It pays to go green. It’s a simple truth the world is slowly accepting, and credit should be given where it’s due. Today’s landfills and refuse centers, the places where we send our trash, are not the same “dumps” our grandparents used. Trash is no longer necessarily left and forgotten. Modern waste management is going green. Like the American Indians before us, we are learning to use everything. Today’s waste can generate power, be rendered inert, or even atomized. That being said, there are still problems, dumps that shouldn’t exist in the first place. But at least there are strides being made, and technologies on the horizon to get us there faster.

Puente Hills Landfill

Puente Hills Landfill - Let’s start off with a big one, the one and only current largest landfill in the United States, the Puente Hills Landfill. In 2005 the Puente Hills Landfill, outside Los Angeles, CA, accepted almost four million tons of waste. The landfill gas created by this dump is utilized by the Puente Hills Gas-To-Energy Facility, which generates over 50 megawatts of Electricity that is then sold to Southern California Edison. This is enough electricity to power 70,000 homes. In 2006, construction was completed on phase two of this facility, providing an extra 7 megawatts of power. To maximize the project’s value, a direct line was built from the facility to the San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant, which treats up to 100 million gallons per day of waste water from the San Gabriel Valley. This displaces $3-4 million a year the water reclamation plant would have had to spend on retail electricity. Besides providing electricity, the landfill gas from Puente Hills is also reclaimed and converted into Liquefied Natural Gas for fuelling alternative fuel vehicles. This includes vehicles within Puente Hills’s own fleet. This gas is at lest a dollar a gallon cheaper to produce than gasoline and surpasses the quality of commercially available natural gas.

The Linde Group/Waste Management Natural Gas Facility

The Linde Group/Waste Management Natural Gas Facility – Not necessarily a dump, but being one of the “World’s Largest” in relation to trash, I felt it deserved mentioning here. In 2009 as part of a joint venture between The Linde Group and Waste Management Inc., the world’s largest plant for the conversion of landfill gas into environmentally friendly natural gas will open in Livermore, California. The facility is expected to produce approximately 50,000 liters of liquefied natural gas a day. Among many other uses, the gas will be utilized by Waste Management Inc. as fuel for their fleet of 300 trash and recycling collection vehicles in the state of California.

Bandeirantes Landfill Site

Bandeirantes Landfill Site – Located 18 miles from San Paolo, Brazil, the Bandeirantes Landfill is possibly the largest landfill in all of South America. What it definitely has is South America’s largest landfill gas recuperation plant. Gas from the landfill fuels 24 turbines generating 925 kilowatts each with a combined output of roughly 23 megawatts. This is enough electricity for approximately 23,000 homes. To date, the plant has been averaging 170,000 megawatts a year.

Fresh Kills Landfill

Fresh Kills Landfil – Located on the New York City borough of Staten Island, the Fresh Kills Landfill was the largest landfill in the world until it closed in March of 2001. The landfill would be temporarily reopened, however, a few months later to receive and process much of the debris from the destruction of the World Trade Center. The landfill opened in 1948 and became New York City’s primary landfill for the second half of the 20th century. At 4.6 square miles with a peak 25 meters higher than the Statue of Liberty, the Fresh Kills Landfill could easily be regarded as the largest man made structure in the world. Its volume exceeds both the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt. That’s a lot of trash. The site gets its name from the “Fresh Kills estuary”, which it sits along the banks of. Current plans for the retired largest landfill in the world call for it to be converted into reclaimed wetlands and a public park with recreational facilities. A September 11th memorial will also be built. Development of the park is expected to last approximately 30 years and be done in three phases. The Fresh Kills Park will be three times the size of Central Park. This sheer land area will allow for horseback riding, hiking trails, canoeing, and various other activities all within minutes of the heart of New York City.

The Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches

The Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches – Or as they’re sometimes collectively known, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Sounds like a dump, and it is by all accounts the world’s absolute largest landfill. Only problem is, it’s not a dump; it’s the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a clockwise spiral of currents that moves slowly in the Pacific Ocean. The Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches are two large, ever-accumulating masses of garbage floating on the oceans surface. The western patch floats between Japan and Hawaii, while the eastern patch floats between Hawaii and California. The eastern patch alone is estimated to be twice the size of Texas. How does it work? Imagine filling up your bathtub. Now imagine that island of foam that forms in the middle of the tub. Now imagine your tub is the ocean and that foam is garbage. The garbage patches are huge environmental disasters and capable of belching trash on beaches throughout the pacific. The number one culprit behind this mass of trash? (Besides us of course.) Plastic. Plastic can take decades, even centuries to degrade on land. In the ocean it can take even longer. Worse, the plastic breaks down into small plankton sized pieces called “nurdles”. In some areas of the ocean these nurdles can outweigh the actual plankton by six to one. And it still gets worse. Plastic absorbs toxins in the water. Ingesting the plastic alone is bad enough, but now they are effectively poison pills for the marine life. What can be done? Start cleaning it up, and stop letting plastic get into our oceans.

Pietarsaari

Pietarsaari – Beginning its commercial operation at the end of 2001, the world’s largest dry biomass cogeneration site is located in Pietarsaari on the west coast of Finland. Cogneration is the utilization of either a heat engine or power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and contained heat. Regular power plants vent their heat into the environment. Cogeneration plants reclaim that heat and use it for industrial and domestic heating purposes. This, of course, makes the facility exceptionally efficient. The plant in Pietarsaari utilizes biofuels such as bark, saw dust, and other wood products, along with 10% oil or coal to generate up to 240 megawatts of electrical power, 60 megawatts of district heating, and 100 megawatts of process steam.

APP Gasplasma Facility

APP Gasplasma Facility – Located in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, APP’s Gasplasma facility is the first of its kind in the world. What gasplasma does is combine in sequential order, gasification, plasma gas treatment, and syngas polishing followed by gas engine power generation. Full scale plants are estimated to be capable of treating 100,000 tons of waste a year. They would generate enough electricity for 100,000 homes, enough heat for 700 homes and divert 99% of all feedstock waste away from landfills. Byproducts include a high quality aggregate glass. Couple this with the fact that the plants would have a negative carbon footprint, and it really gets impressive. But there’s more. The average plant would be only 150meters long, 50 meters wide, and for the most part only 10 meters high. In other words, tiny. What gasplasma does to the trash is subject it to an inert gas that has been super-heated up to 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit by an electrical arc. Within this extreme temperature, most refuse is atomized. The process is done in a vacuum, allowing for a gaseous removal system. Any remaining solids are inert and easily removed. The exhaust gas is “syngas”, a gas mixture containing a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that can be refined into various fuels.

Regardless of the technology, or size of our waste management centers, what is most intriguing, most inspiring, is the hope they bring. If even our dumps, the very symbols of waste, can go green, then perhaps everything else can too.

A few nights ago, I was at home shampooing my hair and it occurred to me (mid-lather) that promotional foam hats get a bad rap. Sure, maybe you’re into painting your face with your favorite sports team’s colors or wearing your favorite player’s jersey but nothing pitches pride like foam on the head. And I’m talking about promotional foam, my people!

Oh, no he didn’t just rock a custom printed hockey puck foam hat. Gather round folks because, “Yes he did.” And how! It’s crunch time and the score is tied and the bases are loaded (or whatever) and a weary player looks up into the crowd for a bit of inspiration to glean some spirit from his trusted fans. He sees you, the dude with the promotional hockey puck foam hat, and he is instantly invigorated, redeemed, and alight with spirit. He rushes the ice like a hungry sea wolf on a mission and lobs the puck into the net to win the final winning score. The crowd roars in ecstasy.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to rock the infamous promotional foam finger, why not rock it on your head? Sha-zaam! It’s not safe for anyone when you have two hands free at the game with your logo imprinted foam hat. What he said.

And finally, if you fancy yourself more of an all encompassing kind of person, by all means, wrap up that noggin of yours and show some spirit with the all over customized bear head foam hat. Leave the face paint at home with the kittens. Foam is not for the faint of heart but those with spirit in spades. I am here; hear me roar.

Get your promotional foam hat today at www.promopeddler.com. What he said.

If custom engraved belt buckles could talk, they probably say nothing since they are just way too cool to be bothered with things like casual conversation. These hand polished beauties with their flawless finish are short on words but long on making a statement.

It might be that this particular promotional belt buckle with elegant plating, brushed antique finish reminds me of the VW Van my parents drove me around in when I was a wee sprite, but I hold a particular fondness for custom belt buckles. I’m convinced the promotional zinc alloy belt buckle would be the perfect custom gift to signify dependability, going the distance and a classic ruggedness. 

However, if you want to impress people with you glitzy glamour with enough floss and ‘bling’ to force shade wearing in the presence of a custom belt buckle, then check out the custom imprinted LED belt buck, silver trimmed with a hot stone border. This promotional item might be a completely silly giveaway or it could turn heads and change minds by becoming the hottest thing this season. It’s all a matter of confidence and the bold swagger of the wearer.

If you’re as stoked as I am about picking out a super awesome belt buckle for your next corporate event, view all products we have in: belt buckles. It’s just too cool.

The wonderful world of promotional stress relievers and custom imprinted gifts can excite the senses and delight the intended recipient. The logo gift comes in all shapes and sizes, from the furry stuffed animal accessory, to the custom imprinted lollipop in your favorite flavor. Nearly any promotional product that you can dream up, more than likely, exists for the imprinting! And then there are those gifts that are cause for pause, and perhaps a bit of head-scratching wonderment.

 
And then there was the custom imprinted prostate shaped stress reliever. Admittedly, when I’m having one of those days where the fax machine is on the fritz, my clients are running late or the dog ate my homework, I reach for the nearest squeezie stress reliever. Who doesn’t? But I’m not entirely convinced my stress relieving inclination would find relief with a prostate. Call me crazy, and you wouldn’t be the first to do so.

I might however, reach out for a custom imprinted breast shaped squeezie. The mother archetype comes to mind as do the virtues she exudes: one of the nurturer, the healer and the Great Mother Earth. But, perhaps I am reading too much into the breast shaped stress reliever. 

Can promotional products cross the line from effective use of your marketing and branding dollars and creep, ever so easily into the cave of absurdity? While I strongly believe there is an ideal promotional product to fit every one of us, each a unique snowflake on the planet, perhaps some giveaways are better left to the imagination.

We’ve all heard of the white elephant gift exchange but that is so 1976.  Its high-time we create an off-shoot of the idea and inspire the next trend in gift exchanging. I officially declare November the month of the Swag Swap. Host your very own custom imprinted gifts exchange and celebrate the madness.

Encourage your guests to bring their pile o’ swag, wrapped up and unlabeled and let the party antics begin. Add your favorite chips, dips and hip bevies and you’ve got yourself a good time in the making.

“When you say, “swag,” I say, “swap.”

“Swag."

“Swap.”

“Swag.”

“Swap”

We’ve all got a promotional flower bikini top hidden in our closet. Well, now it’s time to put that flowery-goodness to good use. This aint your mother’s bikini top but it could be, if you invite her to your Swag Swap partay. Hay!

I know what you did last night! You got all beer-goggly with your corporate logo sunglasses and gave your number to the way-wrong girl. I know how you can solve your problem! Shed those custom printed beer glasses at the next Swag Swap and take your dating life back into your own hands. Can I get a witness?



Whether you are looking to giveaway a promotional item or purchase more logo imprinted customized gifts, there’s always more where that came from.

If you end up hosting your very own Swag Swap party, please send me the pics, and I will post them here on the blog. Aint no party like a Swag Swap party.

What would a Smokejumper or Hot-Coal Walker want to rock after a hot day of work? I got one answer: BoomCooler. It’s an entertainment system on wheels, adding some well needed cool to a day of remote wildfire extinguishing and some “never dawdling’ coal walking. Of note, the BoomCooler essentially packs a car stereo into an ice chest, rendering ineffective for storing beer, but extra effective for rocking out.

What does a Forensic Pathologist or an Alchemist have in common? By the time they go home to their sweetheart, they’ve had enough handling of raw flesh and trying to make something out of nothing for one day. They want easy breezy dinner making and nothing says easy like the  Sushezi Sushi Tube. Say that three times with a mouth full of rice.

Last but certainly not least, whether you’re buying a gift for a Tribal Chieftain, a Shaolin Monk, a Yacht Captain, or a Beard Model the solution is so obvious, it’s almost silly. The Critter Cruiser and Hamtrack is the ideal present for anyone with a furry little friend they want to strap inside a tiny car and launch around a mini racetrack. Honestly, it’s just good clean fun for the entire family!

And for more super sweet ideas, check out Promopeddler.com, an excellent resource for branding ideas, promotional marketing, and custom imprinted gadgets. Also, check out the Ask the Ideas Guru blog. She gives good idea!

Custom printed noisemakers run the gamut of awkwardly large to preciously petite but they all share one thing in common, they got spirit. How about you?

If you’re scratching your head in wonderment as to the appropriate time and place for a noisemaker, let me set the stage for you:

It’s your company’s annual luau. After feasting on some delicious poi and lomilomi salmon, you decide to show your appreciation for the banquet and burn off some calories, so you grab one of the promotional maraca wrist bracelets decorating the centerpiece of the table, head out to dance floor, and shake your groove thing. Noisemaker time is a good time!

It’s high school basketball game state finals; one of the players on the team is being scouted by the NBA and you’ve been to every single one of his games, including scratch matches and practices. There’s only one problem, you totally burned both your hands in a chemical fire at your fast food job the night before the big game. Thankfully, the school provides everyone with a custom imprinted hand clapper to show their school spirit. Clap on all you party people!

Your eldest daughter is super into Jamaican dancehall music. Your husband has an addiction to pricing hybrid cars spending every Saturday at the car lot, enjoying free garden burgers, natural soda, and always brings home useless swag like a promotional flashing air horn. You nor your husband knew that the air horn has been used as a popular sample in reggae music for the past 26 years. Your daughter gets signed by an independent record label for her innovative sampling of the air horn; her record contract includes the hybrid car of your husband’s dreams and everyone wins.

Never underestimate the power of a promotional product.

With California and Washington already slapping the hands of drivers seen talking or texting on there phones while driving, and more and more states across the U.S. joining the crusade for hands-free use of cell phone, expect the talking head phenomenon to take on new heights.

What was once considered a significant sign of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, is now merely a sign of the button-down-shirt-tool or over-glossed-Hills look-a-like completely oblivious to their surroundings sharing mindless details. Um, hello? Everyone knows those uninteresting quips regarding your personal affairs are better left for your Twitter updates not whilst in line at Starbucks waiting for your iced yousuckacinno.

But the lawman will get you if you’re not joining the ranks of the hands-free cell phone users. So turn on, tune in and hands-free out!

Check out these hot products:

The Jawbone: These have the highest sound quality of any headset on the market, are relatively affordable, and pretty stylish. They actually sense the vibration of your jaw and amplify the sound that goes along with those vibrations, so your callers hear your voice, rather than background noise.

The Iqua Sun Bluetooth: It’s the world's first solar-powered headset. You charge it once and then you never have to charge it again, because the sun and the lights in your home and office charge it for you.

Promopeddler’s  corporate logo Cobalt Bluetooth headset with high visibility and sound clarity. If you’re looking to give the gift of a hands-free device for the holidays, slap a logo on this baby. Nothing says I love you like a talking head.

Related links:

Wise Ways To Go Hands-Free For Cell Phones

Lapriss Gilbert, 31, was asked to leave the Social Security Administration office in Van Nuys because the shirt she was wearing stating "Lesbian.com" was thought to be offensive. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer)

It’s all fun and games when you’re sporting your favorite custom corporate apparel around town until your tee shirt slogan gets you in trouble. Los Angeles based Daily Times recently reported a Van Nuys woman was forced to leave a federal building by a guard who objected to her “lesbian.com” tee-shirt.

Lori Haley, federal spokesperson for the office of Immigration and Custom Enforcement, said the guard was out of line.

"We believe that the actions of the contract security guard were inappropriate and unacceptable - we have notified his company, Paragon, of our position in the matter," Haley said.

Instances of sexual discrimination are rare in Federal buildings noted one attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. This is good news for those of us who love our promotional tees and support freedom of wearable speech.

So wear your promotional apparel loud and proud!

Source credit:
T-shirt gets Van Nuys woman kicked out of federal building

With advertisers claiming, “World’s First Bio-Degradable USB disk,” it’s difficult to know what’s truth from fiction.  The EPA published document called, “Sorting Out Green Advertising Claims,” helping consumers interpret the truth of words like, “environmentally safe,” “recycled,” “degradable,” and “ozone friendly.”  One that hangs me up all the time is biodegradable. EPA defines it as the following,

“Some products claim to be "degradable." "Biodegradable" materials, like food and leaves, break down and decompose into elements found in nature when they are exposed to air, moisture, and bacteria or other organisms. Either way, however, degradation of any material occurs very slowly in landfills, where most garbage is taken.”

 
So how do they make a biodegradable USB hub? The ATP EarthDrive™ (pictured above) is designed and built using the maximum amount of biodegradable materials (PLA), resulting in a fully recyclable product. PLA (Polylactic acid) is biodegradable polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn.

   -- Pictures courtesy of The ATP EarthDrive™.

 

When making earth friendly choices you should always do your research.  There are a number of places online to make an eco-conscious purchasing decision. For more, check out Green Purchasing Guides.

Gizmodo recently did a review of Mathlete’s Wake n’ Bacon which got me thinking about clever ways to wake up. With so many innovative alarm clocks on the market, from the Daybreak Sunrise alarm clock that creates a natural sunrise to wake the slumbering self with state of the art dawn stimulation to the Osim Nioi Alarm Clock that uses up to three different smells to rouse the sleeper, I thought what better way than to wake up and promote! Get people started off on the right side of the bed with your company in mind.

While the Promotional StayFit Alarm Clock which monitors body fat by weight percentage might not be the way to wake’em up happy, perhaps the Promotion Item Combination docking/charging station, mini stereo, AM.FM radio and alarm clock is the perfect giveaway for your next corporate tradeshow. The promotional item works with any iPod and MP3player making this item multi-functional and can be perfect for any room in the house, not just the bedroom. I think the awesome promotional item bell is ringing!!! 

For more product ideas, check out Corporate Logo Alarm Clocks.

Promo Marketing Magazine July 2008 issue announces their 2008 Excellence Award Winners. Taking the gold in electronics is Leeds with their logo imprinted Alibi. The Leeds Alibi 3-in-1 Web Cam, Speaker, and Microphone stands out as a timely and valuable executive gift, providing both entertaining and functional technology. The 3-in-1 gadget is a fabulous promotional giveaway for your next corporate event. The 3-in-1 device captures video and sound which can be played, stored and shared on any computer. USB cable, sound cable, and CD-ROM software included.

More and more, people are communicated via video chat and video conferencing.  Catch the new wave of technology with your very own logo imprinted Alibi.

Still need inspiration? Check out: 5 Great Reasons To Buy A Webcam

Promotional Marking Tips:

1)      Keep it simple

2)      Take a risk

3)      Have a consistent message

4)      Know your target audience

5)      Be inventive

 

Where there is a will, there is a way. And where there is cliché, there is more than likely the perfect way to promote your products and services with a promotional item. With that in mind, I thought I would have fun and pair up your overworked, overused and overplayed clichés with an ideal promotional product. Let the games begin….

Face the music - Clever phrases are home runs on or off the field and easily lend themselves to the marketer’s tool-kit. A logo MP3 player almost seems too obvious, but isn’t that half the fun of a cliché’s double entendre? Then again, I’m just playing it by ear.

Ladder of success – Make climbing the corporate ladder a bit of mind-bender with a logo imprinted ladder, a game that challenges the user to get the rung off the ladder.

Money Matters – In light of the current economy client, money matters and saving your pennies for a rainy day seems the way of the warrior. Now more than ever, it’s important to nurture your current customer base. Why not give them a reminder of how to weather the storm and give the gift of a customized piggy bank. Penny for your thoughts?

Make a killing – Be the toast of the town and the last man standing at your next BBQ by making a clean sweep with a promotional battery operated BBQ grill brush. It’s just too good to be true.

More than meets the eye – Rest assured, there’s more than meets the eye to the aromatherapy custom printed silk eye pillow. Produced with flax seeds and lavender buds, this delightful promotional item offers relaxation and is guaranteed to ensure some peaceful zzz’s.

Beat a dead horse – When ideas get old and stale and you’ve lost your way it’s best not to beat a dead horse but you can take your stress out on a logo imprinted squeezy in the shape of a horse.

Skin of my teeth – Sometimes we avoid scuffles with the law by the skin of our teeth. Avoid trouble all together with your very own state of the art, imprinted alcohol detector. Actually, the correct wording of this cliché is: “I am escaped by the skin of my teeth.”  This cliché comes from the Book of Job in the Old Testament (Chapter 19 Verse 20). Who knew? Now you do.

Hit the nail on the head – Get your next sales campaign off with a bang by encouraging your team to ‘hit the nail on the head’ of their sales quota with a customized ballpoint pen in a hammer design.

I always come across super cool stuff that I think would rock as a promotional product, so I’ve decided to dedicate this blog to a few items I’ve found and thought, “This would rule as a promotional product!”

The Eggling – Crack n’ Grow would be an ideal promotional item for any and all branding themes related to growth. Each little pure white porcelain egg is filled with a growing medium and seeds. Crack the egg with a spoon, just like the edible kind, and water and place in the warm and light and watch your efforts bloom! If the egg is too delicate for your sensibilities, try one of our custom printed logo planters producing 5 magic beans. Wishes do come true….

Form and function unite with Il Buddino, your very own single-dose pudding mold in the shape of Buddha. No blasphemy here folks, where chocolate pudding is concerned there is only your divine right to yummy! A great way to market your next “Got Zen?” campaign, the Il Buddino would make an excellent promotional giveaway for all your peace loving friends.

If you’re looking to create a little word of mouth buzz, why not add a little irony to your marketing step. How great would the Ugly Bag be as a promotional giveaway at a salon/spa opening? Not only would this be an incredible talk point at any party but you’d have your Halloween costume in the bag, literally.