Everyone is Red Hot for "green" Products

How about your local newspaper? Are they focused on local eco-friendly businesses?

Trade magazines and newspapers in the retail packaging industry are all concentrating on "Green" businesses. The local newspapers have been highlighting local manufacturers, growers and businesses trying to be enviromentally friendlier.

So how about the retailers? Don't you think if you have a custom paper or plastic shopping bag made from recycled and biodegradable materials with your name on it, use giftboxes made from 100% post consumer waste, and recycled kraft tissue that might be news worthy?

So retailers go ahead and try it. Have the packaging made and then write a press release to every newspaper within a 50 mile radius of your location, tourist publications and community websites and tell them. You will be surprised how interested an editor will be of the simplest local interest story and you will be more surprised in how many locales will respond to a news paper article.

If new packaging isn't in your budget then offer a discount to those customers bringing in their own shopping bags to take away their purchases. Tell that to the editor. I know I would come visit and make a purcase for a discount. A local grocer gave five cents back for every plastic bag I re-used on every purchase. I know I used 10 bags with most of purchases and that wasn't a huge savings but I thought it was a great attempt by the grocer.

Of course if you are in a "green" community and everyone is already doing it then it might not work. Well then you send out a press release stating you finally joined the "green" movement and some locales might visit your store because you finally came around to their way of thinking.
Watch for my next blog on how to write a press release.