It’s best to download digitally or store data and file to reusable disks and drives, but when you need to duplicate or produce CD’s or DVD’s then selecting a Green product like this is a more sustainable choice.

Letting a revenue stream slip away from you, and actually paying someone to take it away, sounds like bad business. But that’s what companies do when they send their trash to get dumped in a landfill.

Out of all the sustainability and efficiency efforts companies have adopted, one of the biggest shifts in thinking has come from goals on sending zero waste to landfill (usually shortened to “zero waste”).

Companies in almost any industry are seeing significant savings – General Motors, for example, has brought in $2.5 billion in revenue through recycling over four years and Walmart has cut by over 80 percent in one state alone the amount of waste it has to pay to send to landfill.

4 Steps to Get You On the Path to Zero Waste | Business | GreenBiz.com.

Full article

1. Have a mission that matters
2. Think Big, but start small
3. Strive for continual innovation, not instant perfection
4. Look for ideas everywhere
5. Share everything
6. Spark with imagination, fuel with data
7. Be a platform
8. Never fail to fail

The Eight Pillars of Innovation |read full article.

Besides the list below, QR Codes can be customized. Here’s one I created in seconds in Photoshop.

This is a very comprehensive list by: Angie Schottmuller

1. A QR Code is a 2D Barcode

QR codes are an encoded barcode image resembling a square-like maze. Unlike a 1-dimensional UPC code, a 2-dimensional barcode stores data in both directions and can be scanned vertically or horizontally to be decoded.

2. 2D Barcodes Can Store a Variety of Data

A traditional 1D barcode (UPC/EAN) stores up to 30 numbers, while a 2D barcode (QR) can store up to 7,089 numbers. The additional storage capacity accommodates a variety of data beyond numbers:

• Text
• Hyperlink
• Telephone number (Phone call)
• SMS/MMS message
• Email (Send message)
• Contact entry (vCard or meCard)
• Calendar entry (vCalendar)

Storing a hyperlink presents a myriad of possibilities beyond just loading a web page — play a video, download a mobile app, check-in on Foursquare, update a Twitter status, “Like” a Facebook page, display map directions, and more.

3. Read/Decode a 2D Barcode by Scanning it With a Smartphone

(A 2D barcode reader app is required to decode the encoded data.)

4. 2D Barcodes Can be Placed in and on Nearly Any Location

Once the barcode image is created, it can be printed on nearly any surface and location — newspapers, TV ads, billboards, temporary tattoos, product packaging, clothing labels, cake frosting, and more. This enables you to drive traffic, interaction, and conversion fromanywhere. 2D barcodes excel at bringing non-digital media to life.

Note: Use caution placing barcodes online. They should always enhance the user experience. If a user could click a hyperlink, don’t make them scan a code to complete the same task.

Bear in mind the location must be easily scannable. Plastic frames and packaging can reflect light. Lighting can cast shadows, and hillsides and subways can kill Wi-Fi access. Consider all contextual factors that could impact the scanning experience.

5. Mobile Barcode Scanning is on the Rise

• 2D barcode scanning outnumbered 1D (UPC) scans in Q1 2011.
  - ScanLife’s Q1 2011 Trend Report
• Mobile barcode scanning grew 1,600 percent in the year 2010. 
  - ScanLife’s 2010 Trend Report (PDF)
• QR barcode scanning was up 1,200 percent in the second half of 2010. 
  - Mobio’s Naked Facts Report
• 22 percent of the Fortune 50 have already used mobile barcodes. 
  - Burson-Marsteller Report

QR codes can be used for nearly any function (logistics, advertising, customer service, etc.) for B2B and B2C across a variety of industries:

• Best Buy uses QR codes on in-store price tags for quick access to online reviews.
• Golf Digest uses Microsoft Tag in their magazine to accompany tips with interactive video.
• Real estate agents use 2D barcodes on “for sale” signs providing prospective buyers access to virtual tours.
• Libraries are using QR codes to facilitate learning via interactive scavenger hunts.

6. QR Isn’t the Only Type of 2D Barcode

The most popular 2D barcode formats are QR code, DataMatrix, ScanLife EZcode, and Microsoft Tag (Tag).

There are several key differences in these code formats. ScanLife EZcode and Microsoft Tag are proprietary formats only decodable by their tools, while QR and DataMatrix formats are open standard. (Additional format differences can be addressed in another blog post.)

A Google Trends analysis of these 2D barcodes shows “QR code” dominates by far from a search popularity perspective. QR has become a common term used to reference a 2D barcode (2D code, mobile tag, mobile barcode, etc.) even when codes are technically a different format. Even @MicrosoftTag uses the #QRcodehashtag on Twitter.

more…

Top 14 Things Marketers Need to Know About QR Codes.

I can’t believe I have only 3 days left! This has been a fantastic month.

don't forget to read Tokyo Trash Talk by Brent Fialka

On Earth Day, Friday, April 22nd, 2011 you’re invited to meet us in the park for an adventure like you’ve never had before. Search for hidden QR tags, scan them with your web-enabled phone and discover how to help to keep our planet healthy. This is a FREE, family friendly event.
Enjoy a day in Robert Burnaby Park and learn about local park history, facilities, activities and our fragile eco-systems.

All the streets weren’t named and the buildings didn’t have numbers either. There is no mail delivery in Dubai so everyone has a PO Box.  Trying to get from one location to another was a complicated series of “turn left at the third light then go past the tall gold building and make a right…” or an expensive taxi ride since you were at the mercy of the driver and his knowledge of the various landmarks used to navigate.

Forget using your GPS to get directions too. But, having a unique QR Code on each building seems like a reasonable solution to a logistical nightmare.

Full story here.

Dubai to Give Every Building a QR Code – Tech Europe – WSJ.

I’ve been consciously cutting back on the frequency of my shampooing and I am switching over to a more natural alternative. With all the additives, chemicals and fragrances in hair care products I’m turning to a healthier solution. My secret recipe will feature a few drops of tea tree oil. Watch the 30 Zer0 Zer0 webcast at 5pm for the full story.

http://livestream.com/30zerozero