For us think greeners and comedy lovers in the New York area, you might want to drop by for this live show with Ed Begley, Jr downtown at The Green Room Theater located at 45 Bleeker (at Lafayette). It’s a $12.50 cover. Show starts at 8 pm.
I hope to see you there.

A few Ed Begley, Jr. green highlights:

• He currently lives near Los Angeles in a self-sufficient home powered by solar energy.
• He has served as chairman of the Environmental Media Association, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
• He’s turned up at Hollywood events on his bicycle

For more about the event - http://www.shootthemessengernyc.com/
For more about Ed Begley - http://www.edbegley.com/

The federal government actions, or rather their inactions, has inspired some local municipalities to promote green living with cash.

Cities enticing residents to go green

From the above Yahoo! article.

“A lot of localities recognize they’re going to get a lot more done using carrots and incentives rather than regulatory means,” said Jason Hartke, director of advocacy for the U.S. Green Building Council.

Check out this green event in New York City September 26th.

Use promotion code THINK and receive get the member discount: $95, promotional code.

Advertising Week 2007 - Green Leadership Breakfast Panel

To register, please go to www.bdionline.com/green.

Date: September 26, 2007

Time: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Venue: World-Wide Business Centres (575 Madison Avenue at 56th St.)
Registration Fee: $145.00
Website: www.bdionline.com/green

Speakers:

Charles Kennedy, SVP, DYG http://www.dyg.com

Linda Lewi, Chief Integration Officer, JWT Ethos http://www.jwt.com

Claudia Malley, VP & US Publisher, National Geographic Magazine http://www.nationalgeographic.com

Linda Recupero, EVP, HSBC http://www.hsbc.com/1/2/1/2

Sponsors:

National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com

JWT http://www.jwt.com

Advertising Week 2007 http://www.advertisingweek.com

Overview and Agenda:

Ok, so by now we all know green is more than just the latest trend. This leadership breakfast will focus in on how green campaigns are different.

An expert panel will review case studies and lessons learned from brands and agencies that have experience in creating and executing environmental campaigns.

Our featured speaker is Charles Kennedy, SVP of DYG, Inc. Charles is a well recognized thought leader in generational analysis, media trends and social trend expression.

Linda Recupero, EVP of HSBC will share her experiences regarding HSBC’s $100 million partnership to respond to the urgent threat of climate change world-wide with the support of The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and WWF. The HSBC Climate Partnership will help some of the world’s great cities - Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Shanghai - respond to the challenge of climate change.

Claudia Malley, VP and US Publisher for National Geographic Magazine will also share her experience in creating strategic advertising and media campaigns for the world’s most widely read and recognized global environmental publication.

Linda Lewi, Chief Integration Officer, who heads up JWT Ethos, the JWT social marketing specialty will also share her knowledge from helping major brands with green and CSR campaigns.

Registration:

To register please go to www.bdionline.com/green

Announcing Nick’s Naturals

Think Green Media is proud to announce Nick’s Naturals. Nick’s Naturals will be offering Harmony Cone Ear Candles, mullein oil and other ear candling accessories.

Check out the ear candles and mullein oil at Nick’s Naturals.

The US has some of the best tap water in the world. Still, the bottled water industry is a billion dollar industry with serious environmental impact.
Check out In Praise of Tap Water from the New York Times.

If care about the planet and care to see Ben Affleck into a corn suit, this is for you.

I had the opportunity to speak with Steve Etzler, CEO & Founder of Business Development Institute (BDI) this past week for a few minutes on the Green Communications event his company is organizing in New York City on July 24, 2007.

Below is the interview. Below the interview is the invite to the event that tells you more about the event and provides related links.If you are interested in the event, there is still time to register. If you use “thinkgreen” in the promo code, you pay $155 instead of $195.

I hope to see you at the event!

- Nick

###

Who’s who in the interview:
Think Green Media = (TGM)
Business Development Institute = (BDI)

TGM: What can a company do to begin to go green?

BDI: Organizations should first define their general corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. CSR is simply jargon for what the company will do to be a good citizen. Green should be a component of the overall CSR plan. Before you go green watch, listen and learn from others. Have a long term vision but set short term measurable goals. Don’t hype or over publicize your plans, especially at the beginning phases.

TGM: Many companies think going green costs a lot of green. What can a company expect to pay to go green?

BDI: It really depends on the scope of what the plan is. It can be as inexpensive as incurring some minor extra costs to use recycled paper or as significant as using sustainable supply sources from manufacturers.

TGM: The companies featured in the case studies at Green Communications are bigger companies like Ford, IKEA and HSBC. Can small and mid-sized companies go green?

BDI: Absolutely. In fact going green is easier for smaller companies because they can plan, execute and measure much faster than large organizations.

TGM: Are there programs to financially assist smaller companies go green?

BDI: Yes, depending on what state you are in there are tax breaks for using green energy sources. CA and NJ are leaders in providing tax incentives for green related investments.

TGM: Is big business really embracing environmental practices? Or is it just a way to gain good press?

BDI: Many large businesses are embracing environmental practices for the one simple reason they do everything - to make money. GE for example projects major new revenue growth from providing green products and services. Many other large companies realize there is a major profit incentive to go green. Auto manufacturer’s profit margins on hybrid vehicles are higher than standard cars. Besides, green makes good business sense.

There is a genuine movement towards being good corporate citizens. For more and more publicly traded companies corporate social responsibility is being taken very seriously by senior executives and their board of directors. Many small and medium sized businesses are run by entrepreneurs who authentically want to make the world a better place while they make profits. Yes, there are some who are motivated solely by PR but their efforts usually backfire because the press and public are smart enough to see through them in most cases.

There aren’t too many events you can attend that mix environmental and business. This one looks well worth the time. Hope to see you there.

Below is the invite and the details on the event.

If you use “thinkgreen” when registering you can save a few bucks too. Pay $155 instead of $195 just for typing “thinkgreen” in the promo code.

#####################

Business Development Institute and PR Newswire
www.bdionline.com & www.prnewswire.com

Proudly Present:

Green Communications - The Case Studies

To register, please visit www.bdionline.com/greencommunications . For a discounted rate of $155, use promo code thinkgreen when registering. For inquiries, please call 800.830.6687.

The green movement is more than just the latest trend. Companies and organizations are asking themselves how they participate in the movement. Business Development Institute and PR Newswire have partnered to produce a half day conference that specifically addresses the questions, issues, and opportunities facing the corporate communicator and marketer.

Details:
Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Place: Microsoft Executive Customer Briefing Center: 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
Registration Fee: $195. For a discounted rate of $155, use promo code thinkgreen when registering.
Website: www.bdionline.com/greencommunications

Attendee Profile:
Corporate communications and branding executives
Non profit communicators and marketers
PR and advertising agency leaders
Environmental leaders
Corporate social responsibility professionals

Agenda:

1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Registration

1:45 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. Opening Comments

Steve Etzler, Founder and CEO, Business Development Institute
Adrienne Garland, Vice President Marketing, PR Newswire Association LLC

1:50 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. National Geographic Case Study

Stephen P. Giannetti, Vice President and Group Publisher, National Geographic Magazine

2:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. HSBC Case Study

Linda Recupero, EVP Public Affairs, HSBCUSA
HSBC has created a five-year, US $100 million partnership to respond to the urgent threat of climate change world-wide with the support of The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and WWF. The HSBC Climate Partnership will help some of the world’s great cities - Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York and Shanghai - respond to the challenge of climate change. It will also create ‘climate champions’ worldwide who will undertake field research and bring back valuable knowledge and experience to their communities. Linda Recupero will discuss this and other environmental projects that HSBC is leading.

2:40 p.m. - 3:05 p.m. Ford Hybrid Case Study

Usha Raghavachari, Escape Hybrid Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company
The Ford Escape Hybrid is the most fuel efficient SUV on the planet and the first U.S. automotive application of 100% recycled fabric seating surfaces. The Escape Hybrid is a “full” hybrid meaning that unlike “mild” hybrid vehicles, it can run on 100% electric power up to about 30 mph, maximizing in-city fuel economy. Usha Raghavachari will discuss the marketing and communications program behind the award winning Escape Hybrid.

3:05 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. Break

3:20 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Case Study TBA

3:45 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. Interface Case Study

Jim Hartzfeld, Managing Director, InterfaceRAISE & Past Chairman, U.S. Green Building Council
The “greening of business” has exploded during the last 12-24 months fundamentally altering the competitive landscape due to three historic and interacting trends. When seen as strategic opportunities, business leaders are developing new approaches that incorporate transparency, dialogue and identity as strategically as technology, globalization and brand. Jim Hartzfeld will share his experience within Interface, Inc. one of the earliest and most ardent supporters of this new model.

4:10 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Environmental Protection Agency Case Study

Deb Berlin, Director of Marketing, U.S. EPA Climate Leaders
Climate Leaders is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop long-term comprehensive climate change strategies. Partner companies commit to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions, setting long-term reduction goals, and annually reporting their progress to EPA. Through program participation, companies create a lasting record of their accomplishments and identify themselves as corporate environmental leaders. Deb Berlin will present the marketing and communications plan that helped create this very successful program involving many well known brands.

4:45 p.m. - 5:10 p.m. CaseStudy TBD

5:10 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Networking Reception

Platinum Sponsor:
National Geographic: www.nationalgeographic.com

Gold Sponsors:
Escape Hybrid: http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/2008escapehybrid/
Microsoft: www.microsoft.com
The FeedRoom: www.feedroom.com
U.S. EPA Climate Leaders: www.epa.gov/climateleaders

Silver Sponsor:
MultiVu: www.multivu.com

Media Sponsors:
Internet Video Magazine: www.internetvideomag.com
theONswitch: www.theonswitch.com
Manhattan Chamber of Commerce: www.manhattancc.org
Natural Business News: www.naturalbusinessnews.com
New York Law Journal: http://www.law.com/jsp/nylj/index.jsp
Plenty Magazine: www.plentymag.com
Social Media Club, NY Chapter: www.socialmediaclub.org
Think Green Media: www.ThinkGreenMedia.com
Word of Mouth Marketing Association: www.womma.com

To register, please visit www.bdionline.com/greencommunications . For a discounted rate of $155, use promo code thinkgreen when registering. For inquiries, please call 800.830.6687.

I must admit, I was rather surprised to hear that the Oscars were Green this year. If you didn’t see the show, you missed a whole lot of Al Gore and green talk.

Try searching on YouTube if you care to see highlights.

“The coast is a canary for climate change,” the report said.

Probably one of the best ways to describe the coastline in terms of global warming. If you live near a beach, you have seen the changes described in this article.

Read more from Yahoo! on how beaches in Britain are theatened by global warming.