“Going Green” seems to be the buzz term of the decade, but saying it and doing it are two different things.  Here at Square 2 Marketing, we have taken significant steps in reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our growing green program.

Our Growing Green Program           

• For each new client we partner with, a tree is planted through the USDA in their honor
  • U.S. Forest Service has established a special program to allow people to donate money toward planting trees on the National Forests. The minimum donation for receiving a Plant-A-Tree certificate is $10. This program qualifies as a charitable deduction for the Internal Revenue Service.
  • After a donation is made, the contributor receives a certificate. The certificate (suitable for framing) recognizes the contribution to the Plant-A-Tree Program made for -- and has a space where the person's name is added. Space is available here as well to explain the reason for the commemorative event. A place is then provided for who the contribution was made by and signed by an official from the U.S. Forest Service.
  • The trees are planted on general forest land. They are not designated on the ground as a memorial, but are planted for multiple use purposes. The size and species of the trees planted will be appropriate to the site and will be at the discretion of the Forest Service.

Other Green Initiatives at Square 2 Marketing  

• We recycle all plastic and aluminum cans
• We purchase 100% recycled paper
• We have switched out regular light bulbs for Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs
• Each Friday evening we unplug all computers, lights and printers to save energy
• All of our cleaning products are bio-degradable and non-toxic
• We utilize instant messenger and email, significantly cutting down on the daily use of paper
• 30% of our staff works from home, cutting down on daily vehicle emissions
• Our weekly newsletter is sent via email rather than US Mail
• We use bio-degradable coffee filters
• We save all coffee grounds to re-use as compost and fertilizer

10 ways to Green your work - Make it a habit to:

• Think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead?
• Use non-toxic, bio-degradable cleaning supplies.
• Turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can.
• Turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day.
• Print on both sides of paper or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.
• Recycle paper, aluminum, plastic, and even electronics.
• Bring lunch in re-usable containers.
• Buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content.
• Provide filtered drinking water and use ceramic coffee mugs to reduce water bottle and paper cup waste.
• Post employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distribute print copies.