OCTOBER 13, 2008

Your Monthly Email Connection to the RecycleBank Community

Missed a story in this month’s The Village Green Email Newsletter? Check out the latest issue below. You can also download a pdf version for on-the-go reading or view previous issues in our newsletter archive.

August 2008Download PDF Link_donut

In This Month's Issue

01. When is a nag not a nag?
02. RecycleBankers Have Spoken
03. Here's what's new for RecycleBank Members this month
04. Interview: Meet Jeff Fishbaugh
05. Author, Author: Any writer's out there?

When is a nag not a nag?

Good Green Manners

I don't know about you, but often times I find myself holding back, even choking back what feels like a huge 2 liter plastic bottle in the back of my throat when I see someone put recyclables in the trash. Certainly the vast majority of Village Green readers know what I mean. After all, most of you are RecycleBank Members and get rewarded for each and every bottle, can, cereal box, phone book, etc.

But what about the 'other' folks out there that don't yet have RecycleBank and let a water bottle, soda can or stray piece of paper fall into the exact wrong bucket! Oh what to do. Preach? Teach? Screech? Hmmm.

There must be simpler and easier ways for us to all run a little greener. Perhaps instead of a "You should" we should try a "What if" approach. Which would you find friendlier and more conducive to change:

"You should have recycled that newspaper. Don't you know there is a global problem out there?"

or

"What if everyone recycled their newspapers? That alone would reduce landfills by over 40%, not to mention the millions of trees saved!"

'What if' allows us to dream and tell a strong message without blame, guilt, or any of those other fabulous feelings that arrive in the pit of your stomach during a good scolding. 'What if' let's the other person almost come up with the idea, in the good old, "Tom Sawyer-help me paint the fence" fashion. 'What if' can allow us to get a foothold on doing green in a way that will become Second Nature.

What if, everyone did 1 thing to be just a little bit greener today? What if those small yet meaningful changes reached a tipping point or even a nudge in behaviors? What if.

Feel free to write in and tell me your 'what ifs' at villagegreen@recyclebank.com. I'll print some in next month's newsletter.

RecycleBankers Have Spoken

Moo-ve over Milk Jug

Last month, we spoke about the new eco-friendly milk jug. This container's unique rectangular shape makes stacking easier and transportation cheaper - not to mention more environmentally friendly.

But is it better? Here's what our readers had to say:

We have tried the new Sam's Club milk jug and have to agree that we're not really fond of it!! Debbie Jefferson

I thought it was great!! I like the new milk jug better then the old one. Feels stronger too. Susan Washburn

I love the new milk jugs. Not only is Sam's Club trying them, but here in Omaha Costco has them too. For me (age 69) it is EASIER to pour the milk out of the corner of the new bottles, compared to the old ones that continue to leak as I pour the milk. Thanks for the chance to share the above. Orville C. Walz

COSTCO has been selling these jugs for a while now. Pouring is not that bad. You just have be a little more careful and slow down when pouring. Most of us are talking on the phone holding the baby or doing too many things at once. Maybe something as simple as a milk jug will help us just slow down.
Barbara Spyridakis

The jug is great as far as efficient transport and storage are concerned, but I have also experienced the humbling spilled milk phenomenon. Hopefully, further improvements are on the way that will make this problem a thing of the past. I'll still use it in the meantime, just being more careful with my pouring technique.
David Frank

A very special shout out to all of you who have written in and shared your thoughts. Please continue to do so at villagegreen@recyclebank.com

Here's What's New For RecycleBank Members This Month

1 Bag at a Time
Biokleen
Boden
BuyGreen.com
ENVI
GreenBatteries.com
Green Nest
Kiss My Face
LuggageOnline
Monster Mini Golf
Plenty Magazine
Preserve
Reader's Digest Store
Every Day with Rachel Ray Magazine
RentaCrate
Teleflora
TerraPass
ZIRH

Interview: Meet Jeff Fishbaugh

Jeff Fishbaugh is the President of Elkhorn Sanitation Service in Omaha, Nebraska. Elkhorn Sanitation is the first in the Midwest to join our RecycleBank Family and offer RecycleBank to their residents.

VILLAGE: What did you do prior to Elkhorn?

JEFF: I spent 12 years working with BFI Waste Systems and Waste Management managing operations and sales throughout the Midwest.

VILLAGE: Customer service is a key quality at Elkhorn, in fact, I have never heard of a service that returns the recycling or trash cart back to the garage door. Where did you pick up this unique approach to legendary service, and has it paid off?

JEFF: I've always felt like Amercia is experiencing the death of great customer service. By our returning our customer's containers back to the home we demonstrate every day that we're different. We care and it has paid off handsomely. Neighbors talk to neighbors and our reputation has really taken off. Not only that, but it really helps take price out of the picture in our subscription market. Taking the extra step in customer service supports a higher quality of revenue that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.

VILLAGE: Were you 'green' as a kid? How so?

JEFF: No, not really. Back in those day's (a really long time ago indeed!) green was just another color. Although I did participate in the Boy Scouts with aluminum can drives and other environmental activities.

VILLAGE: Tree Hugger or Problem Solver: What's behind your passion for recycling?

JEFF: Both. Partnering with RecycleBank allows us to position ourselves as leaders in the community. We are motivating and helping our customers minimize their impact on our environment. At the same time we are reducing our company's landfill expenses, saving fuel by reducing our collections to every other week, gaining vast market share, and associating ourselves with the successes of our merchant vendor partners.

VILLAGE: Peter Drucker once said, "Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." What was your courageous decision?

JEFF: The most courageous (or craziest!) decision was to start my own hauling company from scratch and build it to the level of success we now enjoy. The smartest decision I made was to partner with RecycleBank!

VILLAGE: Thanks Jeff!

Author, Author: Any Writers out there?

Interested in writing an article for the Village Green? Send us your thoughts. We are looking for your musings on anything in the green space: sustaintainability, environment,
locavores, green do-gooders, recycling mainiacs, community efforts, green companies--you name it and tell us. If we like it, we'll post it in an upcoming issue.

BTW, if there is something or someone you would like us to look into, just say the word. After all, the planet is just one big neighborhood.