PineMark’s Certification Marks Certify Green Lifestyles
Last month PineMark, Inc. (PineMark), a San Diego-based company, launched a program that provides certification for green lifestyles. [Full Disclosure: I own a very small percentage of PineMark]
According to its web site, PineMark offers the first and only individual environmental certification available to consumers.
An individual who wishes to be “PineMarked” enters various information about his or her lifestyle relating to electricity consumption, motor vehicle and transportation habits, water consumption, the types of appliances used and recycling habits.
The individual then gets a score that rates his or her comprehensive impact on the environment. Those who earn a high enough score receive the PineMark Certification, and hopefully all users become more cognizant of how to reduce the environmental impact of their lifestyles.
According to PineMark’s CEO Lauren de los Santos, “PineMark wants to help individuals find out if they are green . . . by establishing national standards with this certification. It’s a similar concept to LEED but for people. We want to help people live sustainably and the first step is to raise awareness.”
PineMark owns several eco-mark applications relating to both its trademarks and certification marks.
U.S. Application Serial No. 77/771,314 is for the word PINEMARK for services relating to analysis and evaluation of individual lifestyles in Class 42 (314_application.pdf). U.S. Application Serial No. 77/815,507 is for the same services for the PineMark tree logo (pictured above) (507_application.pdf).
The central eco-marks for PineMark, of course, are the certification marks. PineMark owns both the certification word mark PINEMARK CERTIFICATION and a certification mark for its PineMark seal:
U.S. Application Serial No. 77/771,553 (553_application.pdf) is for the word certification mark and U.S. Application Serial No. 77/813,597 (597_application.pdf) is for the seal. Both list the certification services as:
Analysis and evaluation of the environmental impact of individual lifestyles
Like LEED certification for green buildings and the Energy Star program for appliances, PineMark is attempting to build goodwill around a certification mark while helping consumers help the environment.
October 8th, 2009 at 21:01
Seems like an interesting service. Everyone I know is trying to find a way to be greener.
October 9th, 2009 at 13:31
I know I have a LONG way to go.
October 19th, 2009 at 07:11
This is a very interesting concept. I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s like people are finding out their carbon footprint and then getting rewarded for it, if it’s good enough. What an odd concept. Is this something you would include on your resume? The only bone I have to pick is the CEO’s quote; she says that PineMark is like LEED, but for people. LEED is for people. LEED certainly applies to buildings, but people become LEED accredited to work on LEED projects and to be knowledgeable about green building. What an interesting idea. PineMark seems to go a little beyond the carbon footprint calculator but stops short of LEED.