A mission-based green cafe at the Autry Museum

A key visitor experience element at your museum is your cafe. And one thing visitors notice at museums is whether or not you have made an environmental commitment, and are truly operating as a green business. I saw an excellent example of this at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.

This sign lets you know about their commitment to recycling and composting.

Flatware is 100% compostable. I also liked the metal buckets, which themed in nicely with their Western heritage theme.

All the waste from those tiny packets of condiments... gone! Nice job.

I loved this, as it helped people understand what really can be composted.

An Inconvenient Truth on DVD: Pro-earth strategies you can use today

We saw An Inconvenient Truth again last night, which I've posted about here and here. After it was over, I was able to open my laptop and visit their Web site (www.climatecrisis.net). Here's what I was able to do in about 15 minutes, just sitting on my couch.

I used their very cool and easy Carbon Calculator to see how much carbon I am responsible for each year (4.7 tons with my car in the equation, 5.55 tons with my husband's car.) I could also check out how buying a Toyota Prius (something I'm considering) would change that (3.35 tons). Then I went to Native Energy and chose wind power to buy "carbon offsets." This means I'm paying to help build wind power that creates sustainable energy somewhere else, since it's not currently available in San Diego (only $5/month, in our family's case) . I also got additional ideas I can use to save money and use less energy.

I went to the Arbor Day Foundation and bought 50 trees to replant our US forests (you can choose ones for the rainforest, too, or buy actual trees to plant. At $1/tree, what a deal!) Instead of sending holiday cards, or buying gifts people don't need as thank yous, consider having your business send or donate trees instead. Trees take in carbon dioxide, helping the planet breathe and cool down. More trees=less global warming.

What are some other ways your business could take part? You could offer sustainable food in your restaurant or cafeteria, have a solar-powered Web site, or provide organic cotton reusable bags for your conference give-aways or store. (Did you know that it takes 1/3 lb. of chemicals to grow one regular t-shirt? I didn't!)

All businesses use tons of paper. Choose paper that's 100% post-consumer waste (meaning, it's 100% being reused), and find a printer who can use vegetable oil inks. If your business includes travel, budget in carbon offsets to make it climate neutral (you can do this through Native Energy). Put recycled information on all your print pieces as well, to help inform whoever sees it. For more great ideas, see Andrea Learned's post here.

A while back I wrote a post about the impact global warming will have on the wine industry. (The reported response: to grow different kinds of grapes that will do well in a hotter climate. Not very prescient.) Global warming is going to affect all of us in ways we can't even imagine, if we don't act. We can make changes now that will help reduce the trend, it's not inevitable. And, with a water shortage prediction on the front page of my newspaper, can we afford to ignore this any longer? Every business depends on water. Can you afford a water bill that's double or triple what it is now? Or to have your heating and cooling bills triple every year?

We can all be pro-earth in our personal and professional lives, and educate our clients and customers as we go. If you have ideas or resources, please post them in comments or send me an email and I'll add them to a future post.

Tip of the day: Try some of the things I mentioned in this post, or contact green business consultant April Economides at Green Octopus. Tell your customers about all your green business choices and see how you can have a positive impact in your community. Working together, we can solve this.

Technorati Tags: global warming, green business practices, April Economides, climate neutral, carbon offsets

If you're pro-earth like me, send a postcard to Congress with Al Gore

From time to time I include information on my blog about pro-earth actions we can take. Between now and March 20, 2007 you can add your e-postcard to Al Gore's Web site. He will be testifying before Congress on March 21 and will show them how many people, like me and you, care. It's not a political issue. Creating action towards positive behaviors will help shift climate change back in a healthy direction.

Just click on this link, it takes less than a minute.

If we don't have a healthy planet, it doesn't really matter whether our businesses are giving great customer experiences...

Technorati Tags: pro-earth, green business practices, Al Gore

Behind the scenes at the Long Beach Aquarium

Long Beach, California: In an earlier post, I covered how the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific (LBAP) communicates their green mission in their gift shop. Let's go behind the scenes to see how their business practices, some out of public view, support their mission as well. The Aquarium's mission: To instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.

A cell phone recycling program on the front plaza informs guests that recycling cell phones helps protect the ocean. While this is not an impulse decision, returning visitors can bring in used cell phones. For others, it plants the seed that recycling their cell phone is better than throwing it away. The program brings in some revenue for the aquarium, as cell phones are mined for precious metals and other components.

The recycling area in back includes a sign to tell tour guests how much material is being recycled every year. This official signage validates the program for the staff involved in the recycling effort, putting management's stamp of approval on their efforts. Great idea on all fronts.

The aquarium built a "co-gen" natural gas plant to help meet their extensive power needs. This helps the aquarium contain costs as well as freeing up power for the city's needs.

In Cafe Scuba, a variety of organic and sustainable options are featured. In addition, the flatware is not plastic, and can be composted. While the aquarium is not at this time composting the material, they are reducing the use of petro-chemicals and educating visitors, as well as supporting the market for these alternative producers.

These efforts, integrated throughout the business and communicated to visitors, show that the aquarium is practicing what they preach. This authenticity makes visitors feel better about the institution, thus more likely to support it. While a business can always do more, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific gets an A for effort and follow-through.

Tip of the day: Visitors and customers are becoming ever more sensitized to global concerns. Label everything you are doing that's pro-earth, and explore how you can shift business practices to be more green. Not only will you appeal to like-minded people now, it will set you up in the future as a role model, and is an opportunity for positive press and word-of-mouth. For consulting assistance with green business practices, visit Green Octopus.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer communication, green business practices, authenticity, pro-earth

Communicating your mission: The Green Team at Long Beach Aquarium

Long Beach, California: Last week at a conference I went behind the scenes at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific (LBAP). The Aquarium's mission: To instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.

As part of day-to-day business, the Aquarium applies green practices and technology throughout their operation, spearheaded by an internal "Green Team." They also do a good job of communicating what they're doing to visitors. Let's take a look in their gift shop. This sign clearly identifies both the Green Team and items that support green efforts.

These stylish bags are made from used juice boxes from the Philippines.

The sign explains that the bags are recycled and the company provides a living for more than 200 families, adding to the feel-good message (100% Concepts, China).

These reusable "wrap sacks" replace wrapping paper and encourage buyers to pass them along around the Earth: 1-800-505-3365.

For other items like these, visit Alchemy Goods. Their messenger and tote bags are made from old seat belts, inner tubes, and billboards. Purses and bags made from recycled billboard signs: Relan Bags.

Tip of the day: When you align your business practice with your mission, your organization stands out. If you want to influence behavior, like buying "greener" items, offer them in your store and explain the benefits to the buyer and the earth. I cover mission-driven memorabilia in detail in my new book, Creating Great Visitor Experiences.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer communication, green business practices, museum store, recycled goods