Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future.

Today is August 12^th – International Youth Day. Designated by the United Nations one decade ago, this day is purposed with raising awareness of youth-related issues around the world.

Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future.

This year the United Nations is encouraging youth to prove themselves to be key partners in sustainable development. “Young people often lead by example,” said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. “Sustainability is the most promising path forward, and youth can lead the way.”

According to the UN, sustainability does not only mean keeping our environment safe for the future, “sustainability encapsulates three facets of life: the environment, society and the economy.” That means that everything we do -- every action we take – can have a ripple effect expanding beyond local communities clear to the other side of the world.

One way in which KooDooZ is embracing the United Nations’ Sustainability Challenge is to encourage KDZ (our site users) to put a sustainable message on a bottle. Literally.

“We’re asking KDZ to design an image or a message that effectively communicates the importance of water as a source of health and wellness for both people and planet,” said Lee Fox, founder of KooDooZ.

The winning “Ripple Effect” design will be produced on white stainless steel water bottles, earning the creator $125-dollars PLUS $1 per bottle purchased on the KooDooZ website for the first year. Additionally, $1 from each bottle sold will also be donated to KidShape, a non-profit organization that builds healthy families.

Sponsoring this challenge is EcoUsable, a company with the mission to save our planet one bottle at a time. “Every day, 60-million water bottles go into landfills,” said Joey Mendelsohn, EcoUsable President and Founder. “We team up with other environmentally friendly companies with similar visions because we can’t do it alone. If we combine our efforts, we will be able to make the difference the world needs for the success of future generations.”

One hundred community friends in Southern California will be gifted with an EcoUsable water bottle on Saturday, August 15^th during a KooDooZ co-sponsored walk to raise awareness for youth health & wellness.

As guardians of tomorrow, youth must be listened to, included and engaged today. It will be with their creativity and energy, that our challenge with sustainability will be turned into an achievement of stewardship.

To Create an EcoUsable “Ripple Effect” Design: (Challenge Ends: 09/30/09)

This challenge serves as a call to action for KDZ (kids & families using KooDooZ) to make a difference by focusing on a global sense of social responsibility. NOTE: “Ripple Effect” is also a term used to describe how one action can trigger another.

• Go to KooDooZ: http://www.KooDooZ.com/
• Click “Get In:” on the landing page and “Log In:” on your KooDooZ desktop
• Click on “Global” on the left side of the bulletin board
• Click on “To Do A Water ‘Ripple Effect’ Design” challenge (Note: you may need to scroll down)
• Click on the “Subscribe” button (the red bulls-eye)
• Complete the challenge To Do List and turn this challenge into an achievement!

Together, KooDooZ and KDZ can celebrate 10 years of International Youth Day while inspiring health and wellness for both people and planet.

Social Responsibilty: Xerox

Can social responsibility be ingrained in a company? I think so.

Take Xerox for example. Alongside several other companies of conscious, they’re providing an invaluable community service with the “Let’s Say Thanks” program. Free to all, Americans can send a post-card to our troops overseas and remind them to come safely home.

Spreading some holiday cheer to those invested in protecting our freedom is fast & easy. Via an online portal (www.LetsSayThanks.com) you can pick one of many beautifully hand-drawn patriotic scenes that were drawn, for this purpose, by kids (6-15yrs) around the country. Then personalize your postcard, by selecting or crafting a short message and hit submit. Xerox will then print the card and send it to a member of the armed services.

Started in 2005, “Let’s Say Thanks” is supported by Premier Partners, Mercury Print Productions, ColorCentric Corporation, SouthData Inc., Quantum Direct, Xerographics and Cathedral Corp. who have partnered with Xerox to print postcards that are delivered to the troops by Give2theTroops – a nonprofit group that sends care packages overseas. (see article) The packages are sent from different state branches to randomly chosen soldiers.

Sending letters from “home” is one of the greatest things we can do in support of our troops. As far as I’m concerned, putting a smile on one face will spread the word of our love to another.

...Peace... ...Love... ...Thanks...

...to those companies of conscience...

...who help remind us to act responsibly & generously...

Companies of Conscience & Kids

I was, in fact, driving my shopping cart down the middle of the aisle like a maniac. Time is money. And with three kids who love to “help,” experience dictates that when it comes to grocery shopping, if I don’t hurry it up, I’ll have a cart full of junk I don’t need.

Apologizing to the woman on aisle 8 who is witness to my frenzied tactic, I mobilize my team. “We’re looking for household favorites, household basics and household necessities,” I remind them as I stoop down to pick up a case of my husband’s favorite cola.

“You know, Mama,” my son says, as I shove the box under the cart. “we really should be buying that soda instead” , “because it’s made by a good company.”

I don’t just pause, I stop. (A miracle in of itself). “What do you mean,” I ask, “GOOD company?”

“Well,” he says with his most serious face, “they do stuff for people. They even give their money to poor kids. They worry about the earth, and they… I dunno… they … they’re good. That’s important right?” I work overtime to control the muscles in my face that are trying to alter the shape of my mouth into an oversized grin.

I can’t believe it’s happened. My son has graduated from “selfish consumer” to “selfless consumer” with a green halo over his head He is now a statistic. Part of the roughly 70% of Americans (according to a recent study by the Natural Marketing Institute), who want to purchase from a specific company because of their strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reputation.

“It’s very important,” I confirm.

Blind to the significance of this moment, his 4-year old sibling gleefully plucks products with ultra colorful logos off the shelves and piles them into our cart. I half wonder if any of these cherry-picked products come from a company of conscience, but my focus remains on my son. “Where’d you come up with the good company stuff?” I follow-up.

My son shrugs his shoulders, “Some kids were talking about it at school.”

First graders are now discussing aspects of CSR. Companies with a perceived conscience are making a difference to a demographic they find the most challenging to reach. CSR is clearly an investment that can lead to many long-term benefits, especially when marketed to kids (who make up a +$150-billion a year spending power – and doubling that number when factoring in their influence on mom & dad).

That evening, after I kissed my toothless son goodnight, I looked up the published CSR reports from both soda companies.

With their world-wide recognized brands, these two sizeable companies promote a positive image of their products and activities. Both firms have meaningful CSR programs with significant investments in the communities they serve. Both are capable of staying attuned to social issues relevant to their business – but it appears that one, over the other, has figured out how to communicate their efforts in a way elementary school kids can understand.

That is a diamond in the rough. The implications are life-long.

As a parent, I still have a long journey ahead of me to help my children enjoy greater discretion on consumption decisions. While I take great pride in the fact that my son -- at the tender age of 6 & ¾’s – feels that he should teach me (age deleted) about conscious consumerism, I also want to be sure he understands the difference between effective marketing and effective outcome.

Is it important to be a company of conscience? You bet your bottom dollar -- and KooDooZ™ to those who are out there, making a difference.