What is your name and position?: Erin Aliaga, co-founder and Betsy Ellis Chung, co-founder
What is your business name?: Clover by Clover (www.cloverbyclover.com)
What does your business do/what industry are you in?: Clover by Clover is in the gift-giving business with a crossover into the charitable giving industry. We provide a new, greener, more convenient way to give that celebrates a loved one with one special gift, while also helping others in need. Our goal is to make celebrations more thoughtful and meaningful for both the gift-giver and recipient.
What are your “Green” activities (please be specific)?: Our product is the CloverPage. By creating a CloverPage for a loved one’s celebration, guests (family & friends) contribute a monetary gift to the page. The money first goes towards satisfying the one special gift the person celebrating desires, and any funds given over that amount go towards a charitable cause chosen by the event host. Clover by Clover is “green” because we are removing the need for wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, tape, greeting cards, and gasoline (for trips to the toy store or mall).
How long have you been doing these activities?: Clover by Clover launched in November, 2010.
Why did you implement them?: As moms ourselves (7 kids between us), we witnessed first-hand the waste generated by children’s birthday parties. The gifts that break so soon after opening, the unwanted gifts, all the wrapping paper and greeting cards, and the goodie bags — the contents of which go almost directly to landfills. So many of us have so much, while so many more have so little. We thought “there must be a better way to celebrate.” And the idea for Clover by Clover was born.
How hard were these actions to implement?: Well, we are still implementing! Since we just launched a couple of months ago, we are still figuring some things out, but overall, the response to our business model and the feedback we’ve received from the many who have already set up CloverPages have been astoundingly positive. Now it’s taking this great idea and making it a success. Ask us this question again in a year!
What was the result –Financial/Bottom Line, Environmental, Good Will, etc.?: We are too young a company to have any financial successes or failures to share, but we are excited to announce that already 52% of gifts to CloverPages have gone to charitable organizations including Mercy Ships, Jumpstart and the USO. We are energized to empower others to give gifts that go further, and make a positive change in the world, one CloverPage at a time.
Do you have any advice for other small to mid-sized businesses who want to “Go Green”?: Our advice would be to go for it. What we’ve found is that people are ready. The public is embracing the idea of doing something for the greater good, being more efficient, acting in a more environmentally conscious way. As long as people are willing to change their habits to make this happen, there’s hope for our planet.
 |