Green Options

Finally, guys don’t have to use the ladies’ all natural goodies that smell like fruit and flowers and other essential oil yummies. Guys now have their own eco-skin care products.

Every Man Jack is a line of naturally-derived grooming products made just for the guys.

English tours at Japan’s largest eco-fair show international visitors the hottest green gadgets from a country renown for technological innovation.

At RICOH booth, we saw the demonstration of a new erasable advance paper. Printed document on this advance paper can be erased by ironing and be ready for another round of printing.

I had an opportunity to take the English guided tour at Eco-Products 2008. The Eco-Products exhibition is one of the largest green fairs in Japan, showing all kinds of green products and services to the public. The event draws a large number of visitors. It’s possibly the world’s largest event of its kind. The tenth Eco-Products 2008 exhibition was successful enough to attract 173,917 visitors this year according to the event organizer.

Visitors came from all over the world to see the latest of Japanese green activities. To accommodate such foreign visitors, guided tours in English, Chinese and Korean, were offered for free by volunteer staff from Japan for Sustainability (JFS) and EcoNetworks (ENW). The English guided tours were offered twice during the three-day event, but you needed to register for the tour beforehand at JFS’s website.

Our tour was guided by Frank H. Ling Ph.D. from USA, who works as a researcher for the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Japan. Our group had five visitors including me plus a lead guide, Mr. Ling, with a few more staff for additional assistance.

Panasonic is fast becoming a brand name not just for electronics but also for green building products.

Eco-Products 2008 recently held in Tokyo, showcased a series of award-winning green products and services. The E Floor from Panasonic was shortlisted for the awards. The Eco Product Awards is presented by four organizations including the Global Environmental Forum, a non-profit organization under the jurisdiction of Japan’s Ministry of Environment.

I recently had a chance to ride along in a Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE at Eco-Products 2008 in Japan — a green event held for three days in Tokyo.

Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE and Mercedes-Benz Smart on road.

Several green vehicles were on hand at the event for visitors to take on approximately 10 minute rides. The cars you could pick from were: the Toyota FCHV-adv (fuel cell), the Nissan Clean Diesel X-TRAIL 20GT, the Subaru Plug-in Stella Concept (EV), the Audi Cabriolet A4 S-line 3.0 TDI (Diesel), the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, the Mitsubishi i MiEV (EV), the Mercedes-Benz Smart, and the Velotaxi.

I chose the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE because I thought sitting in that type of car must be a very rare opportunity. I also wanted an up close real-world experience with a car that uses a rotary engine and can switch back and forth between gasoline and hydrogen fuel.

As Japanese society becomes more aware of environmental issues, eco-bags have recently gained popularity. A growing number of businesses, including some of the largest retailers, are promoting the use of these bags.

At the Eco-Products 2008 fair, I saw reusable bags everywhere. Many of the exhibits gave away bags to visitors, and almost everyone walking around was carrying one or two of them.

I attended the first day of Japan’s Eco-Product 2008 fair. After attending a long symposium, I had just a little over hour to check the some parts of the huge Eco-Products exhibition hall. There were so many people in the big hall a full of exhibitors.

More details of some of the intresting products on display are to come later, but meantime here are some pictures from the event:

The year 2008 has been a great year for innovative, eco-friendly products. Technology has really been tapped to provide solutions to many key environmental issues. One of the coolest technologies to emerge, the Solio, has been featured on CNBC, NBC’s the Today Show, MacDirectory, and was awarded National Geographic’s ‘Best of Gear’ award. The Solio website even has a picture of President-elect Barack Obama with his Solio.

Solio is a hybrid

[...]

Are you a consumer products company looking for a new product that redefines and reinvigorates its product category, and is eco-friendly? Today could be your lucky day. Brandimage, one of the largest international design agencies in the world, has just the product for you. Jim Warner, Managing Director of Industrial Design, and his team recently launched the 360 Paper Water Bottle, an innovative, eco-friendly solution that needs a brand home.

Each day, Americans throw out 60 million plastic bottles. Only 14% actually get recycled-meaning 86% (or over 51 million) become garbage or litter. This fact drove Brandimage to develop the first totally recyclable paper container made from 100% renewable resources. According to Brandimage the new Paper water Bottle is “Versatile in its range of consumer applications and made from food-safe and fully recyclable materials, and decreases energy consumed through the product life cycle without sacrificing functionality. It is paper packaging that stands up to all liquid categories.”

According to Brandimage the “360 Paper Water Bottle utilizes pressed sustainable material with encapsulated micro-thin PLA film barrier to challenge ‘the norm’ of the category around the world.”

The Eco-Products 2008 exhibition will be held this week at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. Eco-Products is one of the largest green events in Japan to show all kinds of green products and services to the public, and expects to have 750 exhibitors and 170 thousands visitors. Even though the event name is Eco-Products, you will see the green services, green business and lifestyle ideas as well as latest eco products by variety of exhibitors, including businesses, NGOs, NPOs, government organizations, student organizations etc. The theme of this 10th annual event is “We Can Do it! Eco-Lifestyle with a 50% CO2 Reduction.” The event is organized by Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI) and Nikkei Inc.

Wal-Mart’s drive toward going green may have been met by green activists with skepticism, but it’s hard to argue that they are focusing on efforts to make sustainability a key part of their business. Wal-Mart’s suppliers have been given the ultimatum: “Help us on our mission to go green and skip the greenwashing”.

Rand Waddoups, senior director of corporate strategy and sustainable development, on Thursday (August 7, 2008) told more than 250 suppliers that Wal-Mart had devised a clearer strategy on its sustainability marketing.

The plan focuses on four concepts that Wal-Mart wants to promote - waste improvement and recycling, natural resources, energy and social or community impact.

“We need to fill the pipeline with products,” Waddoups said. “Not only do we need more innovative products, but we need to be able to tell a story around that product.”

As any sales or marketing executive who has sold to Wal-Mart, as I have, can tell you, the only answer to that request is, “yes, sir (or madam).

Wal-Mart sent out emails to all buyers last week giving them an Aug. 18 deadline to submit “green” products that meet the criteria. Products selected will get a major promotion during Wal-Mart’s 2009 “Earth Month” marketing campaign.

Reading between the lines, this of course means, more than just developing a great green promotional story. Required is a compelling back story to support the green attributes and shield the manufacturer and Wal-Mart by extension from green washing.

If you are a coupon user or thrifty shopper as I am, you’ll like a new site for eco shoppers – Ecobunga.com. Unlike my husband who will buy anything on sale, I’m picky.

I shop at the Farmer’s Market for organic produce…15 minutes before closing. I select any product I want to buy online and then Google “ x product coupon”. I check for overstocks on organic and natural products at Big Lots.

I’m the original Eco deal shopper. Maybe you are too!

Business partners, Jennifer Hastings and Karen Schiff were inspired to create Ecobunga! when they learned that the 2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge Study cited cost as the top reason shoppers were reluctant to go green.

So they thought they’d help. The result is Ecobunga.

Ecobunga! is a comprehensive directory of giveaways and deals on green products and services, including sweepstakes, contests, coupons, rebates, sales and free shipping. We link shoppers to great bargains and prizes while helping companies get the word out about their eco-friendly products and services.