California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)

"Innovations" Case Studies

Save Money and the Environment Too: A Model for Local Government Recycling and Waste Reduction

January 2000 marked the fifth year of the award-winning promotional campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area: “Save Money and the Environment Too.” The campaign is a unique partnership that combines the efforts of 110 cities and counties in a 10-county Bay Area region with more than 400 supermarkets. The goal of the campaign is to educate consumers on the first two steps of the popular phrase: reduce, reuse, recycle. This campaign is a model of how local governments and industry can work together to increase awareness of consumers about how their actions impact the environment.

The campaign used exit polling and focus groups to refine its message and relied on public relations professionals to help develop and guide the design of this program. Originally this campaign was named “Shop Smart.” However, focus groups and evaluations from the initial years of the program determined that this name did not clearly convey the message intended. As a result, the campaign is now called: “Save Money and the Environment Too.”

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Credits and Disclaimer

Gary Liss & Associates prepared this study pursuant to contract IWM-C8028 ($198,633, included other services) with the University of California at Santa Cruz for a series of 24 studies and summaries. CalRecycle would like to acknowledge the following individuals who assisted in the preparation of this document:

  • David Assmann, City and County of San Francisco
  • Heidi Feldman, Monterey Regional Waste Management District
  • Monte Hilleman, Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance

The statements and conclusions in this case study are those of the contractor and not necessarily those of CalRecycle, its employees, or the State of California. In addition, the data in this report was provided by local sources but not independently verified. The State and its contractors make no warranty, express or implied, and assume no liability for the information contained in this text. Any mention of commercial products, companies or processes shall not be construed as an endorsement.

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