In this Issue: 13 Favorite Green Things | New York Times & Copenhagen | Flu Fighters Tour | New Business Notes

EnviroMedia Names 13 Favorite
Green Things

List of Products Marks Our 13th Anniversary

Oprah’s had her favorite things. Now we’re releasing our list of favorites. To celebrate 13 years of promoting a more sustainable society, EnviroMedia is endorsing 13 products that, in ways big and small, can help lessen climate change and promote a greener lifestyle.

This baker’s dozen of green goodies ranges from $21,000 (the Ford Escape hybrid) down to $5.99 (the Five-Minute Shower Timer). The products were chosen by EnviroMedia staffers, who own and love them. Some are low-tech, some are high-tech, some are newfangled, and some are old standbys, but they all can help people keep the planet in mind.

The items on our inaugural list of favorite green things fall into three categories: energy, water conservation, and waste reduction. And ultimately, all of those are energy issues, and thus, climate issues: moving and treating water requires a huge amount of electricity, and Americans can avoid 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year by recycling just half of their household waste.

It’s been fun seeing what our staff has come up with, and we’ve already got enough runners-up for a whole new list when the time is right. Check out the full list on our climate change blog.

The New York Times Notices Our “Trolling” in Copenhagen

Just two months ago, Valerie and I participated in our third United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Being in Copenhagen was a remarkable experience, but the political outcome, though predictable, was disappointing.

Although we’re underwhelmed by the international community’s progress on climate change, we’re proud our new Green Detectives blog about climate change solutions received a lot of attention, including a great write-up in the New York Times’ Green Inc. blog. It was a trans-Atlantic team effort to interview the member of South Africa’s parliament, then edit, post, and publicize it, all in just a few short hours.

KUT-FM News, The Austin Chronicle, Austin Business Journal, and Portland Business Journal also covered our participation, asking for our opinion on the significance of Copenhagen. And I was able to share my view on EnvironmentalLeader.com.

Flu Fighters Tour Teaches Texas Schoolchildren How to Stay Well

The flu-prevention campaign we developed for the Texas Department of State Health Services has been a resounding success. The outreach component featured a three-week Flu Fighters road tour of 16 cities, during which our experiential marketing experts visited 29 elementary schools and taught more than 8,600 students how to avoid contracting the flu. The Flu Fighters demonstrate kung fu-inspired moves designed to help kids remember to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, stay home if they get sick, wash their hands, and get flu shots. More than 8,700 activity booklets also were distributed.

View our new television spots in English and Spanish.

Here’s great news coverage from Dallas, Austin, Corpus Christi, and Harlingen.

Students at Jefferson Elementary in Wichita Falls learn the Flu Fighters’ moves. More than 300 third, fourth, and fifth graders participated in this flu-prevention presentation.

Flu Fighters Edgar Ruiz (front left) and Terrell Shaw (far right) with students from Paredes Elementary in Brownsville. The Flu Fighters are visiting schools across Texas, teaching elementary students how to “Fight the Flu” using Kung Fu moves that symbolize healthy habits.

In keeping with our commitment to practice what we preach, EnviroMedia held an in-office clinic on January 28. Nearly 30 EnviroMedians in the Austin office were vaccinated for H1N1 and seasonal flu, compliments of the agency.

New Business Notes

Voter Education

We added a familiar name to our client roster in January. The Texas Secretary of State hired EnviroMedia to head the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) education campaign for 2010.

Texas HAVA is a public education program meant to increase knowledge and confidence in the Texas voting process. EnviroMedia created the VOTEXAS brand in 2006. Four years later, the secretary’s office has chosen us to continue Texas voter education. It is a great opportunity to empower Texas voters and to help the 2010 election year go smoothly.

The campaign will include a mobile and Web presence, advertising, social media, and outreach tours. The goal of our first campaign with HAVA was to make Texans comfortable with electronic voting. Now that voters’ needs have changed, we’re prepared to move the VOTEXAS campaign forward to inform all Texans about their rights as voters.

The state primary elections are March 2, and uniform elections begin May 8.

City of Fort Worth

The City of Fort Worth’s Environmental Management Department has hired EnviroMedia to conduct research and develop a marketing plan designed to increase the city’s recycling rate. The research currently being conducted includes a citywide “attitudes and behaviors” study, examination of the actual recycling stream, and in-depth interviews with recycling personnel.

Oregon WIC

With funding from a USDA grant, EnviroMedia is now planning and buying media for the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Women, Infants, and Children program. We’re increasing awareness about WIC as a whole, and specifically that WIC is about nutrition services and education, not just food stamps.

We’ve placed statewide buys targeting policy-makers and mothers eligible for WIC services in daily, weekly, minority, and alternative newspapers; a newsletter aimed at the homeless; and two parenting magazines. We’ve also bought ads on a large network of Web sites including those of local newspapers, and on both English and Spanish radio.

Have a great rest of the winter, and you’ll hear from us again on Earth Day.
— Kevin Tuerff