Pivot Design Is In The Ecolution This Holiday

A friend at work (Señor Doyle) brought in this holiday card from his wife’s company, Pivot Design.  It’s perhaps the best corporate holiday card that I’ve ever seen.  Sure, a lot of it has to do with the fact that it is very eco-friendly (and yes, I know, from you purists out there, that maybe you shouldn’t be sending cards in the first place, but you know what - people do and businesses do and its a tradition that will continue).  Beyond the green factors, the design is fantastic. 

I am sure there are plenty of other companies out there doing something similar.  I kinda like the fact that this is coming from a regular company - not a company that is green as a product or green to sell their services.  They just care.  There doesn’t seem to be some ulterior motive behind it. The end-goal is to do business as usual in a socially responsible way. 

What are they doing exactly?  Well - first off, the card is printed with vegetable-based inks.  The paper is chlorine-free and made from 100% post-consumer waste. The card folds out and states how PivotDesign is going “From Red to Green.”  Pivot did a calculation on their carbon footprint for 2007.  This not only includes the carbon footprint inside their office space, but also counts for commuting to work, business trips, etc.  The end calculation was that their total carbon emissions for 2007 was 63.42 tons.  That’s the red. 

To go to green, Pivot Design purchased carbon offsets (or credits) from CarbonFund.org (Carbonfund.org is similar to TerraPass).   In addition to covering their footprint, they also bought additional credits on behalf of their clients and associates (instead of a gift-in-kind to the “Human Fund”).  After all the carbon purchases, their “footprint” is now zero (footprint is in quotes because even if you buy the credits, you still did the damage in the first place - kinda like getting a speeding ticket and then  you go to driving school and its not on your record). 

Anyway - I love the card and I think it makes a statement to everyone who receives it.  Maybe their clients will start to think differently about their corporate atmosphere and what they’re doing to our atmosphere.

Sorry - I took them with my camera phone