This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
Ecopreneurist.com asked me to post a few more ideas on what an Ecopreneurist might give for the holidays.
I wanted to approach the idea from two points. First, I am in the promotional items business. For our industry the main purpose of gift giving is to say thank you to the clients you have done business with in the past year, and to keep your name in front of those clients so that they do business with you next year.
Second, as an Econpreneurist gift giving gives my business a chance to show off our green credentials but also – maybe – influence our clients, not all of whom are green, about becoming more green in their own businesses.
In this article I want to point out two everyday items your clients likely already use that are now being produced with eco-friendly materials and that would make great end of the year client gifts.
Day-Timer® Eco Zippered Portable Planner – Did you know that Day-Timer now makes an eco version of their most popular portable planner? The Day-Timer® Eco Zippered Portable Planner from Leed’s is an example of a very useful, very popular and well regarded brand that is now available in a new green formula.
The rich bonded leather cover is made from recycled leather fibers and natural latex and includes nickel-free rings and zipper pulls. Recycled paper used in the planner is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Other than that it is a standard Day-Timer® featuring two-page-per week format, with each day’s space including areas for to do list, appointments, diary, monthly tabbed calendar/dividers, loose-leaf address and phone directory, monthly planning pages, set of reference sheets, etc.
The usefulness of the Day-Timer® Eco Zippered Portable Planner makes it a great gift because people will use it and hang on to it, plus in 2009 you can send your client a refill of the inside planner pages, giving you both an opportunity to touch your client again and promote a core green idea of reuse. Day-Timer® Eco Zippered Portable Planner runs about $39 including your organization or company logo.
Bamboo Coffee Vault – It seems all offices run on the black bean these days. Why not send your clients this beautiful Bamboo Coffee Vault from Debco stuffed with your favorite free-trade coffee. The vault measures 4.5” W x 7.25” H x 4.5” D and includes a hygrometer on the top lid and inside porcelain humidor. And of course it is made from one of the world’s most renewable resources – bamboo.
EQP pricing on these units is $37.18 which includes your message and/or logo screen-printed of etched into the oval plate on the front of the vault. This item is great for client’s offices or homes, and your name will be the first thing they see each morning.
You could also sign your clients up for one of the many coffee of the month clubs – like the one from Old Hawian coffee or Dean’s Beans – to make sure they are thinking about you each month. (HINT: have the 4th month of coffee sent to your office instead of theirs. When your customer calls to ask were the coffee is you have a great reason to set up a meeting, deliver the coffee and talk business).
For more information on these items please visit the vendor website or contact us at info@proformagreen.com.
Adventures in Green Marketing 
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