tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40143779421216530012024-03-12T19:04:53.032-04:00Entrepreneurship and Premium Sustainable PaintsSince the early 90's, our entrepreneurial adventure has found us in the paint industry. Our blog is a story of our experiences both within the building industry as well as an insight into the dynamics of the world of small business.Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-12549302643727794182013-09-18T14:24:00.000-04:002013-09-18T14:24:29.065-04:00What I've Already Learned from iOS7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like many Apple product users, I've watched the iOS7 video demonstrations; I've read countless articles uncovering some myths while reinforcing some much deserving hype. I'm no different than any other consumer out there: I like shiny, I like new, and I like it right away. But today's experience has left me feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve that just discovered Santa Claus didn't exist. Not only do I not get the shiny new present that I was promised, but I'm sort of afraid that I may never get it.<div>
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For the past 35 minutes, I've watched the hashtag stream #iOS7, and an overwhelming majority of tweets are of disgruntled users not happy owners wielding the new features of the OS. Maybe it's been lost in the shuffle, but I'm not seeing much response out of Apple, but then again, I'm sitting at an open air restaurant in Charleston, SC and it's easy to become distracted. But I'm convinced someone at Apple could be stemming the social media carnage here, and I just don't know why they're doing nothing about it. I feel like this is their 2 AM phone call and there is no one around to answer.</div>
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Conversely, I checked in on FourSquare at the new Whole Foods in Marietta, GA last week, and within 5 minutes of being there, the official Whole Foods responded to my posting. </div>
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I'll go back to Whole Foods again even though I've only been an infrequent customer at best because they made me feel special. However, I've been a champion of the Apple brand for nearly a decade, but today's debacle has me reconsidering my loyalty. </div>
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Moral of the story, no matter how grand or minuscule a promise is, live up to it. This goes for business and life in general. If you have dinner plans, arrive on time. If you're going to call someone back, don't wait until tomorrow. And if you're going to give me the first radically innovative phone experience that I've had since I became an iPhone user in 2007, just do it.</div>
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Jameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08678030460978709533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-55483534587958873982013-02-20T12:55:00.001-05:002013-02-20T12:55:14.599-05:00Act of Valor<br />
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Unlike most weekends that find me working tirelessly during the day and reminding myself of my fleeting 20's at night, I took a respite to allow my body and mind a chance to recharge this past weekend. A spring cleaning (sorry folks in the NE that just suffered through Nemo but it was in the mid 60's in Charleston, SC) of the spirit of sorts. After some light reading, bathroom tile scrubbing, food burning, and channel changing, I landed on the recently released movie, <i>Act of Valor. </i><br />
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The movie wasn't cast with Hollywood A-listers rather with actual active duty Navy SEALS. Although, at times, the delivery of lines falls a bit short of perfection, the story is not only topical and relevant but timeless as well. It speaks not simply to the heroism and bravery of this country's finest but to the primal battle each man and woman wages against his or herself in order to relinquish the restraint of personal demons and live a full life. While our missions are civil in nature, the adherence to them is equally as important as it is to SEAL Teams. Deviating from the orders that we give ourselves will often if not always result in a failed mission and a less fulfilled life.<br />
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The essence of entrepreneurship is no different, and those that succeed must also act valiantly in pursuit of their ambitions with neither fear of failure nor doubt of ability. At times setbacks become the norm and hope seems but the mirage of a former dream, but without hope of success, without the belief in our own capacity, without the courage to act valiantly and stay the course, we will forever remain impotent rulers as the kingdom of our own life erodes from beneath us.<br />
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Irony has it that a movie extolling the virtues of American Heroism would have a poem authored by one of its staunchest adversaries woven throughout; however, his words are timeless and embody much of what was once thought of as the American Dream, and with entrepreneurship on the rise, maybe one day it will again. The words of Chief Tecumseh <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>So
live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble
no one about their religion; respect
others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love
your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek
to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a
noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always
give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a
stranger, when in a lonely place. Show
respect to all people and grovel to none.<br />When
you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If
you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse
no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit
of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with
the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a
little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing
your death song and die like a hero going home.</i></span></blockquote>
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Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-40752695115213038772012-08-28T16:36:00.001-04:002013-05-31T13:51:44.647-04:00Very Pleased... <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For years, we have been extolling the energy saving benefits of our revolutionary Eco-Transport Coating, but often charts and technical data fall short to fully articulate the product's potential. While the bottom line increases seen by many food distribution companies as a result of Eco-Transport Coating's application are impressive (average 18% decrease in diesel fuel consumption), corporations' enthusiasm over results can often be understated, which is why we are so happy to share a product testimonial that reaches beyond raw data points and paints a picture of how our products do more than just add to a bottom line; they help improve lives, and we are very proud to play a small role in the growing RV communities around this nation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
The title to the email that arrived in my inbox earlier this morning was <i style="font-weight: bold;">Very Pleased</i>, but allow me to say to the Browns that <b>WE</b> are the ones who are <i>very pleased</i> to have your family as loyal customers. Businesses are nothing if not taking care of the people and communities they serve. As a small business, we are fortunate to know our customers' faces and a bit of their stories. Below are excerpts and pictures from one such story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[On August 11, 2012] we finally got to install the [Eco-Transport] Coating and it's AWESOME!! We [applied] it in Oklahoma in a friend's workshop, so we were out of direct sunlight. The original roof was bare aluminum, so it would get HOT in the sun. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we pulled the rig out of the shop, after several hours of dry time, it was 104 outside. We have an infrared surface thermometer and boy did we have fun! The surfboard carriers, on the edges where we did not apply the coating, reached a surface temp of 147. The coated portion remained within 5 degrees of the ambient air temperature. Amazing. We immediately noticed a difference in the rig's ability to stay cooler on the inside. We are now in Barstow, CA where it's been averaging right at 100 each day. It is such an incredible product! We normally would run our generator from sun rise to sunset out here, but with the coating we are only cooling the truck off in the hottest part of the day.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are totally satisfied and are spreading the word to all of our trucking and RV friends. The other plus that we weren't expecting is that the coating does not collect dirt. Usually when we wash the truck we have to wipe down the roof first, which is not pleasant when it's so hot up there. Washing the rig today, not only was it pleasant to be up top, but we just spot cleaned a few areas on top, instead of washing the entire top surface.<br /> <br />Thanks so much!!<br />Here are some pictures for you.<br />Thanks,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Browns</span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rUDZn9ynxHg/UD0ezVWPSTI/AAAAAAAAAKg/s-rTnNaeKZc/s1600/100_6932.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rUDZn9ynxHg/UD0ezVWPSTI/AAAAAAAAAKg/s-rTnNaeKZc/s320/100_6932.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pre - Application</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-opHWNWmPCtM/UD0e0Li6zZI/AAAAAAAAAKo/tacjr5O8W4A/s1600/IMG_1202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-opHWNWmPCtM/UD0e0Li6zZI/AAAAAAAAAKo/tacjr5O8W4A/s320/IMG_1202.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekNidGtRADI/UD0e3tm_AkI/AAAAAAAAAKw/07lua2QocgM/s1600/IMG_1201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekNidGtRADI/UD0e3tm_AkI/AAAAAAAAAKw/07lua2QocgM/s320/IMG_1201.jpeg" width="274" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Post-Application on the Road</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From my own personal experience, I can recount numerous times when I was moved to notify a company of my overall satisfaction with their product or service; however, when time came to initiate the communication, I balked. Dissatisfied customers will overwhelmingly outnumber satisfied customers in sharing their feedback, and it is for that reason that we are extremely flattered and grateful for today's email.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I sincerely thank the Browns for not only their business but also for taking time to share their story with us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more information about Eco-Transport Coating, please, visit <a href="http://ecoprotectiveproducts.com/transportation_coatings.html" target="_blank">http://ecoprotectiveproducts.com/transportation_coatings.html</a>.</span><!--EndFragment--><br />
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<br />Jameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08678030460978709533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-61684363733620117642011-12-06T11:50:00.002-05:002011-12-06T11:53:49.928-05:00At Second Glance, It Really is Just About the People<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" id="lbo_frame" scrolling="no" src="http://letsblogoff.com/badge.html" target="_blank" width="200">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 24px;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif; font-weight: 300; line-height: 24px;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“This LetsBlogOff theme is about taking a deeper second look at what appears to be an everyday common object or occurrence where something happens that makes you look at it in a different light. It could be an object, person or place. Or something entirely different.” – LetsBlogOff Team</em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Every day, they are there, but we fail to notice. Life thus passes us by like a movie montage, one where the pace of everything around us is moving infinitely fast yet we simply continue to plod along, absent-minded of what we are missing. As we endeavor toward greater productivity, forever chasing the completion of the never ending to do list, we lose sight of what it really is all about. All set to the soundtrack of some hyper-electronic techno beat.... cue the strobe lights.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">In marketing, we research consumer purchasing and behavioral patterns, analyze demographical trends, and conduct environmental & stakeholder impact studies. With substantiative evidence, we race to execute our cleverly constructed marketing strategies. Sometimes, we succeed; other times, we miss the mark entirely. About face, and race back toward the drawing board. Clearly, we misinterpreted the DATA. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">WIth this manner of thinking, however, we will continue to fall short with far greater frequency. We may operate in a faceless marketplace characterized by virtual relationships and online engagement, but we mustn't forget that it is still a marketplace composed entirely of people. Very, very real people. They may play the role of salesman, associate, stakeholder, or prospective client, but that is and always will be superseded by their role as a person.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">In marketing, in life, this understanding is paramount to success and to happiness. People are not DATA POINTS; they are <b><u>PEOPLE</u></b>. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><b><u>KIAPS. Keep it about People, Stupid.</u></b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Even when business becomes ruthless, remember that your adversary is just like you. He awakes in the morning to the shrill of an alarm clock. Struggles to tie that perfect knot... with a Wall Street dimple. He stresses over bills, his health, his visiting parents, the weather, his dog doing business on the neighbor's lawn, the next oil change, seeing an ex-girlfriend... and consequently calling her in midnight's hour of desperation. He has dreams but probably possesses more demons. He holds the door for ladies and helps the elderly cross the street, yet on more than one occasion he has let road rage elicit that one universally recognized hand gesture. More than anything, he just wants to be treated like a person. </span></span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw82zBUmjFc/Tt5FkssMrRI/AAAAAAAAAJk/uzxqCmpe5jw/s1600/IMG_1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw82zBUmjFc/Tt5FkssMrRI/AAAAAAAAAJk/uzxqCmpe5jw/s320/IMG_1205.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">The examples, where this concept flourishes, are many, but the one that is so blatantly obvious is imbedded in the success of the coffee industry. From the overwhelming success of Starbucks to the hundreds of thousands of independently successful coffee shops around the country, I venture to say none arrived at their success without putting people first.</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">"At Starbucks, I've always said, 'we're not in the coffee business serving people; we're in the people business serving coffee'" - Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks Coffee</span></i></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">So, next time you're talking to a potential client, employee, or complete stranger, remember in your heart that he/she is not some means to an end rather a person just like you and I. Remember that whether you're in Marketing or not, the Golden Rule is still the best rule by which to live. </span></span><br />
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</script>Jameyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08678030460978709533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-47657035893072455092011-09-27T22:37:00.000-04:002011-09-27T22:37:43.030-04:00Publicly? Privately? Doesn't Matter. It's Who We Are.<div style="text-align: center;">
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Privacy.<br />
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I sat pondering this topic for the better part of 30 minutes during my lunch break today. Ironically, my lack of blossoming ideas was on full display for any passerby. My cursor blinked lethargically at me, almost mocking me, while a flood of nothing came to my mind. Already having posted an earlier rendition of this week's <a href="http://letsblogoff.com/">Let's Blog Off</a> topic on my personal blog, <a href="http://www.lifeasanexperiment.com/2011/09/27/please-respect-my-privacy-when-viewing-all-my-personal-info/">Life as an Experiment</a>, I wondered... perhaps aloud, <i>do I have anything more to say?</i><br />
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If that notion weren't crippling enough, by nature of this being the blog for our company, I felt compelled to someway sew in, at bare minimum, a thread of sustainability even if the creative capacity to sprinkle in nuggets of information about our premium, eco-friendly paints eluded me.<br />
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Is this too great of a task to tackle for a Tuesday afternoon? Surely, forgiveness is conceivable if I fail to produce anything value. I mean will <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/cupboards">Nick</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/paul_anater">Paul</a> really be surprised if I don't contribute this week? Doubtful as I haven't participated in <a href="http://www.letsblogoff.com/">Let's Blog Off</a> on this blog for more months than I care to recount. I was on the precipice of giving up... but wait...<br />
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.....like a can of paint tied to a rope swinging over a bannister like in Home Alone, it hit me.<br />
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<b>Privacy</b> can be defined as anonymity. To remain anonymous protects one's privacy; however, at <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/">Eco-Protective Products</a>, we do not hide behind a corporate veil. We are a privately held company but one that exposes its identity. We are individuals; we are composed of independent distributors, sales persons, advisors, and hard working entrepreneurs. We do our best to make ourselves available to any customer, supplier, or business partner day and night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (maybe with the exception of during Georgia football games).<br />
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So while I disclose <i>who </i>we are, perhaps I'd be better suited to describe that which we are not.<br />
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We<b> are not </b>a company riding the coat tails of the sustainable building movement in order to turn a quick profit. In fact, our roots trace back to the early 1990's, and the decision then to utilize the highest performing raw materials in order to deliver the highest quality paint to consumers still holds true. Our paints, although Green in composition, are of premium quality, ensuring long-term customer satisfaction via enhanced durability, superior color retention, and excellent overall performance.<br />
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We <b>are not </b>snake oil salesmen. Although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure what <i>SNAKE OIL</i> was ever used for...ah... according to Wikipedia, it was primarily utilized for joint pain before becoming the infamous underperforming elixir for any and all ailments. But I digress. Many smaller paint manufacturers make outrageous claims regarding the performance of their products, and as a result of an undereducated marketplace, many consumers fall victim to paying exuberant rates for products that fail to live up to the marketing promises. That is something we are not. All of our claims are substantiated with repeated testing in the laboratory and more importantly, in the real world. (Although if anyone can get me some snake oil, let me know. I'm 26 and my joints already ache - thanks to 20+ years of competitive sports).<br />
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We <b>are not</b> a huge company. You won't find our paints on the shelves at Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware or even Wal-Mart. We neither have a multi-million dollar marketing budget nor a Hollywood celebrity to endorse us. And to my knowledge, we have a clean record dealing with governments of all sizes, offering zero bribes and receiving zero handouts. We earn our living the old fashioned way. So you will not see me on Fox News anytime soon refuting nefarious dealings with any bureaucrat, public official, or corporate big wig... and although the reasons are many, not least of which is the fact that I probably have a face better suited for radio.<br />
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We <b>are </b>an<b> </b>honest American business. Through tireless networking and an unfatiguing sales force, we've experienced yearly growth since our inception in 2008. We may never become a Sherwin Williams or Pittsburgh Paints, but that is not our goal. Each day when we arise, whether we are donning our work boots or power ties, we strive to connect with building owners, project developers, architects, and homeowners (among others) to provide them an alternative solution to their painting needs; a solution that not only yields the long-term value they require but also the eco-conscious design they desire.<br />
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Publicly. Privately. This is who we are. We are proud of it and pray that through the ups and the downs, this is who we remain.<br />
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<br />Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-24008692811184448352011-08-17T11:12:00.000-04:002011-08-17T11:12:09.000-04:00Shifting from Ethylene Glycol to Propylene Glycol<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #330000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>"...If it's Zero VOC or VOC compliant it must be Green. </strong>A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the term VOC (volatile organic compound) to the extent that many have begun to believe that all VOC's are "bad" and should be eliminated. This is an overstatement. The government is interested in regulating VOC's because some, not all, react with chlorine in the atmosphere to form smog creating compounds. That is, they are interested in reducing outdoor air pollution. Not only has this narrow focus tarred all with the same brush, but it shows no concern with the toxic effects of various chemicals to humans.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Example #1) The US government has exempted acetone and ammonia--two very toxic chemicals--from regulations as VOC's (even though European governments recognize them as VOC's) because they do not contribute to smog formation. These toxic ingredients have found their way into zero VOC formulations of major manufacturers--safe from government regulation--without concern for their effect on users.</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Example #2) Consider the difference between ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. The former is essentially anti-freeze and is used in the paint industry to provide freeze-thaw resistance and a "wet edge." It is a VOC and is extremely toxic. Propylene Glycol, on the other hand, is also a VOC and can be used for the same purposes, but has no indicia of toxicity. No skin sensitization hazard, no inhalation hazard, no toxicity hazard. Paints made with ethylene glycol and those made with propylene glycol both have VOC's yet one is poison and one is benign. Therefore, the term VOC is largely meaningless with regard to product safety."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was an excerpt from GreenBuildingSupply.com and the full article can be found <a href="http://www.greenbuildingsupply.com//Public/Home/index.cfm">here</a>. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of Eco-Protective Products' paints free of acetone and ammonia and utilize propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol ensuring optimal eco-consciousness without sacrificing even the slightest degreee of performance. </span><br />
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</div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-16432942232329466752011-02-01T12:26:00.002-05:002011-02-01T13:32:33.791-05:00What is Love?<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" id="lbo_frame" scrolling="no" src="http://letsblogoff.com/badge.html?love" target="_blank" width="200">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Some say love is never having to say you are sorry. Others say it is being able to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4" style="color: #a0410a; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">shoot someone who outdrew ya</a>. The truth probably lies somewhere in between and with Valentine’s Day in the US right around the corner, many of us are thinking it through.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">After the song “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpN60KKBAjc" style="color: #a0410a; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">What is Love</a>” by Haddaway works its way out of your brain, set to thinking and writing about what you believe love is. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So that is the rule for this week's Let's Blog Off Post.<br />
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Well, what is <i>love</i>? The possible directions I can take with this post are limitless. If so compelled I could talk about fleeting adolescent romance or Silver Anniversaries. I could discuss the passion and <i>love</i> that drives SEC football fans to arise at 3:30 AM on Saturdays in the fall to start tailgating -- and for some, never going to bed. I could talk about my <i>love</i> of cheese grits and fried catfish and how they always make me feel at home no matter how far away I may be. I could regale you with my <i>love</i> affair of warm sheets right out of the dryer. Perhaps you'd like to know about how I <i>love</i> the way a fresh can of tennis balls smells when you first open it or how I <i>love</i> peanut butter so much that I have seriously put it on every food type to see if it <b>enhances</b> the flavor.<br />
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I could do all that, but I won't.<br />
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I want to talk about something more serious: The <i>Love</i> that comes from a profession.<br />
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What is required to <i>love </i>one's job? Is it plush furniture in a corner office, or friendly co-workers, or all that lofty compensation & personal time off? Is it the fringe benefits? Is it the office March Madness pool or Super Bowl party? Is it a casual Friday or after-work Happy Hours? Or is it none of those at all? Do we actually derive the <i>love </i>of work from the satisfaction of a job well done?<br />
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Do I presume that every employed individual that makes a decent living <i>loves </i>his or her job? No. In fact, many folks abhor what they do so much that they allow it to consume them and ruin their lives. Conversely, there are many people who work unglorified positions, making average wages, working long, tiring hours who <i>love</i> what they do. So what separates them? Pride. Pride in what we do.<br />
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Unlike many of my colleagues in the building industry, I do not have the pleasure of designing a family's dream home. I do not wield any architectural prowess, thus the joy that must come from envisioning a building that perfectly matches the surrounding landscape, designing it, and overseeing as it comes to life will never be one I experience. Likewise, I have never set foot inside a dated kitchen or bathroom, listened to a customer describe how they <i style="font-weight: bold;">want </i>it to be, then through my renovation, made that a reality. The pride and attention to detail these professions require leaves little question regarding the <i>LOVE</i> that is poured into them by the men and women who wear the badges of Architect, Designer, Remodeler, Homebuilder, Developer, etc.<br />
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It is no small secret of being a successful small business owner; if you don't have a passion and <i>love</i> what you do, you'll never work hard enough to achieve success. Conversely, as business motivation author Ken Blanchard puts it, "If no one will pay you to do what you <i>love</i>, you have a hobby, not a career."<br />
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So in order to succeed you have to 1) <i>love </i>your work and 2) people need to be willing to pay you to do it.<br />
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All this introduction leads me to my point. I <i>love</i> what I do. Although, I will never help a homeowner picture the addition that could be added to their house to give their children more play room, or expand their cramped workspace, or afford them the master bathroom they have dreamed of, and unlike a teacher, I will not give a child the gift of knowledge so she can go forth to one day walk on the moon, cure disease, or become a Senator, I'll say it again, I <i>love </i>what I do.<br />
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The best I can hope for is to help create a <a href="http://ecoprotectiveproducts.blogspot.com/2010/11/brush-away-those-winter-blues.html">comfortable mood</a> in an <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/eco_accents.html">interior space</a> with a earthen toned paint or a vibrant, uplifting space with a sunflower-yellow or pastel orange paint. On<a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/platinum_exterior_1000.html"> exterior surfaces</a>, I help customers make a lasting investment in a paint alternative that is higher in quality and delivers longer lasting performance.<br />
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This is an admirable task, and one that I aim to take pride in and do well, but can I <i>love</i> my task equally as an architect loves his? Is my job as important and thus, requiring of as much passion? These are the questions that I often ask myself. And I have arrived at this one simple answer. Yes.<br />
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We may find ourselves in roles far from the ones we dreamed of as children -- I'm certainly no Paleontologist even though <u>Jurassic Park </u>had me convinced I'd spend my life unearthing dinosaurs. But to take pride in all that we do, that is true <i>love. </i>I take pride in creating a great customer experience, in completing the little tasks with a superb fashion, and bringing an enthusiastic attitude into every aspect of our business.<br />
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To me, there is no greater satisfaction than to have a customer call to thank me, not for the quality of work done by one of our distributor's application teams, not for the outstanding performance and reliability of our paints, but because throughout the process, I made the situation an enjoyable and pleasant one for them. <br />
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We cannot sit around hoping that our desk jobs will suddenly transform into the work of Disney Imagineers - but we can learn to <i>love </i>what we do because we <i>love</i> taking pride in all that we do.<br />
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The inspiration for this post came to me while listening to this song -- it captures the essence of the idea much better than I could ever hope to.<br />
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I commit my heart to the challenge of being the best I can be, and I take pride in every aspect of my work, and for that, I <i>love </i>what I do.<br />
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What about you? Do you <i>love</i> your job? If so, why? If not, why aren't you seeking something better?<br />
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Check out some more of the "Let's Blog Off" Gang below!!<br />
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</div><script src=http://letsblogoff.com/tables/242.js></script>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-68563871310512647092011-01-19T09:11:00.001-05:002011-01-19T09:21:45.953-05:00What is being creative?<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" id="lbo_frame" scrolling="no" src="http://letsblogoff.com/badge.html?creatvity" target="_blank" width="200">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This post is part of a bi-weekly blogging event titled Let's Blog Off. This week's topic is: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do you define creativity? Is creativity the balance between imagination and talent that bring ideas to life?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is creativity a true differentiator though? Do you believe that “uncreatives” exist or do you believe all of us have a spark of it on some level?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before you delve into this blogger's take on creativity, allow me a moment to explain why this will not be a life altering read. For the better part of the past 2 months, I've been working 80-90 hour weeks and have only taken Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve <i style="font-weight: bold;">off. </i>I italicized off because anyone who owns a small business will agree, no matter what you are doing, where you are, or which day of the week it is, you are always working in some capacity. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not complaining but simply stating the facts. I love what I do; I thrive on the challenge, and the people I have met along the way (especially some of the great folks in the Letsblogoff community -- meet them <a href="http://letsblogoff.com/what-is-creativity.html">here</a>) have been the wind in my proverbial sails. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This past weekend was me hitting the reset button. I tuned out the world and focused on me and nothing else. Because I was 'resetting', I forgot to write this post and wasn't going to, until I decided tonight to give it a go.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TTbsr0fW5hI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/5iu8Y0QMafQ/s1600/P7221094_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TTbsr0fW5hI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/5iu8Y0QMafQ/s320/P7221094_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim & Jamey at the 4th Annual Brad Arms <br />
Noah Harris Memorial Golf Tournament <br />
in 2008 - Raising money to send care<br />
packages to troops in Iraq. <br />
Charity founded by Jamey Burrell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Growing up, in addition to playing varsity football, I was a highly competitive golfer. Golf was a part of my personality. Character, integrity, mental fortitude, and <u><b>creativity</b></u> are defining aspects of a golfer. Years have passed since feeling the pressure of having to hole a putt for my high school team or teeing off in front of over one hundred spectators, but the butterflies still swarmed my belly when I stepped on the course this weekend. It had been almost a year since my last outing, but like riding a bike, standing on the first tee, the passion for the game and the knowledge of how to score well returned to me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Golf is a great metaphor for life and business, and perhaps that is why so much business takes place on the golf course. The game has a tricky way of exposing one's true self on the course. The game will humble the mightiest of athletes and anoint the quietest of men kings. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TTbw99OayRI/AAAAAAAAAPY/9MtWSMe5RzM/s1600/amc0692l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TTbw99OayRI/AAAAAAAAAPY/9MtWSMe5RzM/s320/amc0692l.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the reason I bring up golf and why it is relevant to this post is that I didn't realize until yesterday while on the course the amount of creativity the game requires. To a beginner, the game seems simple. Hit the ball as far as you can and get it in the hole in the fewest amount of strokes. Playing with my roommate, I realized this skewed perception. He couldn't understand why I insisted on hitting irons off certain tees when I clearly possessed a long and accurate shot with my driver. Furthermore, he was perplexed when, at times, I admittedly chose to hit 'away from the hole' in order to avoid potential danger when I had shown quite accurate precision all afternoon with my approach shots. </span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Why not aim at the flag instead of the certain of the green," he questioned, "or pull out your driver and bomb it down the fairway." </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My answer is simple. I explained that golf is a game of strategy and creativity. You take a look at each hole. Analyze and understand where the risks lie. Obviously, at differing skill levels, there are differing risks presented on each hole. Each hole will play differently to the golfer playing the hole. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes you need to lay up, sometimes go for it. The shot may require you to work the ball (by swinging in such a way to produce side-spin on the ball) left to right and other times right to left. You may need to hit the ball high to fly over a tree but in times of heavy wind, you may be forced to play it very low. Some situations allow you to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">attack</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the pin whereas in others, you must play defensively and away from danger, make par and move on.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TTbwKh68sTI/AAAAAAAAAPU/c5_0IjvqJAI/s1600/ikea-poang+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TTbwKh68sTI/AAAAAAAAAPU/c5_0IjvqJAI/s320/ikea-poang+%25281%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credity: Ikeahackers.net</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why is this a creative task? It's simple. There is no instruction manual about how to approach a hole. You are provided dimensions (length, width, etc) and knowledge of the obstacles (sand traps, water hazards, etc), but you will not find a pictorial 'how-to' guide like an Ikea instruction manual (although I'd love to see one) in your golf cart. A golfer must rely on their innate ability to not just </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>play the shot</b> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but to envision the hole and the different ways that it can be played before ever striking the ball.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A golfer does not always make the <i style="font-weight: bold;">right </i>decision as evidenced by the enormous amount of <i style="font-weight: bold;">How-To Books </i>that help people cope with the frustration of the sport, but if he is wise, he uses his creative competencies to most effectively harness his talents in order to <b><i>get the ball in the hole</i></b> whilst minimizing risk. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so it is in life. Some of us have a greater sense of Creativity than others, but I think it can be easily defined as looking at a situation and taking a unique approach to it. It may be an obvious or totally fresh approach to an age-old situation, but the creative person is smart enough to know within them exists a better way to address a certain problem and brave enough to then execute it instead of succumbing to the pressure of <b>hitting driver on each hole </b>because that's <b><i>just the way it's done.</i></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Creativity is simply being unafraid to be YOU.</span>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-37806700878641733422011-01-12T10:56:00.001-05:002011-01-12T19:56:14.284-05:00What's Your Pepsi Taste Test??<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I had an extremely insightful conversation with well-respected marketing guru (he won't label himself this out of humility, but I will, I've researched his track record) <a href="http://www.twitter.com/markwschaefer">Mark Schaefer</a> of <a href="http://www.businessgrow.com/">Schaefer Marketing Solutions</a>. Mark and I discussed many topics, and I listened with an attentive ear, hoping to absorb as much of this man's knowledge as I could in the hour conversation he had alloted in his day specifically for me. When time came for me to speak, I told him of the conception of Eco-Protective Products, our goals and core-values. I recounted to him success stories, and other stories where we faltered in our actions but learned valuable lessons. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TS2WuGmgOuI/AAAAAAAAAPE/unKfG35LXw8/s1600/schick-hydro-razors.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TS2WuGmgOuI/AAAAAAAAAPE/unKfG35LXw8/s320/schick-hydro-razors.jpeg" width="246" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Courtesy: Schick</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As if he were a new customer, I explained why Eco-Protective Products offers greater value to potential clients versus an established named brand paint supplier. I poured my heart into the conversation because I pour my heart into our business.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mark was patient, allowing me finish before he finally spoke, and his message couldn't have been more of a bucket of cold water to the face kind of wake up call. No this isn't an Ad for Schick Razor's but that image (right) pretty much sums it up.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm paraphrasing and embellishing Mark a little here, but his message was clear to me: Where is that heart, that person behind the business in your marketing message? Why is all of what makes your company better absent from your website, blog, and Twitter account? Why are you so cookie cutter and bland -- just trying to be another sheep in the herd? Do you want to your marketing message to be a carbon copy of your competition, competition whom you've admitted is bigger and more well known? Are Green and Sustainability the only legs on which your business stands, or is Eco-Protective Products something more? Something better?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It boiled down to him asking me, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Challenge">What is your Pepsi taste test</a>"? What sets you apart from the herd? In our industry's terms, do we want to be a substitute for Sherwin Williams, PPG, or Benjamin Moore? And the answer is no. We want to be more. What about you?</span><br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you want a to give your customers and partners a more fulfilling and valuable experience versus the competition? </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you offer higher quality, longer lasting products and services?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Does your company offer more cost-effective solutions?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do your customers know your business beyond the sale; do you know your customers? </span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you answered YES above, don't be afraid to promote those facts!</span></div><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TS2d1gwzupI/AAAAAAAAAPI/xWuKyfmBYHc/s1600/Twit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TS2d1gwzupI/AAAAAAAAAPI/xWuKyfmBYHc/s320/Twit.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey that's me (left) & Richard Feis (Right) of<br />
<a href="http://greenhavengroup.com/">Greenhaven Group</a> in Atlanta, GA<br />
Featured product (floor & panels on wall)<br />
<a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/garage_concrete.html">Eco-Coat 1500</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So What to Expect Now</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moving forward, we will not be abandoning our core message of practicing sustainability in design, construction and daily life, but we will also give you a greater opportunity to learn about what comprises Eco-Protective Products. </span><br />
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<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On our </span><a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">website</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, you'll see us highlighting more what differentiates us from bigger paint companies than makes us so similar. Here is where we WANT your feedback. Where do other companies fall short? What can be done better to make your life and painting experience easier & better? You guys, our customers and friends, will help develop the future of Eco-Protective Products.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Featured on both this blog and on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/">Eco-Protective Products'</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> site, you will see new faces -- some recognizable -- some may be you!! We are going to feature our customers because nothing defines a business more than its customers.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are also inviting our partners, friends, and employees to begin guest posting. This writer does not have all the answers, but I'm sure one of my far more knowledgeable colleagues may have the answer a reader is seeking. So if you're interested in guest posting, <a href="mailto:jdb2@ecoprotectiveproducts.com">shoot me an email here</a>.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More personal stories -- we are a family owned business. As a part owner, I have done everything from help unload and blend raw materials in order to produce paint, to being integral in every step of the customer relationship process (first contact all the way to product application and onto shaking hands with a happy customer/ new friend when the project is completed). I want to share with you our experiences to provide you a window into the men and women who comprise Eco-Protective Products</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In closing, whether you are a small business owner, a marketing professional, or just a person in this world, Mark struck a chord with me, and I want you to think about whether we should be spending our energy comparing ourselves, both similarities and differences, with our competition and the rest of the herd, or should we concentrate on describing WHO WE ARE and what makes us unique, makes us better.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We thank you for taking the time to read this post, but we really want you to be a part of the discussion moving us forward in 2011. Please, share with us a comment below, or if you prefer, you can email me directly <a href="mailto:jdb2@ecoprotectiveproducts.com">here</a> or call, (888) 809-8995 Ext 102.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks again and warm regards,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jamey Burrell</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">VP, Marketing & Business Development</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eco-Protective Products</span><br />
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</b></span>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-31223595756726542612011-01-06T10:17:00.002-05:002011-01-06T10:57:24.692-05:00Announcing Bio-Shield Interior Coating<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">This week, Eco-Protective Products has begun production of Bio-Shield Interior Coating,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> a Low VOC acrylic latex paint developed as an environmentally safe, advanced interior paint for healthcare facilities, laboratory clean rooms, the hospitality industry, school systems, and more. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">The paint exhibits a combination of outstanding flexibility, superior water resistance, and abrasion / impact resistance and is impervious to moisture penetration. This innovative interior paint is uniquely engineered with an EPA registered, inorganic silver antimicrobial agent that is occupant safe but creates an inhospitable environment on the coating’s dry film surface for the proliferation and growth of microbial cells.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><u>Why silver?</u></b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Silver is a natural element that, for centuries, has been recognized as a safe type of preservative and antimicrobial. Its uses are far reaching, and it can be found in cosmetics, textiles, medical products and even wound care because of its broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties.</span></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ACT™ composite silver technology</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TSXP_lpVGQI/AAAAAAAAAO8/U6WLO2e10Hw/s1600/ACT+Particle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TSXP_lpVGQI/AAAAAAAAAO8/U6WLO2e10Hw/s320/ACT+Particle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At Eco-Protective Products, we consistently try to provide consumers products that are environmentally friendly as well as exceed traditional performance standards. With Bio-Shield Interior Coating we feel we've continued that legacy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ACT™ composite silver technology is the only silver antimicrobial manufactured in the United States, and unlike organic antimicrobial products, it does not leech or risk harm to users or the environment. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">So what does that mean? </span></u></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Unlike other paints whose dry-film surface can provide a fertile environment for the propagation of odor causing bacteria and the growth of stain causing molds and mildews, BSIC is f</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ormulated with EPA registered ACT™ composite silver technology, a broad spectrum antimicrobial that provides a barrier resistant to bacteria proliferation and mold, mildew and fungal growth on the paint film.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TSXY0WvvEBI/AAAAAAAAAPA/VhYfvsw18d8/s1600/hospital-modern-room-image+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TSXY0WvvEBI/AAAAAAAAAPA/VhYfvsw18d8/s400/hospital-modern-room-image+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Benefits Beyond the Norm</u></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">The antimicrobial benefits extend the useful life of the paint, virtually eliminating issues of film deterioration caused by microbial growth. Moreover, the paint</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is engineered VOC compliant and exceeds Green Seal GS-11 standards for Low VOC paints and coatings. The low-odor formulation permits quick return to use in freshly painted areas and is safe to apply even in occupied spaces.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Backed by repeatable test results, this paint proves to be exceptionally durable and will withstand years of regular cleaning, scrubbing, and operational use without peeling, chipping or necessitating repainting.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Additionally, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ACT™ composite silver technology is UV stable, which differentiates Bio-Shield from other silver based coatings that will dull and discolor over time from UV/light exposure.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bio-Shield is engineered to resist staining, and smudges and scuffing from human and equipment contact wipe away with a damp cloth. Bio-Shield Interior Coating applies as easily as regular paint and demonstrates excellent adhesion to most interior surfaces. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bio-Shield Interior Coating is available in over 1000 colors and in multiples finishes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More information can be found on our <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/bioshield.html">website here</a>.</span><br />
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</span>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-43820312749527841352011-01-04T10:23:00.004-05:002011-01-12T06:26:39.248-05:00Here lies your deceit - We were tired of being swindled<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" id="lbo_frame" scrolling="no" src="http://letsblogoff.com/badge.html?obit" target="_blank" width="200"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the RULES:</span></span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Death and taxes. None of us can escape either and while you can’t do anything about paying taxes, nothing says you have to trust your relatives to write your exit speech — your obituary.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A traditional obituary is no longer than 208 words and has a photo of you at the top. Sometimes this is a photo of you in your younger days and other times it is current, depending on how you want to be remembered. This time, you get to pick. To make this #letsblogoff a bit more challenging, we’re asking that you stick with the word limit of 208 for your obituary. You can write less if you want.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And if you really have more to say on the way out than can fit into 208 words, write another blog post and link back to your obituary.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">__________________________________________________________________</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since this topic was released to the Letsblogoff community last week, I've considered various approaches to take with this post. Some ideas, such as falling into a vat of (gasp) non-eco friendly paint, transforming into a sustainability vigilante were both sarcastic and slapstick. I also contemplated writing my obituary as if my time were to come to an end today, but </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for obvious reasons, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that failed to stoke my desire to write. I finally settled on writing the obituary that would sum up a long-lived, fulfilling life. But once I'd written it, I deemed it too personal to post here, so I scratched that idea (but if you're interested, you'll be able to read it on my personal blog </span></span></span><a href="http://www.lifeasanexperiment.com/" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Life as an Experiment</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> tomorrow). Ultimately, I couldn't bring myself to write about my own death or the death of Eco-Protective Products, so I chose to write about the death that would do our industry a favor. </span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">__________________________________________________________________</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TSMlX9Fkt9I/AAAAAAAAAO4/B7s8lxb6KRU/s1600/neverpaintagain.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="118" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TSMlX9Fkt9I/AAAAAAAAAO4/B7s8lxb6KRU/s200/neverpaintagain.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></span></span></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Atlanta, GA </span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">January 4, 2011 </span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Late last night, huddled in the back corner of the Starbucks, angered homeowners surrounded and killed the tactic of overpromising and under delivering from painting contractors and manufacturers. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Until last night, over exaggerated claims had withstood years of attempted exposure from honest paint companies who had tirelessly worked to overcome the ill will created by the industry’s snake-oil salesmen.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">False promising reached its height during the early 2000’s when wild claims were easily disseminated via the internet but rarely verified or backed with substantive evidence. More so, any business, regardless of ethics, with a website and charming sales staff was seen as credible. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Crime scene reporters describe the outrage as palpable. “Never paint again”, “no prep work required”, “lifetime guarantee”, and “50% reduction in power bills” were just some of the grievances that could be overheard standing near the angry mob. An elderly man, who was barely able to maintain his composure, recounts high-pressure sales tactics used by a company that swindled him into paying a premium rate for underperforming paint on the exterior of his home. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Misleading advertising in the paint industry had long been under pressure, and finally, thanks to the collaboration of a few concerned citizens, it seems this deception has been put to rest. – End 207 words</span></span></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Never Paint Again </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eco-Protective Products offers many </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>high quality</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> interior and exterior paints, and while our paints are made with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>high-quality </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">resins and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>premium </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">raw materials enabling them to last 2 to 3 times longer than competitive paints, we do not guarantee </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>lifetime </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">performance. Paint, like any other man-made material, is subject to degradation from Mother Nature including climatic elements, Ultra Violet light, and various critters (for interior spaces that includes pets and children). </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>No Prep Required </b>Cue goosebumps and raised hair when you hear this. No matter how high performance a paint may be, if the prep work isn't properly performed, expect peeling or flaking paint as a result. For both interior and exterior applications, the surface</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> must be clean and free from dirt, grease, scale, efflorescence, mildew, fungus, loose impediments and all other surface contaminants. Pressure washing, sandblasting, sanding, scraping or any other manner, which thoroughly cleans the surface and removes is recommended. Additionally, seems and areas around windows should be caulked to prevent airflow. </span></li>
<li><b style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">50% Energy Savings </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sound too good to be true? Well then it probably is. I can't tell you the number of times I've overheard salesmen at conferences and home shows exaggerate claims of energy savings from paint. Eco-Protective Products manufactures a very high-performance Cool Roof Coating (</span><a href="http://ecoprotectiveproducts.com/Cool_roof.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Eco-Cool Roof 5000</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">) but even in best case scenarios, it may produce ~30% energy savings at best resulting from lower cooling loads placed on HVAC systems. Consider that the roof is a much larger heat sink than a home's exterior siding, and it puts 50% energy saving paint in a very clear perspective. EPP's </span><a href="http://ecoprotectiveproducts.com/platinum_exterior_1000.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">Platinum Exterior 1000</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> achieves ~8% Energy Savings for use on exterior stucco, siding, and other exterior substrates. </span></span></li>
</ul><br />
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Want to read other LetsBlogOff posts, please see the chart below. </span></span></div><br />
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</script>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-86441564956427274132010-12-20T21:43:00.005-05:002010-12-26T19:21:34.138-05:00If money were no object, what would you give this Christmas??<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" id="lbo_frame" scrolling="no" src="http://letsblogoff.com/badge.html?money" target="_blank" width="200">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TRAXgPb5-cI/AAAAAAAAAOg/L7nduaD0uMk/s1600/chas_xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TRAXgPb5-cI/AAAAAAAAAOg/L7nduaD0uMk/s320/chas_xmas.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Christmas in Charleston. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">If I could use one word to describe my writing style, it would be erratic. But that is because I’m an erratic person – I’m spontaneous in a sense. Others might describe me as having a mild case of ADD - whatever. Anyhow, I never feel compelled to change that, to cage my ‘creativity’, when I’m forging through a blog post, but tonight is different. Tonight, perhaps by divine intervention to teach me the art of brevity and succinctness, I don’t have much time to devote toward this post.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Here’s topic: <b> </b><i><b>If money were no object, what would be the perfect gift? Whether it’s for yourself or for somebody else, what thing would you give that you won’t or can’t give now?</b><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So here goes… shooting for 200 words and a complete, coherent thought.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I can’t help but not mention Office Space here. But I’d hate to use up the extent of my 200 word limit describing the scene, so here you go.</span></span></div><br />
<blockquote><blockquote><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Peter Gibbons</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">: Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work. And invariably what you'd say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars you're supposed to be an auto mechanic. </span></span></i></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Samir</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">: So what did you say?</span></span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Peter Gibbons</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">: I never had an answer. I guess that's why I'm working at Initech.</span></span></i></blockquote></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not going holier than thou on this post, saying material possessions matter not to me. Unless you’re a Nepalese monk, that statement holds no credibility to me. Everyone cares to a certain degree about material wealth. But I <i>AM</i> a firm believer that consuming experiences is more important than amassing possessions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">By the time I had earned my learner’s permit to drive car, I had tasted the cool-aid of being an entrepreneur. I had a lawn business that made more money than I could rightfully spend. I had grown up the only child of an entrepreneur, and when I wasn't working or practicing sports, my dad was teaching me the capitals of the world (I knew all of SA, Europe and parts of Asia by 10). I learned of multi-cultural business customs, the art negotiation, and the value of dreaming big. I learned that “if a frog had wings, it wouldn’t bump its ass so much.” In other words, there are certain things in life that cannot be controlled, but our attitude will determine the outcome even when things seem impossible. He taught me that we hold the key that opens both the door to success and failure because they are the same door…Success is just a few more feet beyond the threshold than failure.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">These are lessons I learned. And when my dad and I would dream of the success we would attain, what I always valued higher than the cars, houses, rounds of golf in exotic locations, etc was dreaming of the satisfaction of knowing that despite the odds, the naysayers, the slip ups, and the failures (learning experiences), we made it… together.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">It is that moment that I would give. It is that embrace as a family and as business that I strive each day to attain. That moment in history when the stars align, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we paid honor to our lives and those that made them possible. That we lived unafraid of the uncertainty, and we came out on top.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">However, no price would I pay even if I possessed all the wealth in the world to take a shortcut to reach it, for a shortcut would undermine all the true value of that it holds. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">A very Merry Christmas to all, and may you and your family be blessed this coming New Year.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">-Jamey</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">PS, I didn't make the 200 word limit, but, at least I tried... and was pretty close. <a href="http://letsblogoff.com/if-money-were-no-object.html">Read more Let's Blog Off Posts Here!! They're all very much worth it.</a></span></span></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-64035865563282363442010-12-17T12:01:00.001-05:002010-12-17T12:10:56.822-05:00It's a Wonderful Business Life Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Read <a href="http://ecoprotectiveproducts.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-wonderful-business-life.html">It's a Wonderful Business Life Part 1</a> here.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eco-Protective Products opened it's doors (we don't have a store front location so this is purely metaphorical) for business in January 2008. At the inception of the business, we had a proven exterior paint that was eco-friendly in composition and delivered quantifiable benefits in performance (energy efficiency, durability, and longevity) stacked against other paint manufacturers. In 2008, at least at the onset, the building market showed continued growth, albeit not as robust as the early 2000s, and Green Building was proving it had all the signs of a long-term standard not a fad, short-lived trend.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQuYEd716wI/AAAAAAAAAOU/YVxQnF_gyvw/s1600/ist2_11593513-successful-business-colleagues-with-hands-raised-in-excitement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQuYEd716wI/AAAAAAAAAOU/YVxQnF_gyvw/s320/ist2_11593513-successful-business-colleagues-with-hands-raised-in-excitement.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: iStockphoto... no that's not EPP's staff</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From day one, the excitement level was palpable. We were poised for unprecedented success, and we already had the right people and products in place to assure that it would happen. The business plan was simple: maintain growth with our existing distributors and expand brand awareness through placing "eco-friendly" ahead of "high-quality" for our value proposition, targeting our marketing efforts to Green Building, updating product names to be inline with said strategy, redesigning product labels, and by aligning ourselves with rising stars within the sustainable building industry. Insert new brand name, new logo, new slogan. Gone was the old website and a new one took its place. We joined the USGBC, attended monthly events, and chatted to anyone that would lend an ear about our innovative paints.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the time, this marketer was too inexperienced to understand the importance of SEO, too naive to recognize that a website doesn't sell products, people do. But, like I said, ignorance consumed me, and I waited. Waited on the waves of Green Builders to blow up my inbox and voicemail. Surely, before long, Ty Pennington would be soliciting product donations for the next Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I would be on the cover of Southern Living in no time, and by the time I celebrated my first Christmas in the real world, I'd be doing so listening to Jimmy Buffett's Christmas Island album on a boat sailing somewhere in Caribbean. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Within our first three months operating as Eco-Protective Products, we were hired to supply paint to a high-profile condominium complex in Palm Beach, FL, had representatives meeting with top government officials about EPP implementation into greening strategies, and a building boom that would never end (our biggest markets were Florida, Arizona, and California).</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQuZV7g2BCI/AAAAAAAAAOY/VgnCYHi939g/s1600/housing_bubble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQuZV7g2BCI/AAAAAAAAAOY/VgnCYHi939g/s320/housing_bubble.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"></span>If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, we had tamed a gaggle of geese and were content. With our connections and website, our products would continue to sell themselves. <activate; auto="" pilot.=""> Along comes the Great Housing Bubble Burst and the economic free fall of 2008 and 2009. And this is the point where the school of hard knocks begins -- and to continue with the theme of this post, <b>It's a Wonderful Business Life</b>, not only is our business better for the following missteps but I am, too. </activate;></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Each Lesson Links to Its Own Page</u></span><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://ecoprotectiveproducts.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-wonderful-business-life-part-2.html">Lesson 1</a> -</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Don't buy into big promises. Trust your gut and ignore the hype</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 2 - </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Rebranding - not as easy as creating a new logo and catch phrase</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 3 - </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The common push-back, "well, I've never heard of your product, so because I know everything about energy efficiency and sustainable design, your product must not be good enough" and how to overcome it.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 4 -</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Everyone and their brother, mother, and twitter followers want to verify your Green Product but who verifies them?</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 5 </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">- A</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">n email can't replace the value of a phone call can't replace the value of an honest handshake</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 6</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> - Growing through a recession</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 7 </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">- Your business is no better than you are. Remember to sell yourself and buy in</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 8 - </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">There's no right price for the wrong product - When product launches fail</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 9 </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> - Never, never, never, never give up.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Lesson 10 </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">- Lastly, the importance of building a support group of other small business owners & entrepreneurs to share ideas, strategies, laughs, at times, tears, and most importantly to be there to help each other up again when the battles we face each day knock us down. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-45204604575871686972010-12-14T09:23:00.001-05:002010-12-14T13:21:52.562-05:00It's a Wonderful Business Life Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQboXVHZdyI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YHUUWSyNXhM/s1600/Atlanta_Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQboXVHZdyI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YHUUWSyNXhM/s1600/Atlanta_Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQboXVHZdyI/AAAAAAAAAOM/YHUUWSyNXhM/s320/Atlanta_Snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Part 1 of 2</u></b></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">This post is an adaptation from one I </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">posted on my personal blog yesterday, but I felt the need to share it here. Over the weekend, like most, I spent the majority of my 48 hours away from the office huddled inside by the fire keeping warm from the frigid weather that has its grip on most of the country. Heck, I even think South Florida experienced frost Saturday morning – if it had been today, I’d venture to say they’d have closed down the schools. I know back in my hometown of Atlanta, the threat of snow flurries sent overzealous moms racing to the grocery store in a fit of panic to buy bread, milk and other necessities deemed to be essential to survival of the approaching “apocalyptic” storm – and we [southerners] wonder why Northerners laugh at us, but to all “yous” scoffing Yanks, I cordially invite “ya’ll” down yonder to south Georgia during late August, and we’ll be even. </span><br />
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Anyhow, as the fire crackled and I mindlessly browsed what was on television (ugh, how archaic! I should have been streaming Netflix to my Blue Ray Player, right?) Saturday night, I happened upon one of my favorite Christmas movies, It’s a Wonderful Life. Not only does the movie capture the timeless essence of the Christmas season – a season of genuine love and compassion for our fellow man, but it also underscores the unpredictability of life and how even the most impassioned of planners [George Bailey] cannot guarantee a certain route to follow.<br />
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Many of the followers of this blog are entrepreneurs, small business owners, and salespeople, thus I’m especially speaking to them, but the movie’s lessons are equally applicable to any person from any walk of life.<br />
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In my opinion, the movie delivers an especially poignant message to those that label themselves as dreamers and risk takes. George Bailey, played by the great Jimmy Stewart, leads a life rife with misfortune, and he is befallen with many setbacks to the pursuit of the dreams of his youth. Although he doesn't realize it until the movie's climactic ending when he sees the world devoid of his existence, his life created immeasurable value and meaning to his loved ones and the community of Seneca Falls.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mrmUipa1kc4?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> </span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQbpaxOd5KI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/zTDjBoYwFwE/s1600/detour.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQbpaxOd5KI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/zTDjBoYwFwE/s1600/detour.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 3em; margin-right: 3em; margin-top: 3em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TQbpaxOd5KI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/zTDjBoYwFwE/s200/detour.png" width="182" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Though we can easily become distracted by the detours and outright roadblocks that cause us to alter our path in business and life, I doubt anyone has ever set out on the journey of life and anticipated each twist and turn along the way. Lesson to take from the movie: we are better for them.<br />
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Business deals that fizzle free us to connect with other companies and customers more deserving of our time and resources.<br />
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Product launches that fall flat refocus our attention to core competencies, products, and services.<br />
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I once read, “There’s no right price for the wrong item.” And that goes for marketing. No matter how flashy, tech savvy, or well-accepted around the office, marketing campaigns that lack results remind us to always put the customers’ needs first and build a marketing strategy from that point.<br />
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I could write for days about finding the silver lining within each hardship and struggle, but the point is clear: Be like George at the end of the movie; don’t wallow in self-pity because things didn’t work out as planned, instead choose to see the that each obstacle is life’s way of getting us back on our true path from which we had momentarily deviated.<br />
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“Every adversity, every failure, and every heartbreak carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.” – Napoleon Hill<br />
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Go forth with a smile for we only have to get up one more time than life knocks us down. That’s not too tough to do now is it?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Part 2 of this 2 part blog post will be published on Friday, December 17 and will be a comprehensive review of the lessons learned over a 3 year period since Eco-Protective Products' inception in January 2008. Some of the topics are listed below</span></span><br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Growing through a recession</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rebranding - not as easy as creating a new logo and catch phrase</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Traditional marketing materials, why they might not be worth the paper they're printed on</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When to fire a customer</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trust your gut no matter how good the hype makes you feel</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An email can't replace the value of a phone call can't replace the value of an honest handshake</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone and their brother, mother, and twitter followers want to verify your Green Product but who verifies them?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The common push-back, "well, I've never heard of your product, so because I know everything about energy efficiency and sustainable design, your product must not be good enough" and how to overcome it.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, the importance of building a support group of other small business owners & entrepreneurs to share ideas, strategies, laughs, at times, tears, and most importantly to be there to help each other up again when the battles we face each day knock us down. </span></li>
</ul><br />
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</span></span></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-52502696632631695172010-12-07T11:12:00.006-05:002010-12-08T23:29:53.911-05:00So you're given your own island, now what??<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">This post is part of the <a href="http://letsblogoff.com/youve-just-been-given-an-island.html" target="_blank">Letsblogoff</a> series of blogs that is a blogging community exercise that asks participants to blog on a set subject two times each month. Learn more and read the other posts <a href="http://letsblogoff.com/youve-just-been-given-an-island.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5FkaWJNaI/AAAAAAAAAN0/fGZVUFhLgBI/s1600/lord_of_the_flies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5FkaWJNaI/AAAAAAAAAN0/fGZVUFhLgBI/s200/lord_of_the_flies.jpg" width="200" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I’m suddenly taken back to seventh grade English and Mrs. Morris’?(I’m only 25 and already forgetting names of prominent figures in my childhood? Damn) class at Dickerson Middle School reading Lord of the Flies. The characters in the book are tragically doomed not because of their inherent evil but because ignorance leads to fear which leads to anarchy. In order to survive and ultimately prosper on a far away island, establishing order is an absolute necessity; however, establishing rules and assigning responsibilities cannot be done from a position of self-appointed power, but it must be achieved from cooperative engagement and building of ‘community’. Easier said than done.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I look at examples from fictional books & movies as well as human history, and it is clear that a system of governance that rewards each member of the community equally indifferent of his/her contributions and value is destined to failure (e.g. communism). The ideals may be noble, but in practicality, it breeds unrest and, ultimately, revolt.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5FLuhlaOI/AAAAAAAAANw/u-l7mkHtGeg/s1600/berlin-wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5FLuhlaOI/AAAAAAAAANw/u-l7mkHtGeg/s200/berlin-wall.jpg" width="200" /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">For such reasons, my island’s economy would be based upon utilizing each inhabitant’s given skills and abilities – those necessary for survival at first – in order to establish a barter exchange system, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">and the government modeled after the US Constitution with the exception of the need for a standing army, as you will see below</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">. I could expand upon each contingency, but for many reasons, not least of which is that it is already boring me, I will not.</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Steps to Success</span></span></b></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So, this is where things get real. I’m sure I’m not alone in my pondering over whether to take a serious, silly or somewhat sarcastic (or alliterative?? Ha) tone with this portion. </span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">On to the fun part of the exercise – who to bring, what to bring…<i>where</i> to bring? Dangit, “<i>where”</i> doesn’t belong there. It’s obvious that the where is the island. But can it please be the place Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole sings of in his version of <u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWeL181JFIk" target="_blank">Over the Rainbow</a></u>? This song/video will make your day</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I'm not sure I can create a list - what's more important, an engineer or dental floss? A pocket knife or a radio? A water purifier or bocce ball? Banana Boat SPF 16 Sport or a snorkel - I do love diving. A nutritional expert or my Garmin (wouldn't want to be stuck behind an iguana migration without knowing an alternative route to the tiki bar and conga line)? </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Good thing there's always CDW in case I forget something. </span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QOqz4PqXt_E?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> And we'll definitely need the "signs of a good party". And no, I never got into LOST. Just wasn't my thing. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RKB1nDZgJYY?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">So here's my take on the whole thing....</span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Phase 1. SHELTER</span></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">I’m moving to an faraway, desolate island. Once there, the immediate primary task, thank you <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/man-vs-wild/" target="_blank">Bear Grylls</a>, is to establish shelter, necessary to provide protection from the island’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creepy_Crawlers" target="_blank">Creepy Crawlers</a> and Mother Nature’s weather elements. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5NZdceTxI/AAAAAAAAAN4/rRSIFPn8B9c/s1600/emhe-shelter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5NZdceTxI/AAAAAAAAAN4/rRSIFPn8B9c/s320/emhe-shelter.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Given the abundance of qualified people out of 6 Billion+ to entrust with the responsibility of constructing shelter, I’m taking Ty Pennington and the staff of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Functional, sustainable, and entertaining are sure to be the words to describe the "shelters" that will house the island’s inhabitants. Not only that, but the enthusiasm on the island will be palpable, and we will help some deserving families along the way. I do not look forward to the day when ABC cancels this show. Each story touches my heart and propels me into the week with a wonderful perspective on life. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Side note: I would certainly enter into a contract with ABC (Disney) to sell the television rights to the island in exchange for (1) Kenny Mayne from ESPN to provide color commentary on the island’s daily activities and (2) the construction of a mini-theme park - no tea cups ride allowed.... worst ride, ever, period.</span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Phase 2. SUSTINANCE & NUTRITION </span></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Calling for passengers named Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis & Chuck Norris to approach the gate check-in counter. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5OTwomAVI/AAAAAAAAAN8/Hjpo65OM5tU/s1600/paula-dean-150x150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5OTwomAVI/AAAAAAAAAN8/Hjpo65OM5tU/s1600/paula-dean-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">It’s no secret among my friends that I love, really I do, being healthy: eating healthy, regular exercise, and taking vitamins consistently. I’m taking Mrs. Deen because, boy lemme tell ya, I’m Georgia born and Georgia bred, and even if her recipes don't agree with my current ‘diet regime’ (so many rich, delicious ingredients), I could listen to her soft, soothing, Southern drawl and be back home no matter how far from it I may be. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5OZ9ul4WI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Igofbb4rnXo/s1600/bobbyflay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5OZ9ul4WI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Igofbb4rnXo/s200/bobbyflay.jpg" width="155" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Bobby Flay seems like the logical choice if I had to choose just 1 chef to accompany us to this new settlement. With the astounding number of Iron Chef America victories under his ‘chef’s hat’, there is no way the island will present him a ‘secret ingredient’ that he cannot utilize to create a delectable, nutritious feast. Plus, who doesn't want to 'throw down' with Bobby Flay. </span></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5Oe7wksNI/AAAAAAAAAOE/GUw2EKfx1pQ/s1600/giada_deLaurentiis_cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5Oe7wksNI/AAAAAAAAAOE/GUw2EKfx1pQ/s200/giada_deLaurentiis_cooking.jpg" width="150" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Lastly, Giada gets the nod to join us because who, and I’m seriously asking this question, who can ever be upset when watching her cook? And not just because she is beautiful. Psychologically speaking, there will be many internal struggles to cope with once we are forever alone on this island, and surrounding ourselves with positive oriented people (see Ty Pennington above) will be an immeasurable asset to our success and survival.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5OwLjCAHI/AAAAAAAAAOI/nqzFV2nYrmY/s1600/chucknorris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP5OwLjCAHI/AAAAAAAAAOI/nqzFV2nYrmY/s200/chucknorris.jpg" width="200" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Chuck Norris fills two roles simultaneously. First, his total gym is not only a great way to stay in shape, but because land, thus storage space, will be scarce on the island, the total gym provides the convenience of quick and minimal storage. Secondly, should the island be inhabited by cannibalistic natives, upon seeing Chuck Norris’ beard, fists and round-house kicks, they will immediately pledge their cooperation and peace.</span></span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Phase 3. CULTURE</span></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">A simple study into the evolution of mankind reveals that until the two primary needs, shelter and sustenance, were met, culture was hindered in its development. It wasn’t until the cultivation of maiz and other agricultural products that communities could begin to develop. Luckily, we have anticipated these needs, and as a result, the island will be able form its own unique culture almost immediately upon colonization.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Celebration of culture, the arts & humanities, will be the underlying force behind the island colony’s success. Void of culture, we revert to animalistic, savage behavior – again see Lord of the Flies. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Unlike the celebrities chosen above for shelter and nutrition, we will not need a star-studded community of musicians, actors and artists for culture to flourish. I love a good movie, can be moved to tears by a beautiful song, and appreciate thought provoking artwork, but I think community and culture are better fostered by fireside sing-a-longs, intimate story telling, and creating art that emerges from our own soul. Each of us has a unique gift, and given the chance, we can do some pretty amazing things. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">PEOPLE ARE AWESOME - JUST GIVE 'EM A CHANCE</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vo0Cazxj_yc?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe></span></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Phase 4. INNOVATION</span></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Lastly, I want to discuss innovation. A society, big or small, that ignores change and ceases to innovate will be a society that ceases to exist. As generation 1 begins to age, it will be the responsibility of Generation 2 & 3 to continue the progress on the island. To quote John Lennon, "You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." And given proper application of resources, in a few generations' time, we may develop the longer lasting battery. Thus, in order for that to happen, it is back to Generation 1 to instill the values of virtue, diligence, & love into the island born children. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">In closing, this exercise has been fun and rewarding. My mind raced toward an infinite number of possible scenarios, only one of which made it on this blog. Yet each, no matter how different, would be dependent upon the adherence to certain core values and principles in order to succeed. </span></span><br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">No man is an island entire of itself; every man<br />
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;<br />
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe<br />
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as<br />
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine<br />
own were; any man's death diminishes me,<br />
because I am involved in mankind.<br />
And therefore never send to know for whom<br />
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.<br />
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John Donne </span></span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">PS Gang, I cheated. I read some of your posts before posting, and my reaction is much the same as all of yours: I would either start swimming after a week or 2 or drift into insanity to as a means to escape the confines of the island. I love new people and places, and I find it a tragedy to see people content with never leaving their home towns, but to each their own. Cheers!!- Jamey</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-75981211826398638552010-12-06T13:59:00.001-05:002010-12-06T21:29:30.133-05:00Less is More this ChristmasI finally feel composed enough after taking Rip Van Winkle like slumber after gorging myself on Thanksgiving to sit down and express some thoughts regarding this Christmas season. (Side note Happy Chanukah to those who began their celebrations last week!)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPfKR_BMZsI/AAAAAAAAANU/ks0Gm8YaXlM/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPfKR_BMZsI/AAAAAAAAANU/ks0Gm8YaXlM/s200/IMG_0349.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Dad's beautifully smoked turkey <br />
coming of the Big Green Egg</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Not only did Thanksgiving afford me the opportunity to spend time with friends and family members (big thanks to Leesa (Mom) and Faye (Grandmother)), whom I had not seen since moving to EPP's new office location in Charleston, SC, but it gave me time to reflect on the idea that sometimes (not always) the cliche that "Less is More" is 100% accurate.<br />
<br />
Even as a child when I was without an alternative and was forced kicking and screaming to accompany my mother and her friends on Black Friday shopping sprees, more often than not, the "shopping sprees" were more about quality time spent with friends and less about finding that long sought after deal at Macy's, Rich's or Sak's. I'm certainly not going to criticize or poke fun at those who awake prior to the paper boy to hunt down deals or those determined to pile the latest gadgets, toys, and trends under the Christmas tree. Like anyone else, I enjoy new gizmos and try to dress fashionably, but as a society, I feel that we've lost touch with the meaning of gift giving.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP0FHkJACDI/AAAAAAAAANs/_A6Pcf9FmT8/s1600/xmasgifts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TP0FHkJACDI/AAAAAAAAANs/_A6Pcf9FmT8/s320/xmasgifts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>From Christmas to birthdays and so on, "if it's not the priciest, then it isn't a worthy gift"is a motto many go by. It's reported that consumers spent an estimated <a href="http://www.creditnet.com/credit-news/consumers-spend-more-than-1-billion-on-cyber-monday-800268855.php">$1 Billion this "Cyber Monday</a>." And despite the fact I rejoice at that news as a sign of economic improvement, I worry about the cultural shift it underscores.<br />
<br />
How many parents cave to giving their kids gaming systems or cell phones before they can read, do basic arithmetic, etc.? How many husbands (don't) know what interests their wives? And buy jewelry in lieu of a thoughtful gift (and vice versa)? I remember when a list for Santa consisted of 2-3 material presents and 2-3 noble ideals; does that still exist? Hardly, lists are pages long, double spaced, 12 pt font and posted on Facebook. And worse, instead of asking, hoping, being extremely good so Santa will reward their behavior, to the kids, the gifts are expected, if not demanded. But the cultural shift is another topic for another post.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPz2rw1W0KI/AAAAAAAAANo/G2Ix2HNgGg4/s1600/IMG_0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPz2rw1W0KI/AAAAAAAAANo/G2Ix2HNgGg4/s320/IMG_0407.JPG" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Santa, there are still no presents under my tree &<br />
I promise I was good this year.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As I begin searching for gift ideas, I think back to the meaningful ones I've received in my life. Those that immediately come to mind didn't fetch a hefty price but were thoughtful - hand made gifts from my mother, books from my dad, family treasures from grandparents. These were gifts that transcended dollar value and touched the soul. <br />
<br />
For years, Americans have piled on holiday debt only as a means to keep up with the proverbial Jones' to later find those debt laden gifts outdated, unwanted, or unused months if not just a few weeks later.<br />
<br />
On this blog we focus more on promoting energy efficiency and sustainability than touting "green" to be green products and services, so I'm not going to urge you to buy some $250 phone charger just because it's solar powered. As Paul Anater says over at his Blog, <a href="http://www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com/2010/12/i-said-it-last-year-and-ill-say-same.html">Kitchen and Residential Design</a>, "screw greening your Christmas, make it sustainable instead."This season, due to economic hardships, many Americans will abstain from gifting big ticket items like iPads, Playstations, or a 3D Televisions, and give the most sustainable gifts of all, gifts with meaning and that convey the love of the giver. It's amazing how a child will ultimately forget or worse break that toy he/she had to have, but they'll always (speaking from experience) cherish the scrap book of pictures & school work compiled by a loving mother.<br />
<br />
It wasn't the presents that made the Whos in Whoville gather to sing; it was the love of each other that did: the most sustaining gift of all. This song still puts a giant smile on my face (from the end of Dr. Suess' <u>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</u>)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qKagQWqr87Q?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></div><br />
Please, share some of your treasured gifts and holiday (Christmas or Hanukkah) memories.<br />
<br />
Happy shopping: 19 Shopping Days RemainingJamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-71066647394691407142010-12-02T21:21:00.000-05:002010-12-02T21:21:59.471-05:00Don't be an Eyesore, Less is More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPfTYXbtsJI/AAAAAAAAANY/zasMNgJcWlc/s1600/wa_lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPfTYXbtsJI/AAAAAAAAANY/zasMNgJcWlc/s320/wa_lights.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I'm not sure what sparked the early arrival of Christmas decorations, but driving to and from Atlanta for Thanksgiving last week, I opted for back roads, and through each small town, I counted at least 10 residences that already had Santas, icicle lights, wreathes and bows adorning the front yards and home facades. What was more shocking than the premature appearance of these decorations (not to mention the Christmas displays in stores and commercials on TV prior to Halloween) was the extreme lengths people had taken to obviously out do their neighbors.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">This is no new phenomenon as folks have been escalating their visible holiday cheer for years. I've always been partial to candles in the window and a nice wreath spot lighted on the front door, but if your sense of decor isn't like mine, perhaps this Christmas the idea of saving a little money and energy might persuade you to limit the front yard's display. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPfUtAx-weI/AAAAAAAAANc/qrAsz7SnM78/s1600/ugly-christmas-lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPfUtAx-weI/AAAAAAAAANc/qrAsz7SnM78/s320/ugly-christmas-lights.jpg" width="320" /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Not only does over doing the decorations look tacky but it is a tremendous strain on energy consumption and will leave families footing the bill long after the presents are unwrapped on Christmas morning. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Experts at <a href="http://www.christmaslightsanddecorations.com/energy-cost-calculator.aspx">Christmas Lights & Decorations</a> say, "most holiday energy is consumed by Christmas lights and decorations, and the easiest way to conserve in your home during the holidays is to monitor your energy consumption.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPhSuuk9byI/AAAAAAAAANk/Pz6yebg1bII/s1600/tackyxmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPhSuuk9byI/AAAAAAAAANk/Pz6yebg1bII/s320/tackyxmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">"With energy costs continually on the rise, a single home could be looking at using thousands of extra kilowatts and spending more than an additional $100 a month on energy simply with the addition of Christmas lights to the décor. By using fewer lights, and bulbs that are more energy efficient, you can cut your energy consumption by more than 80% and save a bundle on your hydro bill."</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Here are a few tips for saving energy this Christmas season</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPhRx9ThO_I/AAAAAAAAANg/_U-_XikdDYg/s1600/wreathes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TPhRx9ThO_I/AAAAAAAAANg/_U-_XikdDYg/s200/wreathes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Use<a href="http://www.christmaslightsetc.com/led-christmas-lights.htm"> LED lights</a> instead of energy intensive incandescent lights. They may be more expensive but last longer, use up to 80% less energy, and are shatterproof, shock proof, and cool to the touch.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Use non-electric decorations such as such as wreaths, garlands, stockings and tinsel.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Use a timer. Putting your Christmas lights on a timer is a great way of saving energy. A timer helps avoid lights staying on when you are not home, during the day or all night if you forget to turn them off. </span></span></li>
</ol><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">But if you still feel the urge to light up your house so it's visible from the International Space Station, take a cue from America's classic family, the Griswolds. One of my favorite movies this time of year, Christmas Vacation.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> <iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8xRbyK4Gj7g?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Happy decorating.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">-JB</span></span></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-69403442266183488822010-11-23T12:36:00.000-05:002010-11-23T12:36:28.096-05:00Brush Away Those Winter Blues<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv1kO5H1GI/AAAAAAAAAM4/jfXlPV3NyHo/s1600/wintertree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv1kO5H1GI/AAAAAAAAAM4/jfXlPV3NyHo/s320/wintertree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Ok so there are hundreds, excuse me, thousands of self-help books, CDs, blogs, podcasts etc offering solutions to improve one’s mood. If you’re anything like me, at the onset of winter, you’re ready for a change: change of wardrobe, outdoor/indoor activities (camping, sitting by the fireplace, skiing, etc), but by January, the psychological effects of dreary skies, chilling temperatures, and short days start to take effect. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b>WHEN IS SPRING GONNA ARRIVE??</b></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv2NOVvI_I/AAAAAAAAAM8/dCS6vIrWlUY/s1600/groundhog_day.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv2NOVvI_I/AAAAAAAAAM8/dCS6vIrWlUY/s200/groundhog_day.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Groundhog Day with Bill Murray is<br />
one of my all time favorite movies.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Please, let the groundhog not see his shadow this year, I want an early spring. Sound familiar? Well, there’s not much we can do to change weather patterns (pretty sure the tilt of the Earth’s axis is not about to change anytime soon) but there are some simple solutions to brighten up your everyday life even as it remains bleak outside.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><u>C</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><u>O</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"><u>L</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;"><u>O</u></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><u>R</u></span></b> plays an important, if not vital role as an environmental factor of our mood. Since I’m no interior designer (although for a bachelor, I do have color coordinated linens), below, I’ve deferred to the advice of trained professionals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Paint is one of the least expensive and best home interior decorating techniques to bring a room to life, but before you rush out and buy your favorite paint color, you have to ask yourself one question. It is...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">"What mood do I want to create in this room?" Do you want it to feel warm and cozy? Or maybe you prefer lively and cheerful?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Your answer is very important because it will determine which side of the color spectrum matches your style and personality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv22VPNq0I/AAAAAAAAANA/nDSem5cxA0E/s1600/yellowwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv22VPNq0I/AAAAAAAAANA/nDSem5cxA0E/s1600/yellowwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv22VPNq0I/AAAAAAAAANA/nDSem5cxA0E/s320/yellowwall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #999999;">Soft yellow uplifts without agitating.</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #999999;"><br />
</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #999999;"><br />
</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffe599;"><b><br />
</b></span></div></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0.1pt; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Warm up. If you feel depressed, your house colors may be too cool. "If you are a person with depression issues," Pike says, "you don't want to have cool tones." For people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, for example, Pike recommends mood-enhancing warm tones such as yellows, soft reds and oranges. Energizing warm tones convey happiness. But be careful not to overdo it. Bright yellow, for example, can agitate. Look for a softer version of a strong color.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv35rsM19I/AAAAAAAAANI/Cg5Ytpoohfc/s1600/1greenwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv35rsM19I/AAAAAAAAANI/Cg5Ytpoohfc/s1600/1greenwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv35rsM19I/AAAAAAAAANI/Cg5Ytpoohfc/s1600/1greenwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv35rsM19I/AAAAAAAAANI/Cg5Ytpoohfc/s320/1greenwall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">Cool shades slow the heart rate and lower body temperature.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Cool down. Are you a fast talker? If you feel antsy, your house colors may be too warm. Consider adding cool shades, such as blue and green. Cool shades slow your heart rate and lower your body temperature. "Find a blue that has its toes dipped in green," Pike suggests. "That is absolutely satisfying." And although it is a warm tone, pink is also tranquilizing, as are neutrals.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv47m2wo7I/AAAAAAAAANM/6D6J8rdxJ3U/s1600/neutralpaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv47m2wo7I/AAAAAAAAANM/6D6J8rdxJ3U/s1600/neutralpaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv47m2wo7I/AAAAAAAAANM/6D6J8rdxJ3U/s320/neutralpaint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #fce5cd;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #666666;">Neutrals create a restful environment.</span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Stay in neutral. While not the best medicine for people suffering from depression, restful neutrals are great for people who like a calm environment and who like to switch out colors in their furniture and accessories as their mood changes. Neutrals are also the best bet for those planning to sell their homes. Neutrals allow prospective homebuyers to envision themselves in a home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv6F386HiI/AAAAAAAAANQ/o-5daDXtZMo/s1600/IMG_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv6F386HiI/AAAAAAAAANQ/o-5daDXtZMo/s1600/IMG_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOv6F386HiI/AAAAAAAAANQ/o-5daDXtZMo/s320/IMG_0272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Try a color before you commit.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Sample color. Before settling on a particular color, try it on your walls. Paint a large patch on the wall or on poster board and live with the color for a week. Because light changes our perception of color, the same color may look different at various times of day and in each room of the house. Most people are not afraid of color, Pike says, but of choosing the wrong color. "We all have emotional responses to color," she says, "so colors can serve as tools to help us feel better."</span></span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">Eco Accents Low VOC interior latex paint by Eco-Protective Products is available in over 1200 colors. <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/eco_accents.html">Click here</a> for more information or <a href="mailto:sales@ecoprotectiveproducts.com">email us here</a> for ordering info.</span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-72776647320521292562010-11-16T12:26:00.001-05:002010-11-19T07:31:39.975-05:00Thanks for Everything<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" id="lbo_frame" scrolling="no" src="http://letsblogoff.com/badge.html?eating" target="_blank" width="200"><p><p><p><p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p></p></p></p></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">In 2007, over the Thanksgiving break from the University of Georgia, when my father approached me with the idea to utilize my International Finance and Spanish degrees to help re-brand and revitalize his paint business as an alternative to pursuing a career as an Investment Banker or Financial Analyst, I saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime. Do not be fooled, the job was not going to be easy – my father would never allow me to take the easy road. There would be no silver spoon, no coat tails with which to ride, no meetings left unattended, no sales call not made, and no abundance of sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">It hasn’t been a cakewalk, but three years later to the week, our business has seen growth each calendar year; our brand (Eco-Protective Products) has become recognizable to some but not overly known – still work to be done; personally, we have deepened our father-son relationship, and I have learned invaluable lessons of life and business from him and my experience along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">I’ve always been told that if we do not stop to appreciate that which we already possess, we can never expect to receive more. So to commemorate my three years with the family business, this is my thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">I am not quite sure when we, as people, develop the mental faculties to truly begin to appreciate things we have in our lives. Is it a function of maturity, age, or accumulated experience (all three similar but also very distinct)? Do we awaken to the reality of what's precious to us by chance, situational environment, or at milestones? Does it take tragedy to strip away the unnecessary fluff of the everyday, the mundane, to find the inner meaning, substance, and value in our trip around the sun?</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">As a regular contributor to this blog, I'll be honest to our readers; I can't say that at my age I have the all the answers - I certainly do not, and each day I realize that I’m probably not even aware of all the right questions to ask. To me, life has been [cliché] a roller coaster. As uncommon as I have perceived my experiences to be, I know that shear statistical probability means that there are hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions who have lived 25 (almost 26) years on this green and blue planet similar to my own. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">As I contemplated the subject for this post, I felt the need to expand on some profound theme, but while helping elementary school students at church make pictures depicting things for which they are thankful, I had the epiphany, and I knew what I wanted to write. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">Raised as an only child, I sometimes wonder how to define what a home is. From one perspective, home can be a fire place, laughter, accumulated sports trophies, hardship, birthday parties, troubled times, Christmas card pictures, tears, missed high-fives from over exuberance, burnt meals, treasured suppers, doggie treats, All Dogs Go to Heaven, hugs and kisses, arguments - "I'll never raise my kids like you", prayers and at times curses, broken bones, mended hearts, story time, good report cards and, at times, urgent parent-teacher conferences. Parents are super heros then they become the enemy. Home is base camp for hide and go seek, refuge from summer jobs, and the return from summer vacations. It is sneaking out at 11 and the sneaking back in at 7-- only to get caught, grounded, spanked, put into time-out - whatever punishment fit the crime. </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">Home is ears when no one else will listen. Home is your favorite t-shirt hidden away in the attic. <span class="apple-style-span">It’s where sleeping in my parent's bed is ok because I was scared, and it’s where Jiminy Cricket sings to me to wish upon a star. It’s taco salad night, or perhaps, it's Friday Night under the Lights in Raider Valley. It’s graduation day, an empty nest once again, but it’s where I return again four years later. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;"><b>Is that really what home is?</b></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">Home can be anywhere and anything because home is not just shelves, roof shingles, eco friendly paint (product plug), hard wood floors, GE appliances, or a drive under garage; it's not necessarily the laughter that fills the halls or the sobs of sorrow when we say goodbye; it's not sleepovers, the Super Bowl party, or the time the neighbors had one too many on Christmas Eve; it's not the flood in the basement from the Washing Machine or the subsequent one from Atlanta's storms in 2009; it's not the renovation, the landscaping, the trampoline, or countless games of H-O-R-S-E. It’s not Super Mario, Sega Genesis, an N-64, Playstation or XBox (although thank you Santa); home certainly is not the broken coffee table (I had to break in the new baseball glove) or the broken windows (it was Brent's fault); it's not the beers you caught me drinking in high school, although that was a terrifying experience to say the least; it's not when I drove away to college or when I came home with 2 degrees; it's not the place I left when I moved to a new state, and it will not be the place I return to in one week. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;"><b>These are just the symptoms and signs of a good home.</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">It is you, Mom and Dad, that are Home to me. No matter how far apart we may be, I can always go home by picking up my phone, or reading that Facebook post from you mom, or the encouraging email from you Dad. For 25 (almost 26) years, I have fought, loved, hated, argued with you, but this Thanksgiving, I say thank you. It is the idea of home & the love of family you instilled in me that makes me who I am.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">In business and life, your brand may grow – something for which every business strives – but do not be fooled, success is not derived from the products we sell but from the people we are. </span></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">In closing, to quote a beloved American icon, Forrest Gump, "<b>That's all I have to say about that.</b>"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana;">-Jamey</span>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-40097084751590626862010-11-16T07:34:00.002-05:002010-11-16T08:10:16.279-05:00Weatherization - The Key to a Comfy Winter<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I know for many parts of the country, winter is already taken a firm grip </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">that will not release until March, Arpil or even May for some areas. However, there is still time (even if the snow is falling high outside your door) to take minor winterization and weatherization steps to save you money this season. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2hEQ_AYI/AAAAAAAAAMs/y-2AyJ3svF8/s1600/Drafts_Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2hEQ_AYI/AAAAAAAAAMs/y-2AyJ3svF8/s320/Drafts_Door.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2OSO5iqI/AAAAAAAAAMo/79n8zhym8Rk/s1600/dog_sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2OSO5iqI/AAAAAAAAAMo/79n8zhym8Rk/s1600/dog_sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2OSO5iqI/AAAAAAAAAMo/79n8zhym8Rk/s1600/dog_sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use. Start simple and adopt that old Great Depression fixture -- the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/5131"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">draft snake</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which you can easily make yourself. Just place a rolled bath towel under a drafty door, or make a more </span></span></span><a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/door-draft-stoppers-draft-snakes-460109"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">attractive DIY draft snake</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> with googly eyes, felt tongues and the like. You can use any scraps of fabric -- even neckties -- and fill with sand or kitty litter for heft. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Make sure drafts aren't giving your thermostat a false reading too, and read on for more advanced solutions</span></span></span>.</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Change furnace filters regularly (typically once per month). This will ensure your furnace runs efficiently and conserves power to keep you warm</span></span></span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ3Zfeh-4I/AAAAAAAAAM0/zMPqJmWWlXQ/s1600/thermostat.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ3Zfeh-4I/AAAAAAAAAM0/zMPqJmWWlXQ/s320/thermostat.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Don't forget to TURN DOWN your thermostat when no one is at home or at night. For every degree you lower the thermostat during heating season, you'll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. Make it easier with a programmable thermostat; they are widely available for as little as $50, and the average family will save $180 a year with one. Go one step further and ask your local utility if it's making smart meters available in your area as part of recent federal smart grid investments.</span></span></span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ3FDpELpI/AAAAAAAAAMw/jlkbp0bnnbw/s1600/window_film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ3FDpELpI/AAAAAAAAAMw/jlkbp0bnnbw/s320/window_film.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">LOW-E window film. For a small price, you can DIY by covering your windows with a virtually invisible film that buffers air flow, keeping warm air in and frigid air out. Found at the <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Window-Films-Heat-Glare-Control/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xqwZbrcn/R-100588591/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">Home Depot</a> or any home improvement store. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Update your home's insulation. Although this may seem common sense, many older homes do not have insulated ceilings, attics, and in between some walls. If you are a Georgia resident, contact <a href="http://www.woodmaninsulation.com/">Woodman Insulation</a> and ask for Sandra Cummins.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Insulate pipes. Found at most hardware stores, you can get R-3 to R-7 adhesive insulation tape. Simply wrap around your pipes to reduce heat loss. </span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The federal government will reimburse you for 30% of the cost, up to $1,500 for highly efficient insulation. Additionally, low-income households can qualify for an average of $6,500 worth of weatherization improvements to their homes through government programs administered by each state. Find out about your state's program by contacting contacting local agencies and utilities.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Be creative. Instead of always turning up the heat, bring the family around the fire to share<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"></span> stories together. Wear an extra sweater. Sleep with socks on. Anything you can do to save a little green this winter will go a long way for your wallets come spring. </span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2OSO5iqI/AAAAAAAAAMo/79n8zhym8Rk/s1600/dog_sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TOJ2OSO5iqI/AAAAAAAAAMo/79n8zhym8Rk/s200/dog_sweater.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Doggie Sweaters are great.<br />
Find some great options <a href="http://www.big-dog-clothing.com/">here</a>.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div><br />
</div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And for multi-seasonal suggestions, here are a few.</span></span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First, test your home for air tightness. On a windy day, hold a lit incense stick next to your windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches, and other locations where there is a possible air path to the outside. If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you have located an air leak that may need caulking, sealing, or weatherstripping</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, ceilings, and soffits over cabinets.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Install rubber gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior walls.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Look for dirty spots in your insulation, which often indicate holes where air leaks into and out of your house. You can seal the holes by stapling sheets of plastic over the holes and caulking the edges of the plastic.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Install storm windows over single-pane windows or replace them with double-pane windows. Storm windows as much as double the R-value of single-pane windows and they can help reduce drafts, water condensation, and frost formation. As a less costly and less permanent alternative, you can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When the fireplace is not in use, keep the flue damper tightly closed. A chimney is designed specifically for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes—24 hours a day!</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For new construction, reduce exterior wall leaks by either installing house wrap, taping the joints of exterior sheathing, or comprehensively caulking and sealing the exterior walls.</span></span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
Have any tips of your own? Please share them with us by commenting below. Thanks.</span></span></span></span>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-38947733078965331942010-11-11T09:03:00.003-05:002010-11-11T09:14:50.319-05:00Eco-Protective Products Opens Charleston Office<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNv4KRoQpNI/AAAAAAAAAMk/A11UVOTm9ks/s1600/south-battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNv4KRoQpNI/AAAAAAAAAMk/A11UVOTm9ks/s320/south-battery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt;">Today, <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/">Eco-Protective Products</a> has announced the opening of a new branch office in Charleston, SC beginning November 15, 2010 in an effort to more attentively serve the Low Country residential and commercial real estate community. Company management credits the decision to both its adherence to a long-term growth strategy of expanding market presence throughout the country and desire to a continued effort of promoting the social, economic, and environmental benefits of sustainable building practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/">Eco-Protective Products</a> produces <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/eco_friendly_products.html">eco-friendly paint and coating technologies</a> that deliver superior long-term value and outstanding performance for a wide array of architectural and industrial purposes. In recent years, the company has been involved with projects ranging from supplying <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/garage_concrete.html">Eco-Coat 1500</a>, a ZERO VOC flooring product, to designer <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/green.html">LEED</a> certified Homes, installing its <a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/cool_roof.html">Energy Star Certified</a> roofing product<a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/cool_roof.html"> Eco-Cool Roof 5000</a> to large commercial, governmental, and military facilities, to aiding refrigerated logistics companies increase energy efficiency by up to 20%. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt;">CEO and President, Jim Burrell, underscores the importance of coming to Charleston by alluding to city’s <a href="http://www.charlestongreencommittee.com/">Green Plan</a> to reduce overall CO<sub>2 </sub>emissions by 30% by 2030. He adds that “buildings account for a very large percentage of energy consumption, and our products are designed to help alleviate that strain.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt;">The company hopes to establish productive relationships within the real estate and building communities in Charleston and other coastal markets in the Carolinas in an effort to promote its eco-friendly, energy efficient, and superior performing paints and coatings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-45440254948897664482010-11-09T10:31:00.004-05:002010-11-09T10:42:07.860-05:00More Than a Farmers' Market - A Community<div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlkeem35DI/AAAAAAAAAMc/70VreLBT4_w/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlkeem35DI/AAAAAAAAAMc/70VreLBT4_w/s200/IMG_0192.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I'm fairly sure I derive all <br />
the sustenance I need for life<br />
from my morning coffee</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">This past Saturday morning, I had the pleasure to spend a few hours at the Marion Square Farmers' Market in Downtown Charleston. Although I've been a resident in South Carolina's lowcountry for nearly 4 months and visiting the market has topped my To Do list, I've found convenient excuses (college football, weddings, vacation, etc) to not go.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><br />
</u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Well by Saturday, my excuses had been fully depleted, so I poured up a cup of coffee and walked down to the market. While writing this column, I can honestly say I'm not sure what impressed me more, the array of wonderful locally grown produce, the proudly displayed crafts, the food vendors (check out this place below for delicious coffee and crawfish cheese grits), or the palpable sense of community.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Although I've had the pleasure in my life to peruse the handmade crafts and treats at markets in multiple states and on 3 continents, I was moved by the 100 booths set up in the shadows of the old Citadel more so than at all the others.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlMN9gfEyI/AAAAAAAAAMU/gDi0kdAeP1c/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlMN9gfEyI/AAAAAAAAAMU/gDi0kdAeP1c/s320/IMG_0247.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Nothing says southern cuisine like cheesy grits, crawfish, <br />
and biscuits with red eye gravy.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlUXJS-eUI/AAAAAAAAAMY/Pu0pEhudP9I/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlUXJS-eUI/AAAAAAAAAMY/Pu0pEhudP9I/s200/IMG_0250.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">My friend Sterling <br />
& a cute puppy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Everywhere I looked, children ran about, dogs tugged at their owners’ leashes, grandparents mulled over the purchase of fresh caught fish, high school sweethearts shared homemade donuts and hot chocolate, and I could not help but stand back and absorb the moment to its fullest. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After about an hour's worth of shuffling in and out of tents and among patrons & vendors, I found myself in the park’s center rotunda. Standing there chatting with friends, a man in his late 60's – by the looks of him – wearing a Vietnam Veteran’s baseball cap approached us. If the experience of growing up in an urban environment has taught me anything, it is to avoid these encounters, as he was likely a beggar and not a Vet. But today was different. Lightheartedness brought about by the market’s atmosphere and communal love consumed me, and so instead of avoiding him, we welcomed him into our circle. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We didn't speak of his service or of patriotism, and I could tell by his weathered face and saddened eyes that he was a man lost in this world but taking comfort in the camaraderie of the market. As my friends and I stood there with him and finished our breakfast, we listened to him speak of his children (clearly long grown up), his wife (recently passed away), and his love of Charleston and it's people. Talk about perspective. Whether his story was story was true or not, he made me realize that despite the hardships that befall us in life, we can always find support in the communities we develop around us. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Communities come in all sizes – large and small – and forms – intimate or purely social. We have our immediate family, our co-workers, fellow worshipers, coffee shop acquaintances, customers, long-time friends or just our 'facebook' friends, and folks who are complete strangers with the exception of our shared interests.<br />
<br />
And this is what I took away from the farmer's market Saturday: although I left empty handed, without a print to hang in my office, organic soaps to fill Christmas stockings, or local produce to cook up for this weekend’s progressive dinner in my building, I didn't leave empty hearted. I spent 4 hours mingling with people that had come together to celebrate our community and the simple pleasure of being around one another on a Saturday morning.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlmyYyU0zI/AAAAAAAAAMg/wETW01dHZSg/s1600/community.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNlmyYyU0zI/AAAAAAAAAMg/wETW01dHZSg/s320/community.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">For both vendors and customers, the Marion Square farmers' market is more than locally grown food and handmade products. In a town that is already uniquely social, the market has created a greater sense of community. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">November is a month to celebrate the things for which we are thankful. Although I try to make my posts relevant to issues concerning sustainability and green construction, this post was my way of saying thanks to my community. Thank you for welcoming me so whole-heartedly. Sustainability may be a vehicle for a cleaner, healthier planet, but it is the people and communities that comprise Mother Earth that truly make her worth protecting. </div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-83480654042307157152010-11-04T11:48:00.001-04:002010-11-04T11:50:01.011-04:00Green Economy: Political Mandates or Free-Market Innovations<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNLM7vtzVRI/AAAAAAAAAMM/P7yMd3XBV90/s320/capitolhill.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I think it's easy to dovetail from our last post – Overcoming Adversity – into this one. Adversity, which can come in a variety of forms and faces, although not easy, can be overcome by anyone, any organization willing to put forth the effort to persevere. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Monitoring the mood of many of my colleagues in the world of Sustainability, Green Building, and Environmentally Friendly products and solutions from a social media vantage point (product plug: <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/">TweetDeck</a> is amazing - simplifies the whole social media process), it's abundantly clear that the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/main.results/#val=S">election</a> has deflated the hopes of many to see comprehensive climate legislation make it through Congress. Some view this as not only a hurdle for the global Environment but on a more personal level, they see the viability and future of their businesses facing a tougher road ahead.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">However, I think quite the opposite. The GOP will stand against <a href="http://www.ecomii.com/ecopedia/cap-and-trade">Cap and Trade</a> and other government mandated climate regulations, but that doesn't have to stymie innovation and product implementation. Despite its best and sometimes misguided efforts, the Government has never led the way (in this and other Capitalist nations) in innovation; the free market has always risen to the challenge to meet the needs of society and the consumers who comprise it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">And this is my message to all businesses – traditional or “green”: if you're operating in a downward economy, a less favorable political climate, or with declining sales [etc.], use that adversity as an opportunity to either improve the value that your product or service provides the end-user, revamp your corporate image, retool your marketing strategy, etc. <br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNLPXSA_3uI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/2Q5W3rK8KGc/s1600/edward-moran-statue-liberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TNLPXSA_3uI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/2Q5W3rK8KGc/s320/edward-moran-statue-liberty.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The Statue of Liberty: Edward Moran</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><a href="http://www.insidecrm.com/features/businesses-started-slump-111108/">Businesses Started in Tough Times</a></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ol><li><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Hyatt</span></i></li>
<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Burger King</span></i></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>International House of Pancakes</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>The Jim Henson Company</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>LexisNexis</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>FedEx</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Microsoft</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>CNN</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>MTV Networks</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Trader Joe's</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Wikipedia</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Sports Illustrated</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>General Electric</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Hewlett Packard</i></span></li>
</ol></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
Regardless the function of a product, if it can cost-effectively satisfy a need, and is clearly and intelligently marketed, then there is no need for Governmental interference and the free market will prevail. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">On the other hand, if you find that you’ve have poured hours of R & D and marketing into a product without much Demand, don’t necessarily give up. A) use that experience to ensure that the same mistake[selling unwanted products] doesn’t happen again & b) table that project, for there may be a need for your product in the future.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">In closing, I want to mention that regardless of political affiliation (hippies to tea-partiers), geographic location (Jacksonville to San Francisco) or generation (Sponge Bob to Jimmy Stewart), we are all embracing ways to help preserve our environment. Look how far we’ve progressed in the last decade – technology has brought us cars that produce water vapor as waste; the internet provides instant connectivity to all corners of the planet; and there are countless other innovations that would make this list exhaustive and boring to read. You get the picture, I hope. Imagine where we'll be 10 years from today. Here? McFly?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DDbPqQJRYBE?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DDbPqQJRYBE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></object> </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">And although government has had a voice in the evolution of these technologies, it has been the brilliance of individuals and the freedom they are provided in a free-enterprise system to innovate and in turn receive value for that innovation. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Remember, as we used to quote William Johnson at camp growing up in North Georgia, “If it is to be, it is up to me”. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-22334860882333799262010-11-01T15:50:00.001-04:002010-11-02T07:38:48.899-04:00Adversity or Opportunity?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM_3R30cxlI/AAAAAAAAAMA/u0SqKrWZmMo/s1600/Running_Outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM_3R30cxlI/AAAAAAAAAMA/u0SqKrWZmMo/s1600/Running_Outside.jpg" /></a>At Eco-Protective Products, we try to promote a corporate culture that encourages outdoor activity and time away from work to focus on the needs of the individuals that comprise our company. Not only do I feel great inspiration when out in nature, but I really believe wholeheartedly that our lives become exponentially more interconnected/wired-in each passing day, and it is nourishing for the mind, body, and soul to untether ourselves regularly from whatever network (<a href="http://www.twitter.com/ecofrendlypaint">Twitter,</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ecoprotectiveproducts">Facebook</a>, work, kids, etc) that drain our energies. In today’s tough economic environment, it is especially important that we recharge our batteries in order to better handle and ultimately overcome the adverse conditions that are ever-present in our personal, professional, and social lives.<br />
<br />
<div>While on a run this weekend, I couldn’t help but contemplate times in my own life that I’ve had to endure adversity –sometimes so great that finding the will to go on was an arduous task in and of itself– but, as evidenced by my writing of this column, I was able to endure, survive, and prosper.<br />
<br />
Adversity can come in many forms, many of which are relevant to at least someone you know and it can really effect your business, but here are some ways to turn adversity into opportunity to take your business, career, or personal life from good to great.</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM8RcCTINFI/AAAAAAAAAL8/M-p22mqLTGg/s1600/F102246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM8RcCTINFI/AAAAAAAAAL8/M-p22mqLTGg/s320/F102246.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><b><u>Ways to Overcome Adversity & Obstacles</u></b></div><div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>1. Sell Your Vision –</b></div><div><br />
</div><div><b></b> According to Lyve Alexis Pleshette, a writer about small and women owned businesses it is imperative to go on the offensive in periods of downward economic times. In other words, those who are persistent, prevail.<br />
<br />
“'A leader must be a dealer in hope,' Confucius wrote. Those who can illuminate the darkness are experts at restoring people’s faith in the future, especially the faith of talented people who have run into brick walls. Even if you’re the only person running your business, you have customers and clients, vendors and sub-contractors who need to see your vision. The golden core of leadership is the ability to raise aspirations. Transition is an ideal time to do so. Our intrepid adventurers are unflagging optimists. In many respects, this special species of leaders is 'delusional,' according to veteran executive coach Marshall Goldsmith. 'They are not as good as they think they are, but they have the confidence to pursue big things.' So tune out the cynics and second-guessers who say you can’t beat the odds. Don’t let pouting pessimists rob you from pursuing—and capturing—your dreams."<br />
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Read more: <a href="http://www.powerhomebiz.com/blog/2010/05/strategies-to-overcome-adversity-part-2/">Strategies to Overcome Adversity</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM_32gxEHvI/AAAAAAAAAME/5zDNMhYQdxc/s1600/toblogornottoblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM_32gxEHvI/AAAAAAAAAME/5zDNMhYQdxc/s320/toblogornottoblog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You don't have to be a modern day Shakespeare to blog.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Provide your readers/customers easy to follow information</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">relevant to their lives. It's a great informal way to make</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">a meaningful, personal connection. </div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>2. Blogging -</b></div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><b></b> According to Lorna Li (an online marketer who specializes in green marketing and writes about green marketing, social enterprise, social media and personal branding in her own blog), green and sustainable business owners shouldn't "count on Obama's stimulus plan to help your green business survive the economic downturn. With a tough economy and increased online competition, your green business needs a blog to be competitive. Blogging is the least expensive way to market, as it is just a fraction of the cost of television or print advertising, and most importantly, in can drive lasting traffic, if done correctly.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span>Read more: <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/10/28/blogging-green-business-survival-skill#ixzz1438keOtzRead%20more:%20http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/10/28/blogging-green-business-survival-skill%23ixzz1438VBd3i">Blogging for Green Business Survival</a></div><div><br />
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<b>3. Look inward</b><br />
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</b></div><div>Although Eco-Protective Products’ business model may differ from other businesses, what makes us successful or unsuccessful is no different from the business of a lemonade stand to a multinational conglomerate. In this economy, there are many places to point a finger: the economy, the housing bubble, too much regulation or too little, green washing, poor financing, and so on and so forth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM_4LDLccaI/AAAAAAAAAMI/fiDQ-QFOzNg/s1600/applecore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TM_4LDLccaI/AAAAAAAAAMI/fiDQ-QFOzNg/s200/applecore.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Adversity allows us to peel back </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">the fluff and get to the core </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">of our business.</div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>However bad the situation may be, some businesses will gain strength, market share, and brand power through these times, and others will shutter their doors. And I think we all should take this opportunity to look within ourselves and our organizations to make improvements, whether it be discovering new talents from our employees, returning to our core competencies, reaching out & listening to our clients, or encouraging an open dialogue with the stakeholders of our companies. Blaming situational conditions does little more than afford us an excuse when we allow adversity to precipitate failure instead recognizing it as the opportunity to lay the foundation for future success.<br />
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Share with us what inspires you to overcome adversity. Not a subscriber to our<a href="http://www.ecoprotectiveproducts.com/newsletter_signup.html"> Newsletter, do so here</a>.</div><div><br />
</div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014377942121653001.post-90024526649131204292010-10-25T14:57:00.015-04:002010-11-04T19:16:45.872-04:00I'll Reduce, Reuse & Recycle but Let me Have my Candy<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">In preparation for my favorite day of the year – discounting religious holidays, large sporting events, family gatherings, and the season premier of 30 Rock - (Halloween), I’ve spent the past few days perusing articles coaching consumers how to "Go Green" with their Halloween festivities this upcoming weekend. Nothing has surprised me too much as the majority of the tips are straightforward and common sense (i.e. <a href="http://www.reusablebagsdepot.com/">use reusable bags</a>, <a href="http://organicbeet.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-favorite-pumpkin-pie-recipe.html">bake a pumpkin pie from the insides of that ghoulish jack-o-lantern you plan to carve</a>, encourage kids not to litter,<a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycled-halloween-costume-470708?click=getstarted"> make home-made costumes</a>, etc.). Despite the simplicity of the message, what struck me as a bit over-the-top for a celebration focused primarily on allowing children the indulgence of a guilty pleasure (candy) for one day a year was arrogance and confrontational tones taken in some of the articles.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; clear: right; color: #0000ee; float: right; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533125556272473314" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KdZAZHdZTVo/TMmcYK9BpOI/AAAAAAAAAL0/i_1zuBTy2Ws/s320/happy-halloween.jpg" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" width="240" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Although these are certainly not representative of the entire Green Community, when reading a handful of articles, the authors’ voices transformed these simple tips from fun suggestions to obligatory commandments. I read, “…bake homemade, organic treats that trick-or-treaters can eat while at your house. This will promote local farmers, reduce trash, and cut down on all the wasted plastic used to wrap those individual fun sized candies distributed by large candy corporations.” But what I really felt when I read it was “if you eat a Snickers, you may as well be directly polluting the local ecosystem.” </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">This example represents a growing trend and potential problem for businesses and advocacy groups with sustainability at their core: the progress achieved by the hard work of many is being undone by those who promote the “Green Movement” wielding as weapons criticism, arrogance, and disdain for those that may not share their exact beliefs. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Why is this? Big shocker! People in general (our customers, friends & family, or neighbors) do not respond well to overt criticism especially when it is directed at their values, ways of life, and habits. Even though we try to be logical and rational in our decision-making, often it is our emotions that are the impetuses that drive our choices in life. Criticism only serves to bring out the negative emotions in people, which, in this case, can become irreparably tied to all things green having the reverse effect to promoting sustainability. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">Going forth, I urge you, if you have something to share, promote or suggest to a person who may not share your exact beliefs, do so with grace, patience, and with respect. If in the end, they agree and you successfully elicit positive change, kudos. If not, respect their rights and freedom of expression because that is the foundation of our society and what makes us great. Be tolerant and respectful of others and who knows, perhaps they will treat you and your ideas the same. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana; font-size: small;">We want your feedback. What are some of the changes you've been able to bring about among your circles of influence that have had a positive impact upon the environment? What strategies have you found successful? Unsuccessful? </span></div><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Jamey @ Eco-Protective Productshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12481061506055881139noreply@blogger.com0