Jon and I have gotten into the habit of not printing. I don’t look it as a scrafice and don’t miss reading printed material. We simply don’t find the need to do it. Kudos to the various businesses that have made printing unneccesary – Adobe, online statements, Blackberry (why print itineraries when I can sync to my calendar) etc etc

Realizing that I maybe print a page every month got me wondering if US paper consumption has gone down recently and the great effects of reducing paper usage.

The Good News:

• US Paper Consumption is flat or down from previous years according to this Britannica entry from 2007
• In 2007 56.1% of paper was recovered for recycling versus 38.7% in 1993 

A Bit of Shocking News:

• The average world office employee uses around 7 reams of copy paper or 3,500 pieces of paper each year. This fact has set the world’s average paper consumption at 123 pounds of paper per person each year.
• Between 1960 and 2008 the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.5 pounds per day.

Of Course There is Hope….

According to James Derosa“If all 700 million Adobe Readers users decided not to print an article ten pages long each year, there would be 3 environmental effects:

1. Less waste due to 14 million reams of copy not used
2. 80,000 trees wouldn’t be cut down annually
3. 118,000 less tons of CO2 in atmosphere

(And no need to understand the language of printer jams:)

I opened a can of tuna on a backcountry camping trip a few years ago. As I went to drain the tuna juice from the can, a fellow hiker grabbed the can and proceeded to suck the tuna juice straight from it. “What are you doing?” he shrieked. “That’s perfectly good water. This world doesn’t have enough water that you can afford to just waste it like that.”

That’s extreme! Even for a highly environmentally conscious guy like myself.

We talk a lot at Abe’s Market about how to make going green fun. Richard posted on this recently.

I love this TreeHugger piece and short video on Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. The guy rides his bike to work every day. Because he’s a tuna-juice-sucking fanatic? No! His explanation: “I started biking to work for a bunch of different reasons. Ultimately, I bike now because I like it.”I love that simplicity!

Lately, I’ve been gratified to witness a recurring great example of recycle and reuse all in one. Obviously, we recycle everything in my house. We’ve been sending toilet paper rolls, empty boxes, etc. to my 4-year-old daughter’s preschool. Within days, those same items return home in the form of birdhouses, horns and more. It’s fun for us to watch that virtuous cycle in action.

I’ll add some more of my own family’s fun (and simple) green activities soon. For now, I’ll rely on this list from iVillage to get things going.

Do you do anything more than drink tuna juice to make going green fun?

Thankfully Eliezer remembered we had some of Peaceful Mountain’s Stomach Rescue in the office. I had an upset stomach and I objectively believe that the Stomach Rescue has made me feel better.

The key ingredient is ionic silver (40ppm) along with peppermint. I am fascinated by the medicinal qualities of silver and am looking for more background, these few lines are a compelling introduction:

“Throughout history silver has been used as a preservative and to fight infections. Colloidal silver is a suspension of the element silver in a solution, usually water. Silver, like mercury, was used as a medicine starting in the late 1800s. Its primary application was as a topical antiseptic. Use of silver, in the form of silver nitrate solution, is still required by law in most states to be used in newborns as a topical eye drop to prevent eye infections.”

Just in case I am tempted to go a little crazy on silver I will keep the picture of the blue faced guy who appeared on Oprah…

As a longtime marketing guy, I’m fascinated by what drives product successes and failures. Classical marketers will cite the necessary 4P’s:

• Product – needs to be a good product that fills a consumer need
• Price – needs to be perceived as fair
• Place – has to have reliable distribution where shoppers shop
• Promotion – must be marketed in a compelling way that speaks to the target audience

But there’s more. What is it that drives some products to explode on the scene ala Rubik’s Cube, Beanie Babies and, more recently, Webkinz?

While we don’t reveal Abe’s Market sales figures, I can say that we have a runaway hit. Multibox mania is running wild. After quickly running out of inventory on our first order, we compiled a long waiting list of wannabe Multibox customers who wanted to be notified when we were replenished. We just listed the product back in stock a few hours ago and already it’s flying off the shelves.

So, what is it about Multibox that makes it a soon-to-be cult classic? Sure, it easily checks the box on the 4P’s. My kids love it. Parents love it for its combination of design, function and education. Parents magazine coverage certainly doesn’t hurt. And Green Lullaby, maker of Multibox, has a compelling story of a momtrepreneur who develops safe, environmentally-friendly toys and furniture for her own kids, then turns it into a business.

But what’s really driving the mad rush over and above a normal hot product? And why don’t more toys (or toy makers) know the secret formula?

I have a nephew and friends with kids who don’t eat any fruit or vegetables so I shouldn’t be complaining.

This is more about an untapped opportunity and the success of mainstream marketing. Many have said that we buy using emotion and justify our decisions with logic. Marketers know that a box of cereal labeled “Wholegrain” and “Vitamin C” will convince caring parents who are happy not to have to think about the amount of sugar in Multigrain Cheerios (I don’t mean to pick on any one cereal since this is the case among most).

I can’t find the article I read a while back talking about the advantage the major food companies have over fruit in their packaging and marketing but I thought of it earlier today. My son wanted to buy a bag of chips because of one of the collector cards he would find in it. I can’t blame him. Kids like prizes.

That is all background to the title. Why doesn’t some smart entreprenuer change the face of the fruit industry by bundling fruit with a prize. The industry is ripe (pun intended:) for change. The geniuse behind baby carrots was able to create a segment by converting blemished carrots into an   easy-to- snack-on and impulse item versus a vegetable that requires preperation. Baby carrots carry some controversy but outsell normal carrots even with their premium pricing.

There are plenty of initiatives to get kids to eat better and some smart ways to hide fruits and veggies in their food but I want to see the playing field leveled. When will my kids ask to buy a bag of fruit because of the card or prize inside?

Most of parenting is wonderful. There are some things, though, that no parent can claim to enjoy. Top (or should I say bottom?) on my list are:

1. Having a kid wake me from a state of deep REM in the middle of the night
2. Dealing with a screaming baby on a long plane ride
3. Changing a stinky diaper

Lesley Mattos, who once had 4 children under the age of 5, has done something about one of these. While her Bottoms Up Baby Wipes may not make me wish I still had kids in diapers, they are one of those no-brainer products. Better for baby. Better for the environment. Convenient. And far cheaper than disposable wipes. What’s the catch?

Now, Lesley, what can you do to make kids sleep through the night and behave like angels on airplanes?

Jeffrey (those in the know call him Dr.Oolong) at Zhi Tea has helped me appreciate all tea has to offer.  Here are a mere three points from his vast knowledge that should impress the person next to you at your next party. Try not to be too smug when pulling these out….

• Beginner: Oolong, pronounced “woo-long” and sometimes spelled “wu-long,” means “black dragon” in Mandarin. This term describes a wide variety of teas that fall all along the black-to-green spectrum in terms of oxidation. Oolong is perhaps the sexiest and most mysterious of teas.

• Intermediate: Recent studies strongly indicate that oolong tea’s particular makeup of polyphenol compounds aid in weight loss. Oolong tea’s effects on blocking the absorption of fats and carbohydrates is thought to play a key role in its weight reducing benefits

• Advanced :Because most of the caffeine found in tea leaves ends up on the outside of the leaf during the drying process, a simple ‘leaf washing’ or ‘pre-brewing’ is all that’s needed to remove 80-90% of the caffeine from any loose leaf tea. Not recommended for white or green tea.

You should (of course) snicker at, point fingers and mock with an English accent anyone who thinks herbal tea is real tea.

“Look at the gentleman in the back. Follow his form. Perfect.” How shocked was I to hear those words in my first ever yoga class and realize that the teacher was talking about me?

Despite being a natural, I haven’t stuck with it as much as I’d like. I do go enough, however, to know what a pain it can be to get everything I need – mat, towel, wallet, water bottle, keys, etc. – to the gym. So, today’s 10 Days of Discovery deal is right up my alley.

Avi Woolman, founder of Yogoco, embraced yoga as a way to stay in shape after having two kids. She experienced the same frustration we all feel in trying to conveniently get all our stuff to the gym. But she did something about it – she created the perfect yoga bag. And she did it all from pre consumer t-shirt scraps.

Try one of Yogoco’s smart, stylish bags today at 50% off and see why it is a Winner of the Shape Magazine Green Living Awards.

Tamre of Shi Shu Baby has me thinking about my boys. Her son helps her pack blankets and I am quite thankful when my kids pitch in to help the Abe’s cause.

Like most families we are always on the lookout for activities, here are 5 eco-friendly ideas. Please send your suggestions, my sons will be quite thankful.

1. Build A Soapbox Racer – OK, I want to do this as much as my kids do… who doesn’t want to go racing down a hill in a car that they built. Find old bike parts or visit your local junkyard, find details on construction here

2. Plant a Garden – Already a hot trend, the White House has a new organic garden. Nothing beats eating our own tomatoes. Grab some basic gardening tools, follow these instructions and bring your appetite.

3. Sew a Quilt – We have several old shirts, pants and blankets that will make a terrific quilt. My kids appreciate the chance to cut into clothes and this time it will actually be helpful.

4. Bake Granola – It isn’t as crunchy as it sounds. Homemade granola is delicious and you can control the sugar making it the perfect snack.

5. Judo -  Judo is the code word in our house for our wrestling matches on the living room carpet. Most days no one gets hurt, the boys get to release their frustration via playing with me instead of each other, and we all get some excercise.

While Susan Knapp was taking care of her mother, who was sick with breast cancer, Susan wasn’t able to make her Cinnamon Pear Jelly for her Corporate America coworkers for Christmas, as they had come to expect. Seeing their disappointment over not getting their favorite gift, Susan had an inkling that her culinary creations with her favorite fruit had the potential to be a “real” business. Eight years and numerous awards later, A Perfect Pear is an award-winning, extensive line of natural sauces, dressings and marinades.  “Our main objective for all our products is to help people create quick, healthy and delicious meals,” Susan says.

The Blue Ribbon Set is a great way to try several of Susan’s culinary creations at once.  The set of four award-winning items is available today only at 50% off.  It contains Pear Chipotle Grill Sauce, Champagne Pear Vinaigrette, Cinnamon Pear Jelly, Pear Fig Tapenade and some handy recipes.

Thank you, Susan (and team), for being a great partner to Abe’s Market and for participating in 10 Days of Discovery.