FIRST THOUGHT: Going Green
It’s 2016, and we’re always hearing about the environment. Some people have this save-the-environment thing nailed down. Take, for instance, Lauren Singer, founder of the lifestyle blog Trash for Tossers. She claims she can fit all her trash from the past four years into a mason jar. That’s amazing!
You might think we can’t all be queens of the environment, but we can try. What’s your nasty wasteful habit? Is it running the water over a dirty pan so you don’t have to scrub it? Or is it leaving on the light so your pets aren’t left completely in the dark? (Or is that just me?)
Whatever it is, try to make one environmentally friendly change today. Even if it’s just for 24 hours, that’s something.
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 56 Percent
Women are fond of saving the environment. Recently, the digital company RetailMeNot conducted a survey that found 56 percent of women buy environmentally friendly products for the home, whereas only 36 percent of men do so.
Of course, many of us ladies like to save our pennies too, so we’re more likely to buy these products if they cost the same or less than other products. Do you spend a little more green to keep your house stocked with environmentally friendly goods?
WOMAN TO WATCH: Valerie Salinas-Davis, CEO and Co-founder of EnviroMedia
A few decades ago, Valerie Salinas-Davis launched a “green” company, but it’s not exactly what you’d think. She doesn’t sell juice cleanses and solar panels. Salinas-Davis is the CEO of a PR and marketing company called EnviroMedia.
Salinas-Davis and her co-founder, Kevin Tuerff, created a statewide recycling-awareness day in Texas. The program soon expanded into America Recycles Day, which is now administered by Keep America Beautiful. That led Salinas-Davis and Tuerff to think seriously about marketing products and services that positively impact the environment, and EnviroMedia was born.
Walk into any store, and you’re bound to see products that boast how “green,” they are, but Salinas-Davis sees through a lot of those bogus claims. In a groundbreaking effort to hold companies accountable, EnviroMedia worked with the University of Oregon to create the Greenwashing Index, which helps educate consumers about which products in the marketplace are authentically “green,” versus those simply making “green” claims.
A couple examples of greenwashing include an advertiser referring to an item as “natural” but having nothing to back it up, or a hotel chain that calls itself “green,” and boasts that it encourages guests to reuse towels and sheets, but doesn’t save energy where it really counts.
Salinas-Davis’ company isn’t just about sustainable services and natural products; a lot of its clients focus on public-health issues, like tobacco prevention and the dangers of texting while driving.
EnviroMedia develops research that helps companies go “green” and offers outreach strategies. EnviroMedia clients include the Nissan Leaf, Dell and the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development.
This marketing wizard really knows her stuff. Salinas-Davis helped win America’s Favorite Ad Slogan competition with the successful “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign, which beat out Nike’s “Just Do It” and the memorable “Got Milk?” ad. Salinas-Davis also won the American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award for outstanding contributions to advertising.
This digital-communications firm gives to more than the environment. It also supports the local community by contributing more than $1 million in pro-bono work and volunteer time to organizations involved in a variety of endeavors, like the arts and youth programs.
Salinas-Davis is injecting some much needed honesty into advertising, providing innovative communications solutions and helping businesses become more environmentally friendly. Quite simply, she’s changing the world!
QUITE THE QUOTE
Why should we care about the environment? As actress Marlee Matlin said:
“The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth.”
That’s all for now. Be sure to share this so more women can have a voice! Thanks for getting ready with us.
To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.