Carbon offset is a huge help to protect the world from the damaging effects of ecological degradation and global warming by its mission to reduce carbon emissions in big industries and manufacturing entities, as well as at a personal level.

The emission of deadly greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is counter balanced by the carbon offset concept through the use of renewable and alternative energy sources, reforestation schemes and many other green initiatives. The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement signed by almost all countries in 2005 puts caps on emission by member countries depending on whether they are developing or developed, which in turn governs emissions by various sectors in each of these nations.

The Protocol states that entities releasing a huge amount of carbon dioxide should limit their CO2 emissions to allowed levels, or else make payment of a carbon tax, which is an environmental tax on harmful emissions, or alternatively buy carbon credits certificates that can be traded in the market. One carbon credit, which is an older method than carbon offset, permits the credit’s buyer to discharge 1000 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the air, and this technique is the most economical way of purchasing an allowance to release extra greenhouse gases in the air. Large companies are catching up with the global carbon-neutral movement and purchasing carbon credits to impress customers, investors and business partners.

Another excellent method is using carbon offset, which helps in financing ambitious environmental schemes, especially in third world countries that are constantly struggling to fund such projects to decrease the influence of the total greenhouse gas emissions. It immensely aids in promoting renewable and eco-friendly energy options like solar energy and wind energy, and in financing projects on nature protection and reforestation.

Apart from the industries, even ordinary persons are contributing to the environment by purchasing carbon offset and encouraging others to do the same. Purchasing carbon offset is simple and can be easily implemented on the internet through one of the many carbon offset provider websites; however, it must be ensured that your money is making real influence through good projects.

Carbon offset is a very effective way to protect out planet but we should also not forget that making minor alterations in our daily lives can be of immense help in reducing environmental destruction. What we can do additionally on our part to protect the environment is to adopt small measures like making use of renewable fuels such as biodiesel, and installing LED lights in place of high-energy bulbs, and use only as much energy as is necessary.

Carbon offset is still a new word for ordinary people. Knowledge of the same by means of proper education on the issue is the way forward towards a green and sustainable environment.

Discover more about carbon credits and carbon trading and get a deeper understanding on how you can help in saving the environment.

As marketing tools, brochures have never been unsuccessful in registering an impact on clients’ minds. They can be distributed by hand or by post to customers, or can just be placed on cash counters of stores. As a result, a huge part of the printing services industry has come up to cater to this market. Brochure printing has undergone a number of developments in recent years, with the advent and widespread use of the internet triggering the most recent of these developments.

Until just a few years back, computers were rarely used in the brochure printing process, which took several days, working with film negatives or plate-making machines and needed multiple test prints, rounds of fine tuning etc. Even in design, the customers could not provide detailed suggestions and the printers mostly took care of the design task, working with a restricted set of pre decided formats.

These days, the client from his office can himself design the brochure and transfer it online to the printing company, and he also doesn’t have to wait for days for the final product to be supplied to him. Technology has advanced far enough to make 24 hour printing a reality, enabling any quantity of prints to be delivered to the customer within a day’s time.

One should remember that brochure printing entails cautious consideration of aspects like content, graphics and formatting. The advent of digital technology has opened up a vista of advancements in this area like glossy full-colour printing, complicated layout schemes, and packages on content-building.

Amongst the many advanced choices provided by printing services providers, digital brochures and full-colour brochures are most in demand. These are generally suitable for brochures which will be distributed from medium to long-term. Any content for short-term bulk use is best advertised through the use of eye catching, colourful, but concise brochures, which have only a restricted print cycle. Off-set printing, which is a relatively older method, is still very popular for these brochures as even though it takes a longer time to prepare the brochures, a large quantity of brochures can be printed in a single run.

Along with the enhancement in the quality of printing, ancillary services are now provided by most brochure printing firms as well. Direct mailing, distribution and brochure development are some of these extra services.

The internet has radically altered the scenario, with customers now using websites of printing companies and placing online orders after choosing designs and colour specifications from the comfort of their office. Thus, brochure printing has evolved a lot in recent years, and is about to undergo even more radical changes in the coming years.

Learn more about Printing Services and Paper Bag Printing from a trusted printing company.

Printing service is used by most businesses for varied purposes such as marketing and corporate communications. Offset printing is the most frequently used printing technique and knowing about it is therefore helpful and important.

The clients and the printers like offset printing because of its cost effectiveness for the production of large number of prints. The customers giving big printing orders are advised by the printers to choose offset printing because of this reason.

Offset printing employs oil based ink, which does not mix with water. Its so called because in this process, images are not transported directly from the plates to the paper but this is done using rubber blankets as a medium.

The process starts by developing the designs. Previously the images were prepared by creating film negatives and were then transferred to printing plates made of aluminum. In the present times, the printers can use the image setting system for making the plates directly. After this, the plate is stuck to a cylinder with the right side facing upwards. Water and ink, in that order, is spread on the image plates. While the ink gets stuck to the image, the water gets attached to that part of the plate where there is no image so that the ink does not spread beyond the image.

Next, the image is inverted when it is transmitted to a rubber blanket which is attached to another cylinder. Subsequently, sheets of paper of desired proportions are put together and the rubber blankets transmit the image to the sheets on a third cylinder, where it comes out as the right side.

Printed sheets are stapled, glued, or arranged in any other way as needed and the printing company sends them after giving some finishing touches.

Find out more about flyer printing tips from a company that offers the best printing services.

All companies need promotion of its products or services to promote sales. Marketing can have many aspects, such as cost, impact on the environment and the reach of the marketing tool employed. A well known and effective way of marketing a business and its brands is by giving away gifts. Both customers and employees of the company can be the recipients of gifts. It doesn’t have to be expensive, you just need to do a little research online and be creative in choosing it.

As corporate gifts, non woven bags can be a very good choice. Non woven bags are manufactured using a recyclable material called polypropylene. The fabric is safe for the environment and is totally non-toxic. In this era of environment awareness, people lap up such products. Hence, non- woven bags have become very popular as a corporate gift.

Non woven bags come in a wide range of shapes and dimensions, and this makes them popular. They can be created in all conceivable colours, which make them perfect for all types of message and logo displays. Convenient and economical printing on these bags is possible because of the polypropylene fabric that goes into manufacturing of these bags.

The non woven bags are so fashionable and attractive that people going out for shopping often like taking these bags with them. When people go out and carry these bags alongside, they are in effect carrying an appealing mini advertisement with them. Thus brand marketing occurs instantly and free of cost. It becomes a great marketing strategy that will drive sales and grow your business in a very creative and simple way.

These bags can be given away to the customers as either a stand-alone corporate gift or can be given away with some other promotional items in them. Employees too can be gifted a non woven bag, that they would be proud to carry it along, as it would be a symbol of the company that they work for.

Find out more about non woven bags and discover some of the most effective corporate gifts you can use for your business.

History of Tithing

The origins of tithing can be found in the Bible, yet many Christians and non-Christians alike, practice some form of tithing today.

The word tithe has Christian connotations, referring to the contribution of a tenth of one’s income for charitable purposes to Church as a kind of Church giving. Anyway, the idea is a part of most world religions. In Islam the word used for this is ‘Zakat.’ In the Indian religion of Sikhism, there is a rule of keeping apart one-tenth of one’s income for spiritual purposes and it is called ‘Dasvandh.’ The practice has been initiated by the tenth religious head Guru Gobind Singh. According to the Indian scriptures of the Upanisads and the Bhagavadgita, the ‘perfect alms’ are that which is offered with a sense of obligation in a correct place and at a correct time to a deserving person from whom the giver does not expect anything in return.

The origin of the word tithe can be traced to the Hebrew work ‘asair’ which also means to give one-tenth of a thing, generally an individual’s income. Today, tithes, or tithing, is a cash payment and is voluntary in nature. Nevertheless, in certain European countries there is still the provision for enforcing tithing by allowing the church to make it mandatory.

Denmark is a case where the Church of Denmark members have to pay a church tax, which is different in different municipalities. It is commonly about 1% of a person’s taxable income. The situation is similar in Finland where members of state churches have to pay a tax which can be anything between 1% and 2.25% of income and these taxes form a part of the common national taxation system.

However the practice of regular tithes was not established until after Exodus. Tithes were common throughout the ancient Near East, as well as in later Lydia, Arabia, and Carthage.

The Hebrew custom of giving tithes finds mention in the Bible, starting with the gift from Abraham to Melchizedek, the Canaanite king and priest (Genesis–:20). Tithing was also common in former Lydia, Carthage and Arabia. The practice of tithing was espoused by the early Christian church, and was discussed in councils at Tours in 567 and at Macon in 585. Formal recognition to these was given under Pope Adrian I in 787.

Tithing in some Christian churches is controversial because it applies an Old Testament process to a New Testament organisation (the Church). No evidence exists in the New Testament for the tithe to be applied to Christians. Indeed, only Jews living in the promised land were required to pay the tithe in the Old Testament, as it was actually a form of income tax used to support not only the government of Old Testament Israel, but also the temple and the priesthood.

Modern day Tithing

In spite of its origins in the Bible and olden day Christianity, nowadays it is a perfect way to give every time you get something. Giving EVERY time you get things is such a perfectly beautiful form of giving as it allows the giver to feel in fullness something indescribably powerful – more on that afterwards.

Let us return to history. That section of the Bible that Christians refer to with regard to tithing is Malachi 3:10. Lots of Christians tithe to their church as they feel that they are under obligation to do so according to the Bible. And many Churches then as well as now insist that their members contribute to the church to help it carry on its activities. In spirit though, if the giving is not done out of free will and with a happy intention, it does not accomplish its proper benefit – if in fact you want to create a proper benefit by the gift.

Conflicting Views about Tithing

Tithing has often been a contentious topic. The issue whether a Christian should pay tithe is often argued in many Christian congregations.

In an article in Wall Street Journal regarding tithing named ‘The Backlash Against Tithing’, Suzanne Sataline says, ‘As Churches push donations, congregants balk; ‘that’s not the way God works’.’

Regrettably, the different ideological perspectives, desire to dominate, and a narrow outlook, can lead to a Jekyll and Hyde scenario – the pure goodness of giving being lost in the fog and misinterpretation of religion. In spite of the disputes, tithing is still a fully and marvellously powerful act that any person can do to turn around their lives to face a fuller pathway.

For those who are desirous of understanding the Christian perspective of tithing there is unlimited material available to read. For those who are interested in understanding the reason WHY tithing is so wonderful, continue reading.

Why is Tithing so compelling?

This is indeed a very forceful question because if you just heedlessly take a certain path without considering what the whole process entails you may be advancing on the wrong road.

If more of the people who do regularly practice tithing knew exactly why tithing is effective when done in the full spirit of a perfect gift, then it could possibly release a better yearning to give even more. And for those who give not on a regular basis, it could motivate them to give every time they get something.

To analyse the real ‘why’ of how routine giving leads to more we have to understand something about Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Physics. The laws of these realms vary a lot from that of our own material or Newtonian world.

The film ‘What the Bleep’ explains the quantum world through examples that can be understood by the layman. The link below explains things about how matter turns into waves and acts like fluids when viewed through a quantum physics lens: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1349535/4653525.

The movie describes an amazing world viewed from a quantum space. When a beam of electrons is fired through a plate with a slit in it onto a wall – as you would expect, it would it within a single line on the wall straight opposite the slit.

If the experiment is conducted by using an energy wave that reacts the way a water wave does, one gets a foreseeable result. As the wave strikes the plate it rebounds off the plate but where there is the opening, a part of the wave goes across through the opening. Coming out of the other side of the opening, the surging water moves out in the pattern of an arc, resulting in a new wave just as in the old laboratory tests done in schools in analysing wave patterns. As the surge of water strikes the wall across, it will have maximum force in the middle straight opposite the opening and will have lesser force all across the wall. This is exactly like the line the electrons make.

If one more cut is made in the plate and a wave sent through, the result would again be foreseeable – two lesser waves would emerge through the cuts and when these come into contact with each other, they would stop being separate and would give rise to an interference pattern. Many small waves would then strike against the wall opposite producing a stripped effect. All these are normal behavioural patterns as far as wave energy is concerned and so fully expected.

Now this is where the quantum experiment gets interesting. With the two slits in place if electrons were fired at the plate we would expect to see two lines to be created on the wall. But guess what – instead a stripped affect appears – an interference pattern is created! This is totally unexpected. Somehow the matter had changed into a wave. You would think that electrons were bouncing off each other creating a wave; so then if you fired the electrons one at a time and then see what happens. The result is the same! This can only happen if the electrons leave as a single particle, splits into a wave of potentials when it hits the plate, passes through both splits and then interferes with itself on the other side of the plate. This is simply amazing – matter behaving like a wave – or solid behaving like a liquid. Maybe the world is different to what we think it is after all!

Though the world that we live in appears to be hard and solid, it is perhaps possible that in reality we are living in a place that has more properties of a fluid – liquid energy or persistent movement of a fluid, which reacts more like the fluids in our material world. According to the rules of physics, similar fluids have a tendency to congregate, while those with dissimilar properties tend to diverge and remain separate. A typical example of this is oil and water. Chromatography explains how a single substance can break up into its individual components in clear bands the way groups of people break up into smaller ones with common interests, potencies or aims.

The key is that when we give we feel joyful and experience joy. As a giver we receive the most divine gifts of all the gift of joy. Often we think that it is the receiver of a gift that receives something and it often overlooked that the giver actually is the greatest receiver. If you’re not too sure about this, then watch yourself around children and see how you feel when you give to them and observe how you feel no matter how they respond.

When we understand that we are first giving to ourselves when we give and that we do this because we want to feel joy then we have a key. This key unlocks the door of understanding to giving. And when we give repeatedly the momentum builds up just like a wave getting bigger and bigger the more we add to it with our giving.

The reality that we feel contented when we give someone something modify our perspective literally – we feel empowered and on that instant we appear more beautiful to others. There may be peddlers on the street offering napkins or other sundry things that one is not in need of, but one day you may buy it just to see that smile lighting up the face of the peddler in relief and thankfulness. It is the same satisfaction one gets by responding to a street musician.

Someone who is joyful exudes a natural attraction that draws others in and in doing so draws in better life experiences. It is simple. They attract to them those who are either wanting to experience that feeling or those who already experience it.

So just like water and oil, givers and non-givers gather in separate areas. And the best place to receive something is in a place where givers hang out! But of course you can only stay in the giving group while you give! Givers love to give to those who give.

We may be able to look at quantum physics for resolving things, but these are very much in front of us all the time. Alike attracts alike – right. See what is going on all over the world. Lions like to be with lions, students like to be with students, women prefer the company of women, guys like other guys, ‘poor’ people prefer to be with ‘poor’ people and ‘rich’ people like to form groups with ‘rich’ people. And yes – givers like to make friends with givers.

So if you every give from guilt then it will have the reverse effect for you – you will attract others feeling guilty and guilt-feeling people are not usually that joyful and happy. Guilt is a short step away from anger emotionally; so people giving from guilt often make the jump in that direction. Where as joy is almost at the top of the ladder of human emotions – and the jump from there is just to love – which we are all looking for.

So when you initiate the act of giving, you are very close to knowing perfect love – really wonderful to know that it is. More so as we know that most people are continuously trying to find love. We now know that the answer is so easy – begin giving! And gifting money is only an aspect of giving – giving on the whole will create a special place of joy for us, no matter how ‘little’ the amount.

There is also an emotional aspect to giving consistently. This aspect might not in the beginning appear to have connections to the sensation of joy – in the end it completely bonds us to the absolute bliss of joy.

When we share an item with someone – particularly something that we ourselves do not possess in abundance – we are sending a persuasive communication to our own brain that life is trustworthy. When we give something and later analyse the act we are connecting with the trust. The converse of trust is terror. So again, a group of terrified people are not likely to be happy and fine and so no one would find them appealing. On the other hand, a gathering of trustful people would themselves be happy and would attract many others to share their perfection. So finally when we believe the belief gets transformed into happiness and again we are very near to love – the most important thing that all of us are searching for.

So the essence that has been forgotten over the ages is right here today for anyone to connect with simply and easily. My son received a lot of money for Christmas and I asked him what he was going to do with it. He said he was going to save most of it. I asked him how much he was going to give. He had not considered that an option until I shared it with him. What would happen if the first thing we did when we received was to give some away – do you think we would experience more joy

Transaction based charity – or transaction based generosity

This leads us to the power of transactional giving. Many businesses give when they have lots of money. When they have little they tend not to give. Because of this their potential levels of joy are always go up and down based on the market trends – they have no control. But those who give EVERY time they receive are in control and connected with their experience of joy regularly.

Transactional giving rather than lump sum giving is tied into the business profit cycle so it is a ‘no-brainer’ way of giving. Now every time you receive something you give something – simple. If you have a slow month you still give, but less based on sales. And as your business booms you can give more.

One of the major secrets of transaction based enterprise is that you can partake in the joy of giving so perfectly with all concerned – clients/society – staff – and enterprise. In this scenario customers understand that when they buy something they are also giving though it does not cost them anything other than choosing and shopping with you they feel power of the giving – that is why the traditional CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility, gets transformed into Customer Social Responsibility, with the customer responding perfectly to giving just by appreciating you and have that extra cause, though an elusive one, for preferring to do the shopping with you.

Your personnel will also be able to partake in the happiness of giving as every time they manage to close a sale, they realise that they have managed to give something to a needy person. This is an extremely satisfying experience especially in a team as it can get converted into motivating the team and encouraging the staff.

Any business, including startups with no profit, can do Buy1GIVE1 transaction-based giving – there literally are no barriers to entry and the business controls everything. The contribution amount per transaction starts from just one cent and goes up to thousands of dollars with each business choosing their own level of giving and charity cause project to support depending on their business type and profitability. There is simply no reason not to give this way when the benefits of giving are so numerous. Businesses who are currently giving to a cause can usually convert very quickly and easily to Buy1GIVE1 transaction-based giving while still supporting the same cause providing extra tangible benefits to the business.

At the end of the day commercialised giving is the current day reincarnation of tithing that is simple and manageable for any person, anywhere. Now that we recognize that it is not about the amount that we give such as a specific percentage, but only about the fact that we are giving that is making all that effect. When we enter the brotherhood of givers we move into a restricted and exclusive world that only those who give can enter. And if you do not begin giving today, you may not ‘get’ giving and never will till you begin. So get going.

‘We’re not here to gift in order ‘to take.’ We want more to be able to give more.

Discover more about how Buy1GIVE1 (BOGO) can transform your business using Cause Marketing.

Definitions of some English words can change quite rapidly these days. In the recent past the meaning of words was often very fixed. Today the meaning can change in the blink of an eye. With faster and newer ways to exchange ideas such as Twitter and with wider and more culturally, socially and educationally dissimilar groups connecting together – words are put back on the anvil of evolution and changed into something new and more reflective of current life.

There’s a significant global movement happening where consumers are asking business to take care of the things they care about such as the less fortunate in society and the environment. The request is mainly tacit and despite it being an ironic request it by far indicates still that we are in a time of vast change. Consumers these days want their cake and eat it. They not only want cheap products, they also want the environment to be preserved and they want workers to be well looked after.

There may not seem an answer to this complex puzzle and yet one actually exists. It exists in the reforging of a simple single word – GET. Today there is a new movement of people wanting to get but give at the same time and they are reforging its meaning into the word GIVE.

Every day automated email notices arrive from Google Alerts for two keywords – B1G1 and BOGO. I see all the new places these words are being used on the Internet. I can now see that the new meaning of these words is coming alive ‘poco a poco’ -little by little.

The B1G1 and BOGO acronyms both stand for Buy One GET One free. You buy one and you get given an extra one for free.

Look up BOGO on Wikipedia.com (there isn’t a definition yet for B1G1) and you will discover these definitions for BOGO:

* An acronym in the retail industry that stands for Buy One Get One. For example, you could say “Buy 1 DVD, Get 1 FREE!

* An acronym in slang British that stands for Britons Of Greek Origin or Greek Britons.

* Bogo, Cebu, a city in central Philippines.

* An alternate name for the Bilen ethnic group of Ethiopia or their language, Blin.

* Norway, a village in Norway.

* The mascot of the ITESM CEM.

* Bogosort, an ineffective sorting algorithm

* BogoMips, an unscientific measurement of CPU speed

BOGO light

There is an organisation in the USA called SunLight Solar founded by a gentleman called Mark Bent. He has created a special torch that not only is an amazing and robust solar-powered light; his company also gives a free torch to a family in need in developing nations for each one purchased. If you look on their website you will learn about their “BOGOlight”.

“The BoGo – our Buy one/Give one – program has successfully provided lights to many, many thousands of people in the developing world, changing lives because of your purchase and participation.” – BOGOlight.com

Mark Bent has flipped the BOGO acronym upside down when he started to use the word as part of his product name. For him now and the thousands who buy his lights, BOGO today means Buy One GIVE One. Each person gets to give a light every time they buy one for themselves. So now with each sale people who do not have the benefit of electricity can tap the power of the sun to support them in their lives.

There are many other well known and less well know businesses now doing Buy One Give One giving or transactional giving as it is becoming known. Some of the famous ones are One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC) and TOM’S Shoes. Some of the less well-known ones (in the USA at least) are based in New Zealand, Australia and the UK – Earthstar Publishing, Maple Muesli, Blinds Couture, Figure 8 Body Chains, Sunsplash Homes, Honestly Women magazine and Thavibu Gallery based in Thailand are just a handful of special businesses that are heading the Buy One Give One movement.

There are many Buy One Give One businesses now uniting under the common brand banner of Buy1GIVE1 managed by a Singapore based social enterprise which is becoming the home of transaction-based giving. Any business in the world can now integrate Buy One Give One giving with ease. It’s like a ‘CSR plug-in’ allowing a business to instantaneously start giving from each and every sale, starting from just 1 cent. It’s also no longer about giving an equivalent product to someone else. Instead it is about contributing to a project that resonates with a company’s activity. For example a restaurant can feed a child, a television retailer can give a cataract blind person the gift of sight (Get Vision-Give Vision), a magazine publisher can plant a tree every time they sell a subscription and a property developer can build a low-cost family home for those in need (Buy1BUILD1) – the list is simply endless.

Something special is happening these days as more and more people are switching onto giving and ‘citizen brands’ as a part of their everyday experience. The 2008 Edelman Goodpurpose global study of consumer attitudes reveal that almost seven in 10 (68%) consumers would choose to remain loyal to a brand during a recession if it supports a good cause, and 71% say that when they think about the economic downturn, they have either given the same or more time and money to good causes. This very same study highlighted some other major things as well like:

* Half (52%) of consumers globally are more likely to recommend a brand to others when it supports a good charity cause over one that does not.

* 52% of consumers globally are more likely to tell others of a brand when it supports a good charity cause over one that doesn’t.

* Consumers are now voicing a clear desire for marketers to associate their brands to social causes. 42% say that if two products or services were of a similar quality and price, commitment to a cause outranks factors like innovation, design and brand loyalty when selecting one brand over another.

Transforming Getting into Giving

The new concept of Buy One GIVE One is starting to replace Buy One GET One as the global giving movement led by Buy1GIVE1 ripples out. Right now if you search for the terms B1G1 and BOGO you will find that websites that do Buy1-Give1 giving are on the first page of Google results. Certainly with the large consumer demand shown for products from companies like TOMS Shoes, BOGO lights and OLPC – One Laptop Per Child, this tide is set to continue and spread.

I did a recent Google search to find the top 25 keywords associated with the keywords BOGO and B1G1. The results were interesting indeed seeing none of them contained the word Give. You can see the results below. It will be interested to repeat this experiment in 12 months time to see what changes. Consumers are now starting to drive significant change and despite them wanting to receive free gifts (as in traditional BOGO/B1G1), they equally want to help others and the environment. This feeling is validated by 2008’s Goodpurpose global study.

Keyword results:

Free, networking, boots, groups, music, dallas, togo themes, wallpapers, buy, applications, skins, values, coupon, African, gift, photography, blogging, discount, sharing, shopping, pics, join, prose

Transaction-based or transactional giving

Buy One Give One giving is transactional – every time you buy something, you give something. In the case of SunNight Solar, TOMS Shoes and OLPC they happen to give physical products of the same nature for everyone sold. However, in most cases, Buy1GIVE1 associated businesses give a charitable contribution from each sale. Giving can start from just a one-cent contribution per sales transaction and go up to thousands of dollars in the case of Buy1BUILD1. At 1cent any business in the world can afford to give from each sale especially when they also know 100% of the contribution goes to the cause.

The amount of money that is contributed isn’t the focus with Buy1GIVE1 transaction based giving. The focus instead is on the story and sharing the simple joy of giving. After all, if you think that 1c isn’t a lot to give and would not make much of a difference think again.

From its origins in Ethiopia, where the main coffee production is still from wild coffee tree forests, coffee consumption has spread throughout the world. Today Brazil is still by far the largest producer producing an average output of 28% of the world’s total coffee. Brazil produced enough coffee in 2006 to make 216 billion four hundred million – 216 400 000 000 – espresso coffees. If we calculate that across global production then we get a daily global consumption of around 2,117,416,830 cups of coffee. The figures are hard to find but let’s guess that 40% of the world’s coffee is sold in coffee shops then we would get that 846,966,732 cups are sold commercially each day globally. This would equate to about’5,485,714 cups in the USA alone seeing they purchase around 21.9% of the world’s coffee beans.

Now imagine that for every cup of coffee sold a child was given clean drinking water from its own well. It costs just 1cent per person per day to do this. Any coffee shop could afford to contribute this amount from the sale of a cup of coffee. Instead of clean water a coffee shop could contribute for the education of coffee farmers’ children, costing from 23cents per child per day. The options and stories are unlimited as well as the potential difference that Buy One Give One transactional giving can make to the lives of many.

Transactional giving is the story of the thousand-mile journey starting with that first single step. Digging a well costs a few thousand dollars so it’s a big barrier for communities in developing nations. However if you break the cost down it only takes the sale of a cup of coffee to give clean water to a single person for a day1. This is the power of transactional giving. It is like the compound interest of giving – a little turns into a lot very quickly.

Of course any company anywhere in the world can apply transaction-based giving to any of their products or services and do it on their own as some are like TESCO in the UK giving school uniforms to kids in Africa from every uniform purchased in the UK. And yet if companies choose to come together under a commonly recognised banner they have a greater effect. The ripple that one company creates adds to that of another and soon the tidal wave of change flows out into the world benefitting all the companies in the movement. This is the power of giving and doing things together.

Everyone wins with Buy-One-Give-One transaction-based giving. The consumer wins – at no extra cost to themselves they’ve made a difference to the lives of others through their purchasing choices. The business also wins in so many tangible and intangible ways. And of course the charity partner wins because they are now able to receive small amounts from numerous sources aggregated and paid in a lump sum on a regular basis allowing them to focus on what they do rather than raising funds.

A new beginning

If you go and check Wikipedia.com today for the word BOGO you should find that a new definition has been added. It’s time for a tide-change – a change from focusing on GETTING to working with GIVING. I added this small addition to Wikipedia’s BOGO definition: “… an acronym in the marketing industry that stands for Buy One GIVE One.”

Imagine a world where every time you buy you are giving a gift forward to someone in greater need than you. This is the magic of transactional giving – seamless and simple.

This is the world I want to be part of.

Just remember – you don’t ‘get’ giving till you get giving.

References:

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee

http://www.buy1-give1free.com/index.php/Partnering/Worthy-cause-charity-projects.html

http://www.scfnw.org.uk/site/article183.html

http://www.coffeepoet.com/2007/09/

http://www.scfnw.org.uk/site/article183.html

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee

http://www.coffeepoet.com/2007/09/

Footnotes: 1 Daily cost per person is calculated by taking the average cost to dig a well, dividing it by its average expected life without major maintenance, divided by the number of people in the community benefiting from the well on a daily basis.

Discover more about how Buy1GIVE1 (BOGO) can transform your business using Cause Marketing.

Advertising has a crucial role to play in the endorsement of a company’s offerings. It not only generates brand awareness but also brings out a desired response from the consumers.

The use of banner printing as an advertising medium to lure consumers is quite prevalent across the world. It is an old but dependable medium in the marketing arena. Design plays an indispensable role in the mass appeal of a banner, and proper execution of good design is possible only with excellent printing.

Banner printing requires careful and meticulous work so that a visually appealing banner can be created. One has to keep in mind the shape and size of the banner; it should not be too big or too small. The message on the banner should be of a standard word count and in a letter size that gels well with the layout. A message with a word limit of five to seven, with words written in bold and large fonts, is followed widely.

Any printing organization that is established in the trade should know the correct colour tones which would suit a customer’s banner. The letter colour should be clear in the background, making the message prominent and easily readable. Heavy, yet simple words, like ‘great’ may be employed to heighten the force of the message. Moreover, the images used in the banner should not draw viewers’ attention at the expense of the message, as it might mean that the whole aim of the banner would be defeated. The images must always emphasize the theme of the banner, but nothing more.

Following the above tips while banner printing will help you develop the ideal banner that meets the organization’s promotional objectives. It is a solid marketing strategy that can help you get more sales, more sales leads, and more sales referrals for your business.

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The terms carbon trading and carbon credits are often referred in debates about global warming on a regular basis, but not everyone comprehends what these terms mean. In the system of carbon trading, controls are put on greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, and the pre-decided emission limits are then distributed across nations, which have to control the greenhouse gas emissions from the different industries and commercial units operating within them.

Governments and industrial units in several countries are permitted a certain number of carbon credits, giving them the right to release a restricted quantity of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. One carbon credit amounts to one ton of carbon dioxide emitted in the environment. This implies companies and industrial units can indulge in purchasing and selling of carbon credits depending upon their respective levels of emissions, thereby keeping the whole world’s emission rate within prescribed limits.

The major benefit of carbon trading is that it leads to a situation where companies tending to go beyond their emission limits have to pay a significant amount to do so, as they have to buy carbon credits from the world market. However, for every business that is purchasing credits, there will be a company which is selling these credits. Therefore, the world economy stays balanced, while organizations least polluting the environment profit financially. This motivates organizations to invest in green processes as well and gradually the overall greenhouse gases emissions start decreasing.

By permitting the carbon credits to be traded freely on global exchanges, it can be ensured that regardless of the size of the company, greener operational methods are always rewarded and can be conveniently monetized. Trade in carbon credits fetches instant and substantial benefits for companies with low emissions. Moreover, as the whole idea has also been extended to countries, there would always be encouragement to decrease emissions from the respective governments to local companies, which is a huge benefit as a lot of governments are often blamed for lack of initiative on environment.

Carbon tax is another alternative that may be implemented, in which organizations responsible for pollution are punished but environment friendly entities are not rewarded for low emissions. The effectiveness of such schemes is still a matter of debate.

Till date no other scheme has been able to successfully handle the problem of carbon emissions in a better way than carbon trading. The efficacy of the system is clear from the unprecedented growth in the carbon trading market witnessed in the past few years.

Learn more about Carbon Credits and Carbon Trading to get a deeper understanding on how you can help in saving the environment.

Screen printing is one of the initial methods used in printing process. In this process, the ink or any other printing medium is passed through a screen or ‘mesh’ that has been fixed on a frame, and a stencil has been applied to it. The image that needs to be imprinted is determined from the stencil openings. For the different colors, different screens are prepared and the process is repeated.

A stencil method of printmaking that imposes a design on the screen of silk surface, the ink is forced onto the printing surface through the mesh and the blank areas are covered with an impermeable substance is called silk-screen printing or serigraphs.

The screen printing first appeared in China during the rule of Song dynasty. The Asian countries started using the screen printing process in thirteenth century and advanced it further by combining the screen painting with block printing and paints. In late 1700s, the Europe started using the screen printing process but it gained wider acceptance much later as the silk was not available in the Europe at that time.

The screen printing in the United Sates became popular when the artist Andy Warhol screen printed Marilyn Monroe in year ‘62 in the garish colors. In year ‘60, the American entrepreneur, inventor and artist Michael Vasiltone developed and patented a rotary multicolor garment screen printing machine. He used this rotary machine to manufacture and print information of bowling on different garments but soon he turned his attention on printing team logos and information on t-shirts. This soon led to led a boom in t-shirt screen printing business and many more manufacturers licensed from him in order to print on t-shirts. The rotary garment screen printing machine became the most popular device used in the screen printing industry.

The screen printing business flourished and became a profitable industry. It was adopted by the artists to express and they used it to duplicate their works and they have been using it before ’00s. Currently, it is popular both in the commercial printing and fine arts industry. It is commonly used print images on the T-shirts, CDs, DVDs, hats, glass, ceramics, polyethylene, paper, polypropylene, wood and metals.

Screen printing is used extensively in the printing industry to mass create so many items specifically t-shirts. It is excellent for both short and long-run printing. For large volumes the process can be set up on a printing drum but for small runs a simple manual setup can be used.

Large and small corporate give gifts to their employees and clients in appreciation of their work and also to motivate the employees to perform better. The Corporate gifts are usually screen printed with the company logo and some motivational sentiments. The corporate gifts are given at the time of holidays like Christmas and New Year. There are many different types of corporate gifts like t-shirts, bags, glasses and like. The screen printed t-shirts are also given to the employees during the annual events of the corporate.

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Everybody wants comfort and convenience everyday. The demands of daily work, home, and extra-curricular activities could really take its toll on anyone. Because of this, everybody longs for that well-merited holiday getaway. You can help your customers and clients plan their next weekend treat and expose your company at the same time through logo printed wallet calendars.

Wallet calendars are highly handy items. It can aid as a reference or guide to people who oftentimes have a crammed schedule. They may be employed by everybody no matter what their age, gender, race or religion is. Promotional wallet calendars may be placed practically anywhere. Your customers and clients will definitely love their remarkable styles and designs.

You may use custom imprinted wallet calendars as launching day or trade show giveaways. Distribute them to your possible customers and clients while you talk with them near your booth. You can also use them as part of your reward or incentive package to your hard-working employees. Since these wallet calendars are altered with your company name or logo, the feeling or sense of belonging in them will be intensified. You will be able to encourage them to continue doing a excellent job at work.

Read on to find out about other advantages of customized wallet calendars:

1. Handy and Portable – Wallet calendars may be put on your wallet, purse, padfolio, organizer, briefcase and everywhere else you can think of. Your customers and clients don’t have to worry too much about storage space.

2. Targets a Extensive Reach of Audience – Since promotional wallet calendars can be used by everybody, you can be sure of a more extensive target audience scope. You would be able to reach out to almost everyone in the world. As a result, you have a higher likelihood of being more well-known.

3. Maximum Space – They have enough printing space designed to accommodate all your promotion needs. You may imprint your company name, logo or even corporate messages or slogans.

4. Cheap and Cost Efficient – Customized wallet calendars are inexpensive and resource friendly. You don’t need to splurge too much money on it.

Before you hurry to order your own set of promotional wallet calendars, read the following hints first:

1. Match Your Logo with the Design – Made your company name or logo so it

2. suits the wallet calendar’s design. You should make it look decorative and significant at the same time. Pick designs that will best capture the essence of your message.

3. Check the Information Printed – Wallet calendars may vary in the way information is branded on them. Some display weekly or monthly dates. Others hold additional information like the various holidays of the year and other major events. Inspect these details and see which ones work best for your business.

4. Formulate a Fool-Proof Budget – You should always think about your monetary status when organizing an announcing campaign. Plan a rational budget and try to stick with that no matter what happens. Don’t splurge your money on trivial items.

Serena Doni Stalin is a tradeshow giveaways consultant on advertising calendars and customizable calendar printing. Check articles by Serena Doni Stalin on how to market your business.