Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

Or Both.  For those of you unfamiliar with the latest foray into digital reading devices, Amazon has provided us with the Kindle DX.  The major difference being the larger screen it offers from its predecessors.  The finer details, however, being, according to Amazon (because who can say it better, right?):

“At Amazon, we’ve always been obsessed with having every book ever printed, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without a massive selection of books you want to read. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 275,000 books available, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. This is just the beginning. Our vision is every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds. We won’t stop until we get there.

Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available, including 107 of 112 books currently found on the New York Times® Best Seller list. New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases are $9.99, and you’ll find many books for less.”

Now, on the surface of things, you may ask yourself, what in that description warrants such a doomsday title to this blog entry?  Well, hold on a sec, first let’s look at the good that it brings.  For starters, everything previously mentioned – books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs on-demand and at your fingertips.  You can carry an entire library in your bag, purse, or briefcase.  Not to mention, it has 3G Wireless, text-to-speech (in other words, it reads to you), and supports PDF.  Beneath the surface, there’s the Eco-Friendly benefits, as well.  The first thing that comes to mind, while simple, is it saves trees.  No more paper, no more chopping down trees, right?  Environment – 1, End of the World – 0 in that regard.  It also decreases pollution caused by the production of books, magazines, and newspapers, and eliminates the damage done to the environment throughout the distribution channels, mainly the carbon footprint left by shipping.  All in all it sounds like a pretty great product…but wait…

There has to be something wrong with it.  Well, let’s start with the hefty price tag.  The original Kindle 2.0 can be had for $359, with the Kindle DX being available for pre-order at $489.  But in the end, the price is only a barrier to entry for those that can’t afford it…like interns or college students.  So say you can afford it, is that the only drawback? No, for starters, when a date comes over, you can’t leave random copies of classic novels and famous treatises lying around to impress them if they’re all on your Kindle.  You could also lose it and there goes your library in one fell swoop.  However, most importantly, what about the demise of the publishing industry as we know it? If everything becomes digital, then what’s the point of actual newspapers, books, or magazines?  If more and more people are simply downloading their reading material, then the printed word will cease to exist because 1) advertisers don’t want to advertise in a medium that doesn’t reach anyone, 2) there’s no point in printing them if no one is buying them.

For some of us, that’s just not something we want to see.  What about curling up with nice, big hardcover novel on a cold winter’s night?  Or bending the hell out of a paperback on the train home from work?  What about spreading the Sunday newspaper out in front of you at the kitchen table while sipping a cup of hot coffee?  Or rolling up last week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly or the Economist to kill a pesky fly (or shoo it out the window for you bug activists)?  Heck, some people will even miss the ink stains that begin on your fingers and somehow end up on your face, furniture, and clothes when reading the New York Times.  The point being, that innovation often spells the demise of something in favor of another.  Horse-n-buggy? Automobile.  VCR? DVD.  Knowing stuff? Google.

In the end, though, it’s all up to the Invisible Hand…of the Almighty?  No, of Adam Smith.  In other words, it’s up to all of you.  If enough consumers want it, then the Kindle will thrive.  If everyone wants it, then the Kindle and other products like it will replace our ink and paper past.  However, hopefully the Kindle becomes what it should be, a way to get people to read again and read more.  Not a replacement for books or newspapers, but a bridge between nothing and something…a complement to one’s library and subscriptions as a convenient way to read while traveling or commuting or a way get a book right away rather than having to drive to the bookstore or wait days for your Amazon order to arrive.

For someone who considers themselves a traditionalist, your humble blogger here sees the Kindle as a hopeful good-natured cousin to the printed word that will peacefully coexist and grow the world of literature rather than destroy it.  Always a fan of new gadgets, as long I can have my cake (the traditional book, magazine, and newspaper) and eat it too (the Kindle), I won’t complain.  And finally, a note to Amazon: If you would like to send the Eco-Friendly Interns a Kindle or two to test for ourselves, this blog entry can easily be edited to remove any and all elements deemed to cast the Kindle in a negative light.  Thank you.

According to a New York Times article published on Saturday, the nighttime dimming of skyscraper lights is finally starting to become widespread and noticeable. The article says that lights were more often dimmed during World War II and the energy shortage of the 1970s, but otherwise it’s normal for buildings to have way too many lights on at night.

Timers, motion sensors, and light dimmers are all being used to reduce the energy waste associated with superfluous lighting. These projects are easier in modern times because the cost of the technology has dropped significantly. One interesting point is that landlords have an easier time renting space if their building has been approved for environmental efficiency. However, if tenants have to pay for electrical bills themselves, they are more likely to install efficient lighting devices.

MSU’s EJ Magazine published an article by Amanda Peterka entitled “Blackout!” in their Fall 2006 issue that covered the same topic. Both articles mention groups like New York City Audubon and International Dark-Sky Association (IDSA), which have been highly instrumental in bringing about large-scale changes in huge American cities like New York and Chicago. According to Peterka, the IDSA certified Flagstaff, Arizona as the first International Dark Sky City in 2001. New York City was given a 9 on the IDSA’s 9-point scale of light pollution (i.e. wasted/unnecessary light and sky glow).

To me this seems like a no brainer. There is absolutely no reason to keep these skyscrapers lit up at night. All unused and extra light should be turned off. Savings will come in electric bills and carbon emisssions. It’s not a complete solution, but — as with most environental action these days — it’s a step in the right direction.

According to The New York Times, bike borrowing and sharing programs are becoming very popular at universities and colleges around the country. Some universities are funding the programs, hoping that students will choose bike travel over using their car. Some schools spent as much as $50,000 on their program, offering bikes that sell for over $400. Other programs involve discounts through local bike shops. Not only will this cut down on carbon emissions, but it will also decrease traffic and parking competition on campus.

(sxc.hu)

I think there’s a definite need for such a program at Michigan State. Students pay between $1.25 – $1.75 per hour for campus parking, and tickets start at $10 and quickly accumulate. However, this kind of program might conflict with the City of East Lansing’s actions to move students as far as possible from the actual campus. More and more students live in apartments up to two miles away from where they attend class. The main campus is already about four square miles, or about a 45-minute walk from end to end. Some might also say that bike riding decreases in the winter with increased snow and ice levels. Still, the bike remains the best method of transportation at schools like MSU and U of M. It woud be in the best interest of the universities to develop a free bike program for students.

Furthermore, cities should start programs like this. I would potentially ride a bike to downtown Ann Arbor if I had a decent street bicycle. However, I currently do not own one, so I lack that option. A city could help develop its green accomplishments (and its green reputation) with this kind of program.

(NOTE – I’ve just been informed by fellow Eco-Friendly Intern Jennifer Harrison that MSU does have a bike rental program. You can read about it at bike.msu.edu.)

Follow our internship at my personal Digital Marketing Blog. Also, go to the Social Harbor website to learn more about Ingenex Digital Marketing.

I started my journalism program at Michigan State thinking that I would focus mostly on environmental reporting. As I progressed in the program, I realized that it wasn’t such a good fit. Most news organizations are dissolving their teams of environmental reporters, if not removing science from their coverage altogether. The New York Times does an excellent job at it, but – as a privately owned paper – they operate much differently than newspapers and television stations that are part of huge corporations.

The second reason I strayed is because environmental journalism is almost always about large-scale problems and disasters that seem irresolvable. For example, global warming has become one of the top concerns of the human race. But even if there is a multinational effort to reduce the amount of carbon emissions and take other necessary precautions, the effects of human pollution might already be too pervasive.

This presents a problem for the journalism industry, because the audience has a tendency to become desensitized when it is presented with overwhelmingly negative news on a regular basis. People do need a shock in order to change their habits and, say, stop throwing those pop cans in the trash (this is a common act in states where you don’t get the 10 cent deposit back). But when faced with too much shock, people just reel in terror.

People also need to feel that they can make a difference (i.e. – self-efficacy), and that any behavior changes won’t harm their lifestyle or priorities. I think that a combination of shock and empowerment have led to some significant improvements over the past few years. If everyone switches from incandescent bulbs to the twisty fluorescent ones, that could mean a drastic reduction in electric bills and, therefore, usage of coal at power plants. It’s a small step, but a beneficial one.

The other danger is that words, ideas, and actions that were once revolutionary can become watered-down clichés. Many businesses these days advertise “green” or “eco-friendly” practices, without actually living up to or providing any credible evidence for their claims. How do we pick apart the honest companies from the fraudulent ones?

In our first meeting at Ingenex Digital Marketing, we were given the tasks of finding out how to increase the size and scope of the internship, and how to make the internship more eco-friendly. I think I’ll come up with more ideas once I get a better understanding of what digital marketing actually entails (during my two tours in a university, I never had a class in marketing, advertising, or business). However, as I think of ideas to make the internship more eco-friendly, I will keep in mind the necessity of combining shock and self-efficacy to produce real results in the target audience. (Please visit my personal Digital Marketing Blog for updates on my Eco-Friendly Internship experience.)