Earth Month 2023

The theme of this year’s Earth month is “Invest in Our Planet.” This directive is targeting everyone from individuals at home to business at the workplace. We’re going to focus on the latter for the purpose of this article. We want to participate in Earth month this year through raising awareness of ways to be greener in business practices. Here is a short list of some tips to help get you get started.

1.     Choose sustainable suppliers: these products use less energy and produce less waste. These types of suppliers are more common than they used to be so it’s not hard to find them. They may cost a little bit more but it’s worth it to do your part!

2.     Use energy efficient office equipment: energy star certified is the way to go. Not only will it save you money using less energy, it will help create less CO2 emissions.

3.     Video meetings over in person: it’s now possible to meet with people over zoom or some other meeting interface. There’s no reason why meetings can’t all be done this way to save the company money and save the planet

4.     Offer hybrid work options: it’s no secret since the pandemic that hybrid work lowers the carbon footprint of businesses around the world. Less commuting means less vehicles on the road, which means less CO2 in the air.

5.     Rethink paper: recycle office waste. Landfills are a huge part of the methane gas production that contributes to CO2 problems. If you recycle paper that means less trees are cut down and in turn, less CO2 production in the process of manufacturing it. Also, rethink if you really need to print something and take notes on a computer.

6.     Give reusable merch to your employees: make brand merch that your employees can reuse, such as grocery bags and water bottles.

7.     Have fun contests: do a Verdura Venerdi (That means veggie Fridays in Italian) or Meatless Mondays. Offer a prize or provide the meal yourself.

There are many benefits to increasing awareness at your business on climate change and ways to help reduce the effects through daily acts. Sustainable business is no longer the option as consumers want to support brands that take hard stances on difficult topics, such as climate change. They will only support those businesses who talk the talk and walk the walk. Will your brand be at the forefront of the green movement?

To Green or Not to Green

Our monthly newsletter came from Adage, which always leads to thought provoking articles. The article that caught our eyes this month is the hot topic of “greenwashing” or “greenshaming.” A shift has recently happened where companies have decided to cut back on their sustainability efforts and/or stay their course without sharing the process publicly. This has come as a result of backlash from certain political views and/or companies that have a vested interest in practices that do not promote sustainability. As a brand that prides itself on its green efforts, we believe that sharing your process to combat climate change is important. Although, some may not agree, it could hurt your image in the long run with your loyal audience. The idea of “greenwashing” is just as it sounds. We would define it as making someone seem as if they’re pushing their values of being “green” onto others and “brainwashing” them into believing the hype that they do. “Greenshaming” is the process of shaming others for not using sustainable practices. Neither are something that we promote but we also feel that these terms have been over exaggeratedly conjured by those who have opposing views about being green and are trying to downplay the climate crisis that we all should be taking very seriously. It’s not really a matter of deciding whether climate change is real or not, because, it is. It’s been proven time and time again with science. Those who choose not to join the movement are simply those that favor profit over people because it is the human race who will ultimately suffer in the long run. Our company believes that sharing sustainability efforts with its audience is something that shows authenticity and transparency. This creates trust. It also holds them accountable. If brands make their sustainability goals public, they will do their best to reach them when the whole world is watching. Staying true to yourself as a brand will help you succeed.

Friday Favorite 9/9/22

 This week we turn to the fashion industry. Did you know that, “every 25 minutes, an Olympic size swimming pools worth of crude oil is used in the production of synthetic clothing?” We knew that the fashion industry was terrible for the environment but had no idea that it was this bad! The ad favorite of this week brings light to this situation by bringing that fact to life in a real-world depiction scenario. The ad was done by Woolmark, “Wear Wool, Not Fossil Fuel” ad promoting their 100% natural clothing line. It is also 100% biodegradable and renewable. At the beginning of the spot, there are people swimming in this Olympic-sized pool of fossil fuel and trying to escape the grip of its grimy substance. As they struggle, they eventually escape by pulling off the top layer covered in oil to reveal the clean outfit that lies beneath. You can really see their metaphors through the visual aesthetics of the ad. What starts off as a dark and grim beginning turns into one full of lush green spaces and light moods. The ad is expected to run in the U.S., the UK, France and Australia this month. It was created in collaboration by Park Village, Studio Birthplace and 20Something.

Full Speed Ahead/Earth Day 2022

Here at Locomotive, we like trains. However, we though it important to make a statement on the impacts that they do have on the environment. You see us post steam engines on our stories but we are not oblivious to the fact of the fossil fuel problems they can create. The CO2 they pollute the air with is substantial due to the burning of fossil fuels. The steam engine in particular produces higher emissions. That being said, railroads are still actually one of the most efficient ways to transport freight across the country, so most are modernizing their systems to reduce impacts on the environment. “Moving freight by train instead of truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75%.” (AAR) This is because they are more fuel efficient than trucks and move much faster.  

At our company, we love what the metaphor of a train stands for. It represents being unstoppable, getting things done and forward progression. This is why we chose it as our emblem. When the train first arrived in the 18th Century, it brought with it a new notion of industrialization that propelled society into a new era of business and trade since it was now cheaper and easier to produce in large quantities. Our values lie in progress as a culture and as a collective in the industry that we’re so proud to be a part of. The idea of progression has a much different meaning in today’s world. For us it’s inclusion, diversity, equality for a better world tomorrow. These are things that we are bringing to the table in the years to come. Being an equal opportunity employer that bridges the wage gap for women in the industry is just one way we contribute to this progress. We also want to put emphasis on sustainability through business to do our part for environmental efforts. We do this by remaining a fully remote business and have no intentions of changing that. This helps lower the world’s CO2 emissions for unnecessary work commutes. There are many ways a business can become more ecofriendly. Here are just a few: 

1.     Such as using energy saving bulbs

2.     Offering remote work as we do or assist with public transit

3.     Recycle

4.     Choose sustainable suppliers

5.     Unplug electronic when not in use

6.     Provide clean drinking water to reduce plastic bottles

7.     Use indoor plants to improve air quality

Deciding to do your part for climate change is a small win in itself. The more people that join the movement the better! It’s up to each and every one of us to do a little more each day to improve our planet’s health. It’s the small daily habits that add up to BIG changes in the end. One world. One community.