Open Register

Organize a great new year

I’m a list-y kind of person. I’m not so far gone that my lists have lists, but it’s a close thing. Recently, I discovered the joys of labeling. This combines organizing and office supplies for me, what could be better?

There are several personal labelers on the market but my particular favorite is the P-Touch. It’s portable, not too big and does lots of nifty things that satisfy both my organizing and creative needs. You can change the fonts and styles, make ’em big and fancy and italic – all sorts of cool things.

There is also the well-loved throwback labeler that I remember from the ’70s – you remember, you had to feed the black or red tape in and click the dial to a letter, squeeze the handle to make the impression and so on. I still have one of those!

Happy labeling!

-- Jennifer

Mass merchants plan international expansions

Big-box proliferation continues, this time outside of the U.S. Lowe’s recently opened its first Canadian store. Home Depot and Wal-Mart are working to branch out abroad.

Lowe’s Canadian launch. Lowes.com

Home Depot vies for U.K. chain. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wal-Mart in Japan. MarketWatch

-- Sarah

Blue Iris is 2008 color of the year

The color experts at Pantone selected Blue Iris as the 2008 color of the year. The blue-purple hue was described as emotionally anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic. The shade effectively combines with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays.

-- Sarah

Retailers with an environmental conscience

The push toward sustainability is in full force in Corporate America. Timothy Treadwell, environmental director at Juice Energy Inc., an electricity supplier with a focus on renewable sources, believes retailers who take the initiative on climate issues should be rewarded for their efforts.

Juice Energy and its staff of environmental and energy experts identified 10 companies as frontrunners in the shift to green business:

Patagonia. In 1998, Patagonia became the first California-based company to buy electricity from 100% renewable energy sources and achieved LEED gold certification for its Nevada distribution center. Patagonia is a leader in recycling, with its Common Threads Garment Recycling Program, which recycles used fleece for use in new products.

Kohl’s. Kohl’s is the second largest retail purchaser of green power and the largest among department stores. Kohl’s will complete the largest rooftop solar project in the U.S. next year, with installations at 63 of 80 California locations.

Whole Foods. A natural and organic supermarket, Whole Foods purchases green power equal to 100% of its electricity use.

prAna. In 2005, the outdoor and lifestyle apparel wholesaler launched its Natural Power Initiative to purchase green power equal to the electricity use of all 250 prAna retailers, the company’s corporate headquarters and the homes of all its full-time employees.

REI. REI has committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 1/3 from the 2006 baseline by the end of 2009.

The rest of the top 10:

• UPS.
• Timberland.
• Nike.
• Wal-Mart.
• Target.

--Kevin

Strain at Aquascape

Aquascape founder Greg Wittstock recently blogged for Inc. magazine about a round of layoffs at his company. And a couple of unhappy employees had a few comments of their own. Check out the full post here.

-- Sarah

Kudzu could contribute to climate change

Kudzu, the vine-gone-wild that runs rampant in the South, may be spewing pollution into the atmosphere, researchers reported.

Two scientists believe the plant is emitting sizable amounts of ground-level ozone, potentially increasing smog and contributing to global climate change. Kudzu produces 2 key ingredients of ozone: isoprene and nitric acid. The vine produces isoprene 5-10 times faster than similar plants.

-- Sarah

(Image courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org)

Computer assessments get into candidates’ minds

Applying for a retail job ain’t what it used to be, so I learned this year. My 18-year-old niece repeatedly asked me for help in filling out online applications this summer. Almost all the questionnaires included lengthy and tiresome “personality assessments.”

From what I could gather, the 100+ questions help employers determine if candidates are antisocial, apt to steal or chronically tardy. A way to winnow out the losers before they even get an interview, I suppose.

I began to wonder just how effective these tests are. I mean, really, can’t most people anticipate the answer an employer would expect and respond accordingly? Seems like these assessments might be most effective for eliminating candidates with no attention for detail.

I’m pushing my skepticism aside to investigate computer assessments for my Market Smart: In Depth column. Have you got an opinion on these tests? Are you using computer assessments in your own business? I’d like to hear about your experiences. Post a comment or send an e-mail to smartinez@branchsmith.com.

-- Sarah

Some consumers dream of a green Christmas

Green gifts are all the rage for some eco-friendly consumers. But others think the trend hasn’t permeated public consciousness yet.

• Green hotter than red. Washington Post
• Green behind the scenes. San Diego Union-Tribune
• Not going green. Seattle Post-Intelligencer

-- Sarah

Georgia garden centers scramble for business

The holiday season could be make-or-break time for Georgia garden centers, Univ. of Georgia College of Ag. and Environmental Sciences reported. Retailers hope to end the year on a good note after a season marked by lackluster sales and drought conditions.

“Any traffic in nursery centers this year is a holiday gift,” said Todd Hurt, specialist with Univ. of Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture. “The drought has already proven to be the Grinch that stole business. Hopefully the holidays will get customers back in the stores.”

-- Sarah

Who leads our industry in sustainability?

I had a fascinating, “for background only” conversation yesterday (Dec. 5). Background interviews are one step up from “off the record,” which means that I can talk about our conversation, I just can’t tell you who the second party was. And background and off-the-record interviews are invariably much more interesting than on-the-record ones, naturally.

The interview was part of my research on “green” plants for the second article in Project: Green. An issue that keeps cropping up is how do you define when a plant has been grown in a sustainable manner?

For organic edible plants, there are nationally recognized programs in place with strict criteria. But each grower with a sustainable program has its own definition, whether it stems from the pots used, fewer inputs, plant selection, and on and on.

Programs that verify sustainability

There are certification programs out there. One is MPS, a European program that awards growers points for sustainable practices, with the highest combined total at 100 points. The giant international company, IKEA, for example, will buy plants in Europe only from MPS growers that rate an A.

The certification program that seems to be edging ahead here in the States, though, is Veriflora, which exists for the floral industry. Which leads me back to my background-only interview today with a man I will call Mystery Man.