Astronaut Studio http://astronautstudio.com Brand Strategy, Green Marketing, Green Advertising for Clean Tech, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Business, Environmental Issues Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:22:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Astronaut Work Recognized with Summit Award http://astronautstudio.com/2011/08/astronaut-work-recognized-with-summit-awards/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/08/astronaut-work-recognized-with-summit-awards/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:52:23 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1400 The Summit Creative Awards bestowed upon Astronaut an award for our work with Alkota Cleaning Systems.

The behemoth of a trophy comes in recognition of our Alkota Print Campaign and is by far the heaviest trophy in the case.

We’re very proud of the work we’ve done and very excited about the work left to do with Alkota.

Check out the rest of our portfolio for more award winning work.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/08/astronaut-work-recognized-with-summit-awards/feed/ 0 Astronaut Work Recognized with Telly Awards http://astronautstudio.com/2011/08/astronaut-work-recognized-with-telly-awards/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/08/astronaut-work-recognized-with-telly-awards/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:37:49 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1393 The mailman was kind to Astronaut this week, delivering three Telly Awards to the shop.

We earned recognition in the copywriting and brand video categories for Raven Industries’ Slingshot video, “The Field Is Always There” as well as in the copywriting category for Alkota Cleaning Systems’ brand video, “Office.”

We’re very proud of the Slinghsot and Alkota work and have had a blast working with both clients. The trophies are just the cherry on top.

Check out our portfolio to see the winning videos as well as our other work for Slingshot and Alkota.

 

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/08/astronaut-work-recognized-with-telly-awards/feed/ 0 Leaf of the Day, No. 89, EcoProducts http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-89-ecoproducts/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-89-ecoproducts/#comments Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:10:39 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1381

EcoProducts is a Boulder, CO based company that is the nation’s leading supplier of single-use food service products made from recycled content and materials. EcoProducts has done some great things to soften the environmental impact of our consumption. EcoProducts recycles materials as much as possible to limit the need for virgin resources. If you had to boil it down, we humans developed a bad habit somewhere along the line of using disposable plates, knives, forks, napkins, cups, etc. EcoProducts in essence, makes our bad habit less bad. Now, I’m not at all suggesting that EcoProducts is any less green for it. Obviously, reusable cups, plates and the like are the best options and I have no doubt that EcoProducts feels the same. What EcoProducts offers is the lesser of two evils, one that is an important step in weening society off of single-use products.

EcoProducts recently made news when it unveiled the world’s first recycled content cup lid. Check out EcoLid 25.

Explanation of the Leaf of the Day.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-89-ecoproducts/feed/ 0 Astronaut Work Recognized at Addys 2011 http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/astronaut-work-recognized-at-addys-2011/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/astronaut-work-recognized-at-addys-2011/#comments Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:23:06 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1368 The entire Astronaut crew assembled this weekend to celebrate another successful year of work at the South Dakota Advertising Federation’s Addy Awards 2011. We were pleased to walk away with a handful of golds and silvers for our work with Raven Industries, Alkota Cleaning Systems, X-Ray Eyes and Green Drinks. But our most precious award of the night was our Best of Class honor in the Sales Promotion category — which you can see below.

It was great to see other agency work, have a few cocktails and fraternize with our friends in the advertising industry, many of whom were sufficiently rewarded for outstanding work themselves. In fact, the event was so nice that we’ve decided to continue to produce award-winning work in the future. So, until next year, happy advertising.

Give it up to Caliber Creative and A-1 Jet for designing the new Addy Award.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/astronaut-work-recognized-at-addys-2011/feed/ 0 Leaf of the Day, No. 88, Green Drinks Northern Virginia http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-88-green-drinks-northern-virginia/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-88-green-drinks-northern-virginia/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:39:05 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1365 That’s right, we’re having Sioux Falls Green Drinks tonight at Wiley’s Tavern at 5pm. So, we thought we’d give some love to one of our fellow Green Drinks chapters as our Leaf of the Day. There you go Northern Virginia, that means you’re up. I have to say I’m a fan of your logo, soft, sophisticated and understated. You abandoned the typical leaf that we’re used to seeing and gave us a planter with some fledgling plant-life. If we’re ever in Northern Virginia, we’ll be sure to look you up.

Explanation of the Leaf of the Day.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-88-green-drinks-northern-virginia/feed/ 0 Leaf of the Day, No. 87, Bently Holdings http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-87-bently-holdings/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-87-bently-holdings/#comments Wed, 09 Mar 2011 23:10:04 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1361 The name, Bently, finds its hands in a variety of endeavors. One of those happens to be property holdings, hence today’s leaf logo, Bently Holdings. The company has property internationally and stateside, but is based out of San Fransisco, CA. Having just been to San Fransisco, we certainly share Bently’s enthusiasm for the architecture in the “City by the Bay” and surrounding areas. Bently also deserves some credit for there efforts to make their properties and corporate culture more eco-friendly. Some highlights: sustainable office/cleaning supplies, better inks and paints, improved HVAC, reclaimed building materials that would otherwise go to landfills, mandated LEED Certification for all new build-outs, offsetting building energy consumption with solar energy, and my favorite, a fleet of corporate vehicles running on B100 Biodiesel. Combine those things with a website that is refreshingly sleek and easy to use and I’d say they are worthy of a pat on the back.

Explanation of the Leaf of the Day.

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Dog and leaf combine to form a single shiny EcoHound. EcoHound is an online retail outlet looking to be a one-stop shop for eco-friendly pet products. The site has an impressive list of product categories, but so far as I can tell most of the categories are empty and dormant. The site is rather new and so a limited selection of products is to be expected. But it’d be a good idea not to display a list of categories until they can actually be filled. EcoHound has other things going for it by way of a newsletter, a review section and a pet store directory, but even those are sparse. This is not to say that the idea won’t work. I think there’s loads of potential for companies willing to provide for pets. Pet owners can be very emphatic about their furry friends, after all, and that makes this an exciting niche.

Explanation of the Leaf of the Day.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-86-ecohound/feed/ 0 Leaf of the Day, No. 85, Green Patriot http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-85-green-patriot/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-85-green-patriot/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:55:59 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1350

David Steinman is a renowned environmentalist and author. He introduced us to the idea of Green Patriotism as away to inspire Americans to take an active role in saving our lands. Through Green Patriot and Green Patriot Radio, Steinman provides a comprehensive look at the state of the environment and sustainability. The piece I find most interesting is the Green 100 ranking of top 100 brands that are working towards a healthier planet. It’s also interesting to see his featured Green Patriots section where he highlights people who are making an impact from First Lady Michelle Obama to actor Ed Begley, Jr. to the average Joe.

Explanation of the Leaf of the Day.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-85-green-patriot/feed/ 0 Sioux Falls Green Drinks March http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/sioux-falls-green-drinks-march/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/sioux-falls-green-drinks-march/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:27:39 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1346

It’s been awhile since our last get together and we here at Astronaut are thinking we’re due for some Green Drinks.

And so, Green Drinks for March is a go. We’re going to get together at Wiley’s Tavern, 330 N Main St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 at 5pm. There will be no fancy speaker or special program this time, just good old fashion social behavior. You set the agenda.

If it makes a difference to you, the entire Astronaut crew from Minneapolis will be in town for the Addy Awards and will be attending Green Drinks as well. So we have that going for us.

Green Drinks is an informal monthly mixer of individuals interested in sustainability, environmental issues and green initiatives. Occasionally, a special event, topic or speaker will be incorporated to add a little flavor, but not always. It’s just a chance rub noses with like-minded people. All are welcome, all are wanted.

]]> http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/sioux-falls-green-drinks-march/feed/ 0 Leaf of the Day, No. 84, Green Hotels http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-84-green-hotels/ http://astronautstudio.com/2011/03/leaf-of-the-day-no-84-green-hotels/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:09:00 +0000 Andrew http://astronautstudio.com/?p=1341
Today’s leaf, Green Hotels, is a network of eco-friendly hotels in Greece. The establishments that show up on the site have been included because of their dedication to:

  • Water saving
  • Waste reduction
  • Establishing Recycling Policies
  • Minimizing their Energy Footprint (ie the amount of carbon dioxide which is emitted at the atmosphere by everyday activities that require energy consumption)
  • Offering Biological and Local products to their guests
  • Using Renewable Energy Sources
  • Building an Environmental Culture and communicating it to staff and guests

I was originally taken aback by how many eco-hotels were actually in Greece. Then later, I was taken aback by how thoroughly the site investigates each hotel. I suspect the site is still in the growing stages, but for now it already offers visitors photos, an interactive map, eco-vacation plans and tips for eco-tourism. The real humdinger here is that in addition to the standard hotel bio, the site serves up eco-index ratings depending on how well each has met the above criteria. Now you can monitor a hotel’s eco-features as well as its current actions.

Explanation of the Leaf of the Day.

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