Is your budget tighter than ever? If so, you might want to consider a perpetual plaque.
Many organizations are making the switch to perpetual plaques and more modest awards. One of our longtime clients, Rockwell Automation, introduced perpetual plaques for their environmental and safety award programs a few years back. Acknowledging that some of their facilities are consistently at the top, winning gold and silver awards year after year, Rockwell decided to create a single plaque for each facility and then provide year plates to note the facility’s annual achievement. Not only does Rockwell save money this way, but each facility has added incentive to meet their annual environmental goals – how would it look if a year plate was missing? The company saved about 60% in cost for their program, and according to award coordinator Esmey Kosier, “The results have been fantastic. Facilities love the awards, no one feels like they weren’t recognized, and ordering is a breeze.” Recipients continue to be grateful for the recognition and Rockwell not only saves money, but helps conserve our precious natural resources in the process.
Perpetual plaques represent more than simply a public, cost-effective way to acknowledge award winners. Recognizing achievement with a perpetual plaque reflects both respect for the past and the future. After all, the most meaningful accomplishments are not necessarily singular efforts, particularly in the world of sustainability. They are achievements that rest on the shoulders of those who came before us, just as tomorrow’s successes depend upon the good work we do today.
We’re introducing a new line of perpetual plaques, made from our eco-friendly materials, that offer a fresh, contemporary approach to ongoing recognition. In addition to our two current designs, we will be offering a total of 12 new perpetual plaques, hand crafted from bamboo, FSC-certified sustainably harvested cherry and mahogany, and FSC recycled wood. The plaques come in two sizes – 9” x 12”, and 12” x 15”. The smaller plaques have space for six plates, as well as plenty of room for your logo and text. The 12” x 15” plaques come in 9, 12, and 18 plate varieties. The 9” x 12” plaques are $124.95 each, and the 12” x 15” are $144.95, with the exception of one with room for 18 plates, which is $149.95. The engraving plates are $10 each and can be ordered annually.
We’ll have photos soon, but for now you can download a PDF catalog for a sneak peek of the new designs. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to order one of the new perpetual plaques!
One of the winners at the Santa Monica Public Library Green Book Prize event this weekend was Rowan Jacobsen’s Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis. While the title may scare off non-sciencey types, I can say with certainty that this is the most suspenseful book about insects I’ve ever read. From cover to cover, Jacobsen weaves a fascinating story about the honey bee and its vital place in nature’s most basic processes – and our agricultural economy. Jacobsen refreshes the memory of those of us who may not remember our elementary school biology by giving us the rundown on the honey bee’s role in the pollination scheme, managing to make the story of how bees communicate and eventually pollinate sound like a recap of a raucous wedding reception (think conga line, but with stingers – Jacobsen terms it the “waggle dance”).
Reinforcing how important sustainability is to the city, mayor of Santa Monica Ken Genser gave an introduction and voiced his dedication to the city’s continuing sustainability efforts. Dean Kubani, Director of the OSE, presented the awards. Many of the winning authors don’t live in the United States and realized it wouldn’t exactly be “green” to hop on a plane and jet across the Atlantic to attend the ceremony, but there were a few in attendance; most notably, Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly, authors of Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles and winners of the award for Adult Local Impact book. Many other authors sent video acceptances or eloquent written expressions of gratitude.
