Vote With Your Wallet

I have always had an underlying feeling that I need to make the world a better place. I think that this comes from the history of my family, who settled in Saskatchewan and made farmland out of barren land to provide grain and resources to others. There is a certain visual that comes to mind of my grandfather ploughing a field to plant a new crop which leaves me feeling compelled to break new ground and grow something new in my world.

I have often told the story of how I ended up working in event marketing and my passion to make events less wasteful, but I think it is the story before that that I am pondering these days. When I was in Grade 4, I was passionate about the environment and actually started actioning my beliefs where I could. There was an internal composting/recycling program that I helped champion at my grade school. I also took the time to send letters to local businesses to ask for their help in the cause. It seems funny to me now, but I wrote to my local grocery store to ask that they get rid of the packaging on their meat and allow people to bring their own containers… which they politely declined lol But overall, I saw what was wasteful and was incredibly aware of the larger impact that they were contributing to.

This eye on the world is something that likely came from my upbringing as well. My parents were never wasteful and my admiration of them has certainly shaped a lot of my worldview. In contrast to my peers, my parents didn’t drive a new car or have a big TV, but instead spent their money on great experiences for our family like travel, music and the arts. How they never got caught up in brands and status is a true testament to where they came from and something that I struggle with in both my personal and professional life. It is so easy to get caught up in consumerism and spend money based on reasons other than how it truly meets your needs. It is the same way with events, where we get caught doing what we did last year, or what is easy or cheap.

My dad always has always said that he votes with his wallet every day. This is a strong statement when you consider the power of our economy on the path that we take our country and world on. The choice to purchase items with excessive packaging or made from harmful plastic, only adds fuel to the fire. My vision when first thinking about how I could impact the world through my work was a bit of a Robin Hood approach. If I could consult companies on their event strategy, I could multiply the environmentally responsible decisions that I would make in a day 10, 100 or 1000 fold because I could affect the decision for all event attendees. Imagine the impact that one boardroom decision to supply water bottles vs water stations at an event for 1000 people has on our landfills. Secondly, I would be able to select vendors and source from sustainable and environmentally friendly companies, providing support for them to grow and prosper. By moving money in this way, it forces those who are wasteful to innovate or die.

This economic approach to environmentalism is interesting to me and an area that I want to focus more on. I truly feel that I have a responsibility in what I do as an event marketer to guide my clients to make the best decisions possible to meet their business objectives. I have often told my team that there are three things to balance for every tactical decision in the event process: Budget, Overall Event Objectives & Attendee experience. I am aware that based on balancing these items, we cannot always make all of the best decisions but we absolutely need to make them whenever we can. We might not win a prize or even get a pat on the back for making our event greener, but regardless it is our responsibility to ensure that we are weighing in environmental impact when making event decisions. I want to make this a focus in my personal and professional life as I go into my 30th year and hope that I can find some fellow pioneers to help break this new ground with me.

OMG GMO

So I have known the evils of GMOs for a while but choosing not to eat GMOs is pretty hard work. The lack of labels for products containing GMO means that anything (especially processed foods) can contain GMO by-products. The best bet it to choose organic all the time but this isn't always easy, especially at this time of year when organic produce in Canada usually means a hefty carbon bill for transport from Florida or overseas. So I have done some research and for the most common GMO in North America, I will make them my organic priority.

"According to the only human feeding study ever conducted on GMOs, the gene that makes genetically modified soy resistant to Roundup actually transfers to the DNA of the human gut bacteria and continues to function" Jeffrey M. Smith, Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology interviewed in Brairpatch jan/feb 2009

My top 3 GMOs to avoid:

1. Corn - 60% of crops have been modified to resist pesticides so farmers can bathe the corn in chemicals... yuck .. the concern here is not so much the actual corn on the cob but more so the corn by-products that you will find in almost all processed food items

2. Soybeans - 89% of N. American crops are modified to be resistant to herbicides... I never was into soy so much anyway but still...

3. Sugar (from Sugar Cane or Sugar Beets) - pesticide infusion again .... I am committed to buy organic even if it is expensive but I figure I will use less which is better for my health anyway

My 1 product to avoid overall:

1. Cotton - this is a really scary one.. Cotton crops use 25% of the world's insecticides and 10% of the world's pesticides... a single t-shirt is sprayed with a third of a pound of pesticides... I can't shop anymore!!! Seriously! I usually pick-up a cheap top every week or so, but every label I look at the says 100% cotton makes me sick to the stomach! Thanks goodness for American Apparel tops and Levis eco-jeans - that will be my new look going forward :) Then on the GMO side, it should come as a surprise that cotton crops are modified to be pest-resistant...
OMG GMO ...

Nothing to sneeze at

So I recently purchased some organic cotton handkerchiefs.... but not for blowing my nose, to use as napkins!! I could not find organic cotton napkins anywhere! I went to each of these stores, asked for them specifically, then when they said no, I left immediately. So to list my stops:

Potterybarn ... no ... Williams-Somoma ... the Bay ... Sears... no .... Home Outfitters! .. no ....

So I settled for handkerchiefs from Grassroots ... And I gotta say indulging in cotton napkins is something we should all do! Who knew being swank could be so good :)

Be kind to your body

Stop using your anti-prespirant now! Go to Shoppers and buy Adidas Cotton Tech Aluminum Free Deodorant - put on your pits, run home, smell your pits (they smell good, non?) and then pat yourself on the back. You, my friend, have now avoiding the daily absorption of aluminum through your skin. Although aluminum does stop sweating is has also been linked to both cancer and alzheimer's. My beauty has a price, yes, but not that kind of price.

This product just hit stores in Canada within the last 3-6 months and is also available on-line.

its not easy being green.. but it's beautiful & I think it's what I want to be - kermit the frog

Well - I had an amazing holiday this year. The theme was all about being more of an Eco-friendly-free-range-Erika :) The gifts were all amazing so here are a few:

- OXFAM Unwrapped - Thanks to my parents I had a female goat purchased in my name through the Oxfam Goat-Loan Program! The idea is that this goat is given to a family in need and when it has a female kid, that goat is passed to another family and so on! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Check out Oxfam Unwrapped for more info - http://www.oxfamunwrapped.ca/



- Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style - Thanks to my sister for this book! Okay so it is a bit dumbed down in parts, but if you already know most of the rational for going green this book is basically an awesome shopping guide. In fact, I had it in my purse today for purchasing my first mineral powder foundation (fyi oil-based just clog your pores more!). Lots of helpful links to other sites and first-hand experience that I am glad she went through for me (the deodorant test in particular). Check it out on Amazon for more info - http://www.amazon.ca/Green-Chic-Saving-Earth-Style/dp/1402210825/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231035769&sr=8-1



- Lululemon Eco Align Ultra Mat & Power Yoga for Happiness DVD - Ommmmmm.... I am feel better just owning a yoga mat! But even better knowing it is Eco Friendly - according to my Green Chic book, most Yoga Mats are made of nasty PVC so I am really pleased that mine is made of an environmentally friendly material called TPE (Thermal Plastic Eleastromerl) which contains no latex, PVC, rubber or chemical products in production. Definitely what you need to feel one with the world :) Check the Lululemon site for more: http://www.lululemon.com/products/accessories/yoga/eco_align_ultra_mat



- Elita Eco-Fashion Yoga Pants & Top - Comfortable and fashionable, my new bamboo outfit is amazing! And after a test run on the yoga mat, definitely practical too.


More to come about some of the other gifts as I get into them :) but in the meantime, I need to add something to my wish list:


- Levi's Eco Low Skinny 531 - they are beautiful in the 'clean air' wash and made from 100% organic cotton. Yes, please!



From the looks of it, 2009 is going to be a green year!

Can't wait!

Erika Borgerson found her Niche in Event Marketing - GBC Alumni Newsletter 12/08

It’s 9 a.m. and Erika Borgerson has exactly an hour to talk before returning to work to continue planning Nexient Learning’s marketing future. She comes prepared with materials: a resume, her company’s brochure, a book on personality types. “I fall into the ‘People are the Products’ category,” she says. Friendly and disarming she toggles easily between stories about growing up in northern Saskatchewan and phrases like “economies of scale”. Read more...

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Hi! My name is Erika Borgerson. Welcome to my Blog!