My Eyeballs and The Clean Water Act

When I'm not being socially challenged, I'm a weekend gardener who has two daughters pursuing horticulture careers and a third daughter who created a suburban farm.  So I wasn't surprised when recently a client asked me to research the ramifications of the Clean Water Act as part of a project.  I found it interesting and knowing the growing focus on conservation, I thought you'd find it interesting too.

In November 2009, as a result of changes in the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule to help reduce water pollution from construction sites. This is the first time that EPA has imposed national monitoring requirements and enforceable numeric limitations on construction site storm water discharges. 

The ruling took effect in February 2010 and is being phased in over four years.  It is anticipated that compliance will positively impact the quality of water throughout the U.S because it tackles one of the leading causes of water quality problems nationwide, soil and sediment runoff from construction.

This EPA rule requires construction site owners and operators that disturb one or more acres to use best management practices (BMPs) to ensure that soil disturbed during construction activity does not pollute nearby water bodies. In addition, owners and operators of sites that impact 10 or more acres of land at one time will be required to monitor discharges and ensure they comply with specific limits on discharges to minimize the impact on nearby water bodies.

This monitoring requirement is a different approach for the EPA because it incorporates a technology “floor” which sets out a numeric standard on the clarity of the water discharged from the developer’s site. Clarity is one criteria that is measured and the other is storm water displacement.

Water displacement is based on the amount of rain received on a site over a 2 year period.  The volume of water is calculated and that becomes the benchmark. For example construction of a building with parking lots could be projected at 250,000 gallons of diverted water.  Rather than allowing this water to run off, it needs to be held somehow on the site and allowed to re-integrate with the soil.

Examples of available options for controlling this run off might include green roofing or a less expensive alternative is developing a “recharge area” defined as a space typically stone filled, that resides underground on the site.  Since often one tactic isn't enough both of these solutions might be needed in combination with others to meet EPA standards.

In addition to planning for water displacement, if there is a stream or waterway on a site the buffer area where construction is prohibited has expanded from 50 ft to 150 ft.  The objective is to ensure that the construction doesn’t contribute to the degradation of that waterway; that the high quality of the water is protected.  This means there is less area that can be developed and in some instances sites that can’t be developed at all.

Runoff and soil erosion are managed during the actual construction process by using techniques outlined by the EPA called Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce construction-related pollution.  BMPs result in such activities as minimizing land clearing, building proper site entrances, stabilizing steep slopes, and installing sediment traps.  To be most effective, several BMPs need to be used in combination.

Adopting BMPs is part of the process.  Under the Clean Water Act, certain construction sites must obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. This permit enables operators of these sites to implement steps to prevent sediment and other pollutants from washing off into nearby waterways.  The permit, which requires a plan document, in the past was available for 5 years and could be extended.  Currently however, only 2-year non-renewable permits are available.

The two-year permit is another indication that the guidelines and accompanying laws are in great flux.  There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the regulations and what will happen in the future; a fact that is born out by the case involving Crum Creek.  The case is on appeal before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and raises issues surrounding the development activities in the state’s special protection watersheds.

The net is that the new regulations and their interpretation need to be at the forefront of the building process but even if all the approvals are obtained and the guidelines are followed, architects and builders are in a precarious position.  What can they do to insure that their plans and actions stay within the limits of these new regulations? What do you think about the law and how it's being implemented? 

Photograph by my daughter, Jen Zwarg
Information is resourced from several of online sites, available upon request.
See Becker's Environmental Law Update, Stormwater Regulations are Flawed, EPA Needs a Do-Over

Shy? This Post's for You!

My mom and dad liked to entertain.  Mom was a great cook and dad was her right hand lieutenant in the kitchen.  When I was little, I used to hate their dinner parties because I was very shy.  So shy in fact that when their company arrived, I would hide under my mom's skirt.  

 

To her credit she didn't shoo me away but gracefully maneuvered with that 'extra pair of legs' peeking out from under her shirtwaist dress, skittering along with her while she waltzed about the kitchen, cooking and chatting with friends.  Under her skirt, I felt protected.  I could hear the company but didn't have to interact.  I was safe. 

 

In an effort to get me out of my "safety zone", my parents gave me a book, Manners Can Be Fun by Munro Leaf.  The book explained that since we don't live on desert islands, we meet people and when we meet someone we smile and shake their hand.  Mom improvised the experience and actually took my hand and shook it.  That's when I learned the Guthrie Handshake.  

 

Here's the secret.  Don't squeeze too hard but don't be a softy either.  Look this stranger in the eyes, smile and grasp their hand firmly, and say how-do-you-do.  For me, having this plan of action in mind when I met someone new made the process so much easier.  Like following the directions on a box of Jello, as my dad would say. 

 

Over the past year, I've found (via Google Analytics) a lot of folks who discovered this blog by searching on the words "Socially Challenged".  I initially took that title as it explained my own feelings about these new media channels and the technology.  But I wonder if I'm misleading this group of blog visitors (about 15%) and perhaps should provide content more targeted to the literal definition.  On this point, the jury is still out.  (What do you think?) 

 

But I do know that the more I learn about this social media phenomena, the more I realize that whether you're shy about meeting new people in the flesh or you're timid about going online, it is really the same thing.  Use the phone; write a letter; send an email; connect on Facebook or over lunch - it's not about technology at all.  It's simply communicating and it's good old-fashioned two way communicating.  

 

So start out by trying the Guthrie Handshake on the person sitting next to you.  Then you can stay in touch with emails, make plans with them by phone, and join their LinkedIn network.  Viola!  You've started down the path of making friends.  And to bolster your courage, here are some words read to me by my parents that Christopher Robin said to Winnie the Pooh, "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."  So what's to be nervous about?  There is great comfort and power in being yourself. 

 

Lyrics @ http://www.azlyrics.com

Jesus Would Love This!

Shot like a documentary, a new viral video from Hi-Tec introduces a new sport called "Liquid Mountaineering," where participants run on water - yes, on top of the water.  The equipment that makes this all possible is a water repellent shoe, discovered by mistake (supposedly), by lake skimming athletes.  A brief product shot of the shoes deflecting water showcases how extremely water repellent they are.  It's just enough of a glimpse to expose the brand without being obvious, in fact it's almost understated.  The video experience is brief and intriguing and leaves me wondering where can I get these (light, dry, fast) shoes myself?

Currently with over 4 million YouTube views, several folks seem to think that the activity is real.  A fact that's reinforced by the water running cast in the video, blogging about the sport and their experiences as well.  And yes, of course, you can join their Facebook Fan Page.

With thanks to Megan O'Neill writing for Social Times for the insights and information!

Magic, My Brother Mark, and The Butts of Newspaper Execs

My younger brother, Mark, has a newspaper distribution business.  He has a staff of 25 folks that deliver newspapers the old fashioned way, door to door.  He delivers a variety of papers including the New York Times, Hartford Courant, Wall Street and some others.  And at a time when newspaper readership is shrinking, his business is growing.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's going to become a millionaire with this but on a recent rare in-person visit (and Mark if you're reading this you need to visit more often in particular to see Mom) he commented that his customer base had increased in first quarter by 6%.

I think there's some magic here.  The kind of magic I espouse to.  His business is customer focused, the customer selects what papers they want and Mark delivers that assortment.  Yes, it is a logistics nightmare with each customer getting their 'special' blend.  Customer A getting newspapers X and Y on Sunday and customer B getting only newspaper Y but daily.  You get the idea. Needless to say he seems to spend a lot of time working on spreadsheets for his delivery crew.  But his focus and the basis of his success is that he is providing a personalized product in a mass audience environment.

More magic, he's targeting Boomers and their parents.  People who still have a love affair with Sunday mornings, great coffee and the New York Times (adding "after church" is optional).  Let's not forget that Boomers have a ton of buying power, many want and can afford the newspaper and also the stuff advertised in it.  This is smart (and also is a comfort to me that provided there are newspapers, he'll have income for a long time - see my post on living to be 120). 

In addition to Mark being in the newspaper biz I have a friend, a consultant, working with a newspaper that evidently hasn't updated their subscriber list since sometime in the late 90's.  All I can say is, "Unbelievable" as I come from a direct marketing background, and know from personal experience that customer files need to be "scrubbed" routinely, at least every 6 months in my book.   

Based on this experience, I have questions like how do newspapers update their customer files, what's the frequency and what's the current list status?  Who determines if the paper is "deliverable" and is that determination up to date?  How is new customer information integrated into the files?  Don't they have a business plan and is it being used?  What do their advisers say? 

Or is the commonplace scenario, one that Greg Satell described in his post Newsweek's Failed Strategy about Meacham's plan evidently enacted without customer research.  I also offer you Peter Kafka's insights on the value of newspapers as information resources in his article, Google's Secret Plan to Save Newspapers.  And I'm wondering, if some of the financial bleeding couldn't at least be slowed by a serious review of the operations structure, in particular as it relates to meeting customers' desires.

Perhaps GSI Commerce's CEO, Michael Rubin, isn't the only chief that needs to go undercover.  Maybe the folks at the top need to get off their butts and out of their safety silos and spend sometime with the folks involved in the actual delivery of their papers.  I bet they'd discover some ways to fortify their business while seeking profitable ways to evolve their product, not the paper product, the other one - information.

update on Newsweek and a perspective from David Carr, June 7, 2010,   The Media Equation:  Changing the Course at Newsweek

Seven Steps to "Social" Enlightenment

About a year ago, in order to learn about social media, I made myself a to-do list.  Here it is.  

1.  Build and start a blog – My first attempt was using Google Sites and then I moved here, to Blogger.  Now I’m experimenting with Wordpress.  These easily accessible and free tools enabled me to understand many of the technical aspects like hosting and connectivity; embrace design obstacles; and learn the basic how-to’s like purchasing URL’s.  Something I wasn’t expecting though was that blogging has challenged me to create original content on a regular basis (okay well a fairly regular basis) and gain insight on how the social web works.  

 

2.  Build a case study file – I’ve always kept a large black portfolio which contains mementos of my marketing projects.  It is full of tear sheets, brochures, letters, commercials, pivot tables, plan summaries and financial results.  My hope is to add the details of my social media exploits to this archive some day soon.  But right now I’m collecting case studies authored by other marketers because understanding the logic and the tactics behind successful campaigns is the key to building my own.  

3.  Network – I have a shy streak and am still somewhat cautious about my “social knowledge” but I know that to be considered “socially” competent, I need to associate with and learn from people who have leverage in the industry.  So I’ve been attending industry conferences, going to local meet-ups and building my network.  Twitter helps with this objective because I follow information leaders like Adam Singer.  LinkedIn is another good tool that connects me with the people I meet.  Networking ties well into my job search, and helps me personally and professionally.  

4.  Make personal friends in the industry – This is an off shoot of networking and I do have a few industry friends with whom I can share ideas and get input.  They keep me motivated and on target.  I want to grow this list so get in touch. 

5.  Improve my personal search standing (SEO) - This has been fairly easy because my name isn’t that popular.  If you happen to be Mary Smith, it may not be, but don’t be dissuaded. Work to get your name ranked in the engines.  Inevitably someone is going to type your name into Google or Yahoo.  You really want to be first in the results or at the very least on page 1 somewhere.  A by-product of this is that you’ll gain, experience with organic search which is a key element in marketing successfully on the web.  

6.  Learn web based analytics – I've discovered that this is a basic requirement of today’s marketers.  I had a leg up since financial analysis is the life bread of effective direct marketing, a tool I used to drive acquisition sales for one company from $800K to $6M.  So I was already fluent in conducting research, interpreting analytics and using the data for actionable next steps.  I just needed to learn what and how data is measured on the web.  Even if you're not a math lover, you'll appreciate the reward having this skill engenders as there's nothing more powerful than possessing the financial results that support your great idea.

7.  Keep on top of communication trends – Today, technology is driving changes daily in communication trends, and to be an effective marketer, I want to stay on top of that change.  The only way is to embrace it.  It’s an intellectual marathon of reading case studies, industry trades, and relevant blogs, while attending industry events, conferences and webinars.  The most challenging part for me continues to be finding a way to stay in front of all that information.  My current system, which includes Google Reader and Alerts, needs improvement.  Ideas welcome. 

 

I’m sure there’s more but that's my list.  What else do you think marketers, like you and me, can do to learn these new tools and position ourselves for future success?

Ways to Go Green Today, Earth Day, 2010

Today, April 22, the United States observes Earth Day, a day for celebrating our planet. In conjunction with this celebration, Brita has launched in Canada, an impactful Earth Day TV spot, which is a great use of cause marketing to drive consumer awareness and encourage product purchase. The spot called "Change" chides residents, without saying a word, for buying plastic water bottles.

"Change" shows how intrusive plastic water bottles are when accumulated throughout a household. A closet door opens, only to have countless water bottles spill out. A woman exercises with bottles strewn nearby, a man reads a newspaper while surrounded by bottles. My personal favorite is the woman longing to swim in her pool, only to see it's overrun with bottles. "Ever thought about how many plastic water bottles Canadians bought last year? The Earth needs Brita," concludes the ad, shown here and created by DDB Toronto.

Also check out this excellent article from Mashable on  5 Ways to Go Green for Earth Day