Roads from plastic waste. Great idea!

What a great idea! R Vasudevan, Head of the Department of Chemistry, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai has pioneered a way to use a mix of shredded plastic waste in making roads. t’s mixed in with the “metal” used to make the road and assists in binding it better, making it capable of withstanding heavy rains, reducing the amount to bitumen required. The development team believes it also offers better road grip than rubberized roads. Sounds seriously win-win to me. Much better than the blind eye all the authorities in India have been turning to the huge plastic waste problem we have here. Here’s a picture of these folks standing on their road. The lady’s the head of the college. I admire people who try to do something about the problems they see. I’ve been working with my friends, Prakash Vani and Himadri Ghosh to see if we can also do our bit, and we’ve succeeded in making some viable looking products from plastic waste using handlooms and devices that do not require any more energy input and can be made at home by even the poorest of the poor. I’ll have a story and a webpage about that effort up very shortly.

How your city can become plastic bag free

Fitzroy Falls sets a fine example of how this can easily be done. Some cities in Australia did this by having their local government invest in cloth bags and hand them out free to every citizen. Some cities that thrive on tourism had citizens take a pledge to each buy and use cloth bags. But Fitzroy Falls has followed what appears to be simplest path. They utilized the local retail network and citizens bought cloth bags from the retailers they do business with. The local council imported cloth bags at a lower cost because they could place a larger order than any individual could. Then they sold them to local retailers who are allowed to mark them up so that they can make some money on them and order more. Deputy Mayor Nick Campbell-Jones said the declaration of Fitzroy Falls as a plastic bag-free town was an example for the rest of the shire to follow. "This is the first locally-branded, re-useable shopping bag in the area and it goes some way towards the creation of a sustainable community," he said. Local students were encouraged to come up with a design for the re-useable bags which would express an environmentally responsible message and also promote the Fitzroy Falls region. "Early on we realised that the best way to proceed with the campaign was by consulting with the local community. We spoke to local businesses to establish what their issues of concern were as well as getting the kids involved in creating the design," Ms Katz said. "The launch today shows that even small communities can make a stand against plastic bags and offer viable alternatives. "Diane Garwood stressed the environmental damage plastic bags do to the environment. "Plastic bags have an enormous impact on the marine environment and are responsible for the deaths of 100,000 birds, seals or wild turtles every year," she said. Would you like your community to be plastic bag free? Write today to Rajiv@badlani.com and I’ll be happy to work out a specific plan for your community. You can select from the vast variety we have at www.badlani.com/bags and we’ll be happy to print your community’s message on them for you.

Plastics are a gender bender

The culprit is an ingredient in plastic goods called phthalates says a story in The Guardian. They seep into your food from plastic packaging and get into your bloodstream. Result: ‘Women with higher levels of four different phthalates were more likely to have baby boys with a range of conditions, from smaller penises and undescended testicles to a shorter perineum, the distance between the genitals and the anus,’ said the report. "Every aspect of male identity is altered when you see this in male animals," the article quoted Fred vom Saal, professor of reproductive biology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, as saying. Levels of aggression, parenting behaviour and even learning speeds were affected, he said. The differences indicate a feminisation of the boys similar to that seen in animals exposed to the chemicals. Ouch! Switching to buying unpackaged food and carrying it home in our natural cotton bags seems like a smart thing to do, doesn’t it? Reusable cotton bags are attractive and affordable, as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags

Scotland will tax plastic bags

I just read an article by Jeremy Watson in the Scotland News that the Scots will soon be charging a 10 cent tax on disposable plastic bags. Scotland uses about a billion bags a year totaling up to 6,500 tons of waste. Most are buried in landfill sites, where they can take hundreds of years to degrade, but many litter urban areas, the countryside and the sea, where they can become a major hazard for wildlife. The stomachs of whales and seabirds washed up on Scottish shores have been found to be filled with plastic bag fragments, which may have contributed to their deaths. The sums raised will be collected from shops by local council officers and the profits spent on environmental projects. In Ireland, where a similar bill has reduced plastic bag usage by 95% since being introduced in 2002, the levy has already raised £23m, says Jeremy. Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle, who introduced the bill, says that the Irish levy had been "a huge success", adding: "As well as reducing the number of plastic bags being thrown away, it has really increased awareness of recycling in general” Councils in Scotland are backing a levy as it would save them millions of pounds in landfill charges, as well as providing cash for new environmental programmes. Predictably, the British Plastics Federation, is carping about it, but Mike Pringle has the answer “Free plastic bags only became common in the 1970s. Before that our forebears managed very well without them." Reusable cloth bags are an attractive and affordable alternative, as can be seen at http://www.badlani.com/bags The guys who oppose the taxation bill should read some of the stories on this weblog, including the one which tells you how plastic chemicals leaching into your food from packaging and doing a gender bender on newborn babies.

No wonder the Japanese succeed at everything

Clearly they are a more evolved society than most others. Elsewhere, governments are facing opposition from retailers when they propose a tax on plastic bags, but not in Japan. Here, the Japan Chain Stores Association have themselves called for a law to enable stores to charge customers for plastic shopping bags. The industry body said retailers have incurred growing costs for recycling plastic trays and other recyclable containers. It said if those costs continue to increase, some retailers might become unable to shoulder the burden and Japan's "recycling system might collapse." What an admirable perspective. Smart guys, the Japanese. Look at how clean Japan is. Bring in a tax on plastic bags and usage does drop. It fell 95% in Ireland. Getting used to carrying reusable cloth bags is obviously something humans can adapt to fairly quickly. For those who forget to carry it or want the luxury of not needing to carry it, a small tax makes sense. Before plastic bags started getting distributed free after the 70s, we managed didn’t we? Reusable cloth bags are attractive and affordable as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags

Witches Knickers

Barbara Wallraff tells us in the The Atlantic Monthly that this is what the Irish call fugitive plastic bags that fly around and snag everywhere. Completely fitting. Lee Buenaventura, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, felt nearly the same way, but she suggested giving the term a "tweak" to Americanize it: witches' britches. Other interesting American terms: Urban Tumbleweed, Shoppers' Kites; Sheilah Zimpel, of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote, "Here in the South we call that white trash." A whole new lexicon is emerging to describe this blight. I’ll soon add some non-American terms that are being used. What words would you use to describe things that are killing animals and marine life, poisoning your food, compromising the masculinity of unborn boys or being just plain ugly? All contributions welcome. The reusable bags we offer at http://www.badlani.com/bags are attractive, affordable and a whole lot healthier for our planet and for our lives.

Preity’s no bimbette

Contradicting the clichéd assumption that babes lack brains, Bollywood superstar Priety Zinta is clearly a thinking woman. ‘‘I want to urge people not to litter and turn our city into a big dump before we all die of diseases and toxic poisoning,’’ she fumes. The first thing on Zinta’s agenda is to ask the authorities to ban plastic bags in Maharashtra. ‘‘We have to stop using polythene bags. We must adopt brown bags. They have banned plastic in Shimla and it’s already looking good,’’ she reasons.Preity, we already have a law against plastic bags but it isn’t implemented. And brown bags, by which I assume you mean paper bags, aren’t a great option. Paper bags are made by cutting down trees that take more than 20 years to grow. When they are cut to spread literature and news and knowledge, maybe it’s worth it, but to make a paper bag that gets used just once? Terribly wasteful, in my opinion. Cloth bags are reusable and that’s the real answer. The sign of a mature society is when people give up a little convenience for the overall good of their environment. Carrying one’s own shopping bags is a small price to pay to pay for a cleaner city. And the price is truly small as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags/ Mumbaikars ought to be specially sensitive to this. Discarded plastic bags contributed substantially to creating the choking of drains that led to the recent floods the city experienced.

The world may be passing us by while we dither

Plastic is a wonderful invention. But plastic bags are a menace. It is the most idiotic way to use a material that has a life of 3000 years. Use it for stuff where its long life is an advantage, such as making boats that last longer, houses and roofs for the poor that don't decompose every time it rains, roads that last longer, not for making bags that will be used once and thrown away. The world has caught on and is taking action, but in India, even though we have a law banning throw-away plastic bags, you see them all over the place. Shops abandon plastic bags Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - Oct 10, 2004 The State Government, City of Port Phillip and South Melbourne Market contributed $12,000 to help Elwood retailers bin plastic bags in favour of reusable paper ... Project aims to bin plastic bags Belfast Telegraph (subscription), United Kingdom - Oct 16, 2004 ... Plastic bags will still be available but anyone who uses them will be expected to make a small donation to charity when paying for their goods at the counter. ... Liberals would ban free plastic bags Ninemsn, Australia - Oct 13, 2004 ACT opposition environment spokeswoman Vicki Dunne said a Liberal government would ban single-use non-biodegradable plastic bags by 2006. ... Rwanda shuts businesses after banning plastic bags Reuters AlertNet, UK - Oct 4, 2004 KIGALI, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Rwandan authorities are shutting down shops and police are stopping people on the street for using plastic bags, which were recently ... Rwanda's war on plastic bags BBC News, UK - Oct 4, 2004 Thousands of Rwandans have taken the day off work to pick up plastic bags as part of a government attempt to clean up the environment. ... Rwanda clamps down on plastic bags Independent Online, South Africa - Oct 5, 2004 Kigali - Rwandan authorities are shutting down supermarkets and police are accosting people for using plastic bags, which were banned in August. ... Environment Society to launch campaigns Times of Oman, Oman - 10 hours ago ... A campaign, which aims at educating the public about the harms of plastic bags and how one can help save his/her surroundings by simply reusing the plastic bags ... Stores to be fined if offering free plastic bags 東森新聞報, Taiwan - Sep 27, 2004 ... Protection Administration launched another random check on stores to make sure that owners kept to the regulation of using only plastic bags thicker than 0.06 ... Meanwhile, in India, superpower, world’s largest democracy, a country that takes on the biggies where nuclear power and satellite technology is concerned; a country that has the best and brightest minds in the world, a ban on plastic bags exists but only on paper. Successive governments continue to make laws they can’t enforce. These are the truths of our great and confusing nation. Really sad. At www.badlani.com/bags/ we continue to sell cloth bags to people all over the world. Sadly we don't have any customers in India.

Welcome to a new friend

I’m writing this about a pretty young lady named Ryfka who is just joining the ranks of the green nuisances, us folks who go around evangelizing about the evil of plastic bags. She lives in Kent, which is down the road from Seattle in Washington State. As her blog has yet to begin to roll, here’s what she’s going to write later today at http://20six.co.uk/seattlegirl1 : “Puget Sound” In Trouble Residents of Seattle and Canada have discarded millions of gallons of unrefined sewage and some of the most awful toxic chemicals imaginable into the beautiful Puget Sound, damaging what was once one of the United State’s richest ecosystems Negligent residents have over fished, poisoning much-loved Orcas, ruined shoreline habitation and due to the waste of discarded plastic, pop-cans (ever so popular with the teenagers), and glass bottles the devastation resumes. Soon we will live in a garbage heap…unless, people in Washington stepped up and did they daily due by using nature-friendly and cost effective products that are reusable such as cloth bags. Instead of killing trees for paper carriers or using harmful plastic bags that most of us don’t recycle, cloth seems like a great starting point and a stepping stone to a cleaner, unpolluted world. Since the beginning of March, supermarkets, stores, and small shops in Great Britain have been forced to charge shoppers 9 pence or an approximate 15 cents tax on each plastic bag that a consumer would use for his/her purchase. The initiative on the bag-tax was introduced as an attempt to control the litter and pollution problem created by so many people throwing away their plastic shopping bags, and thus far it appears to be effective. Results? Shoppers are now switching back to the good-ol’ cloth carriers just to save a few hard earned bucks at the checkout counter. If countries such as the UK are profiting on this simple-effectual idea, then why isn’t the United States jumping on it? Since we are, according to the entire world, the largest waste producers, such a straightforward and uncomplicated tax would solve many of our waste issues. I live in Washington, one of the most beautiful states of America, I can tell you personally that I have seen a gross amount of plastic being distributed at just grocery stores. On an average 200 plastic bags are given out at a single food-store everyday in Seattle…this alone should start to alarm people. I think its time we step up as the largest and most powerful country in the world and fix the big problems first. This one, its one of the biggest problems we have. It will kill us as surely as any terrorist can. You can bet on it. As a citizen of this beautiful northwest, I want to tell the folks who run Washington sate that I’d like to see a tax on plastic bags. Its not going to be popular but its going to save our earth! Well said, Ryfka! Not only is she pretty, this girl thinks! I wish there were a million more like her. That’s what our mission is folks, keep it clean! Use the products we have on www.badlani.com/bags/ .That’s why we make ‘em.

90% of Hong Kong people support plastic bag tax

The Green Students Council in Hong Kong conducted a survey outside 25 supermarkets and found that 90% of the respondents supported a tax on plastic bags. Hong Kong consumers use 6.7 billion plastic bags a year, or 1,294 plastic bags per person. Taiwan and Ireland have sharply reduced the use plastic bags by imposing levies three years ago. The Taiwanese, who used to use 909 bags per head, have reduced consumption by 80%. Ireland's consumers used one billion plastic bags annually, or 256 plastic bags a person, before a similar levy was introduced in March 2002. Since then Irish retailers have reported a 90 percent drop in the number of plastic bags used while the government raised 9.6 million euros (HK$94.57 million) in the first year of the levy. Despite this, Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao said charging people HK$1 for each plastic bag is very complex and alternative proposals should be considered. Sounds like the Indian government. Things that are simple for others become complex for us. But I’m surprised to hear this from Hong Kong. Governments! 90% of the people say tax plastic bags and the government thinks it’s too complex. I ask you!

Read me, love me, and take 70 pounds of flesh!

Yes, I do want more folks to read these blogs and to discuss this subject and to visit my website and maybe even to order some bags or tell someone about us so that they will. So I go register myself with blog directories and each one wants his pound of flesh. Here’s one pound (Gosh I wish I could lose weight this way! I have a full 70 pounds to spare) ttp://india.blogstreet.com/bsibin/profile.cgi?url=20six.co.uk/ With the code and shooting my weighing machine, why do I get the feeling that something is not quite right; that I'm not doing something right? Anyone?

What harm can one little plastic bag do?

Not much, you’d think, right? Until you realise that the world's plastic bag consumption rate is estimated to be well over 500 billion plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute. ONE MILLION PLASTIC BAGS A MINUTE being added to the burden that our Earth must bear. One million plastic bags a minute being added to a horde that will not biodegrade for the next 3000 years!!! That’s a lot of harm. If this doesn’t depress you enough, read the full article from the Sun Star Pampanga in the Philippines. The saddest thing is we do have a choice. A simple and elegant choice: calico bags. See how affordable and practical they are at www.badlani.com/bags

The plastic bag issue is fortunately getting some attention

This is good news indeed. That so many people all over the world are taking cognisance of the stupidity of using these harmful devices. I particularly loved the story about 93 year old Orpha Bell Lucas making these delightful caps from used plastic bags. Daily attention of this sort is what is needed to rid the world of this scourge. The city of Bendigo in Australia, it appears, is going to first largish community in the world to voluntarily ban plastic bags. Here's an extract from this truly inspiring story: Bruce Phillips, who will serve on the new working group, said a cultural shift was needed. While he commended major retailers for providing alternative options and consumers for adopting environmentally friendly bags, some intervention was needed. "The problem essentially is a product of the convenience of a throwaway society, and the ramifications are millions of plastic bags which take many years of course to degrade and they create litter and damage to the environment," he said. "When you think about it, an investment of $10 for the average family will avoid the use of something like 2000 plastic bags over a five year period." Cr Phillips said one possibility was to encourage major retailers to charge for plastic bags, and use the profits to cut the price of environmentally friendly bags. "There has to be a better way and it does require some intervention to change communal culture in this regard. We can, I believe, make a difference," he said. Ireland put a 10 cent tax on plastic bags and the usage fell 90%. Worth doing. A voluntary giving up is even better, of course. One of the reasons why people resist it is they believe calico bags would be an expensive alternative. They're not. See how affordable they are at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

I go on and on about plastic bags. Here's why.

Plastic shopping bags have a surprisingly significant environmental impact for something so seemingly innocuous. As well as being an eyesore (next time you are outside, have a look around - you'll be amazed at the number of plastic bags littering our streets and waterways), plastic shopping bags kill large numbers of wildlife each year. In the water, plastic bags can be mistaken for jellyfish by wildlife. This makes plastic bag pollution in marine environments particularly dangerous, as birds, whales, seals and turtles ingest the bags then die from intestinal blockages. Disturbingly, it is claimed that plastic bags are the most common man-made item seen by sailors at sea. The biggest problem with plastic bags is that they do not readily break down in the environment, with estimates for the time it takes them to decompose ranging from 20 to 1000 years. One of the disquieting facts stemming from this is that plastic bags can become serial killers. The incredibly slow rate of decay of plastic bags also means that each bag we use compounds the problem, because the bags simply accumulate. Plastic bags also clog drains and waterways, threatening not only natural environments but also urban ones. In fact, plastic bags in drains were identified as major factors in the severe flooding in Bangladesh in 1988 and 1998. On top of the significant environmental costs, widespread use of plastic bags is also costly in terms of dollars and cents. Apart from the price of the bags themselves, which is four to six cents each, a great deal of money goes into collecting the bags (i.e. cleaning up!) once they've been discarded. The US uses 14 billion plastic bags annually, South Africa 8 billion plastic bags and Australia 6 billion plastic bags are used. Out of these a majority are supermarket plastic bags. ALTERNATIVES There are a range of alternatives to plastic bags. Some retailers offer paper bags but then again paper comes from trees which take years and years to grow. Some progressive supermarket chains have cotton or calico bags available for sale at a very small price. These bags can be kept in the car and used again and again. The advantage of calico bags is that they are stronger than the plastic bags, and also much easier to carry. Also calico/cotton bags can be re-used any number of times. It takes a little thought to get used to bringing your own bags, but it is an easy habit to fall into and it is such a relief not to have to pack the groceries away, and then find room to pack away the plastic bags as well! So next time, hold your head up proudly as you refuse a plastic bag. Replace it by a Cotton/ Calico bag and be proud that you have made a contribution to the future of the planet. People talk about ecological concerns being impractical. Utter nonsense. Just see how economical they are at www.badlani.com/bags/

Please leave me a world worth living in.

I just read this delightful story about 8 and 10 year olds making presentations to folks about earth friendly shopping in the North Salem Statesman Journal. That’s the way to go. Who can resist the sight of these cute kids saying, hey, please leave me a world worth living in. They're not asking for something difficult. Calico bags are elegant and affordable and we have all kinds of plans to fit them into almost any budget at all. See http://ourcity.badlani.com Here's the story: The first shopper was too good to be true. She rushed up to the Forest Ridge Elementary School students, eager to hear their talk about Earth-friendly shopping practices. OK, it was 8-year-old Bonnie Kerr’s grandmother, but she was good practice for the stream of other shoppers who got a lesson about recycling and reusing Friday. The Keizer students held informational signs as they offered recycling advice in front of the Keizer Roth’s store for National Youth Service Day. “When you use plastic or paper inside the store, they just get thrown away, and this is reusable, so you can use it every time you shop,” Garrett Medlock, 10, said as he held up a canvas shopping bag. “If you throw (plastic bags) away, it adds to our waste stream, and if you add to the waste stream, you are polluting and killing the Earth, basically.” The students are in Laurie Aguirre’s second-grade class and have been learning this school year about the eight R’s of conservation: reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, renew, rot, reject and react. The students know every angle of Earth-friendly shopping, including looking for recycling signs on labels and buying reusable items. They have a detailed slide-show presentation that they plan to give today at a booth at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. The class bought the canvas bags with a grant from The Mid-Valley Garbage and Recycling Association. Jolene Chandler donated a colorful logo embroidered on each bag. Shoppers who filled out a survey about Earth-friendly shopping were entered into a drawing for the bags. “Earth-friendly shopping is when you think about the Earth when you are shopping, like buy in bulk,” Bonnie Kerr started to say before being interrupted by her friend Alyssa Andretta. “Don’t buy items that are overpackaged,” Alyssa said. “Yeah, then you reduce trash,” Bonnie said. “Like chocolate Easter bunnies,” Alyssa offered as an example of excessive packaging. “They have paper, foil and plastic.”

No Bags, thanks!

I just read an article which says: “If you have an unusual use for plastic bags, the American Plastics Council would like to hear about it. We’ll consider publishing your idea on our website!” Got any ideas? If you do write to them, do please share your thoughts with me also. These guys have a vested interest in continuing the use of plastic bags, so their interest is of a different nature, but people like me, who are committed to convincing people to use reusable bags instead, also have to acknowledge that these evil things are so convenient and so cheap that people will continue to use them. Less people, I hope, but I have to be realistic. The uses these guys have found are really face savers, and a terrible waste of energy and resources, but it is a lot better than letting these bags be swallowed up by poor unsuspecting animals and marine life. But one day when someone has a really good idea, I’d love to know. For example, we have so many fisherfolk in India for whom wooden boats become expensive because wood decomposes and plastic might make longer lasting boats. Then, so many people could use a longer lasting material to make huts from and roofs from. How can this happen? Are there easy, low cost, low energy consuming technologies? There is plenty of manpower in India and if we could find a way to recycle plastic bags into such uses, w'd be making a win-win happen. Meanwhile, ABC Online has a wonderful webpage on this subject at http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/bags/

Who invented the shopping bag?

Walter H. Deubner, a grocer in St. Paul, Minnesota, observed that his customers’ purchases were limited by what they could conveniently carry. So he set about devising a way to help them buy more at one time. It took him four years to develop the right solution: a prefabricated package, inexpensive, easy to use-and strong enough to carry up to seventy-five pounds worth of groceries. The package consisted of a paper bag with cord running through it for strength. Deubner named his new product after himself, calling it the "Deubner Shopping Bag," and sold it for five cents. Deubner patented his product and within three years, by 1915, was selling over a million shopping bags a year. His invention, wonderful as it was, has since led to an ecological crisis. See www.badlani.com/blog/ To make paper shopping bags you need to cut down trees. A tree takes years to grow and you use a paper bag just once and throw it away. That is why most sensitive and aware people are saying no to paper shopping bags. Plastic is even worse. Plastic is a material that has a life of hundreds of years. It makes sense to use it for making canal linings or boats or roofs that need to withstand atmospheric degradation for long periods of time. It doesn’t make any sense to use it for shopping bags – something you will use once and throw away. But you can’t shop without shopping bags. It’s a good idea to use cotton shopping bags instead. They are re-usable, can be washed, and are completely environmentally benign. Or you could consider a jute shopping bag. Stylish texture and a long life. Cotton washes better. In fact, any fabric shopping bag is a good idea. Even if you use a man made fiber like nylon or polyester or polypropylene, which are not biodegradable like cotton and jute are, the fact that you re-use them makes them far kinder to the environment than plastic shopping bags are. Aren’t fabric bags more expensive? Yes, in the beginning they do appear to be. But just a wee bit. The fact that they get re-used soon makes them cheaper than any plastic bag. I make fabric bags in India. Look at my website www.badlani.com On my product pages, you'll be pleased to see how economical these great looking fabric bags can be. From the shop owner’s point of view they are much, much cheaper, because they display his name and logo every time they get re-used and become a walking billboard for him. The initial low price of a shopping bag hides another fact. That the eventual disposal of the plastic shopping bags you throw away is something that is costing you more and more in terms of taxes every year. So, here's my appeal to you as a fellow inhabitant of Earth. PLEASE switch to fabric shopping bags from today. Have a contrary point of view? Would you like to discuss this? Mail me at rajiv at badlani.com. I love a good discussion. A good argument is even more fun.

Plastic bags don't just fade away

In this story from the Capital Times in Wisconsin serious doubt is cast on the recyling programs that appear to be addressing the plastic bags problem. Here's what the story says: What happens to all those plastic bags that Copps invites us to bring in for recycling? A conscientious friend of mine asked at the service desk of one of the stores and was told they didn't know. She later asked at the municipal recycling center and was told the center doesn't handle bags and that they were probably just thrown out. So what's the story? When we take in those plastic bags are we doing good or just feeling good? • According to the Film and Bag Federation, a business unit of the Society of the Plastics Industry, by 1992 nearly half of U.S. supermarkets had recycling for plastic bags (kind of like being half in the bag). The city of Madison's Web site lists Kohl's Department Stores at East Towne and West Towne and Copps on Whitney Way and Shopko Drive as collection points. The city of Middleton says "please no plastic bags" in its curbside recycling brochure. Neither Kohl's nor Copps responded to inquiries by snail mail and e-mail about what they do with bags people may bring in. So maybe it is just a feel-good thing. Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann says the municipal recycling center doesn't handle bags. He suggested checking with GAR Plastics in Madison. That company also didn't respond to an e-mail query. The best advice is to use and reuse cloth or bags. You can wash and rewash them, too." I couldn't agree more. So much more elegant than leaving behind stuff that our grandkids will curse us for. We surely don't want to piss these guys off do we? Plastic bags may look cheaper to start with but extract a huge eventual price. Cloth bags are more affordable than most people think. Just see how affordable at www.badlani.com/bags/

Brand USA surprises and disappoints

More than the fact that it is the richest and most powerful country in the world, the USA has been the dream destination of the world because of its great values and the fact that it brings out the best from the people of diverse backgrounds that have gathered there to make it their home. Not surprising that with the best and the brightest it has become what it is today. Folks who are failures at home blossom and succeed in America because of its systems. They fail at home because their paternalistic governmental systems pull them down; they succeed in the US because its systems encourage questioning, individualism and success. I suspect that’s what Brand America stands for. Sometimes of course there are aberrations. The Gulf war and the prison abuse look like serious departures from its basic brand values, and similarly its reluctance to acknowledge the harm that plastic bags are doing to the world’s environment. One trillion plastic bags get thrown away every year, most of them in the US. About 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide. On this front, others lead the world. Ireland was the first to introduce a tax on plastic bags. Usage dropped 90% the first year. Now Scotland is doing it, while South Africa and Taiwan and Bangladesh have already done so. Australia has taken the voluntary route and a very large number of retailers have signed agreements with the government to reduce usage. While claims vary between a reduction of 7% and 50%, some communities have gone completely plastic bag free (read some of the other blogs here). But the US hasn’t yet caught on. A recent story from an Indiana daily showed that while the statistical awareness exists, it hasn’t translated into knowledge or realization yet. Perhaps you’ll also want to read this http://badlani.com/bags/branding.htm

Re-usable shopping bags do make a difference!

Even as Planet Ark says 7% against the Australian environment minister Ian Campbell’s claim of 29%, the fact remains that Australia’s plastic bag usage has gone down substantially from the 6.9 billion plastic bags they used last year. Senator Campbell said the ARA's figures amounted to a reduction of more than half a billion bags. "If we maintain this effort we could slash plastics bags by over one billion by the end of the year," he said. It seems (says the Herald Sun) that the non-supermarket retailers haven’t kept pace with the big boys in this reduction effort. Now this could be because the average mom and pop store doesn’t have access to re-usable bags at the same low prices that supermarkets can get them for. Hello, Australian entrepreneurs. There’s all us bag manufacturers just waiting for someone to take advantage of that situation. See the collossal range we offer at http://www.badlani.com/bags/ . Talk to us today rajiv@badlani.com This is also an invitation to thinking entrepreneurs in other parts of the world to discuss their markets’ needs. Imagine making money while saving the world. I can’t think of a nicer business to be in. Can you?

What an absolutely delightful site

The Australian government needs to be congratulated for their work as seen at http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/calico_bag_challenge.htm . I wish our Indian government had such caring people. We make a large number of calico bags and will be happy to associate with anyone around the world willing to work to encourage their use and reduce the number of plastic bags that are fouling up our earth. See the range at http://www.badlani.com/bags/ . Currently playing: Basin Street Blues by some unknown guy who blows a mean sax... delightful!

Biodegradable plastic bags claim turns out to be a hoax

Isn't it kind of stupid, fellow citizens of earth, to take a strong material that lasts forever and waste it on an application where it is used once and then harms you forever, instead of using something that you can use again and again and which doesn't harm but enriches your soil even when its utility is through? The sensible solution is at my website. The dumb one is discussed below in a story called "Degradable bags can last years" By Melissa Fyfe - The Age, Australia Misleading and extravagant claims were being made about "degradable" plastic bags and their use could be harming the environment, an expert warns. The bags, which contain a chemical that eventually breaks down the plastic, are widely available at independent supermarkets such as Ritchies, and the plastic is also used to make some garbage and courier bags. They have become a popular alternative with some retailers, amid Government efforts to tackle Australia's 6.9-billion-a-year plastic bag problem. Professor Greg Lonergan, an Australian expert on the biodegradability of plastic, told The Age he had tested many of the bags and found the manufacturers' claims to be extravagant. "Generally, our experience (at the Swinburne University of Technology) testing degradable bags has been very poor," he said. "At this stage, if a bag says it is degradable I would treat that as meaningless - I would treat it as a normal bag. "The public have a perception that bags with the word 'degradable' means they will disappear quite quickly and that's not the case," he said. Professor Lonergan said that "degradable" was misleading, because everything eventually degrades, even if it takes hundreds or thousands of years, which may be the case with plastic. The question, he said, was how long it took to degrade. Tests at Swinburne showed the bags could last more than five years. Canadian company EPI, the major supplier of degradable plastic in Australia, said a bag will not start to break down for 18 to 24 months. After that, it depended on how much it was exposed to sunlight and stress. EPI chief executive Joseph Gho said the company had not done thorough tests under Australian conditions, but it was thought the bags would break down after three or four months if under direct Queensland sun. We've taken 10 to 12 years developing this technology and we've employed some world-class scientists to work with us, in the areas of degradability and biodegradability," said Mr Gho. There are other problems with this type of plastic. An expert report to the federal Environment Department last year found these types of "oxo-biodegradable" bags break down into smaller pieces of plastic that "might make them more attractive to smaller animals such as sea turtle hatchlings". The report The impacts of degradable plastic bags in Australia, also said the bags can contaminate the kerbside recycling of plastics, as the active chemical works to weaken and destabilise plastic. Professor Lonergan's comments come after the Federal Court last month found misleading claims were made about Earthstrength bags, widely available in supermarkets. Distributor Lloyd Brooks was ordered to stop supplying the bags, which it claimed would biodegrade in 28 days, and later admitted they could take years to biodegrade.

What are we doing to our world?

I just read an article Rob Crilly and Emma Newlands wrote for The Herald in Scotland about a whale that was washed up on the Hebridean coast. Its stomach was filled with plastic bags. More evidence that plastic bags are playing havoc with life as we know and love it. A recent survey found scraps of plastic inside 96% of seabirds tested. Marine creatures mistake plastic bags for food such as jellyfish or squid. Dr Dan Barlow, head of research at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "It's quite clear that plastic bags are a pollutant in their own right, and not only do they use a lot of resources in their production, but also because of the way they're disposed of. "The fact that a lot of marine life is being affected by plastic bags shows that we really need to levy some sort of plastic bag tax if we are to save resources and help the environment. The sooner this happens in Scotland the better." A plastic bag tax of about 15p introduced in Ireland in 2002 has cut their use by 90% and reduced litter. Research revealed at the weekend also suggested that many seabirds were being turned into living dustbins. The study by Dutch scientists of fulmars, gull-like seabirds which nest around Britain's coast, showed that 367 of 382 birds studied had ingested plastic waste. About a million birds and 100,000 mammals and turtles are estimated to become entangled in marine rubbish around the world each year. Surface-feeding species of bird, such as albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels and gulls, are the most susceptible to eating debris. An autopsy on a Minke whale in France in April 2002 found just under 1lb of plastics in its stomach, including two English supermarket plastic bags. A leatherback turtle washed ashore in Scotland in the 1990s showed that it appeared to have died from starvation caused by plastic and metal litter blocking its digestive tract. What makes this most tragic is how easily avoidable this is. All we need to do is to carry cloth bags with us when we go shopping (leave a few in the car, have a depository at all our local shops, there are many solutions). Most humans have no concept of the scale of this problem. Now that you’ve read this, I hope you will stop using plastic bags from this moment. If you’d like to take a little initiative to encourage your friends to also do so, write to me, I have a method to suggest.

Would you have a bag manufacturer make a tent for you?

Winning a customer’s trust is what makes it happen for us. Clearly, the folks who run the Bahrain Exhibition Center were happy with the bags we’ve been doing for them so when they had a need for a colossal “tent” for a major event, they chose to discuss it with us. From fabric selection to fireproofing to fabrication, we enjoyed the challenge of dealing something totally new for us. Finding ways to communicate all the zillions of variables with our customers was also an exercise that gave us learning and joy. We had a few anxious moments, but Sanjiv manages to make the most challenging manufacturing issues look simple and do-able. But the real joy came when they told us they were thrilled with the result and sent us a link to their event website www.asiaitsummit2005.com. Thank you Cheryl and Klaus from all of us at Norquest. Thank you for your confidence in our abilities. Got a challenge for us, anyone? We will enjoy working with you.

Why would people to PAY YOU to carry YOUR advertisement?

This isn’t some ad man’s wild pipe dream. In a world of skyrocketing media costs, here’s an amazing true story. I read this at http://www.poconorecord.com/lifestyl/alh97889.htm Columnist Martin Sloane contributed a story encouraging people to switch to reusable cloth bags, and here is reader Louise Fail wrote in: Dear Martin: At our local 99-cent store they sell a lovely, large reusable tote bag. Of course it carries some advertising, but I really do not mind! I bought four of them. One is for trips to the library. The other three reside in my car so I have them when I go to the grocery stores. I feel I am doing my share to preserve the environment and conserve the oil that is used to make plastic bags. Louise Fail Folks don’t much care to hear alarmist talk about environmental degradation, but the story is inexorably going home. They don’t like being passive victims of this sweeping phenomenon either. Most want to do something positive. You could cash in on this huge groundswell of feeling to get your message across in a manner that your stakeholders are actually willing to invest in. The big boys haven’t caught on to this yet. This remains an opportunity for the nimble and the imaginative. Dramatic isn’t it? Louise paid 99 cents to become a walking billboard for the brand whose name is on that bag. She doesn’t mind that it carries advertising. Ever heard of such a thing? All you smart marketing folks out there might want to leverage this insight. We can ship you smart, great looking cotton totes at less than a dollar a bag, with your ad message on them. Sell them at cost or even a little below cost to make them look even more attractive. Make them available at as many outlets as you can. You’ll be amazed to see how many people support your environmentally friendly action. Sounds good? See http://www.badlani.com/bags and select from a line of attractive bags you can use to co-opt your customers into becoming walking billboards for your message. At no cost to you!

Plastic bags should carry a mandatory warning

Most North Americans urinate plastics. Sperm counts are at a historic per capita low. Cancer is an epidemic. Shouldn’t plastic bags be made to carry this mandatory warning? There are no safe plastics; all plastics migrate toxins into whatever they contact at all times. Tax the bags, say Californians Against Waste. And I completely agree. It works. Ireland taxed 'em just 12 cents and usage fell 90% in one year. How's that for effective? There is a proposal to tax grocery shoppers of San Francisco 17 cents per bag. Why 17 cents? Because that’s the cost citizens of San Francisco are already paying in general taxes for some of the costs of plastic-bag trash, such as cleaning up the litter and unclogging the waste system. Northern Californians Against Plastic presented figures to show that if each of the 347,000+ households in San Francisco were to purchase a couple of cotton or canvas bags, over the approximate 10-year life of those bags the total amount saved -- compared to everyone using eight bags each week at 17 cents each -- by consumers would collectively be over $300 million. And, the bag fee would mean revenue to fund programs for the poor such as free reusable natural-fiber bags. The Chronicle and the Commission on Environment (the San Francisco body putting the bag fee proposal to the Supervisors for an ordinance) have this new information. You know what? Reusable cloth bags are the only sustainable answer. And they aren't as expensive as you thought. We, at Norquest can make lovely cloth bags available to shoppers at just 99 cents a bag (that’s just the tax they’d pay on 4 bags!). Just look at the reusable cloth bags we have on offer at www.badlani.com/bags/ - see how nice they look and then see how little they cost.

Sad saga of a plastic bag. A good read.

I've just copied this story from globeandmail.com. I think it makes a great read! Imagine this happening all over as it is bound to if we don't find a way to stop people from using plastic bags. Reusable bags are so much more logical and so affordable at you can see at www.badlani.com A sad saga of a plastic bag We're told to be careful what we wish for and I believe this to be sage advice. By ELAINE OPHUS Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Page A20 While driving to work recently, I was struck by the sight of a plastic grocery bag being blown down the street by the wind, rolling along in a swirl of dust like some kind of modern-day urban tumbleweed. Suddenly I was back in Edmonton, and it was winter, 1994. Of the 18 winters I spent in Alberta, this was the coldest, the longest, the dreariest. Even the platitudes that usually brought comfort weren't working. ("It's a dry cold." "It's a sunny cold." Ha.) As December dragged into January, then February, the prospect of spring seemed to be receding rather than approaching. Our house backed onto a busy four-lane thoroughfare. The level of the backyard was somewhat higher than the avenue itself, and a tall privacy fence screened the yard from the traffic noise. Outside the fence was a sparse row of trees growing on a flat, grassy berm, which then sloped sharply to the street. These trees were so slender as to be spindly, and so tall that only their topmost branches were visible from the backyard. The view from the top floor took in the yard, the street and the upper half of the spindly trees. One morning, around what seemed like the 53rd of February, I glanced out the bedroom window while getting ready for work. Something fluttered in the breeze near the top of one of the trees on the berm. It took me a minute to realize it was a plastic grocery bag, complete with red Safeway logo, clinging to a leafless branch by one handle. The way it was flapping about I was sure it would disentangle itself and blow away. Off to work I went, without giving it another thought. The next morning I looked out the window again. Now the bag had secured itself by both handles to the branch (only a twig, really) which became a flagpole (bag pole?) as the bag billowed and fluttered with every passing breeze. As the days passed, it showed no signs of loosening its grip on the tree, although the wind was at times quite strong. By the time March departed in its usual lion-like fashion, I was sick of snow-covered ground. Tired of landscape with no colours except brown and grey and white. (Well, there was the red 'S' on the bag, which I did my best to pretend was a yin. Or maybe a yang.) Most of all, I was tired of the sight of the bag, which in my mind had grown somehow to become a smirking, gloating, animate object. No, worse: it loomed like a symbol of the triumph of rampant consumerism over nature. It taunted me, it stuck out its imaginary red tongue at me. If the window hadn't frozen shut I might even have leaned out and shrieked at it. Now, at this point you might be inclined to dismiss me as a flake, a bleeding-heart liberal tree-hugger. So be it. But my theory is that I was suffering from an accumulation of winter misery. By this point in my life I had just had too many minus-30 degree days; too many hours spent bundling the kids into snowsuits only to have them play outside for mere minutes; had once too often lost my bedding plants to an early June frost. I couldn't bear the thought that soon the tentative, emerging leaves would be smothered by this plastic nuisance. On impulse, I walked down the street and around the fence and climbed up the berm, thinking that perhaps I could pull the flexible sapling branch down far enough to release the bag. Quickly I realized the futility of this: the tree was at least 20 feet tall, and much too flimsy to climb. I returned home, discouraged but not ready to give up yet. The next morning I phoned city hall. I was transferred three times, but each person I spoke to listened politely to my tale of woe, and I was eventually connected to the public works maintenance department. Making a conscious effort not to come across as some kind of kook, I explained why I was calling. The voice on the other end assured me that the next time they had a truck in that area they would look after it. I assumed they were just humoring me, but even having made the effort lifted my winter-weary spirits a little. When I got home that evening and went upstairs, I glanced out the window before closing the curtains. My jaw dropped; I did a double take. The bag was gone! Vamoosed! Took a powder! I was dumbfounded. There was no way it could suddenly have blown away. Not after nearly two months of being so securely fastened to the tree, through wind and blizzard and dark of night. We're told to be careful what we wish for and I believe this to be sage advice. You might think that trouncing my little synthetic friend would be deeply satisfying, but you would be wrong; by the next morning my euphoria had worn off. Humph, I thought to myself. No wonder our taxes are so bloody high, if they can afford to send out a truck every time some stupid piece of plastic gets caught in a tree. I think I'll phone city hall and complain about this extravagant misuse of expensive resources. I hope they at least recycled the bag. Elaine Ophus lives in Kelowna, B.C.

Forgive the plugs folks, they’re for a good cause!

Alex Steffan, who writes a brilliant blog at http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002465.html noticed my blog and wrote “I love obsessive geekery for a good cause, and I believe I have stumble upon the Ur-site, the Platonic example of the form: the Badlani blog which focuses, essentially entirely, on news about the ongoing global efforts to reduce our use of plastic bags. Yes, that's right: it's an anti-plastic bag blog. Pretty good one, too, full of interesting little tidbits like San Francisco's implementation of a 17-cents-a-bag bag tax (jargon watch for the day: tax on plastic bags = "plastax").” But he wasn’t entirely thrilled as he adds “(The only bummer with Badlani is the authors' relentless hawking of their own cotton bags. We get it, they sell bags. So do others, like Reusablebag.com's Vincent Cobb. No need to remind us every post.). I take his point. Repetitive and relentless promotion can become tedious, but I feel virtuous doing it because Higher listings = more vistors = more fabric bags sold = less plastic bags plaguing our world. So, folks, bear with the plugs if you will, and in fact, spread the word if you agree! But I did need reminding of that, so thanks, Alex! Please note the absence of a plug in this blog.

Psychostrategy for your next trade show

When you’re headed for your next trade show, consider reusable fabric bags as your giveaway. Visitors love receiving them because it facilitates carrying all the literature they collect. The fact that folks will carry them around the show displaying your logo and plugging your presence is only the immediate benefit. Much after the show is over, they will still be using them (no one throws them away) and literally become a walking billboard for you. But there’s more. People are becoming increasingly aware of the harm that plastic bags do and when your logo is seen on an eco-friendly substitute for plastic bags, your brand gets positioned in their mindspace as one of the “good guys”. This follows from a very basic logic. People don’t want to be bombarded with your marketing message. They prefer to unravel a subtle message themselves. If this contradicts what some marketing bozos have told you, check out the logic on yourself. When someone is telling you a joke and you can figure the punchline even before he completes his story, that joke doesn’t break you apart and, chances are you don’t remember that story. But when someone tells you a joke and it takes you a few seconds to figure out what was funny about it, when you start laughing, you can’t stop. And, you tend to remember that story, right? A marketing professor once explained this phenomenon to me. When you don’t immediately “get it” it challenges and engages your mind. That brief engagement is what makes some things memorable and others get forgotten fast. Get it? These quiet little bags are amazingly attractive and economical. You will not believe how affordable they are so come check them out on our website http://www.badlani.com/bags/

No such thing as a free plastic or paper bag

Karama Neil, a lovely lady from Little Rock, Arkansas, wrote a blog about the harm plastic bags are doing and mentioned my blog as being a good reference source. Thank you, Karama. It’s nice to be acknowledged, particularly by a person as accomplished as you. Karama's weblog is at http://sowhatcanido.blogspot.com/2005/04/say-no-to-plastic-grocery-bags.html. What a great concept “So what can I do?” I disagree about paper bags, though. Cutting down a tree that takes years to grow, lugging it to sawmills and then to paper mills that consume huge amounts of electricity and water to produce a paper bag which gets used once and thrown away is also wasteful. Using anything once and throwing it away is wasteful. Fabric bags get reused hundreds of times and make so much more sense. But plastic and paper are cheaper, some will say. They aren’t, actually. The shops that give these to you “free” are actually paying for them and charging you an invisible premium for them. Even if they cost as little as 4 cents, over 300 uses that is $ 12.00. Our fabric bags start as low as 60 cents, and they can be reused used more than 300 times. Do the math! Fabric bags are the real answer to saving our planet from the blight of plastic refuse. See how attractive and economical they are at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Don't waste! Australia shows the way

Australia’s Northern Daily just published an article about how local councils have contributed huge sums of money for calico bags to be distributed free to residents. The 13 participating councils are Armidale Dumaresq, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Guyra, Gwydir, Inverell, Liverpool Plains, Moree, Narrabri, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha. Vanessa Tiernan, project co-ordinator for the Northern Inland Regional Waste Group, said yesterday each of the group's 13 constituent councils had contributed a collective $65,000 to buy 86,000 "Don't Waste" bags. They would all carry the same "Don't Waste" message, but there would be one difference from council area to council area. In Tamworth, the bags would carry the message "Don't Waste Tamworth", whereas in the other areas, the message would be "Don't Waste Glen Innes" or "Don't Waste Inverell". Sensible. Where plastic bags are usually used just once or a few times before being discarded, the calico bags are so durable they can be used for months and even years. Calico bags are attractive and economical as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Plastic bags are not free

Mary O'Keefe from Pompano Beach just wrote an article in the Sun-Sentinel in which she mentioned how she initially thought California’s proposed 17 cent tax on plastic bags was ridiculous and a burden on the consumer. But she quickly changed her mind. Here’s what she says “Then I went to my local grocery store and again came home with numerous plastic bags. Several bundles had two and three bags for one item that was not breakable nor particularly heavy,” “I have changed my position. The one dismissed value of this proposal was the awareness of what we waste. Even though our behavior -- not the plastic bags -- is the problem, it would inspire awareness and conservation. We apparently need constant reminders or reprimands. Other countries that have implemented such a program report great success” You’re so right, Mary. Plastic bag consumption fell 90% in Ireland after they imposed a tax on plastic bags. People who believe plastic bags are being given free just aren't aware of the facts. They cost you money, and more than you think. So, it’s not really a burden either. The consumer is already paying this 17 cent cost in the form of city and municipal taxes. The 17 cent figure was worked out based on how much it costs communities to cope with the mess plastic bags create. Add to this the fact that retailers who appear to give them away free are actually buying them and building the cost into the products they sell you. Most will be happy to offer you a discount if you bring your own bag. Reusable fabric bags are an attractive and surprisingly economical alternative and very, very practical. Most American have the impression that fabric bags are expensive. They aren’t. See how affordable they are at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Papua New Guinea leads by example!

I’m sure the words Papua New Guinea don’t immediately bring a picture of progressive governance to your mind (probably conjures up exotic images of tribals and beaches) but don’t underestimate them - just look at this major step they’ve taken. The Papua New Guinea government has ordered a ban on plastic shopping bags in a bid to curb a major littering problem across the country. To give them credit, many Indian state governments have also banned plastic bags, but when you look around you, it appears that no one has heard of this ban. They’re being distributed like they’re going out of style and factories are churning them out by the millions. Sad. We also happen to be the world’s largest exporter of cotton and jute bags. These attractive and economical bags are saving the world from being choked by plastic but not being used here where the damage is as much. To see just how attractive and economical they can be see http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Paper and plastic don’t cut it. Reusable cloth bags are the only sensible choice.

The best choice isn't paper or plastic, says Wayne Parker in an article in the Pacific Business News. He says “When faced with the question of paper vs. plastic bags at the local supermarket, the correct choice, according to environmental officials, is neither of the above. The best environmental choice is to skip a bag altogether, or if one is necessary, shoppers should take their own reusable shopping bags”. You bet, Wayne! Plastic bags get used once and then continue to contaminate our planet for 3000 years. Paper bags cause trees to get cut down – also for just one use. Cloth bags make so much more sense. Each bag gets reused as many as 500 times. And every time they get reused, they are a potential walking billboard for some perceptive company that understands 360 degree branding and understands that consumers respect brands not for what they claim, but for the actions they take.In short your brand image isn’t determined what you say, but what you do. See these powerful branding devices and find out how easy and economical they are at www.badlani.com/bags/shoppingbags.htm

Looks like the world’s going to be in good hands!

A few months back our Australian associate Tom Rayner (www.tomrayner.com.au) forwarded me a mail he got from a 13 year old young lady who was going to be the Australian delegate to the International Children’s Conference on the Environment in Connecticut http://www.icc04.org She’s recognised how dangerous plastic bags are. To spread the message at the conference she wanted 100 cotton bags. We were more than happy to sponsor the bags, if she found someone else to pick up the tab for the shipping (costs a fair bit as we’re in India). I suggested she write to Fedex or UPS or an airline, and she went to work and got the Australian Postal Service to sponsor the shipping www.auspost.com.au Meanwhile, she got Tom at Rayner Associates to sponsor a website for her and her weblog http://www.aussiekidsturningthetide.com/sponsors.htm Great going, particularly when you consider that this is a 13 year old girl. She’s shown more enterprise and get up and go than most adults I know. We consider it a privilege to have been able to be involved with her effort and I am proud to know her. Lauren, with kids like you running the world tomorrow, I’m sure it will be a nicer place than it is today! If you have a cause and we can help in any way, visit us at http://www.badlani.com and tell me how.

Little guys need to brand too...

Branding is essential for the little guys, too says Michael Schwarz in USA TODAY. But when you read this, pay special attention to what he says in his last para. People eventually judge you by what you do, not by what you claim. If your behaviour contradicts what you've claimed all your advertising looks like one big lie. Perhaps a new marketing mantra ought to be "Make sure you don't have any Weapons of Mass Destruction type fantasies in your marketing story. The harder you hype, the harder you fall!" Anyway, on to Michael's very insightful points: Q: We hear so much about branding these days, but it really seems like a big business concept. Do you think branding is something that applies equally to small businesses? Hugh, Manitoba, Canada A: I most certainly do. First, let's be clear about the concept. Gene Simmons, lead man of the rock band Kiss once remarked that while he liked being in a rock and roll band, he loved being in a rock and roll brand. What did he mean by that? Think about Kiss for a moment. What images and feelings come to mind? Probably that distinctive Kiss logo, the white makeup, the outrageous shows, the wild stories. Kiss carefully cultivated that billion dollar bad boy image and it's worth a fortune to them. That is what Simmons meant; having a band is great, but it's the brand that pays the bills. What do you think of when you think about Rolls Royce, or Nike, or Apple Computer? Each business evokes very clear thoughts, feelings, and images. They all have a strong corporate identity, or brand, associated with their name, and it is no accident. These companies have spent a lot of money getting you to conjure up specific images and feelings when you think about their business. So the idea of creating a brand for your business is really quite important. While it might seem that creating a brand is beyond your reach, that branding is a concept for the "Big Boys," think again. Branding is something you can, and must, do too. Here's why: Boiled down to its basics, a brand is the essence of what makes your business unique. It combines your name, logo, and purpose into an identifiable whole. Are you the friendly lawyer, the holistic market, the geeky computer consultant, or what? Without a brand, you may find that instead of being all things to all people, you are nothing to no one. A brand is a hook to hang your hat on, so that people remember you, which is probably more important to a small business than anyone else. You begin to create a brand by carefully thinking about what your business is, what makes it unique, who your customers are, and what it is they want. Deciding upon a brand is vital because many other decisions will hinge on this one. Your name, logo, slogan, even the location you choose and your pricing structure depend on the brand you are trying to create. A discount motorcycle warehouse will put things together far differently than a Harley showroom. You want to create a consistent theme through your ads, pricing, logo, etc. which reinforces the image you intend to create. But branding goes even beyond that. Since your brand is based both on how you want to be perceived, and how you are in fact perceived, it follows that the other half of brand building is creating positive perceptions based on substance as well as style. How? 1. Discover what you do best and do it, again, and again, and again: A brand is a promise which essentially boils down to: 'If you buy from us, and you know what you will be getting' e.g., Volvos® are safe or Atkins® helps you lose weight. The key is consistency. 2. Offer superior customer service: All your hard work creating that cool brand will be a waste of time and money if it isn't reinforced by happy customers. Customers should find it easy to work with you or buy from you. 3. Be a mench: Mench is a Yiddish word that basically means "a good person." If your business practices mench ethics, your brand grows. While good looks may get you a date, being a mench will get you a mate. Pay invoices on time. Do more than asked of you. Do things when not asked. Help out in the community. That also builds your brand. Remember, the two keys to establishing a strong brand are developing a specific identity, and then communicating that identity consistently. Do that, and your small business will have a hook that is memorable. Today's tip: Warning! You cannot get by on brand alone. That is the lesson of the dotcom fallout. Take Pets.com for example. That high-flying startup burned through multiples of millions of dollars, mostly because it focused far more on branding than it did on business. Its once-famous sock puppet was interviewed by People magazine and was on Good Morning America, but the company soon learned that creating an identifiable brand is not the same as creating a valuable business. Read more on branding for small business at http://badlani.com/consulting/branding.htm and at http://badlani.com/bags/branding.htm