For the last couple of years, Mind & Media has been taking steps to become a green organization and we’ve found out that doing so is not only good for the environment but it’s also good business.  As we take steps to become more energy efficient and implement conservation measures up and down the organization, we are not only seeing the expected savings (of energy and $$) but also realizing some unexpected gains.  As a conservation mindset sets in among the staff, we are realizing that a “no waste” ethos is becoming a part of the way that we conduct business and that this new way of seeing the world is also improving efficiency and increasing productivity.

When we first embarked on this path, we did some research and also wrote an action plan (something we always do for our clients), which served as our playbook going forward.  I’m proud to say that we’ve instituted most of the suggestions in our own internal guide and some that are outside of it (for example, we’ll be painting the roof white, which not only reflects 98% of the sun that hits it but also has the added bonus of extending the natural life of the roof…resulting in less expense and less waste).

As I was reviewing the guide yet again, I thought it might be a good idea to share it with the world…so here it is…attached to this blog post.  Enjoy…and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

It’s Easy Being Green! Recommendations for the Greening of Mind & Media

Since I am a big film buff and am interested in anything and everything about film (including making them), I was recently reading “The Art of the Documentary,” by Megan Cunningham.  The book explores the current state of documentary film-making via interviews conducted with various directors, cinematographers, producers and editors.  One of the more interesting interviews (to me), was the one conducted with MTV Executive Producer and Director Lauren Lazin, and this is the question that really caught my attention:

By using music, graphics, and fast-paced cuts, MTV has been credited with shortening a generation’s attention span.  Do you agree with that assessment?

Lauren Lazin’s answer (and I’m paraphhrasing) is that this is a chicken-and-egg question.  In her opinion, the audience at the time was actually demanding faster-paced cuts because simply put, they had the capacity to absorb and process more information more quickly and furthermore, they actually desired that the information be presented that way (whether they knew it or not).  And I agree.  I believe that MTV and CNN were simply reacting to the zeitgeist of the moment.

With today’s growing list of new social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Friendster and Squidoo, plus hundreds of blogs and Ning sites popping up all over the place, plus smart phones and IM (and I could go on) it might seem as though an entire generation’s attention span has been shortened and segmented even further. But what does this mean?  The implication in the question above is that this is a bad thing but I don’t agree.  I simply think that this is the way that a whole new generation of people want to engage with media.  I simply believe that it’s the current zeitgeist.  What do you think?

I was speaking with several Baby Boomer friends this weekend, who asked me, “Why in the world I joined Facebook?” They expressed the same concerns about it as I had before I joined — huge time commitment, a silly trend for young people, an intrusion on privacy, another way to keep you tied to the computer so you’re not interacting personally. Yet they also seemed genuinely concerned that they were being left behind since so many of the people they know are now using this public utility.

I told them that there are many advantages to being part of Facebook. It gives you the opportunity to connect with people you may not have seen or spoken to in years: long lost high school buddies, college friends, business associates, folks you met in passing. It gives you the chance to share pictures, share your ideas, see what other people are up to with their careers, their families, and their projects. It also gives you the opportunity to become part of the new Web 2.0 dynamic, which is an extremely powerful way to connect with the world around you.

I also told them that it’s useful for those in business. It gives you the opportunity to be part of the new information-exchange dynamic . . . allows you to recruit in a meaningful way . . . allows you to connect to others who can answer questions or help in unexpected ways.

I explained also that users have the ability to control what people see and therefore protect privacy and to control how much time they spend (as little or as much as they’re personally comfortable with). Users also have the ability to control who is part of their network.

I told them how my father, a 67-year-old, super-conservative guy who traditionally has found the new media reasonably intimidating, is now using Facebook to communicate with his kids and share photos of his great grandchildren and his hunting and fishing trips. “Your father comes home from walks,” my mother told me recently, “and rushes upstairs to the computer to see what’s new.” I think she and Dad are as surprised about this as I am. As surprised as I am that I enjoy Facebook so much and find it so valuable.

As I explained all this, I discovered that I really couldn’t capture the essence of this Web 2.0 tool or why it’s so intriguing. I think it has to do with how easy it is to really share information and insights with those you care about in a way that was impossible or unheard of in the past. And I think people truly like to share who they are and learn about others that they care about. Until you try it, it’s difficult to realize what you’ve been missing, in an era when we can go for years without seeing or hearing from people who matter to us.

As a Baby Boomer, I’ve always been suspicious of new media. To me it always seemed like a vast intrusion on my privacy and just something else I had to do that was probably just a “gimmick” and certainly was a “time waster.”

I’m not the only one who ever felt this way. My brother said to me the other day, “It seems like everyone I know is trying to connect when all I’m trying to do is disconnect.” And I’ve seen countless executives my age and older who seem to tune out, eyes growing dim and distant, when conversations come up about streaming media, Facebook, and Web 2.0.

As President of Mind and Media and partner to a major New Media Believer, I decided that I had to change in order to effectively represent what Mind and Media stands for. So during the last three months, I joined LinkedIn, joined Facebook, created my own blog, began commenting on other blogs, started sharing pictures on line, and self-published using sophisticated online services and tools readily available and easy to learn. And I must say, that while I complained heavily about it at the outset, I have discovered the great benefits involved in this new media, even for someone like me — a forty something who values her privacy, time, and solitude.

Far from being a time waster, this new media has reached a point in its transparency and ease of use that it enables my creativity, allows me to elevate my level of output, and ensures that I stay connected with various networks in ways that are meaningful.

To transform our agencies, communities, and companies, key leaders, many whom are Baby Boomers and Luddites like me, need to embrace the new collaborative tools now so readily available, and in the months ahead I’ll be sharing my insights and discoveries as a way to hopefully inspire others to explore the new media as I have done.

The nominees for the 2007 Webbys (like the Oscars but for websites) have been announced and posted online. Check ‘em out and let me know who you think should win and why….

Wander around Mind & Media and you’ll find plenty of electronic antiques—outdated TVs, radios, record players, and cameras. For us, this is more than an eclectic collection; it’s a constant reminder that communications technology is always evolving. One thing that doesn’t evolve, however, is the importance of communicating with clairity and impact. The medium, in short, will inevitably change; the message, however, remains essential.

Visiting my parents not long ago, I dug up the old 8-track player I had as a kid. As luck would have it, I also found a couple

favorite tapes: Billy Joel’s 52nd Street and KISS’ Double Platinum. There was no question that I had to bring the player to work.

Back at the office, I plugged in that player for the first time in almost 26 years, and it lit up like the past quarter-century hadn’t even happened. I decided to roll the dice and put in the Billy Joel album. On came “Big Shot” and there I was, tapping my foot and singing the lyrics.

That’s when it hit me again: It’s the message, not the medium! It didn’t matter if it was on an iPod or an 8-track. Of course, it was pretty awesome that my beloved player was still rocking.

If you want to know more about the 8-track medium, check out 8-Track Heaven.