Kicking A (Housing) Market While It’s Down
We are not a glum group at MKCREATIVE by any means. We just believe ‘forewarned is forearmed.’ Yesterday we discussed the local (read: Baltimore-Washington region) housing market, which did not enjoy a notable bubble and (thus?) has not suffered a violent bust. Nevertheless, the region is seeing a striking deflation in home values as foreclosures bite into more and more families. Anecdotal and personal evidence has seen not a few houses go from lived-in to empty to for sale in a few months, victims of foreclosure. In this region’s case, the problems stem not so much from over leveraged home loans made to people told/believing the market would never again shrink but from the fact that the Recession and unemployment (or worse, the terrible and larger problem of underemployment) continue to erode people’s savings and thus their abilities to keep up with their mortgages. Two years into The Great Recession has left many at the end of their abilities to pay, so their homes join the growing list of foreclosures (as reported yesterday, 35% of the homes for sale through April are foreclosed, compared to 22% from last year in Baltimore alone). A short-sold home gives no relief to the home owner from creditors, of course, as creditors get to buy back the house on the cheap and hold it until the market improves so they can sell it again.
Ah, but when will that happen?
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
‘Resilient Baltimore’ Probably Needs Resilient Housing Market
Up in Baltimore City from 22% to 35%
Economists, reporters, politicians, and bloggers have all proclaimed and/or wondered if The Great Recession is over. Our blog has followed some of these statistics and claims at the national level, but today we want to look specifically at the situation in Baltimore and its housing market.
Many (weak) signs suggest bottoms have been found in a number of markets, and perhaps its human nature for us to seek out and accept the good news. As we have previously reported, the mid-Atlantic did not enjoy a stunning housing bubble, and thus did not endure a painful popping of that bubble. According to CNN Money, “In the Maryland and Virginia suburbs around Washington, the restrictions on building are among the most onerous in the entire nation. As a result, only a trickle of new housing is coming on the market, despite the good economy and strong job growth in the Washington area.” So-far-so-good…
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Local/Maryland, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Panera Restaurants Want to Give Back; Follows The Music Industry (But Where?)
Pay What You Can, In Some Places
Bruce Horovitz of USA Today Newspaper has reported on the conversion of a Panera/St. Louis Bread Company Café (the original name of the store that became the Panera franchise) to a pay-what-you-can enterprise:
A sign at the entrance says: “Take what you need, leave your fair share.” Customers who can’t pay are asked to donate their time. The cafe opened Sunday and will operate seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
While the store does have cashiers, they don’t collect money. They simply hand each customer a receipt that says what their food would cost at a conventional Panera. The receipt directs customers with cash to donation boxes (there are five in the store). Cashiers do accept credit cards.
The founder of the Panera chain, Ron Shaich (who just stepped down as the company’s CEO) hopes to create a non-profit ‘Panera Foundation’ with such cafés in each of its markets across the country. From Mr. Horovitz’s interview: “It’s a fascinating psychological question,” says Shaich, who says he’s dreamed of doing something like this for years. “There’s no pressure on anyone to leave anything. But if no one left anything, we wouldn’t be open long.” So Shaich is trying his hometown first, then taking what he learns throughout the franchise. Though some are betting against the plan.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Marketing, News and Current Affairs, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Roundup Of And Registration For Upcoming East-Coast Nonprofit Workshops
For today’s posting, we wanted to inform our readers about a few workshops, seminars, and opportunities that are coming up over the next few weeks in New York and Washington DC. As our regular readers know, we occasionally pool some of the registration information, links, and tweets for such events both to help spread the word and to encourage our constituents to participate.
The first two are in NYC and are being sponsored by the Foundation Center, from whose materials the MKCREATIVE blog has often culled. A Proposal Writing Seminar will be held there on Wednesday 2 June from 8:30am. Topics include:
• Cover letter, executive summary; your message to the grantmaker
• Statement of need; choosing data to support your case
• Comprehensive project descriptions; your proof of project planning
• Organizational overview, conclusion, appendices
• Researching the funder to position your proposal
• The grantmaker’s proposal review process
Information and registration can be done online here.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
(Some) Social Media Grow, As Might
Specialization Among Them
Use of social media over the last three years
We have had many entries on this blog about the use, best practices, and (occasional) abuse of social media. We have done so with the effort to inform our audience about user trends, technology developments, and the marketing impact social media have had. The Neilsen ratings organization ‘NeilsenWire.com’ has recently posted a three-year survey of how some of the major social-media sites (Read: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and ClassmatesOnline). As can be seen by the chart to the right, use of Facebook continues to expand at a phenomenal rate, as does Twitter (from a smaller starting base). But so too are a couple of notable reversals, LinkedIn and ClassmatesOnline. The reasons for their shrinkage might not be related, except for the logical possibility that they are losing ‘face time’ to Facebook. For example, Classmates.com offers a great opportunity to catch up with lost high school friends. But once the contact has been made, statistics suggest that both parties have Facebook accounts, or one encourages the other to join, and thus the continuing conversation (if there is one) takes place there.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Nonprofit, Site Administration, Sustainability, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Consumer Protection Agency Drifts
From Public Discourse
The media (with good reason) have concentrated recently on the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the pseudo-grilling Goldman Sachs got by Congresspeople desperate to look tough to their constituents, and the British election that has resulted in a hung Parliament. Discussion of the formation of a Consumer Protection Agency has drifted off the radar, which we believe is unfortunate. Indeed, yesterday’s plunge-and-slight-recovery on Wall Street surely argues for the need of such an agency because so much of our economy runs on our faith in trades done in traders’ computers on our behalf. The notion of such an agency is hardly foreign to our economy. Every state has has one form or another of a CPA ready to hear appeals and offer services. But will the states lead the way to the federal level, as California did for car emissions?
Popularity: unranked | Category Book Review, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Greening Your Business Requires A Recipe For Success
Earth Days and Ecofests help keep us motivated and connected in our efforts to go green. When it comes to baking in long-term and structural improvements, though, we need tried-and-true ingredients and good guidance. Julie Gabrielli, founder of GoForChange has provided just such a recipe to move us all toward a greener work environment and a greener economy all around. The company’s general mission (and one that was founded in the early days of interest in any greening movement) is to work with small- and mission-based companies to improve their eco-standards and their bottom lines:
Julie Gabrielli, from her site GoForChange.com
GOforChange has a big vision for a community that is life-affirming in all senses. We work with small business owners who want to find simple, practical ways to increase their profitability, satisfaction and success by going green. We’ve been at this for 20 years, so green isn’t a fad or trend to us. We know how to go right to the heart of the matter, cut through the clutter and get to the gold. Using timeless, grounded frameworks, we work with you to customize a plan that fits your unique values and interests
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Greening, Marketing, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
A Conversation with Dave Michaels of Ecoprint
Image via Wikipedia
This month marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and once again green is back in fashion. For some companies, like Ecoprint, green has always been in season. Based just north of Washington D.C., this printing company was founded by an environmental activist who participated in the first Earth Day and proudly proclaims its “environmental leadership since 1977.” Today Ecoprint is forging ahead on a number of fronts, demonstrating many ways for graphic arts businesses to become more sustainable environmental stewards.
MKCREATIVE has worked with many printers over the years and has always required they use soy-based inks and paper from sustainable sources on clients’ print jobs. We’ve also required that they take other longer-term measures to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Ecoprint ‘s commitment is on another order of magnitude. We see them as kindred spirits: both Ecoprint and MKCREATIVE are run as businesses that are trying to create positive social change through sustainable practices. Both organizations are providing services to clients who make a difference in their own communities, while also offering education and guidance.
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Community, Nonprofit, Sustainability, interview, printing | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Some Green Goodness To Sum Up Green Week
We have posted a number of tidbits about Green Week, from Baltimore Green Works’ EcoFest through various local and national events this week. We must keep the enthusiasm up, of course. Green Week draws to a close, but not the need to be creative and disciplined with our use of resources and our development of sustainable technologies. But in the spirit of a well-earned Friday afternoon, we wanted to end this week’s series with a few local and a (surprising?) international marks of success.
We have already praised Baltimore City for (finally) getting hybrid-technology buses on the road, and we note the development again. But Baltimore is full of projects and efforts that are greening urban neighborhoods, giving options to driving cars, and producing green products for us to enjoy.
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Community, Greening, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Oil Companies Attempt to Evade California’s CO2 Emission Laws
Image via Wikipedia
Ex-Vice President Al Gore has recently posted from his blog a series of legal moves by a number of Texas-based oil refinement companies to finagle or simply by-pass California’ CO2 emissions laws. Mr. Gore was responding (at least) to an article by John M. Broder and Clifford Krauss in the New York Times, which explores the digging done by Valero Energy Corporation to circumvent California’s cap-and-trade laws (California’s laws are seen by many throughout the US as the best ‘laboratory’ on how such a market might function).
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Upcoming Greening Events in Baltimore To Highlight Sustainability Successes
On our entry for 25 March we touted some notable greening projects in New York City, including Annie Novak’s rooftop farm. We also noted opportunities for Baltimore’s citizens to get involved in similar projects. Today we follow on with that call-to-action to draw your attention to a couple of festivals and conferences meant to inspire and educate the Baltimore community to strive for environmental and economic sustainability. We also want to offer kudos to Towson University’s students, staff, and faculty who recycled 140 tons of materials in the fourth annual “RecycleMania” competition held among Maryland’s institutions of higher learning. They far exceeded their goal of 120 tons, itself an expansion over the 114 tons recycled last year. And they did so despite those crippling blizzards in February smack dab in the middle of the competition. (Cue sappy music) Of course, Maryland’s citizenry and environment are the big winners, as schools across the state competed in the 10-week competition.
Popularity: unranked | Category Automobiles, Climate Change, Community, Conference/Congress, Education: General, Greening, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Saving Money, Reducing CO2, and Getting Profitable IS That Easy
Shut down your machine!
The Ford Motor Company did not require the same sorts of bailouts that the General Motors conglomerate did last year. Its family-run structure likely kept its owners, managers, and designers on their toes because they had their own ‘skins-in-the-game.’ Now TreeHugger.com posts a story about how the company went ahead and saved another cool $1.2 million by, uh, turning off the computers at its headquarters at night and on weekends. The decision is rewarded thusly, according to TreeHugger: “By centrally controlling the power settings on the company’s computers, they are saving an estimated $1.2 million annually and keeping between 16,000 and 25,000 metric tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere.”
Popularity: unranked | Category Automobiles, Climate Change, Community, Conference/Congress, Greening, News and Current Affairs, Site Administration, Sustainability, Technology, Urban Farming | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
A Conversation with Steve Frillmann, Executive Director, Green Guerillas
A community garden created by local residents with the help and support of Green Guerillas
Each month we look at a marketing challenge faced by many of our clients. This month the issue is when, or if, to switch from print to web-based and social media, and we chose to present it through the eyes of one of our clients. We recently spoke with Steve Frillmann, executive director of Green Guerillas, a nonprofit organization that supports hundreds of community gardens (and gardeners) in New York City.
We’ve been working with the Green Guerillas for more than 12 years, a relationship that began when Marco Kathuria volunteered as a muralist/photographer/videographer for a project working with children to create colorful murals within community gardens in New York City. Out of that relationship came a realization of a “shared DNA” – a commitment to enrich the lives of city residents, one neighborhood at time. The collaboration with the Green Guerillas evolved into the creation of the organization’s graphic identity and communications toolkit. The marketing mix and the strategic direction it has taken has evolved over the years as a result of the close collaboration between MKCREATIVE and Steve Frillmann.
We began our conversation by asking Steve to give us his perspective on how he sees the Internet:Direct Mail mix for his own organization, considering that converting one’s communications from print to Internet is all the rage in business and nonprofit circles. But how useful is a great website if the bulk of your constituents visit the Web infrequently, or never? (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Greening, Revitalization, Sustainability, Urban Farming, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
A Report From the Weather Front
Baltimore kids enjoy a day off from school
The nor’easters that have pummeled the eastern seaboard over the last month or so have provided many a fun day for kids unencumbered by the duties of school. Businesses and city budgets have been less enthusiastic as they have seen a notable falloff in customers or a striking pothole in their treasuries. The winter season still has 2-3 more weeks left, according to Puxatony Phil, so the snow shovels should not be put away just yet. Still another effect of the storms is to revivify the the media brouhaha about Global Warming.
Popularity: 1% | Category Climate Change, Community, National/International, Politics, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
The Social Costs of the Housing Crash: Hispanic Communities in NYC
A foreclosed home in Jamaica Plains, NY
84% of all homes in area in similar danger
Last week we posted a couple of reports pointing to the relative stability in the housing market that Baltimore has ‘enjoyed’ and how the faltering economy seems to have spurred growth in the non-profit sector. Today we are reminded of how important the qualifier ‘relative’ is. Optimists and bank executives largely believe the economy has bottomed out, but the social ramifications (and, likely more of the economic ramifications in the commercial real estate sector) are still to be dealt with. Many of the social tensions that the economic crisis has wound up do their worst damage on those communities already strained by marginalization: recent immigrants and the working poor.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, News and Current Affairs, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Alex Steffen’s ‘Seattle Model’ for Wealthy, Green, Cities
Late last November Alex Steffen gave a two-night presentation at Seattle’s city hall concerning the climatic crises the planet faces, and how single towns and cities can change the direction we are heading. The videos have recently been posted at his group’s website, worldchanging.com, and we think they are well worth a watch.
The talks are about 90 minutes each, and your time is rewarded with an entertaining survey of existent green technologies and a shocking review of the environmental and economic problems we face. But what distinguishes Mr. Steffen’s ideas within the environmental movement is his enthusiasm for growth and prosperity.
Popularity: 1% | Category Climate Change, Community, Greening, Sustainability, Technology | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Recovery Funds for Green Buildings: Nos.10 & 9 in Our Top Ten List
A week or so ago we posted the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) report on the “Top 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Building.” The report outlined ways local and state governments, as well as community organizations and socially-conscious businesses could draw upon the Obama Administration’s recovery package. With the federal government ‘closed’ and snuggling under a thick blanket of snow, we thought this the perfect time to study the 10 Ways in greater detail for our clients and readers. [Paul Schafer, cue the music!] (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Climate Change, Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Audi’s ‘Green Police’ Ad: Not Just Another Pot Shot at the Green Movement
Repost of original article by Leo Hickman, Feb 8, 2010, guardian.co.uk
Mmm, I wonder if Will Ferrell and his comedy compatriots at Funnyordie.com saw Audi’s Super Bowl ad (Sunday)? If they did, then they might have recognised the ad’s satirical vision of a world patrolled by the “green police”.
The reason being that they made virtually the same joke – scoring far more laughs in the process – in their Green Team video a couple of years ago. (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category Automobiles, Climate Change, Greening, Marketing, Media Review, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: How to launch greening projects
Federal economic stimulus has come in many guises, but we at MKCREATIVE want to call attention to those that pertain to housing and to the environment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (‘ARRA‘) includes numerous opportunities for such work. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, National/International, Politics, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NHS Baltimore & Baltimore Sun report on extra-legal debt collection
We are all too aware of how the debts in this country have grown beyond manageability over the last 15-plus years. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed banks and financial services to write and rewrite their own terms almost at will, and too many customers accepted too-good-to-be-true terms without the necessary due diligence. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Local/Maryland, Nonprofit, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush earlier this week. NHS of East Flatbush revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Tidying up broken pieces or building a better system?
Banking and investment giants are back before Congress to discuss some of the policies and practices that have led to the collapse of the subprime-loan market and the financial markets generally. According to Dan Roberts of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the CEOs still standing feel sufficiently bullish after their bailout to resist Congressional inquiries. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Study of Mission Entrepreneurial Entities and strategies for future development
The Affordable Housing Institute recently released its first comparative study of the work of MEEs (‘Mission Entrepreneurial Entities’) in the public housing sector. The study explores the adaptive advantages MEEs have over both purely private/for-profit enterprises and government and social-work entities. It does so by studying the ways MEEs in the US and in Britain have helped improve and revitalize affordable housing for the urban poor, which in turn has helped expand local economies and opportunities for everyone. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Marketing, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City earlier this month. NHS of NYC revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 4% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
MKCREATIVE begins Website development for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush
The MKCREATIVE team has begun work on a “refreshed” website for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush (NHSEF). (more…)
Popularity: 28% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.