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  • The Power is Still Yours

    That’s right folks, he’s still around.

    Captain Planet, that is, and he’s got an organization too! The Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) was founded in 1991 to allow kids grades K-12 to raise environmental awareness in their communities and schools. By funding and supporting hands-on environmental educational projects for kids and teens, CPF strives to educate the future generations about the natural world we live in so they will have an understanding and appreciation for it. I’m sure we have a lot to thank Captain Planet for…

    In case you’re not a child of the 90’s and maybe unaware of who this Captain Planet is, here’s a little background info:

    He is summoned when the rings of 5 planeteers unite.  He is called to help when the planeteers cannot handle the environmental crisis at hand. His superpowers include morphing into the properties of any element, flying, and telepathy. His powers do not work if he is not on Earth. Most importantly, his “kryptonite” is any sort of pollutant or radiation that causes harm to the environment. Like every other superhero, he is known for one statement in particular. Whenever he departs, he claims, “The power is yours.” This implies that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep the environment clean and healthy. That is some pretty good rhetoric for a children’s hero. Although there has not been much talk about Captain Planet lately, there has been plenty of talking about the environment and “going green.” This is a perfect excuse to pay tribute once again to a superhero that informs the youth of such an important issue.

     And what do you know; a week from today CPF is hosting their annual CPF Benefit Gala at the Georgia Aquarium! This star-studded eco-benefit will feature musical guest Alison Krauss, and dinner cooked by all-star chef Wolfgang Puck. All proceeds will go directly to the organization to help them create opportunities to make our youth more eco-conscious.

    So, when you’re thinking about little things you might be able to do to help out the environment, think about Captain Planet and remember, “The power is yours!”

  • Swap, Save, & look Stylish

    Winter is here and as you pack away the bikini and board shorts and bring out the sweaters and sweat pants, many take this chance to go through what they have and get rid of unused clothes from the season.  Beyond decking the halls and setting up for the holidays what can you do about all those unwanted clothes that seem to have acquired permanent residence in your overstuffed closet and drawers? Recycle them!

    It may seem a little strange, but you recycle cans, newspapers, water bottles, and now clothing has become another item. Local Wilmington NC stores such as Plato’s Closet, Clothes Mentor, Home Again, are just a few of the  numerous consignments shops which  are the newest retail trend. People want to sell their clothes, antiques, art, furniture, and other goods as they feel the need to downsize, raise some cash, swap for a new item, and live in this new economy.

    Bravo TV Network even jumped on the new green efforts of the posh Consignment shop trend and market this retail store spin. Second Time Around is  the focus of the season’s hottest new reality television show on Bravo, “Fashion Hunters,” that premiered October 4th. The show follows the fashionistas of Second Time Around’s New York City Mott Street location as they go out searching the attics, closets and garages of the city’s elite. Far from the land of thrift, the hip shop makes dreams come true for shoppers looking for designer fashions on a budget. In the show, the Second Time Around team interacts with demanding customers from savvy socialites to downtown hipsters looking to sell back or buy their next great “get.”

    According to the U.S. Environmental Protection agency, “Reusing items or making them with less material decreases waste dramatically. Ultimately, fewer materials will need to be recycled, combusted for energy, or landfills.” So while sorting through your large collection of clothing, consider the options. You never know what items can use a new home and then you can add a new item in your wardrobe collection.

    Who knew going green could be so cool and you can look cool doing it.

    -Michela Noreski, Jordan Hill, Ashley Nelson

  • Orange You Glad We’re Green?

    Although most would not argue with the fact that the push for “going green” is a necessary and important step for companies, as consumers and the target audience of the companies we must consider the reality. In an ideal world, companies are going green because it is the right thing to do and they are concerned about our environment. However, the skeptical student in me makes me take a step back before buying into their “concern” and think about their true intentions. Take a look at this commercial for Xango and their new “Green” initiative.

    Catchy jingle but is Xango really concerned about doing their part to help reduce their carbon footprint? Or in a world where going green is the latest fad, can companies simply not afford to stay in their old ways? Organic and “green” is what consumers want whether companies like it or not.  Although it is not completely a bad thing since it does force companies to make the change, it also may lead to consumers giving companies more praise than they deserve. So before you tweet about how XYZ company is “going green” think about the possible reasons behind their move before you press enter.

    -Alaethea Hensley, Jessica Kingman, and Lauren Phelps

  • Global Warming: A Global Concern

    Most of us are familiar with the term “going green,” and we all agree that it is a good thing.  Reusing, recycling and emitting less greenhouse gasses are awesome. 
    Greenhouse gasses have been a hot topic for many years, particularly when it comes to global warming.  Some scientists and Al Gore are looking into the effects that humans are having on the earth and saying we are the cause of global warming.  Many people are saying that high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are trapping heat and causing temperatures to raise, glaciers to melt and sea levels to change.  All those things are detrimental to many wildlife habitats and could ultimately lead to the extinction of human kind.  Some scientists are saying that we need to take The Polar Bear Pledge, find cleaner sources of energy and stop eating so much beef.

    Some scientists are saying that the sun simply goes through hot and cool spells, and right now it happens to be hot.

    Global warming due to human activity has been marketed to us very successfully, and most people think it is true because its prominence in the media has allowed for many repeated messages (agenda setting).  We are not trying to reject any of the scientific research that has been done to support global warming theories, but from an IMC standpoint we should know better than to blindly accept something as true without questioning it and researching both sides.  There are many theories about global warming that have nothing to do with humans. Some researchers say that global warming and cooling is a natural phenomenon that has been occurring since the beginning of time due to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.  Political analysts say that many people stand to benefit financially from global warming with the trading of carbon credits, and that certain politicians have dual roles in the matter, as advocates and investors.  Either way, it is wise to take a stance on the issue; the wellbeing of our world is at stake and it is up to us to protect it.

    -Stephanie Bakolia, Claire Outlaw, David Glaubach

  • Looking Forward

    Going green.  It seems to be at the top of every corporation’s priorities.  In this day and age we have a better understanding for how unsustainable our daily lifestyles have been since the start of industrialism.  In the past, building and developing areas was praise-worthy.  Urbanization has supplied new jobs and opportunity for the ever-increasing population.   It is only in last fifteen to twenty-five years that we have started to realize that depleting our natural resources and burning fossil fuels cannot persist at the rate at which they are.

    Alternatives must be sought out. 

    Today, we can still live freely without compromise, however, the media has brought on an underlying pressure to conserve and to use less.  People are speaking out about Global Warming’s effects and the public is listening.  The message is now resonating that the way we do business personally and professionally needs to change.  With a heightened awareness of going green amongst the general public, it has opened up a new avenue for companies to use in appealing to their target audience.

    “Green this, organic that”…  business motives have shifted and companies are doing whatever they can to show they are a green, sustainable business. Marketers have leaped into branding “green” through strategies and ideas that promote the better goodness of the environment.  Besides a company’s involvement in becoming more sustainable, the main concern lies within the image they portray. Today, for the general public green equals good.  In going with a “green” company, it allows people to grant themselves with a feeling that they are doing the right thing for themselves, their environment, and the future based on what the mass media has hyped about the environment.  The color green symbolizes many positive aspects about a company’s values, making it crucial for any business to incorporate the theme into the design of their logo, website, advertisements etc.  Having an overall look of being clean, simple, sustainable, organic or recyclable seems to be what’s driving some of the most successful companies around us today.

    by: Oliver Evans, Sally Shupe, Jared Sales

  • Give Thanks for Brand Names

    On this Black Friday, like every other Black Friday before it, shoppers look forward to the best deals. Everyone wants the most they can get for the least they have to pay. Sure Thanksgiving was only a day before, but once the clock strikes midnight, all thoughts of Thanksgiving have left and the pressure of buying Christmas gifts have set in full-force. Black Friday is a day of ultimate competition between brands with similar target markets. Businesses want people to buy products simply because for today they can afford it, not because they necessarily need it. There is a balance that every business and shopper alike struggle with. This is the balance between quality, quantity, and price of a product. Black Friday is the day that no one has to struggle so much with this balance. Today marks a delicate exposure of brands and how low they are willing to go price-wise to beat out the competition but still make a hefty profit.

    It might pain a business to hang up those 50% off signs, but they must remember it is only for one day and in this one day, they know they will have more business than possibly any other time of the year. So why is it that while other stores are giving promos for additional percentages off purchases and knocking prices left and right while brands like Apple are “pushing it” to give $61 off a $600 product? This is what happens when your brand name is seemingly more valuable than the products themselves. Sure you can go to Best Buy and purchase a knock-off iPad for a quarter of the price, but when Black Friday is over, you are going to be wishing you had the apple logo on the back of the tablet. For the thrifty buyers whose ranking from most to least important is price, quantity, and quality, the fact that Apple does not subject themselves to sales and price slashing means that they will not be purchasing Apple products. However, if you have developed a brand loyalty for a certain brand name and you know whether that product is on sale or not you are going to buy that product, then Black Friday is exciting for you even if the sale is next-to-nothing. At the end of the day, you wind up $61 richer than you would have been.

    -Claire Dillard, Liz LaPuasa

  • There is an app for that! A food app!

    If you are like most people you probably use technology to do just about anything, so why not use technology to help cook your Thanksgiving dinner? Being responsible for housing your in-laws, and preparing a feast for several hungry stomachs at the same time has never been easier! With loads of mobile applications you can make your grocery list, shop, and even have a step by step guide on how to make each dish for your meal to really have your Thanksgiving made simple. There are applications that allow you to make your grocery list and even tell you how much money you spend so you will not have the temptation to splurge. There are also apps called kitchen calculator for when there’s no time for math in the kitchen, not to worry this app has it covered. All you have to do is select a unit of measurement and in no time you’ll be converting, multiplying and adding your way to the perfect turkey stuffing.

    Leftovers? No problem! The application called “Love Food Hate Waste” offers advice on what to do with all that leftover food sitting in the fridge staring at you every time you open it. This app helps you to prepare meals with all those week’s worth of leftovers. The best part of all is that you can actually take all of the different types of leftovers you have and throw them into a virtual blender and it will concoct a whole list of yummy recipes straight from the ingredients in your fridge!  We all have a love for food. These smart apps help make our cooking experience easier and will also help bring out each of our inner Julia Childs. The digital marketing era keeps expanding and growing. Each and every day another food app is discovered and added to the encyclopedia of over 60,00 apps. What will these marketers thing of next??? Just type in food into any digital device and see!

    Enjoy your family, be thankful for all you have and don’t eat too much!

    Have a very happy Thanksgiving from IMC 2 class!

     

    -Ashley Nelson, Jordan Hill, Michela Noreski