Denver-Boulder

Good news! 7 news has contacted us and wants to do a story on our Carrotmob effort! This is sure to get the word out to those of us less facebook and twitter savvy.

Speaking of facebook, our new group is up and running and you’ll now be able to follow us by becoming a member of Denver-Boulder Carrotmob. Invite anyone who wants to make a positive impact on the environment! (Or just anyone who enjoys the grand pastime of eating.)

Here is the current list of businesses that I’m approaching and hoping to recruit for Carrotmob bidding:

Two Spoons, Falafel King, Illegal Pete’s, Centro, The Blending Cellar, Bacaro, Soup n Juice, Jax, Cafe Trident, Juanita’s Mexican Food, Crepes a la Cart, Boulder Cafe, Pizza Colore, Maiberry, and Salvaggio’s.

Of course, this list isn’t limiting, and I’m striving to pitch to as many Boulder businesses as possible. That being said, any insight on the listed businesses and suggestions for candidates is welcome, as always.  Armed with the video of the first San Francisco Carrotmob, (which you can find here http://www.vimeo.com/3290767) along with the TIME article featuring Carrotmob, http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1898728,00.html and a rough table about the impact of past Carrotmobs, http://carrotmob.org/past-carrotmobs/ I’m hopeful and confident that my team and I can get some solid bids!

Another recent development is our partnership with PACE, a Boulder-Based energy consulting organization. (If you want to know more about their programs, this link goes into more detail http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/www/pace/index.html ) PACE will work with businesses that want to make bids and suggest possible improvement projects so the business can match the size of their bid with the changes they want to make.

More info on which businesses actually decide to jump on board the Carrotmob love train will be up soon!

There has been a paradigm shift here at the Denver Carrotmob front. You may have noticed that we are now called Denver-Boulder instead of just Denver, since we have recently joined forces with the Boulder organizer, who consequently happens to be writing this post. Any info concerning the activities of the Boulder Carrotmob will also be posted here. 

I’m planning on pitching to businesses on Pearl Street in Boulder as soon as next monday, the 20th. The main business targets will be casual “non-sit-down” restaurants for a couple  reasons. A-The businesses involved need to be competitors in order for the bidding process to be the most effective and B-those businesses also need to be compatible with a mob of consumers.

Also, just a heads up-The facebook group will be up and running again very soon, as it was deleted in the process of merging. It’ll probably be called Denver-Boulder Carrotmob, but keep checking here for any updates.

As I hammer out logistics, (business cards, setting up the pitch video, confirming the environmental consultant, etc.) I’d love to hear more ideas about prospective targets on or around pearl that fit the criteria we’re going for. Comment, Twitter, or holler at me and I’ll see what I can do!

-Justine

On Twitter.

Some of you have been having a hard time finding us on Twitter with just the Username… Twitter issue, not ours.

Try clicking here (or cut and paste):
http://bit.ly/VWyvE

That will get to my profile!

I just established the following accounts for staying connected:

Twitter username = @DenverCarrotmob

Email address = denvercarrotmob@gmail.com

Facebook = Denver Carrotmob

That probably helps a little, huh? Feel free to use any/all!

Scott

I have received a couple of comments to my opening post which makes me realize that some people are at least finding their way to this Carrotmob blog.  That is good news!

To me, the most attractive Carrotmob targets are those businesses that currently occupy older,  “low efficiency”  buildings.  I have seen other mobs target these businesses by requiring that the profits from the Carrotmob get “reinvested” into the specific property exclusively for “green” improvements.  (Rather than simply agreeing to make a percentage charitable donation to a “green” organization.)  I particularly like this approach for two reasons:

First, the money is being used to make long-term, physical improvements to a property in the precise community where the Carrotmob takes place.  Second, the reinvested money helps to stimulate the local economy by employing local contractors, sub-contractors and product vendors for the improvements.  Granted, there are plenty of great environmental charities out there, but the really attractive aspect of Carrotmob is actually SEEING the physical impact of the positive change that we can create.

With that in mind, I think we need to work on two things:  building a MOB and selecting a TARGET…

Of primary importance is building a Denver/Boulder/Metro “MOB.”  In order to make this concept attractive to a prospective business, we need to understand the size of the Carrotmob (customers) that we could actually create.  Could we produce 150 people, 15 people, or 1500 people?  Obviously, some of that is related to both the location of the business and type of business that we target.  But a lot of that has to do with the marketing of this blog.  We need a lot of site visitors to establish the kind of “viral” impact that will be necessary to get a bunch of people to actually show up for the Carrotmob.  If anyone has a specific expertise in creating this kind of “buzz,” I would be very interested in talking to you.  I would also be interested in knowing how many people are currently checking in on this blog.  Again, is that 15, 150 or 1500?  Maybe it is already more people than I suspected.  So…  Sound Off!  Make a comment and let me know that we actually have a MOB rather than a book club!

The next thing we need to determine is a “target” business.  My initial thoughts on an ideal business would be one that it is (locally!) owner-occupied (as opposed to leased) and that is centrally located in the Metro Area.  It should be a food/beverage establishment (restaurant/coffee shop/bar/etc) or a general goods retailer (groceries/hardware/household/etc).  In other words, a business that you could walk into and comfortably spend between $10 and $100 on something that you actually NEED or something you would buy anyway.  In my view, this would include some of the older retail neighborhoods scattered around Denver.  Highland, Tennyson, South Pearl Street, Uptown, 5 Points, Ballpark, Capital Hill, etc.  I am open to ideas on a businesses to target that would fit our profile AND be receptive to making the reinvestment in their property/community.  We can explore other areas later, but I think we need to start with this basic geographic profile for the first Carrotmob.

So, those are my thoughts.  Let me know you are out there!

Scott

Hi all!  If you have stumbled on to this page you must have some interest in Carrotmob and some connection to Denver.

I am a NW Denver resident and got very excited after learning about the Carrotmob concept.  Living in this wonderful area and surrounded by so much natural beauty we can’t help but live with some sense of environmental obligation.  Right?  In fact, I would like to believe that environmental consciousness in the Denver Metro Area is significantly higher than most other places in the country.  Many of us live here to embrace and enjoy the natural beauty with which the State of Colorado has been so richly blessed.

Alternatively, I have never been much of a “protester.”  I never really embraced the idea of a “boycott.”  So much of it seems negative, counter-productive and misguided.  That’s why I really like the idea of Carrotmob so much!  I am a strong believer in positive reinforcement.  The carrot rather than the stick. I am also a big believer in rewarding businesses that “do the right thing.”

So, having just gotten access to this blog earlier today, I have some work to do in terms of creating a Denver Carrotmob.  Hopefully the Carrotmob “mother-ship” will provide some direction in that regard.  But, I am also very open to input and thoughts from those of you that are here locally.  Businesses to target, creating a “buzz,” growing the Carrotmob community, running a blog, etc.  Any thoughts are welcome and I look forward to getting a little input from you!

Scott