ViridiSTOR "Green Box" Reduces Trade Show Waste

By: Diane Bucka

The environmental movement is full of innovation opportunities, from highly engineered water-and waste management methodologies to intelligent design and streamlined manufacturing techniques.  In attempting to comply with regulatory or stakeholder requirements, companies have explored a variety of clean, green technologies.  But sometimes, businesses can make a huge impact with even simple, low-tech ideas that fill a vital niche.

The ViridiSTOR "Green Box" Solution, is just such an idea, offering a self-contained system  - a single 4GB ViridiSTOR USB – that replaces paper-based materials collected by the more than 60 million trade show, convention and conference attendees each year.    Event organizers use the Green Box™ Solution to enable exhibitors to provide attendees with a wealth of organized, relevant information – including comprehensive social media and contact data - on a free USB stick.  Not only does the system dramatically reduce the cost and environmental impact of paper-based literature, it saves on production, storage and waste management costs for all of the glossy materials that visitors so often simply toss.   The digital devices can capture PowerPoint presentations, videos, and a range of media previously unattainable from trade show and conference materials, essentially forming a “library” of an event that extends its usefulness.
I met ViridiSTOR President and CEO Terry Mullin at the recent CleanTech OC annual conference, as he was handing out his USB drives at check-in.  When I commented on what a brilliant idea I thought it was, he gleefully reported, “We provide all attendees with event materials on the USB in the most cost effective and convenient means possible. There’s no need to carry paper and binders of information, which is not only expensive to produce, but poses a significant environmental impact.  The ViridiSTOR solution addresses the problem of providing corporate and marketing information to hundreds of event guests.  Having all of the literature, marketing materials and videos from the exhibits and presentations on the USB is much more organized and useful, and reduces marketing costs significantly.”

Impressively, Tustin-based ViridiSTOR was recently recognized as the grand prize winner in the Anaheim Center for New Energy Technologies’ (AC-NET) Clean Tech Business Plan Competition for 2011.

The genius is in the simplicity of the concept, along with the broad application.  Just consider the impact in an industry considered the 2nd largest polluter in the US, generating as much as 21 billion pounds of garbage a year.  Like so many brilliant yet simple concepts, Victor Hugo’s adage rings true "There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."

Diane Bucka, Founder of Responsible Business Registry, is a sustainability advocate and communications consultant with more than 15 years of writing, editing and small business marketing experience. www.responsiblebusregistry.com Join RBR on Facebook