AwarenessIdeas.com profiled on major radio station

Recently, Matt Roush from WWJ Radio 950 in Detroit came by our offices to do a profile on our company. We would like to share what he said about us with you.

Please read this article, and contact us for more information. Let us help you help the earth. Saving Energy Helps Everyone.

Posted: Thursday, 17 July 2008 4:58PM

Marvin Weisenthal with some of his "green" buddies


Troy Promotional Firm Leads Green Charge, Getting New HQ


Flexi Display Marketing Inc., a Troy builder of trade show displays and promotional items, has created a marketing division called AwarenessIdeas.com, which is helping American organizations become more environmentally green in their habits.

The staff at Flexi Display designs and produces visual aids and promotional marketing products that are sold at AwarenessIdeas.com. They help organizations promote good employee work habits that support environmental goals, such as stopping energy waste and participating in proper recycling processes.

"I've been doing the work that's on AwarenessIdeas.com for 35 years," Flexi Display CEO Marvin Weisenthal said.

At that point, Weisenthal said he was approached by General Motors Corp. to develop promotional materials for an energy conservation program, then the first-ever for the automaker. Weienthal had earlier worked in creating safety and housekeeping promotional items for GM.

"From there we got into doing environmental issue marketing, and I just kept picking up hundreds and hundreds and now thousands of customers who are buying environmental issue marketing materials from me," Weisenthal said.

Today, Flexi Displays' Websites offer literally hundreds of thousands of promotional and display items, in energy conservation, green awareness and many other topics.

"I get phone calls and orders every day from people who are being crushed by higher energy bills and by state requirements on recycling, and they say 'Boy, are we glad we found your Web site, because there aren't many sites where we can get all the things we need," Weisenthal said.

Flexi Display customers include GM still, along with Ford Motor Co., the University of Michigan, Allison Transmission, Deere Corp., the National Guard, the United States Air Force, the University of Florida, Cargill Corp., Detroit Edison, and the Ritz Carlton, Hyatt and Marriott hotel chains.

"We're in the “Our point is getting yours across” business," Weisenthal said. "We help clients get their messages across using very simple products that can communicate a complex message in a way that an audience gets it."

AwarenessIdeas.com provides posters, decals, handouts, displays, booklets, signs, awards and literally thousands of other products that become part of a environmental awareness process.

There are also sophisticated plans for implementing the products -- for example, a one-year plan for implementing an energy conservation plan.

"Our keys to success are credibility, reliability and friendliness," Weisenthal said.

Flexi Display Marketing Inc. will soon be moving to a new home in Farmington Hills that, which at 6,800 square feet, will better accommodate its rapidly growing environmental business.

Weisenthal said the new headquarters will allow the company to grow and add several new jobs in the months ahead.

The company is constantly adding products to its Website, which is managed entirely in-house. Flexi Display's seven-person staff also designs its own products.

The company is also kicking off a program for groups seeking to implement environmental programs under which 3 percent of the revenue of goods bought to support the project will be donated to a school of the group's or buyer's choice.

© MMVIII WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved.

AwarenessIDEAS joins the MBP3 partnership

We've been working with companies around Michigan (and the world) to save energy, reduce emissions, recycle and minimize waste for the last 30 years. Recently, we became a partner of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to further reach organizations who are ready to take environmental change and conservation seriously.

To see the what MDEQ is all about, I encouage you to see their website:
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/

I also encourage you to sign up for the "Environmental Tidbits" newsletter. This newsletter comes out every few weeks with new developments in Michigan pertaining to the environment. To sign up, contact the program's coordinator, Jeff Spencer.

Jeff Spencer
MBP3 Program Coordinator
Environmental Science & Services
P.O. Box 30457
Lansing, MI 48909-7957

517-241-5719
517-241-7966 (fax)

Are there organizations like MBP3 that you belong to that encourage conservation and awareness? We like to align ourselves with these organizations. Please let me know if you belong to or run any such organizations. Our partnership will be beneficial for everyone involved.

Tips to Stop Global Warming...

Believe it or not, there are many simple things you can do in your daily life that can have an effect on your immediate surroundings and on places as far away as the South Pole. Here is a list of a few things that you can do to make a difference.

Use compact fluorescent bulbs
Which lights in your home do you use the most? Replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs. Three CFBs will save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide and $60 per year!

Inflate your tires
Keeping your tires adequately inflated can same you $840 per year and keep 250 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the air! Check them monthly to be sure.

Change your car's air filter
Check your car's air filter once a month. You can save $130 per year and keep 100 lbs of CO2 from entering our atmosphere.

Fill the dishwasher
Run your dishwasher only when it's full. That'll save $40 a year and 100 lbs of CO2 emission.

Use recycled paperspan
Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled paper. That saves 5 lbs of carbon dioxide per ream of paper.

Adjust your thermostat
Move your thermostat down two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in the summer. That can save up to 2000 lbs of carbon dioxide and 98 bucks per year.

Take shorter showers
Did you know that showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs. So cut your shower short and save 350 lbs of carbon dioxide and $99 per year.

Buy products locally
Tons of energy is used just to get products to the store.

Buy minimally packaged goods
Less packaging reduces garbage by up to 30%. You can also save 1200 lbs of cardon dioxide and $1,000 per year.

Carpool when you can
Own a big vehicle? Does one of your friends? Carpooling with friends saves fuel, and you have the added perk of having all your peeps in one car. Even better, you can save 790 lbs of carbon dioxide and hundreds of dollars per year.

Don't idle in the car
How many times have you seen someone sitting in a car while it's running? Are you guilty of this? Idling wastes money and gas, and generates pollution and global warming causing emissions. Except when in traffic, turn your engine off if you have to wait fo more than 30 seconds.

Drive less
Walk, bike, carpool, or take mass transit. You'll save one pound of CO2 for every mile you don't drive!

Reduce garbage
Recycle paper, plastic and glass, and buy products with less packaging. This can save 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide a year.

Plant a tree
Trees suck up CO2 and create clean air for us to breathe. A single tree will absorb a ton (that's 2000+ lbs) of CO2 over its lifetime.

Use a push mower
We all have chores. Some of us have to mow the lawn. When you do it, use your muscles instead of fossil fuels. You'll save 80 lbs of CO2 per year and you'll get some exercise!

Unplid un-used electronics
Even when electronic devices (like your stereo and phone charger) are turned off, they use energy, so unplug 'em and save over 1,000 lbs of CO2 and $256 a year.

Put on a sweater
Instead of putting up the heat, put on another layer. You can save 1,000 lbs of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and $250 a year.

Air dry your clothes
If the weather permits, how about putting your laundry on the line to dry? There's also no better stain remover than the sun, and you'll save 700 lbs of CO2 and up to $75 a year.

Buy organic foods
The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce, so you'll be doing the earth a favor by buying organic.

Bring your own bags to the market
When the check-out person asks, "Paper or plastic?," say, "Neither. Using your own cloth bag reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

Turn off your computer
Shut it off when you're not using it and save 200 lbs of CO2. Conserve energy by using your computer's "sleep mode" instead of a screensaver.

Go veggie for a day
The average American diet is ripe with meat products and contributes an extra 1.5 tons (that 2500+ pounds) of greenhouse gases per year compared with a vegetarian diet. Eliminating meat and dairy intake one day a week can make a HUGE difference.

Ditch the plastic
2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US alone! A plastic bottle thrown in a landfill will still be a plastic bottle in 200 years since it's not biodegradable! Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!

Spread the word
Get out there and tell your friends and loved ones the small steps they can take to help Mother Earth. A little goes a long way!

To view more energy saving tips and ideas, please visit:
http://www.blogger.com/www.awarenessideas.com

Ways to Conserve Energy!

There are TONS of things you can do to conserve energy. Doing little things can actually make a huge positive impact on the planet!

Every day you make tons of decisions that decide how much energy you consume. Want to consume less and reduce your carbon footprint? Try these!

• 
  Turn the thermostat down by 2 degrees in the winter. Reduce CO2 emissions by 0.62%.
  Stay in town for the weekend. Drive 100 fewer miles per week and reduce CO2 emissions by 4.11%.
• 
  Replace the incandescent light bulbs in your house with compact florescent ones. These use less energy and last longer and cut down on CO2 emissions. It’s a win-win-win situation.
  Dry your clothes outside on a clothesline or inside on a rack instead of putting them in the dryer.
• 
  Only turn lights on in the evening or early morning when the sun doesn’t come in through the windows. Turn lights off as you leave rooms.
• 
  Going on vacation? Make sure the heat or A/C is turned down, and the water heater is turned off before leaving.
• 
  Use cold water when doing laundry whenever possible.
• 
  Carpool next time you and your friends are going somewhere together. You’ll save gas by not driving multiple cars!
• 
  Unplug! Unplug power strips and appliances that you don’t use that often or only at certain times of the day (chargers, cordless tools, etc). Although they may be turned off, the “standby” energy used is equal to that of a 75 watt light bulb running continuously.
• 
  Enable the "sleep mode" feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users, look for energy saving settings under system preferences in the apple menu.

To view more energy saving tips and ideas, please visit:
http://www.blogger.com/www.awarenessideas.com

It's easy to get K12 students to recycle, just ask them

Don't be hesitant in getting students involved in recycling. We make it easy for you with a number of practical school related ideas that will draw your students in.
Go to this link and start planning your falls student recycling program:
http://www.awarenessideas.com/recycling-school-action-plan-a/128.htm

Incandescent bulbs soon a thing of the past

Since incandescent light bulbs use more energy than other light sources (compact fluorescent lamps and LED lamps), some laws and regulations have been passed to start phasing out their usage.

By 2018, California plans on eliminating incandescent bulbs thanks to a bill passed by the California State Assembly. The bill also requires a general reduction in electricity usage. In 2007, New Jersey called for the state to switch to fluorescent lighting in government buildings over the next three years.

When the Clean Energy Act of 2007 was signed, some of these state efforts became moot. This legislation decided to ban incandescent bulbs that produce 310 - 2600 lumens of light by 2014. Bulbs outside this range are exempt from the ban. Lights like colored lamps, appliance lamps, and plant lights are also exempt.

Let us all do our part as individuals to help this cause as well!





To find out more ways to save energy, please visit our Awareness Ideas website!

Benefits of using CFL Lightbulbs

I spoke with someone the other day in a store who insisted that "those twisty bulbs don't do any good, and don't save any money." As I love a good debate, I insisted on explaining every reason why CFL bulbs not only save money on your electric bill, but need to be changed less often and improve the environment through efficient operation.

Here is an overview of benefits from CFL bulbs:

Save Money: An incandescent bulb that uses 75 watts can be replaced with a CFL bulb that only uses 20 watts. The average cost of a kilowatt is 8 cents, and the average CFL bulb lasts 8000 hours. Over 8000 hours, a 75-watt incandescent bulb costs $48.00 to run, while a 20 watt CFL (putting out the same amount of light) comes in at nearly a quarter of the cost at $12.80! That is a savings of $35.00 over the life of the light bulb.

Less Energy: Replacing one incandescent bulb with one CFL bulb keeps 450 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in America used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average-sized power plants, reducing CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide, and high-level nuclear waste.

Less Frequent Changes: The average lifetime of an incandescent light bulb is less then a year. The average lifetime of a CFL is 8 to 10 years.

Environmental Benefits

Each CFL over the course of its life saves 450 pounds of carbon from being produced. This is a powerful savings considering that the average home has between 30-50 sockets, according to the EPA. If only thirty sockets were replaced with CFLs that would be a savings of 13,500 pounds or 6.75 tons of carbon. The average small car uses 3.55 tons of carbon per year, changing your light bulbs would be like almost taking two small cars off the road for a year.

Mercury and disposal

CFLs do contain 5 milligrams of mercury according to the EPA. The mercury is used to make the CFLs more energy efficient, but can be harmful if released into the environment. CFLs actually reduce mercury because mercury is a byproduct of power generation. Since less power is needed for CFLs the total mercury is less then if an old incandescent light bulb was used.

Where to use CFLs

CFLs can be used anywhere an old fashioned incandescent light bulb is used. Special CFLs need to be used in three way lights, dimmers or outdoors. Putting a traditional CFL in these places will shorten the life of the bulb. There is some anecdotal evidence that CFLs may even explode when put in dimmer bulbs because they can not handle the energy surge.

More Energy Saving Tips

• Take control of your heating and cooling. Consider adjusting the thermostat controlling the temperature of your house by 2-4°.

• Carpets with underlay will give you much more insulation than bare floors, and will stop drafts.

• You can use less energy by taking a quick shower rather than a bath.

• If your freezer isn’t full, fill empty spaces with scrunched-up paper or bubble wrap to stop warm air circulating when it is opened.

• Use a lower temperature wash for clothes which aren’t very dirty.

• Air-dry your clothes on clothes racks or lines if possible – dryers are very energy-hungry appliances.

• Switch your dishwasher off completely when it has finished; it is still consuming electricity on stand-by.

• If you are replacing your computer, consider a laptop – they are more energy efficient.

Are you an Energy Star?

If you are not familiar with Energy Star, you should be. It is a national campaign that encourages people to conserve energy, which is something all of us can (and should!) do. Founded in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, it has made impressive strides in creating awareness of and finding solutions to energy-related problems.

Their motto of "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" reminds us that the changes we make have a global impact, challenging us to take initiative and do more as individuals to help stop global warming. Moreover, Energy Star affects every one of us by helping us save money and ensuring a good quality of life for future generations.

Sound like something you'd like to take part in? Virtually any kind of business can become an Energy Star partner by following just a few simple steps, joining the ranks of thousands of others dedicated to the cause of energy efficiency. And once you're an Energy Star partner, you can proudly display it with the products sold at our website!




Learn more about being an Energy Star and to buy other energy-related products at AwarenessIdeas.com!

Summertime is almost here!

Energy usage in America increases exponentially in summer time. here is a list of tips to help you keep your energy costs low as we roll into peak energy time.

* Keep air conditioning thermostats at 78 degrees or higher during summer months.
* Use ceiling fans, which allows for setting the thermostat at a higher temperature.
* Use nonessential appliances such as clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers during off-peak hours (before noon or after 6:00 p.m.) Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
* Close drapes and blinds to keep out direct sunlight during hot periods.
* Avoid using evaporative coolers or humidifiers at the same time an air conditioner is running.
* Run swimming pool equipment for the minimum amount of time, and during off-peak hours
* Limit the opening of refrigerators.
* Reduce hot, outdoor air from entering the house and eliminate the loss of cooled air with weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors.
* Clean or replace the air conditioner filter regularly to help it run more effectively.
* Check and clean refrigerator coils regularly, especially during the summer. Dirty coils on the back or bottom of the refrigerator can make it work harder than necessary. See appliance owner's manual for maintenance instructions.
* Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, which can last up to 10 times longer than old-fashioned bulbs, and produce less heat while using only a quarter of the electricity.
* Turn off lights when leaving a room.
* Use task lighting to directly illuminate work areas.
* Install time clocks or photoelectric cells to control exterior lighting, advertising sign lighting and some interior lighting.
* Install dimmer or occupancy switches where appropriate to lower energy use such as in stairwells, copy rooms, restrooms.
* Insulate the hot water piping from the water heater to the wall or ceiling pipe penetration. Wrap the tank in an insulating blanket if the water heater's energy factor is less than 0.59.
* Reduce use of all non-essential electric appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes dryers, especially during the late afternoon and early evening. Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher's drying cycle.
* Cook outdoors or use a microwave oven and small appliances like a toaster oven and electric skillet to avoid heating up the kitchen and adding moisture to the air. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time.
* Plug home electronics, such as computers, TVs and VCRs, into power strips and turn power strips off when equipment is not in use.
* Lower the thermostat on the hot water heater; 115° is comfortable for most uses.
* Leaking electricity from electronics costs Americans millions annually. (About $750 million a year for TVs and about $600 million a year for VCRs.) To avoid the leaking of electricity, either unplug electronics when not in use, or plug into a power strip that can be switched off.
* Use as little liquid as possible when cooking - surplus water requires more heating and therefore more gas is used than is necessary.
* When cooking, match the burner to the vessel. Use a small vessel on a small burner. A large burner consumes 15 percent more gas.




We're offering a whole line of product to remind to save energy and money this summer!