There is a whole lot of lingo out there to describe what is green/eco-friendly. Here is a handy chart to help you figure out if what you are purchasing is really green, and how green it actually is!
| Eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, Planet friendly |
A product or process that has little or no impact on the environment. Products, services, and actions that do not negatively impact the Earth and its resources. |
| Recycled Material |
A term used to describe material that has been separated from the waste stream, reprocessed into a new product (often taking the place of virgin material), and then brought back by the consumer as a new item. |
| Recycled Content |
The amount of pre- and post-consumer recovered material introduced in a material production process, usually expressed as a percentage. |
| Post-consumer material/waste |
A term used to describe material that is being resued/recycled after it has been in the consumer’s hands (e.g., a soda bottle being converted into material for other products). Material or product used by the consumer for its original purpose and then discarded. |
| Cyclepet |
Recycled PET; Recycling PET into fabric prevents it from ending up in the landfills. (Also, sometimes referred to as Cyclotex nylon.) |
| PET |
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most popular thermo plastic packaging material used for drinks and food. It is lightweight, transparent, and has a good moisture barrier, making it good for bottled mineral water, food trays for oven use, videotapes, and mechanical components. PET soda bottles are the most recylced plastic containers. |
| Post-industrial or pre-consumer waste / recycled content |
A term used to describe material that is being resused/recycled before it ever goes to market. Waste material generated during the manufacturing process. |
| Recycled Cardboard |
Material made from cardboard that has been discarded or used once by a consumer. |
| Recycled Leather |
Material is untreated and is made with leather scraps – recycled to save waste. (As opposed to the scraps going into a landfill, they are recovered and reprocessed to make this material.) The process of recycling leather in this manner is gentler on the environment than the traditional process for bonded leather. |
| Renewable
|
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the Earth. Bamboo can also produce 30% more oxygen than a hardwood forest of comparable size, while improving watersheds, preventing erosion, restoring soil, and removing toxins from contaminated soil. |
| Biodegradable |
The ability of an item to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means into the raw materials of nature and disappear back into the environment. |
| Recyclables |
The ability of an item, at the end of its normal lifecycle, to be transformed into another useful product. Recyclable materials include glass, paper, aluminum, tin, corrugated, and plastics. Products include food and beverage containers, newspapers, appliances, automobiles, electronics, drywall, and eyeglasses. |
| Organic |
Items that are grown on land that, for three or more years, has been free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, as well as other potential toxins. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires adherence to detailed regulations in order to label a product as organic. Most experts agree that organic farming is less harmful to the soil. |
| Eco Lifestyle; Green Lifestyle; Green Living |
Lifestyle in which individuals and groups take a variety of steps to minimize their impact on the environment. Steps may include recycling products, choosing recycled, renewable, and sustainable products, and reducing carbon emissions through consuming less energy and/or offsetting carbon emissions (e.g., planting trees). |
Click on this chart for a printable version!
Yesterday I posted about a blanket with sleeves. What combination could be better you ask (or I asked)? How about a grill with an iPod/mp3 player? That’s right. Now you can grill and shrill. Or steam and scream. Or sing and fling. Or… rock out with your Boca out…
Anyway… Here it is, in all of its glory. The George Foreman (indoor/outdoor, portable) Sing-a-Long Grill. And the best part is So Tons Creative can make it YOURS by branding it with your logo or artwork.
I have had my eye on the Snuggie since I first saw it in an infomercial. I am addicted to blankets. But blankets with sleeves!? Come on! That is absolutely brilliant!
We are happy to say that we have now have our own version of Snuggie that can be branded. Now you tell me, what better gift is there? (Wait, don’t answer that… we have a lot of gifts to show you).
It’s time to start thinking about what incentives and premium gifts you will be giving to your clients and employees this year. Subscribe to our blog and we will keep you informed all year long about the latest trends in promotional products!
Well, sort of. It has been a madhouse over here at STC for the past couple of weeks, and with summer on its way, it doesn’t look like anything is drying up!
What have we here?
You can join us tomorrow for a Carrotmob event. What the heck does that mean? Well, it means that you find out more information at the link below. Let’s just say you spend Earth Day drinking beer and feeling good about it.
http://www.seattlegreendrinks.org/node/991
Greendrinks (link above, hosting the Carrotmob event) is a great networking opportunity for those of you who are into the Eco Friendly way of life. You will find us there from time to time.
Then we are moving right along to the Dibspace / Biznik event. The event is closed now, but if you have RSVPd already, we hope to see you there! We will be giving out free Shot Gun bottle, can opener key chains. They are as rad as they sound, as you will see in our ad in Sound magazine in June!
If you are not sure what Dibspace.com is, I highly recommend you check it out. It’s a new website based on trade and barter only. Dibits are your currency which you earn by referring people and posting ads for trade. You can find us on there and lots of other great deals.
Make sure you tell us you want a referral for Dibspace. There is a waiting period for non-referrals right now.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
It’s a fact. We can’t all be brilliant 100% of the time. They say the first 7 ideas you have about any given project will be cliche.
That is why brainstorming was invented! So here is a small list of ways to brainstorm effectively. Made up by me. Alone. Without any input from anyone else…
1. Stick to six. More than 6 people in any given brainstorming session is too much. Seven is the unlucky number at this, otherwise you may as well start a democracy and rent a poll booth.
2. Have at least four. This is the magic number in my experience. One person kind of listens in and directs the group, others bounce stuff off everyone else in the group. There is always that one that has the worst ideas in the world…
3. Listen to the worst ideas in the world. Continually brushing off that person with horrible ideas limits yourself to only people who think like you. Not what brainstorming is about.
4. Go crazy. The more far out the idea the better. It’s much easier to pull the reigns back on too big of an idea than it is to build upon a less than awesome concept.
5. Use the “What if” technique with your product. Even if you sell hamburgers, bank accounts, shot glasses or haircuts… “What if the person receiving this item/service was an alien? What if the person receiving this item/service thought it was a dog toy? What if the person receiving this item/service used it at a white elephant party?” Going on and on with this – even before the item has been manufactured – will allow you to binge on creativity. And you never know which “what if” is the jackpot.
6. Structured sessions will not give birth to the best ideas. Creative people need time, they need space. So you have a crap session for an hour. No good ideas. Don’t give up. Send everyone on their way and tell them to write down every thought they have after the session for the next day. Then have another hour at it.
7. Sometimes ideas are bad. Just… not well thought out and bad. Suggesting a toy gun that blows confetti for your financial client might give them the idea that you think robbery is a fun thing. Be careful about sharing these ideas with your client but don’t discredit them all the way. There could be more to it by playing off the old robbery cliche.
8. Give your ideas to the people. If you have a larger company, the chances are good that you have hired your demographic as employees. After you have come up with 3 good ideas, pass them around for a free market survey. Take each opinion seriously. Add to the idea, subtract from the idea.
9. Put the winning idea away for a week. When you pull it back out, if you are not still completely attacked by its brilliance, it could still use some work.
10. The next step is the only logical one. Call So Tons Creative. (We start at idea 8).
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive here at So Tons Creative is “What is the difference between four color process and spot color printing?”
The reason this question is even asked is that depending on what you are printing on, shirts, golf balls, paper… there is a certain process that needs to take place. I pulled some information off the web and have pasted it below. But to really just kind of dumb it all down even further… this is how it works.
Four color process (4/CP): For pretty much anything printed on paper, even if there is only one color in your artwork. The CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) mix together to create whatever color you need. Or several colors, or gradients of colors. Much like a photograph. Or what your laser printer does.
This can be done on t-shirts as well with new processes that I won’t get into here (dye sublimation, heat transfers etc.), and a few other items you wouldn’t normally expect. So always ask.
From the internet: Process Color (CMYK) Printing
Process color printing, also known at four-color process printing, is a method that reproduces finished full-color artwork and photographs. The three primary colors used are cyan (process blue), magenta (process red), and yellow. These inks are translucent and are used to simulate different colors, for example, green can be created using cyan and yellow. The “K” in CMYK is black. Black ink is used to create fine detail and strong shadows.
Artwork and photos are reproduced when the colors in the artwork are separated, then halftoned (converted to dots). Process colors are reproduced by overlapping and printing halftones to simulate a large number of colors.
Process color printing should not be confused with basic four-color printing, where overlays are cut for the colors, and sheets of halftone dots are used to create other colors and patterns.
Spot Color: Spot Color is when you have blocks of color that do not mix with other colors (touching other colors at borders are ok). So you have a green cactus and a yellow rock. That is two spot colors.
Spot color begs me to bring up the Pantone (Color) Matching System (PMS for short). This is a library of colored inks that are premixed and are universally known to match from printer to printer. More on this from the internet.
From the internet: Spot Colors (PMS)
If you need to match a particular color, perhaps a logo color, and have a limited budget, then spot color is something to consider. Spot colors are printed with premixed inks on a printing press or screen printer. Each spot color is reproduced using a single printing plate or screen.
To ensure that a printer uses the exact color that the designer intends, the Pantone Matching System (PMS) is used. Each PMS number references a unique spot color and these colors can be found on a swatch chart. By using this type of numbering system, people can convey the exact colors for a printed piece to each other without actually looking at the same samples.
It’s important to remember that spot colors may not actually translate to matching process colors. Unlike process printing, which prints dots of color, a spot color is printed at 100% and has no dot pattern. A tint is a lightened spot color or process color and is created by printing smaller dots of the base color.
I hope this helps!
Your Dutiful Guardian of Branding and Swagstress Extraordinaire,
Cassie
There is a new application on Facebook. It’s kind of a big thing. If you have not heard of Hot Dish, then I suggest you hurry up and get there.
The application goes a little something like this…
You post stories about global changes and anything else related that sparks your fancy. You earn points for every story you post. You redeem those points for intensely green rewards.
Following me?
(If not, you can, on Twitter)…
Those rewards you are redeeming.. yeah we did the branded ones.
Right now it is all in beta testing, which gets you in on the ground floor. Get in there – get to posting, and start earning SWAG.
It’s one more way you can educate yourself and others about “Going Green”. Save the planet, save yourselves.
It’s ok to stumble over our name. In fact, stumbling over words is how the name came about. It is a combination of “So much” and “tons”…
So much and tons of creativity. It works, you know. Like peanut butter and jelly. Or like… jellnut. Or peally. You’re right, So Tons is better.
There is a chance you just stumbled here. What luck! We’re glad to have you. This blog should be informative and funny. That is all I am here for.
So… check back often.
Oh! And…
 Happy Valentines Day!!!
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