With so many industries moving toward greener business practices, it was obvious to VP of Marketing, Aash Shravah, that Kintetsu/KIE should step up to lead the way for the corporate travel industry. Back in early 2009 Aash mentioned his desire to go green, with his primary focus on eliminating the redundant paperwork that is so common in the travel industry. The idea of making such a big shift in business practices, right in the middle of a down economy, was a hard concept to sell. But once all the facts and figures were in, it was obvious that money spent now to develop new green processes would, in the long run, save money and our planet at the same time. Once the processes were set, KIE called on us to help get the word out. We started by defining the green practices initiative and giving it a name — Reduce-ology. Reduce-ology is the art of reducing consumption; it is a green business practice that utilizes technology to reduce dependence on perishable resources, benefiting KIE clients and the planet — moving all of us to a higher level of environmental responsibility.

The initial launch of the Reduce-ology campaign focused primarily on KIE\'s new product – ki-eDocs online document delivery system. Here at Ruff Haus Design we believe Marketing is similar to stocks and eggs - you don't want to put them all in one basket. This is why the campaign included print collateral, press announcements, web pages, email and mail communications, and educational presentations/webinars. The primary focus of our communication was to ease the transition from paper to web by educating clients about the benefits of making the switch and to really get them behind the move to go green. As a result, the transition was a smooth one, clients are now happily using the new system and KIE has turned an idea into a reality.

The good news for our planet, ki-eDocs will eliminate approximately 160,000 paper invoices per year, which is roughly five tons of paper. Five tons of paper is equal to 150, 26-foot tall, 5.5-inch diameter trees. Those 150 trees can absorb up to two tons of carbon dioxide in just one year.

We applaud Kintetsu for implementing their progressive green initiative and we are happy we had the opportunity to be a part of it.

Ruff Haus Design has been working with KIE since 2006 to increase their presence in the U.S., one project at a time. KIE is a leader in corporate travel that provides companies with a suite of specialized services designed to ensure a rewarding business trip, handling every detail pertaining to the successful execution of the event and/or trip. for more information about KIE visit: www.kintetsu.com