Awesome customer service

A colleague recently encountered service at a dept store that should frankly be classified as a criminal offence. If this was the US the store would have been served a legal notice by now.

Discussing the episode got us thinking about examples of outstanding, exemplary service that touches your heart , brings a smile to your face. It could be at a store , with an airline , a phone company , vada pav stall outside your office , restaurant…hell even a government dept (yeah we are incorrigible optimists ).

There are companies for whom business means more than a means to make money. And individuals for whom a job is more than a way to earn a living.

We’d like to celebrate all such individuals and companies. If you have encountered awesome service write in to share your experience here at Clean Planet world and on our Facebook page.

One Voice One India

A movement is gaining momentum all across India . People from all walks of life and across age groups are coming to support the creation of a Corruption Free India.

The government headed by the Prime Minister NEEDS to hear your message. Write in to the PMO – email , send letters by post or courier . This is a govt that chose to not reply to Anna Hazare. They need millions of letters to see the writing on the wall.

If you would like a Clean India pl choose to make a difference.

Creativity unfolding..

Amxma folding bicycle comes with an integrated basket for your groceries.

In folded form, the bike functions like a shopping cart. Now you can leave your car at home and travel to the supermarket on your bicycle.

Love the idea of combining functions in a product. Makes for a creative world . And a more sustainable one. Since we’d need fewer stuff to fulfill our requirements.

* This would not be allowed yet into Indian supermarkets !

Our only world..

For the first time ever – at a Mumbai supermarket was able to buy 4 different fruits without a single plastic bag ! Requested the store associate to avoid plastic bags. Handed her my Compact Tote . The store didn’t have many customers in the morning . Possibly therefore she accepted. It was clearly a new task. Other store associates gathered around her to see why she was juggling fruits on the weighing machine when they should be neatly packed in individual plastic bags.

Larger/busy super markets (in Mumbai ) don’t have the people or the bandwidth for handling such a request . Often fishing out a reusable bag and insisting on avoiding plastic would evoke expressions akin to witnessing shoplifting or something equally inappropriate.

It appears that retailers are not sensitized to the avoidable waste and environmental problems associated with plastic bags. Seldom does one see store associates try to minimize the number of bags. It’s clearly not a priority or even an issue on which to train store associates.

Supermarkets in Mumbai have the practice of asking (rather insisting) that customers leave their mid-size / large bags at the entry point. Ostensibly to deter shop lifting . So it’s quite unimaginable to be able to enter a Mumbai super market with a bag that’s even partly filled with purchases made elsewhere. In that sense , shopping for veggies and fruits at the local open market is definitely more eco-friendly besides being time efficient.

Supermarkets in India can help create a more sustainable world by encouraging and enabling customers to bring their own reusable bag.To be fair to the retailers there is a cultural issue of customers asking / haggling for extra plastic bags. But, when the supermarkets can enforce draconian procedures of ‘leave your bags at the entry point’ to reduce their losses they can apply some thought to reduce the loss to the wider environment of which they are a part.

Your voice as a customer counts. Pl request the stores your frequent to use eco-friendly ways to pack their products.

This is OUR world . Our ONLY world . Let’s make it sustainable.

No one can do everything. But everyone can do a LOT.

Impossible is nothing

After the worst earthquake in decades that the Japanese people have shown such resilience in moving forward after the tragedy on March 11. The Great Kanto Highway in Naka was totally destroyed and has now been repaired and opened to traffic. The Daily Mail Foreign Service describes in its report “The picture of gaping chasms in a Japanese highway demonstrated the power of the March 11 earthquake.  Now the astonishing speed of reconstruction is being used to highlight the nation’s ability to get back on its feet. Work began on March 17 and six days later the cratered section of the Great Kanto Highway in Naka was as good as new. It was ready to re-open to traffic last night.”

As an ad goes ‘Impossible is Nothing’. This is a huge inspiration and a powerful example of what a determined group of people can accomplish.

Million Bags

We LOVE bags. A reusable bag used consistently reduces the non-biodegradable junk choking the planet . That alone makes a bag love-worthy !:) We love creativity in all it’s myriad forms and believe that hidden within each of us is an artist .

The love for bags coupled with creativity makes for a million expressions aka Million Bags !

Starting today – mail us your creative bag idea. Draw , paint , create on your computer , use whatever material that catches your fancy..draw a bag on sand , create a bag motif with flowers , candy, stones , buttons. Use scrap paper / cloth to craft a bag , embroider . If you’re a Master (or aspiring ) Chef bake a bag shaped cake , draw with cream on soup , use dal/rajma/rice to create a bag motif…You get the gist..The whole world is your canvas.

The fun rules are :

1. It should be your creation.

2. We’re not looking for pics of actual bags (unless it is something you made yourself ).

3. Size does not matter .It has to look like a bag . It could be a 4 inch drawing or a 1 foot painting.Pl do your best to send a clear, high resolution image.

4. Mail it to millionbags@cleanplanet.in

5. Feel free to write a few lines about your creation . This is however not mandatory

6. Your entry will be featured with your name . We can mention your blog url or Facebook id also if you’d like it to be mentioned.

7. Submissions received will be reviewed on a weekly basis . The decision of the panel will be final regarding showcasing of entries.

8. Clean Planet will accept entries in good faith that they are the creations of the person submitting the entry / on whose behalf they are submitting the entry .

Entries that are approved by our eclectic , creative panel will be immortalized on our Face Book Album ‘Million Bags’. A selection of entries will be featured on Clean Planet World and other online Clean Planet spaces.

A journey of Million Bags begins with the first one..

http://www.facebook.com/cleanplanet

Clean Planet Online Store coming soon…

Since the time Clean Planet has been launched we’re delighted , over whelmed , inspired by the love and appreciation we’ve received from the growing Clean Planet community across the world. While Clean Planet totes are available at several locations there’s a huge part of the planet we are currently not available at. Friends and fans of Clean Planet write in with their requests and we accept their requirements (esp when the totes are not available in retail in their city) . Doing this for a few months sparked off the idea to create the Clean Planet Store on-line.

We’ve been working on the Clean Planet on-line store that will be launched soon. Months of work, spirited debate (that continues) , joy , care, anticipation , planning are some of the ingredients going into the making of the store. It’s our first time ever. We’re loving every bit of it.

We would love to hear your views , ideas , suggestions for what you would love to see in YOUR Clean Planet store .You could also share your experiences , concerns , joy , expectations about online purchases which will help us understand your perspective .  And oh , inspire us by sharing about your fav online store and what you love about them.

Mail us at hello@cleanplanet.in

Charm us with your feedback and ideas . You’ll win our appreciation and a gift !:)

Japan – land of the brave

Japan is a country close to our heart . We have several Japanese clients, business associates and friends. It’s amazing and inspiring to see how stoic and brave they are. Across companies we see the same message ‘We must now work to build the future of our country’. We see this in individuals of different age groups . Truly remarkable and admirable.

We wish the citizens of Japan strength , courage , peace and joy to overcome and triumph the many challenges they are faced with.

Cool look with the 'Bag of the Year'

Create joy with the 'Bag of the Year'

A cool way to use your ‘Bag of the Year’ .

Hang in your cupboard or room to store all the happy memories of 2011..letters from loved ones , birthday cards, your accomplishments etc. Dive into the bag at any time of the year and fish out a happy memory. The joy it brings will send out vibrations to attract even more joy !:)

Hmmm….maybe we should call this ‘Bag of 2011 Joy’ !:)