We all know the basic ideas behind being eco friendly – turn off electricity when not in use, use less water, recycle, etc. But there are still a vast number of ideas out there that may not come to you on a daily basis. It’s always a great idea to incorporate quick and easy eco friendly routines into your daily life because once you start, it will be hard to stop. I’ve bulleted below a short list of environmentally conscious ideas to consider making a part of your daily life.

• Drive slower with the proper level of tire inflation. The speed limits aren’t around just to be annoying, they actually can keep your fuel consumption to a minimum. The same goes for proper tire inflation. Regularly checking your tires insures your vehicle will work at its maximum efficiency level and you will buy fewer tires, helping to use less materials.
• If you are a smoker, stop. Other than the obvious health benefits, quitting smoking helps the environment. It may not have a huge impact on the environment, but it is a leading cause of indoor pollution, affecting not only you but your loved ones.
• Stop using pesticides on your lawn. I know bugs can kill a beautiful garden but the pesticides you use can seep into the natural ground water and kill a lot more.
• If you have a cat, keep it indoors. Each domestic cat kills, on average, 40 small birds and other animals on an annual basis. Killing these birds and animals can upset a natural balance for the environment and disallows these small animals to aid nature in its survival.
• Plant trees with children. Planting new trees not only restores some CO2 levels, but if you do this regularly with a child or a group of children and make it fun and educational, it will teach the future generation a very important lesson about the environment and their future.

For more unusual tips, visit Ecology Fund and let us know if you have any other ideas to make the environment strong.

Written by Myranda Harnage

Rachel Birdsell is one interesting artist. She has an incredibly unique sense of humor and it shows in her found art projects. It can be said that Rachel is a huge contributor to environmental awareness, keeping loads of objects from ever reaching the landfill and turning them into art. She tries to give homes to things that she feels that no one else would ever love (why else would these objects wind up in the trash?) When not creating art, Rachel can be found at local thrift stores, flea markets and junk sales, looking for old objects to breathe new life into.

Her art is border line creepy, looking as if it were stolen from SId’s bedroom of horrors in Toy Story or maybe even conspired alongside Tim Burton. Though her art can come across and strange and unusual, it has a sense of old world charm. It is as if her dolls reflect a darker and stranger childhood that many people secretly had. Her assemblage art pieces seem like they almost tell a story that should never be seen in separate parts. Looking at this now, I cannot seem to wipe this odd, perplexed and amazed smile off my face.

Her paintings and graphic design mimic her love of found objects. She specializes in collages of old, victorian imagery. She takes old, fragile images and brightens the colors to give them new life. Her graphic design items can be found for sale at her Etsy shop.

Whether you find beauty or oddity (or both) in Rachel Birdsell’s art, come back and tell us about it.

Written by Myranda Harnage

According to a research by Mayo Clinic, activities that stimulate the mind (in this case, computer activities) and moderate exercise decrease the chance of losing memory or brain functions as the person ages.

If you are a person like me who spends a lot of time working in front a computer, it’s time to exercise because we have one more reason: protect our memory. The mild cognitive impairment is the intermediate stage between normal memory loss that occurs with aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the research paper, among participants who neither exercised nor used the computer, 20.1% had a normal cognitive level and 37.6% showed signs of mild cognitive impairment. Among participants who did physical exercise and use the computer, 36% had a normal cognitive level, and 18.3% showed signs of mild cognitive impairment.

No more excuses, find free time to stop working with your computer and do your favorite physical activity. Personally, my favorite activity is playing soccer. What is yours?

Written by: Luis Perez

Not every invention comes thanks to the perseverance and effort of the creator. Sometimes things happen by chance and without thinking.

For example, the cheese was invented around 8000 BC and 3000 BC by accident. According to the legend, the cheese was discovered by an Arab merchant. He was carrying milk in a container made of sheep stomach. The milk was curdled and fermented because the high temperatures of the desert and the long journey.

In a farm in Mesopotamia (10 thousand years ago), beans being stored got wet by accident and started to ferment naturally. A brave man tried the frothy drink. He took the first sip of beer in the history.

In San Francisco (1905), Frank Epperson was 11 years old when he was playing preparing drinks. Once the night came, he decided to leave his instruments outside (a glass of drink and a stick to move the mixture). Next day, the liquid was frozen and the taste was delicious. Only in 1924, he patented his invention.

Now we know, some things happen by chance, it’s up to us to see the opportunities of success. It’s time to see the glass half full.

Written by: Luis Perez

Well, it’s that time of the year when we roll up our sleeves, dust off our gloves, and start to do some spring-cleaning in our homes. However, as much as we think about our homes during this time of year, we have to also to remember to clean the cobwebs on our websites.  If you are not getting the results you want from your website, it’s time to clean it up! To help you do so, here are five spring-cleaning tips to apply.

1.  Get rid of old content.  Old content on your website leaves the visitor with an impression that you are not serious about your business or your reputation. Ensuring your content is always fresh will give your end users a reason to keep coming back for more.

2.  Spruce it up with colorful new images or video. There is a saying – a picture is worth a thousand words – and adding them keeps visitors on your site longer! In addition, people love imagery and love watching videos online.  So engage your visitors with vibrant photos and new videos.

3.  Update your professional photo or company logo. Are you using your most current photo and/or logo? Remember, your professional image determines how people respond to you. So update any old photos and make sure you are using your company logo consistently throughout the website. Image is everything.

4.  Add fresh content with a blog. Blogs are a great way to engage your visitors and keep your website fresh. Not only will your visitors appreciate updated content but so will Google. Google tends to index and display blogs more frequently in the search results so you don’t want to miss an opportunity for people to find you. Adding a blog can help drive more traffic to your website and will help your visitors see you as an industry expert.

5.  Make use of social media. Make it easy for your visitors to share your information across social media platforms. Add the social media icons and buttons to help visitors quickly spread your website to their friends on Facebook , Twitter, LinkedIn and a host of other networking and bookmarking sites. Let others help you promote yourself!

Take the time to do some spring-cleaning on your website this season in addition to your home. You’ll give your visitors a fresh new look, a reason to come back for more, and gain more interaction from them. If you are working to grow your business online this year but you aren’t quite sure how to go about doing so, let us help you find ways to spruce up your website.

Written by: Lakesha Brown, Founder of XD Web Solutions

It’s no secret that the internet has drastically changed the way that people buy. Your potential customers no longer look to salespeople to provide the information they seek about a product or service they are in need of… in fact, many actively seek to avoid salespeople.

Television, radio and print advertising have been rendered almost totally ineffective due to the proliferation of technology such as DVRs, Satellite Radio and iPads. One survey reported that 86% of people skip TV ads. (Source: The Guardian, 2010)

Even highly targeted marketing methods such as direct mail and promotional email have seen sharp declines in recent years. Another survey reported that 44% of direct mail is never even opened. (Source: EPA.gov, 2010)

Why is this? Why do the tried-and-true marketing methods of the past continue to be less and less effective?

Because they are interruptions, distractions in our daily lives that, 99% of the time, are not offering something we are interested in or care about at that particular moment. And we are becoming better and better at blocking out these interruptions.

So what is your business supposed to do to keep the lights on, keep the leads flowing and keep the sales coming in the door? How do you break through the distractions and market your business in a way that doesn’t interrupt people, but instead attracts them?

The answer is INBOUND MARKETING.

Inbound Marketing is a process that allows interested buyers to actually FIND YOU via a combination of:

• Content Marketing - Providing information relevant to your business that your potential customers are interested in learning about.
• Search Engine Optimization - Showing up in Google and other search engines when your potential customers search for something you can provide.
• Social Media - Using online word-of-mouth to build relationships, spread your message and drive more traffic to your website.
• Lead Generation & Nurturing - Capturing leads through your website and nurturing them until they are ready to buy.

A recent survey concluded thatInbound Marketing cost 62% less per lead than traditional, outbound marketing. Thousands of businesses (including ours) have jumped the traditional marketing ship and are boarding the Inbound Marketing train.

How will Inbound Marketing help you grow your business?

Many businesses have been burned by traditional marketing in the past. Trust me, you’re not alone if you’ve spent $1000s on a advertising campaign only to be left scratching your head when the dust cleared, wondering if your money was well spent. Terms like “brand awareness”, “reach”, “media impressions” and “engagement” may have some value, but most businesses measure their success in sales revenue, operational efficiency and profitability.

When properly executed, Inbound Marketing aligns with your business goals and sales process to create measurable results that have a real impact on your company’s bottom line. The ROI of Inbound Marketing is not measured in increased “awareness” or stronger “engagement”, it’s measured in leads, new customers and direct sales revenue.

The four ways that Inbound Marketing will help you grow your business are by:

Attracting more visitors to your website.

Converting more of your visitors to qualified leads.

Nurturing leads until they are sales ready.

Measuring your results so you can make improvements.

Inbound Marketing is not a quick fix… it’s a process that requires consistency, commitment, technology and time. It allows you to better understand how your potential customers discover and interact with your company online, and then use those insights to make educated decisions that will improve your marketing results over time.

Written By Aaron Corson

The Path Blog

I met an interior designer this morning. Angie was clearly passionate about what she does. “I’ve been doing this for a long time. People are surprised how quickly I can offer ideas that will improve the design of a room or space. Sometimes it’s as simple as moving furniture, or layering elements, window treatments or unique features on wall sections. When I work with someone, it is all about them and what they want. It isn’t about creating a designer showcase. The spaces I enjoy doing the most, incorporate the personality and goals of my clients. If there is no collaboration, the design will ultimately be impersonal.” She went on to say that the greatest thrill for her is the feeling she gets when she has a satisfied customer.

As she was talking I couldn’t help thinking about how important it is to find people like that when you are designing your marketing efforts too. You need help but you must also be willing to collaborate to get the kind of results you seek. Your business is your house and your castle…but it has to be comfortable, inviting and functional. A qualified interior designer can suggest color palates, fabrics and techniques that can make a world of difference. A marketing expert can help you understand message strategy, media and ways to differentiate your business from your competition.

You spend all kinds of time and money building your business. Doesn’t it make sense to seek professional advice when it comes to marketing? As a member of the American Marketing Association for more than 15 years I’ve met so many talented people working for companies, or as consultants or as managers of marketing communications firms. It can be a challenge finding the right fit for your needs. However, you might be surprised how much value you can gain by consulting with a professional. Don’t be afraid to suggest a budget parameter you hope to live within. Most professionals understand how to work within constraints.

The give and take in collaboration is finding a balance. You want an optimal use of resources to accomplish your goals. Get some help.

Written by Wesley A. Morgan

Wesley A. Morgan

Morgan Studio/East

www.morganstudioeast.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/morganwes

cell 314 402-1202

If you truly care about the environment, chances are you have done your part to shop locally and organically when it comes to your food and maybe even some of your household goods. But when is the last time you opened your underwear drawer and thought “I should probably buy organic undies!” My guess is, probably never. Well guess what.. they exist.

It might just seem a little odd at first to buy something so private as underwear organically but organic underwear are just like any other organic product – the main focus is to use naturally grown materials, no chemical products and to reduce your footprint. But like many organic products, there are both pros and cons to the matter that should be considered before buying.

The benefits:

• Obviously, they are better for the environment.
• Buying organic reduces demand for inorganic underwear which releases chemical into the environment via production.
• Organic undies are often softer then normal underwear because they are free of chemical by-products.

The drawer-backs (pun intended):

• The overall cost (like any organic anything) can be much greater than normal underwear because they are not mass produced – a problem that can be solved by gradually increasing the demand for such product.
• It is possible that they could wear down easier then traditional underwear which can be super irritating if you have already paid more for the material.
• Most importantly, the company might be misleading about how organic the product is. Just because the package says organic, it does not mean all materials that went into the underwear’s creation were of organic creation.

The best solution is to do your research. When buying anything organic, know the company, know what they stand for and know where the money goes. If they aren’t harming the environment, they might be doing other harmful activities with the profits.

So.. want to buy some eco friendly undies? Do you think this is a ridiculous idea? Tell us about it!

Written by Myranda Harnage

Kopimism – is it a new religion or a political nightmare? It may be quieted now but this blogger believes controversy is right around the corner. So what is Kopimism? Where did it come from? Why is it such a big deal? Stop asking questions and I will tell you..

Based in Sweden, the religion of Kopimism (Swedish for “copy”) is the idea that file sharing is not only a right but a holy process. Founded by a 19 year old philosophy student, Kopimism took off in Sweden and is now working it’s way into the states. It was brought here by Christopher Carmean after first reading about the church on Reddit. He said he had reason enough because he has “always felt that sharing was right and good and should be celebrated.”

The central ideas behind Kopimism, as laid out by Carmean are:

• Copying of information is ethically right
• Dissemination of information is ethically right
• Copymixing is a sacred act because it expands the existing wealth of information and is seen as an act of respect
• The internet is holy
• Code is law

Seems like a programmer’s dream religion to me. And best of all, joining doesn’t require a big elaborate sacrifice to the internet god or dipping your body in a body of liquid, all you have to do is register online. After the US church gains enough members, it will be an official religion and will be eligible to receive tax benefits.

Kopimism also has its kitschy aspects. The followers see “CTRL + C” and “CTRL + V” as sacred symbols and worship them. But this is obviously no different than any other religion, both old and new. So is this such a weird idea? They believe that the data that we share becomes more and more valuable the more often it is shared – this is true.

So why not choose a political party rather than a religion? It seems like such views would be better suited in the government world where the people could pass laws and regulations about file sharing. Carmean explains the choice as “Our beliefs are as much metaphysical as they are ethical. Politics deals with law and behavior. Our religion goes much farther than that.”

Read more of what Carmean told Mashable about Kopimism and come back here to discuss it.

Written by Myranda Harnage

Recently, I stumbled across an article on Forbes called “Nine Dangerous Things You Were Taught in School”. The article discussed different scenarios that would be working against you in the real life world. Reading through them, I noticed a few of the childhood sayings I had once heard as a child. Let’s see if you can relate to any of the sayings.

1. “Your superiors are in charge and always have the right answers.” From day one, you learn to listen to your parents (they are always right), listen to your teachers (they are always right), listen to your principal, a police officer, bus driver, older adult in general etc. The list goes on and on. However, being a mindless vessel to someone else’s ideas is not always the way to go. Questioning authority does appear sometime in life and schools really should take the time to explain how to handle that situation when it arises.
2. “Learning ends when you leave the classroom.” I remember this saying vividly. Looking back on it, I couldn’t disagree more. Your learning new things each and every day whether its dark clothes will bleed their color onto white clothes so you should wash them separately or that some people will never understand what it means to put the toilet seat down. Yes, a lot of your school education does help you out a lot but, learning how to make friends is not taught in a history book.
3. “There is only one path to success and that is called college.” Apparently, if you just keep getting grades all through school success, money  and happiness will just gracefully plop itself in your lap. Once again, this another one that is almost entirely not true. Having a college degree doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have the drive to go out and get internships, make connections, and find a career that fits you. Also, college is not always the answer for everyone. Cosmotology school, Trade School, Tech School or in some cases no school and just building your way through a company are some of the other options that many people choose besides college.
4. “The only purpose of your education is to get a good career that will make lots of money.” Many, and I mean many, degrees in college will not make $400,000+ a year. Most of the time, people are choosing careers because it is something they love to do. For example, the teachers that tell us this advice barely make $50,000 a year. They teach because it is the career they wanted to do even if they did use 8 years worth of salary to pay off student debts.

Just remember when giving advice, it’s not always so black and white. Let us know if you have heard any of this advice, whether it turned out to be true, or any other advice you would like to add!