. Personal communication is a key human trait, and electronic communication vehicles appear to be environmentally friendly but use enormous energy resources largely unaccounted for by many who purport to be environmentally friendly. Through its unique efforts, AGC has stayed committed to the print medium and its potential to make a difference in people’s lives while demonstrating how environmental issues can be proactively addressed.

Please consider AGC for this prestigious local award. They are certainly deserving."

Submitted by:

Rhona Bronson
SVP Marketing
NAPL
75 W. Century Rd., Suite 100
Paramus, NJ 07652

52 Weeks 52 Works - Now Accepting 2010 Submissions

52 Weeks 52 Works is an annual desk calendar published entirely by Academy Graphic Communication highlighting the talent of Northeast Ohio (NEO) Artists.



The deadline for submission is September 14, 2009

We are amidst the production of the 8th annual desk calendar and we need your talent! Any artist living and working in NEO is eligible (nudity and explicit imagery are restricted). If you are interested or if you know any one who may be interested please forward this information along. You can view the 52 Weeks 52 Works 2009 calendar online or click on the submission form image below.



Upon completion of the calendar every artist will receive 2 copies along with your returned submission. You will see first hand the impressive results achieved when combining the versatility of eco-friendly print communication with the unique talent of NEO’s local artists.

If interested or for more information please contact me or 216-661-2550.

Environmental Awards for Sustainability and Best Practices

2009 Northeast Ohio Environmental Awards
The Biodiversity Alliance and Dominion are proud to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the 2009 Northeast Ohio Environmental Awards. The awards program recognizes and honors the outstanding achievements of organizations, businesses and individuals in a wide range of environmental initiatives throughout the region and pays tribute to those that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence, leadership and accomplishment in their respective fields.

Awards categories are:
Community
Business
Primary/Secondary Education
Higher Education

The awards are open to any group, program, organization, business or individual located and working in Northeast Ohio. Nominations can be made by the person or persons involved in the activity or by a third party and must address activities or initiatives that were in place in 2008. Successful nominees will demonstrate some measure of results achieved and/or impact of the activities. All nominations will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges.

All finalists will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History on Friday, October 2, 2009. Award winners will be presented with a plaque and a cash award of $2,500 during the ceremony.
For more information or to download a submission form please visit Biodiversity Alliance


Crain's Emerald Awards
The Crain’s Cleveland Business Emerald Awards recognize Northeast Ohio companies that have implemented sustainable strategic priorities which significantly trim costs or increase cash flow with innovations and products that reduce its environmental footprint.

This program defines sustainability as the commercialization or adaptation of processes and products which are both feasible, economical and make a positive impact on the triple bottom line: Profits, People, Planet.

Crain's will be soliciting nominations of companies, organization and executive leadership in a wide array of categories, such as:

* New or Improved Processes — Reducing energy and/or raw material consumption, zero-waste manufacturing and resource conservation management.

* New Product Creation — Development of new components for alternative energy sources (e.g., parts for windmills and fuel cells).

* Decreased Energy Consumption — Innovations in equipment, physical plant and employee behaviors.

* Supply Chain — Working with suppliers to create energy-efficient logistics, implementing fair trade agreements.

* Land Revitalization — Restoring brownfields to viable business use, restoring habitat.

Judging will be done by a panel of experts from each discipline, applying specific metrics against how well each submission delivers on what we are calling “the triple bottom line” of profits, planet and people. Finalists will be announced in the pages of Crain's and the winners will be feted at an awards event later this year.

For more information or to download a submission form please visit Crain’s Cleveland Business Emerald Awards

The Myths Surrounding Paper - what is the most sustainable solution?

Paper has been around for almost 2000 years, and during this time it has undoubtedly established itself as the most effective and versatile means of communication.

Even in today’s digital age with the availability of alternative media, paper’s unique practical and aesthetic qualities simply can’t be achieved by using electronic alternatives. That’s not to say that one is less suitable than the other. Both paper-based & electronic communication have a role to play and can compliment each other.

In recent years, however, paper has been the target of negative and often misinformed environmental criticism. Listening to some people, its benefits are outweighed by the mass of misleading environmental disadvantages; shrinking forests, excessive energy consumption, and overflowing landfill sites. So as far as the environment is concerned, paper appears bad.

While paper does use trees, its production does consume energy and too often, waste paper ends up in landfill sites, it is also one of the few truly renewable and recyclable raw materials we have.

A few facts about paper:

• Paper production is not a major cause of deforestation

• Industrial wood, pulp and paper production saves forests

• Paper is a fully renewable, sustainable resource

• For every tree logged in managed forests, 3–4 are replanted

• Forest certification promotes wood from managed forests

• We plant more trees than we harvest for making paper

• The paper industry is one of the biggest users of renewable, low carbon energy

• Half the energy used to make paper in Europe comes from renewable sources

• Very often, the water used to make paper is cleaner when it comes out of the mill than when it goes in

• Growing forests absorb carbon dioxide helping to counter the Greenhouse Effect

What others are saying:
‘Forestry, paper and packaging are among the most sustainable industries in existence’
CEO Perspectives 2008, Price Waterhouse Coopers

‘Almost half of the timber harvested from the world’s forests is used to make paper products, so the paper industry has a huge opportunity to make sure that those forests are responsibly managed and will be here for generations to come’ In managed forests, for every tree cut down, three to four are replanted in its place. It’s estimated that there are 25% more trees in the developed world today than there were in 1901.
Forest Stewardship Council

‘A sustainably managed forest can be relatively carbon neutral if logging is balanced with re-growth’
The Sustainable Procurement of wood & Paper products: An introduction. www.sustainableforestprods.org

‘Reading a newspaper can consume 20% less carbon than viewing news online’
Swedish Royal Institute for Technology


'The paper industry has eight representatives in the UN’s list of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies, more than any other industry’
Promotion of Paper
Australian Paper Industry Association, 2008


'When people use more paper, suppliers plant more trees. If we want bigger commercial forests, then we should use more paper not less. Our policies should directly protect important wildlife habitats, not try to reduce our demand for paper.’
Edward L. Glaeser,
Professor of Economics at Harvard University
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company

'There aren't many industries around that can aspire to becoming genuinely sustainable. The paper industry, however, is one of them; it s inherently sustainable.'
Jonathon Porritt, Chairman UK Sustainability Development Commission & Founder Forum for the Future

Wordle - word clouds

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

Image source

Integrated Marketing Defined - think broad media mix

Integrated Marketing Communication is the cohesive execution of all your online and offline media efforts. Audiences today are increasingly fragmented, and multiple media are needed to reach them. A marketing platform should include print, direct mail, interactive, web advertising, and social media providing a constant flow of the message from sender to receiver.

Capturing data and information from your integrated marketing strategy is critical to developing leads. More and more customers have the expectation that they can anonymously get information online. It's just one more reason companies should be thinking about a broad media mix. Companies need multiple means to identify and collect sales lead data.

Integrated campaigns typically center around a strong web presence — usually a website or a blog, sometimes a microsite — but should also include print, direct mail, email, television, radio and social media to support and publicize that web presence.

Direct Mail and Print is the "welcomed intruder" and is still considered to be the most effective tool in lead generation. Coupled with the current CASS and NCOA requirements, your mailing list is pretty much guaranteed to be up to date. And the post office will forward mail if an address update is identified after the piece reaches the post office.

Email is a great follow-up tool, although there are still some major delivery issues when using it to acquire leads and prospects (scoring in at 10% below direct mail as reported by an Target Marketing study in January 2008 of 340 direct marketers) . Email is considered effective and efficient in communicating with existing customers for retention purposes.

Developing microsites is a great way for your direct mail campaign to assist with your email campaign and help you keep your email list clean and track the results of both online and offline campaigns.

Ultimately this is the "age of accountability" for the marketing profession. Breaking down the silos between online and offline media campaigns is the solution. Now is the time to crack the code for measuring integrated, cross platform media efforts.

Online and Offline Media = Complete Communications Strategy

The convergence of offline and online media, is the best communication strategy. It recognizes that markets and audiences are
increasingly fragmented and multiple media are essential in communicating to this environment.

Electronic/Digital Media is certainly effective when correctly used, but it comes with limitations - notably it's trendy, untested, ineffective, can result in spam listings, image blocking, phishing, deliverability issues, etc. Additionally, Print Media is certainly effective when correctly used, but it too comes with limitations - it's physical, can get lost, misplaced and there is no data backup, time lag in creation, etc.

However, when used in conjunction or in collaboration, a mix of online and offline media is very effective. The strengths of one solution balance the weaknesses of the other. The Post Office delivers more than 99% of it's mail. On top of that, it forwards mail to new physical addresses. Mailing certification solutions such as CASS and NCOA help you manage your databases. This ensures your message will be delivered to your audience. Using this print media to then stimulate web activity and interactivity can help you communicate with your fragmented audiences, enhance your web presence and keep email address databases clean and vital.

Understanding the various options in the world of business communications and how it's changing can help you in strategizing the right mix of media for your marketing plan.