The last few years have seen a high level of publicity for the Quaker businesses of the past. In particular the sale of Cadbury to Kraft reminded the general public of the value of these responsible and socially minded companies, and the men who led them. There is more and more said about the need to return to these values, and apply them in the 21st Century. So how can we as Quakers lead from the front and show how to Build Responsible Businesses?

Speakers:

Mark Reckitt – Group strategy director at the Smiths Group, previously senior manager at Kraft,Green & Blacks and Cadbury.

Deborah Cadbury – Television producer and author of Chocolate Wars.

There will be an informal networking event at Friends House 6-9pm on Tuesday 15th November, the night before the conference.

For more information and to book, click here

Quakers and Business is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Knowing what your impact is, is the first step to doing something about it. A carbon footprint is the volume of carbon emissions or other greenhouse gases (like methane if you’re a cow!) associated with a certain activity. Here at Life Size Media we look at all the emissions associated with your business, from the electricity you use to how much stationery you’re buying.

Knowing your environmental impact means you can start taking steps to reduce it. Our carbon audit reports are designed to help you understand, communicate and reduce your impact. You will get:

• A breakdown of your carbon emissions by activities;
• Benchmarking against similar organisations;
• Tangible comparisons;
• Key reduction recommendations and targets for the future.

A standard company audit costs £1500*, sometimes a bit more if you’ve got factories dotted all over the place.
*We offer a 30% discount to charities and social enterprises, because your footprint matters too!

The process is very simple, just a few hours from you to gather the information and a few days from us to pull it all together and do the calculations.

We also offer the option to offset your impact through supporting a sustainable development or wildlife conservation project. Let us know if you’re interested in going carbon neutral and we’ll tell you all about the inspiring projects you can choose from.

To find out more click here.

Life Size Media is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Following the huge success of the first networking event in October, UK AWARE is pleased  to announce the second in the Catalyst series which will be taking place on Thursday 20th January at The Hub in King’s Cross.UK AWARE is delighted to welcome Chris Arnold as our keynote speaker. Chris is the founder of the ethical marketing & advertising agency Creative Orchestra (the world’s first not for profit ad agency) and a former Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi.

• network and build relationships with other green and ethical organisations
• hear world class speakers with a proven track record offering knowledge and wisdom from past experiences
• pitch your ideas to the floor to gage response from trusted peers
• meet corporate innovators
• equip yourself with the tools to thrive and survive in the current difficult economic climate
• connect, innovate and share experience and contacts amongst other like minded organisations

Capacity is limited, so register for your free tickets now to avoid disappointment.

The inaugural People and Environment Achievement Awards (PEA awards) have extended the
date for completed nominations to 14 January 2011 due to increased interest from all sectors
of the green and environmental arena.

As the awards gather pace, the organizers have also just announced that they will be planting a
tree for every entry received with charity partner Project Green Hands, as well as signing up
new partner Green & Blacks, whose co-founder Josephine Fairley is one of the judges.

With the nomination date extended to take account of the Christmas period and renewed
interest in the New Year, the awards event on 2nd March 2011 will see all ten category winners
rewarded with an individual prize each including a £5,000 watch, organic wine hampers and a
luxury treatment package.

Launched to celebrate practical, engaging initiatives taking place in response to sustainability
challenges, the PEA Awards are open to individuals or groups who have made a difference in
the community, or shown inspiration, innovation and perseverance in their various sectors.
The PEA Awards are being launched by the publishers of the quarterly publication GREEN, in
conjunction with Evergreen Events and are also sponsored by World Energy Research, Isklar,
Kyocera and Aquados Simply, Birds Eye and Gigaset.

PEA Award judges include GREEN’s Editor and Chair of the judging panel, Tony Juniper along
with Josephine Fairley, co-founder of Green and Blacks; Richard Hammond, founder of
greentraveller.co.uk; Rebecca Hill, international marketing director of National Geographic; Leo
Johnson, co-Founder of Sustainable Finance and organic entrepreneur Jo Wood.

Enter online or download a form from www.peaawards.com

Other supporters and partners include: Luscombe, Arjowiggins, Gina Conway, Book of Green,
Eco Connect, daisygreenmagazine.co.uk, Ethical Junction and Eurydice PR, Cad & The Dandy
and the Soil Association.

This line jumped out the page of Chris Nichols’ (of Ashridge Consulting) article How to Look Deeper from Ashridge Business School. What I could feel from this question was the lovely uncertainty of letting go. How does it feel in business to let something happen naturally? It feels risky but if you trust and there is dialogue you can usually gain a huge amount. In my opinion this is an approach that can make the challenge of sustainable business ever more exciting and translates into a new relationship with the natural world.

Chris’ quote about the raspberries needs to be contextualised at this stage. The participant group on the short course at Schumacher College Purpose and Profit: How holistic thinking can remake business went on a journey. Chris Nichols and Chris Seeley, Ashridge Consultants, worked with Schumacher College and Ashridge faculty as well as other visiting teachers and facilitators to support this quite exceptional journey. Within this they spent time with Martin Crawford at the Agroforestry Research Trust in Dartington.

From How to Look Deeper: ‘Martin spoke about how his raspberries have migrated several metres southwards since planting. Traditional gardening would weed out the new growth, keeping the plants in their set place. But this would stress the plants and they would need feeding and replacing. The freshly migrating plants are vigorous and healthy. How much organisational effort goes into keeping the appearance of order, and what is lost as we do it? How would business be if we let the raspberries head south?’

So there we have it: An earthy challenge to the business world to be taken however it is useful to each of us. I choose to take it that if you let nature and natural process influence what you do in business, everything can work a lot better. And by everything I mean the people working with you are happier, you sell things more effectively, and what you sell is less destructive and more productive.

The challenge is how to do this. Much of the course Purpose and Profit engages people in the process of exploring a different way of doing businesses. Through creative and free-ways we can explore our own ideas and our relationships with what we do and other people. Martin’s describes his garden as “partially managed wildness”. That is the course in a nutshell too. Say it out loud as a potential motto for your work today: ‘Partially managed wildness.’

Partly this is about having brave discussions – ‘Why does a business need to grow?’ ‘What are the real costs of our business?’ And about how to practice better and more enjoyable ways of working. But is also about ‘being’ present and open to the situation you are in. ‘I cannot speak too highly of the importance of slow patient and generous conversation.’ Say Chris. We can’t know the answers to all the questions, and we might not arrive at those we can quickly but we can give the time and space to these essential explorations into what (re)makes sustainable business, for the planet but also for us in the making.

Anna Lodge, Schumacher College

If you are interested in participating in the next great adventure that is Purpose and Profit: How holistic thinking can remake business then click here.

Schumacher College, Dartington is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

There’s been much talk about prompting and nudging as ways of getting people to do the right thing.  But aren’t these just euphemisms for the old ‘push’ mentality that points the finger and blames and shames people into taking action?

People have never liked being told what to do – it’s no different now.  But they don’t seem to mind being reminded about what they are capable of.

Any brand or organisation with sense will put out messages that are attractive, appealing and accessible. People don’t have to be pushed into buying an iPad, going on holiday or buying the latest handbag.  They want to do it.  

Creating a greener business is not about goading people into being more responsible, but about encouraging them to be more resourceful in ways that are easy and appealing to do. Businesses – regardless of size – are in a great position to do that. They have everything they need to pull people in the right direction. It’s not rocket science.  All it takes is commitment, collaboration and an appetite for win/win situations. With a bit of incentivisation, creative thinking and inclusivity everyone can own the challenges and the successes of being a green business – not just the top management.

We know the best way to persuade people is to make things easy, fun and relevant. This approach informs every aspect of our environmental policy and it’s one of the reasons why we won the Sunday Times Best Green Business award last year. Introducing imaginative programmes can help your company stand out as a place to work, they needn’t cost much to implement – and can make significant savings to your bottom line.  With so many financial benefits to successfully promoting green policies, organisations like The National Trust, Bike Week, Waste Watch and The Science Museum having been working with us.  But nothing we do is revolutionary, anyone can do it – once you know how.

At Forster, running our business sustainably is part of our DNA.  But we’re still coming up with new ideas, mainly generated by our staff. To get you started, here are 10 tips from Forster’s Green Guide to Pulling:

1. Not everyone gets cold at the same time. Why not have jumpers available for those who feel a chill more easily and only put the heating on when the majority of the office request it? We gave some staff jumpers and hot water bottles and held off reaching for the thermostat for over two weeks at the beginning of last winter.
2. Get in touch with your local BID (Business Improvement District) to see what services they can offer. Forster is a member of Better Bankside who provide free recycling collection through funding from Smart Green Business. This has saved us over £1000 a year.
3. Organise a Biking Breakfast or lunchtime cycle while there’s still a bit of sunshine out there – and if it is a bit nippy, it’s a great way to get the blood pumping!
4. Another cycling one – offer prizes for the most journeys cycled, longest distance cycled and most improved cyclist over a month.
5. Do you have lights left on all day in some areas of your office, when they aren’t always occupied? Motion sensors can be fitted to lighting systems so that lights only come on when people are actually present, avoiding wasting electricity on empty meeting rooms and toilets. The initial cost to install can be under £200 but the savings will be much more over time.
6. Arrange cycle training for your staff. This can either be on personal bikes or one borrowed from a trainer, or in certain boroughs training on the Hire Bikes can be arranged. Click here for further information: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/cycling/request-cycle-training.aspx and you can locate or organise a Dr Bike session so that staff can get their bikes checked and learn basic maintenance skills. Evans offer this service: http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=876 but other local bike shops in your area might do the same.
7. Undertake a workplace travel plan – you can get funding for equipment, training or, like us, company pool bikes http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14120.aspx#section-4
8. Swishing, swapping and sharing can be great staff social events and help the environment too. At a Swishing event last year Forster raised over £500 for charity and lots of ladies found exciting new additions to their wardrobes.
9. Start a loan shop. We asked staff what items they would find useful to have available to borrow and so purchased a drill, a sewing machine and a tent among other things to make up our loan library and avoid lots of people buying the same items, but not using them very frequently.
10. Think you’ve got no room for growing your own? At Forster we’ve made the most of every possible space with flowers and herbs in window boxes and potatoes growing in bags on our ‘compact and bijoux’ balconies. When it comes to harvesting we all get to share the benefits with tasty and fresh additions to our lunches. We’re coming to end of our season now – but we’ll soon be planning what to plant next year.  

Forster is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Sheabutter Cottage is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Tabitha Potts, owner of Mimimyne (http://www.mimimyne.com), the online store for kids, is now Tower Hamlets Representative for Mums Business Club (http://towerhamlets.mumsbusinessclub.com). The first Mums Business Club Tower Hamlets Networking and Coffee Morning for mumpreneurs, start-up entrepreneurs and business people in Tower Hamlets will be held in the gorgeous venue of Ping Pong Dim Sum in Appold Street, near Liverpool Street Station, on Tuesday 14th September from 10am to 12noon.

There is a £4 entry fee per visitor and Ping Pong Dim Sum are providing free tea and coffee while the networking meeting and expert speaker sessions go on. The first confirmed expert speaker will be Leanne Dal Santo of Smartbags (http://www.smartbags.co.uk) who will talk about how she started up her eco friendly company and combines it with working from home and taking care of her two young children.The second confirmed speaker is Hannah McAlick of Oh Baby London (http://www.ohbabylondon.com) who will be talking about her fantastic store on Brick Lane and how she finds time to design babywear and be the main carer to her two children.

Attendees will be able to learn about how to set up a small business, work from home and be their own boss while still managing to have a family life. Men are welcome too!

Ping Pong Dim Sum has a baby buggy parking area, a toilet with baby changing facilities and a lift to the Private Dining Room on the first floor where we will be meeting. Children are welcome but are parents’ responsibility! Each guest who chooses to stay on and buy a delicious lunch at Ping Pong Dim Sum after the networking session will be offered a complimentary cocktail, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Mimimyne (Me Me Mine Ltd) is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Model Naomi Campbell testified that she was given some ‘dirty looking stones’ in 1997. Read the BBC news story here and hear her testimony:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10875811

Jeremy Vine gave a wonderful lunch time show  on BBC Radio 2  6th August on the issue of Blood Diamonds, Ethical Diamonds and War Crimes.

Listen to it by clicking here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jeremy-vine/

Michelle Tuck called in and spoke  very well on behalf of  UK’s ethical jewellers . Fifi Bijoux maintains that the sale of blood diamonds finances conflict and thus can be implemented in war crimes and crimes against humanity in many civil war situations. Transparency and known provenance of diamonds is the surest method of protecting the consumer and the integrity of the jeweller. We specialize in sourcing ethically mined diamonds from known mining projects and origins.

You can learn more about the context of the case against Charles Taylor by viewing Brightwide’s film click the link below to be taken to their site and look for ‘Pray The Devil Back To Hell’

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pray-The-Devil-Back-To-Hell/10831840869

Fifi Bijoux is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Rayna Baker, Investors in People Assessor, said, “Congratulations to Total Coverage for achieving Investors in People. The organisation demonstrates a clear commitment to the development and retention of their people and value the diversity of the individuals and the organisations that make use of its services. This makes Total Coverage a place that its people are proud to work in. I hope that they continue to go from strength to strength as a business and as an Investors in People.”

Total Coverage is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more