“The Little Green Guide” is a bilingual (English and Arabic) publication with over 70 easy-to-follow tips to help counter global warming. With an initial print run of 2000, the launch of the booklet was supported by press write-ups to create awareness and to spread the word. It was backed by a host of related environment-friendly activities.

The purpose of “The Little Green Guide” is to drive home the fact that each one of us can make a positive difference to the environment by taking small, simple steps.

The extensive media coverage of “The Little Green Guide” in local newspapers and periodicals, both English and Arabic, elicited enthusiastic response. This led to many queries and more copies of the booklet being circulated.

The simplicity of the project was key to its success, and is the reason why it continues to gain momentum. It elicited active participation from DDB Group companies in Oman, which have recycled around 2.5 tons of paper over the last two years. A similar drive at DDB is now being organized for plastics.

Here Pat Sloan interviews DDB Oman executive Pravin Amudan about the Little Green Guide.

Pat Sloan: “’The Little Green Guide’ is an amazingly simple idea, yet very engaging because it makes doing the right thing easy, and because of that it’s even fun. Did you envision that would be the case from the beginning or did you discover that while creating the book?”

Pravin Amudan: “When the idea of compiling a book of eco tips occurred to me three and a half years ago while watching An Inconvenient Truth, I knew one thing for sure: The end product had to be simple. It had to offer solutions that the readers could relate to and were easy to follow.
“At the time of writing the book, the concept of recycling was relatively unknown in Oman and most people were oblivious to global warming. Tips on recycling and conservation were only available online. They were occasionally featured as a one-off column in the print medium. What was lacking was a one-stop source of eco tips that were also relevant to the region.

“The task was twofold: One, to educate the readers about global warming without boring them with statistics and to communicate that each one of us could play a positive role through making simple changes to our lifestyle; Two, to create a ready reckoner of eco-friendly tips that could be followed with ease.

“The result was a bilingual (English and Arabic) publication with over 70 tips, organized into nine logical sections.”

Pat Sloan: “”The Little Green Guide’ seems to be something that lends itself to the concept of social creativity; it’s full of ideas that people want to play with, participate in and pass along. Have you experienced that effect in your market and in what way?”

Pravin Amudan: “Given the fact that the book has been in circulation only a short time, I haven't really analyzed the social creativity effect as yet.

“However, I did experience it right in the beginning, at the time of compiling the book. The book was originally meant to be only in English. Halfway down the line, two Arabic-speaking colleagues offered to participate in the project by producing the book in Arabic and later circulating it in their social network.

“The response has been heartwarming. Several of our clients and associates have contacted me, applauding the initiative and asking for copies of the book. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.

“The objective of the project is to create awareness, spread the word, get people to post their comments and share their ideas with everyone they know. By sharing this initiative with other offices in the DDB network, I am positive that more people will come forward with their own ideas to take this further and pass it on.”

Pat Sloan: “How do you practice what “The Little Green Guide” preaches in the office, in the community and with clients?”

Pravin Amudan: “The launch of “The Little Green Guide” has been backed by a host of related eco-friendly activities. I have:

A. Initiated a recycling drive at work and in my neighborhood that collects on a monthly basis. Over the past two years, around three tons of paper have been collected and dispatched for recycling. A similar drive has now been initiated for plastics.

B. Started a blog (http://www.thelittlegreenpage.blogspot.com/) where people can post their comments, share their ideas and download the online version of the book.

C. Created a dedicated email address (thelittlegreenguide@yahoo.com) for enquiries and feedback.

D. Designed a customized poster for video libraries, urging people to rent, rather than buy, CDs and DVDs, thereby reducing electronic waste.

E. Initiated the reuse of stationery at work, from the paper in the printers to envelopes.

F. Developed and encouraged the use of writing pads made from used, single-sided prints.

G. Advocated eco-friendly initiatives to a number of our clients in Oman. These include:

i) The “Work Environments and the Environment” booklet for Mustafa Sultan Office Technology. This was distributed at the launch of Kyocera eco-friendly printers in 2008.

ii) An internal ambient media campaign, encouraging the responsible use of hand tissues in the washrooms.”

Pat Sloan: “To date, what has “The Little Green Guide” accomplished that has given you the most satisfaction?”

Pravin Amudan: “The book has successfully managed to establish the fact that ‘going Green' is not just about recycling paper and plastics. It underlines the need to closely examine our lifestyle and identify areas where we can economize and optimize. For instance, by opting to dine in rather than take away, we could avoid the use of disposable plastics. Or renting out movies instead of buying DVDs can help reduce the number of DVDs that would need to be produced and disposed of.

“Each time I see a colleague or a friend contribute to the cause, I consider it a measure of the book's success. To date, the sweetest reward is my four-year-old daughter, who has reassured me that my efforts have not been in vain (before tossing anything into the trash, she asks if it can be recycled!).”’

Pat Sloan: “If you had one wish for ‘The Little Green Guide,” what would it be?”

Pravin Amudan: “I would like to see ‘The Little Green Guide’ circulated to a much wider audience –not just in Oman, but worldwide. The idea is to spread the word and get more people involved in this movement. It would be great to have it translated and printed in a number of languages for a wider reach.”

Download the guide
The Little Green Guide – English
The Little Green Guide – Arabic

Pat Sloan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Director of Public Affairs, DDB Worldwide

Posted on August 3, 2010 2:29 PM | Permalink

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