A
growing area of awareness, as far as the Environment is concerned, is
our excessive use of “Throw Away Carriers” (“TACS”) and even
some of the larger “multiples” have used TV Advertising Campaigns
to encourage us to use ANY bag in their Stores.

In
the UK we get through something in excess of 11 BILLION “Throw Away
Carriers” (“TACS”) each year, which is over 300 per household,
and with the average “Life Span” of these “TACS” being around
8 minutes isn’t this all getting a bit ridiculous?

The
GOOD NEWS is that there are alternatives and by “Thinking
outside of the BAG”, it is possible to help BOTH the Environment
and YOUR Business…

In
2003 a Family Run Company “Ecobags”
launched. They specialise in working closely with High Quality
Independent Businesses across the UK to design & supply their own
range of
Highly effective, long lasting, reusable “Walking Adverts”, which
substantially cut down on the HUGE number of “Throw Away (single
use) Carriers” (TACS) used on a daily basis.

As Debbie Kay & Gavin Sheppard, the Directors of
“Ecobags” told us:

“Whilst
both working in Marketing, we became aware of the fact that most
businesses were keen to find new ways to get themselves noticed and
with the growing “interest” in Environmental Issues, the idea
came to us – WALKING ADVERTS – and “Ecobags” was born”.

“Over
the last six years we have developed relationships with hundreds of
High Quality Business clients across the UK and by “Thinking
outside of the BAG”
have helped them to BOTH increase their
exposure & sales, whilst at the same time reducing their
overheads & substantially helping the environment… Some of our
clients have reduced the number of “TACS” they use each year by
MANY pallet loads!!”.

But what do we mean when we say “Think outside of the
BAG?

“We’ve
all heard the expression “Thinking outside of the box” to come up
with something innovative and that’s exactly what we do with our
clients…. By changing your thinking a
bag becomes a dynamic Marketing tool.

What exactly are
“Ecobags”?

High Quality Bags, Custom Made for any Business – Any
Shape; Any Size; Any Colour – and come “Logo Printed”, so they
act as perfect LONG LASTING, COST EFFECTIVE “Walking Adverts”.

Debbie told us: “We have found, over the past few
years, there are FOUR MAIN REASONS for
Businesses to approach us and start to work with us:

1. The Business wants to show its customers that they are
   concerned about the Environment
   and by using “Ecobags” they will help to cut down on the 11
   billion Throw Away Carriers disposed of in the UK each and every
   year.

2. Businesses using long lasting, re-usable “Ecobags”
   will SAVE MONEY, as
   it reduces the overhead of “plastic carriers”. Customers who buy
   an “Ecobag” will bring it back every time they shop and not
   expect to be given throw-away carriers on each visit.

3. “Ecobags” are best sold at cost and as such will
   give any Business using them FREE
   ADVERTISING, as their customers walk around
   promoting that business wherever they go. Our clients have found
   that a majority of the General Public are quite happy and willing to
   pay for a High Quality, re-usable bag, to “do their bit for the
   environment” – think about it for a moment – would you? And
   most importantly, would your customers?

4. The Image & Identity
   of the Business MUST be protected. Our list of clients who regularly
   re-order from us is testimony that if you’re looking for a High
   Quality re-usable bag that needs to look good for the long term,
   then you need to consider talking to “Ecobags”.

Gavin then went on to say…

January
2008 saw “Ecobags” launch our major initiative: “Make 2008 the
year your Business Goes “TACS Free”".

“Many
of our existing clients, as well as plenty of new ones are
re-ordering so often, with more & more of their customers buying
their logo printed “Ecobags”, that they have been able to make
huge reductions in their spend levels on “TACS”.

One
of these clients, has reduced their weekly “TACS give away” from
3,000 bags to around 1,200. Just think for a moment the ANNUAL SAVING
you would make if you didn’t have to order ANY “TACS”, or even
substantially reduce the quantity you used day in, day out….

We are here ready to help any “Independent” who
wants to start working towards the day when they no longer have to
give away any bag, thereby helping the environment and INCREASING
THEIR PROFITS!

If you’re interested about finding out how “Ecobags”
could work with you, then more information can be found by visiting
their websites or calling them FREE:

0808 178 8822

www.ecobags.co.ukor
www.walkingadverts.com

SPECIAL OFFER for fellow members of “Ethical
Junction”:

20% OFF our standard “Price Guide” when you
mention this article

14th September London -
Organisations wanting to demonstrate their commitment to communicating
sustainability now have until Friday 25th September  to enter the media and marketing industry’s fourth annual GREEN AWARDS^TM.

Whether they’re companies,
government bodies, charities, or individual campaigners, the Green
Awards offers a golden opportunity to demonstrate how entrants use
creative communications to push social, environmental and economic
sustainability.

The GREEN AWARDS^TM recognises
excellence in 16 categories from Best Green International Campaign open
to global entrants to Best Green Campaigner for individuals and small
groups championing sustainability.

This year, the judging panel of
25 sustainability and communication heavy-weights will be pushing the
standards of green marketing even further. Peter White, Global
Sustainability Director, P&G and chair of the UK judging panel,
commented: “Keeping the focus on sustainability in a downturn is tough,
but essential. The GREEN AWARDS^TM 2009 allow us to celebrate those who
have achieved this – through creative excellence”.

Previous winners include Nokia,
Marks & Spencer, UNEP and Green Thing. This year’s keynote speaker
will be Jonathon Porritt, Programme Director of Forum for the Future
and Former Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission.

The 2009 GREEN AWARDS^TM are now open for entries until 25th September. To apply visit www.greenawards.co.uk  and download an entry form.

That’s right Eco Print are proud to be ‘crap’ printers! We can now print all of your business stationary on Rhino Poo paper and card. Sourced from UK Safari Parks these papers are 100% recycled, so they’re good for the environment and lucky for us the Rhinos can’t stop providing the core ingredient! If you are looking for a great way for your printed materials to stand out, create a talking point, or just want people to sniff your stationery* then this is the paper for you! If you’d like a sample of our ‘crap printing’ give us a call.

Our Eco Policy is  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and this should not mean compromising on quality, or for that matter costing the earth! Eco Print handles all jobs, digital and litho, specializing in short and medium size print runs. We even have an experienced graphic designer on board if extra creative help is needed.

Like our printing process, every member of the Eco Print team is free from artificial colours and preservatives and happy to offer friendly helpful advice. We are an approachable, locally based company, big enough to cope but small enough to care.

For more information on us and our range of papers and cards, check out our stunning website http://www.ecoprintUK.com or call us on 01722 340350

* Rest assured Rhino Poo paper and card is odourless

This was originally written in
response to a post made by Sharon Astyk in her blog on the 30^th
July -
http://sharonastyk.com/2009/07/30/will-the-internet-still-be-here-in-tough-times/

I’ve re-worked it a bit to make it
a stand alone article – please come and comment if you have any thoughts on
the matter…

Will be be able to log on to the
internet after oil has peaked?

Beware… you are about the enter
the mind of an optimistic pragmatist! It would be easy to project
that with oil and material prices rising that the internet will
disappear or become so expensive to access that it is only available
to those who can afford it. Yes, planned obsolescence is both a
racket and a reality – yes, server farms are consuming vast amounts
of electricity every day, and yes Rupert Murdoch is planning to
charge us to read the news soon because he’s finally realising that
interruption advertising doesn’t pay. But, consider this – the
internet is basically a hyper advanced version of two cups connected
together by a bit of string, and on this we have quite a few options
left to keep it going (just so long as we can still get to the bits
of string and can keep make sure the cups don’t break beyond
repair!).

There is a very common misconception that we must
rely on centralised web services like Yahoo!, Twitter and Facebook
(and all the other web platforms) to share our data. I was talking
with a “non-techie-but-pretty-aware” friend the other day and
they said “the internet all comes from America, doesn’t it?”
and I suddenly realised how common this perception is. The idea that
there is a font of all knowledge somewhere – probably in
Yellowstone Park, a geyser that all cables lead to.   It really
isn’t like that though. The Internet is a network of lots of
internets (note the capital “I”) – and servers, in particular,
are just computers too.  The PC you are reading this on can be a
server – it can send and receive information and it can store
information for others to access if you let them.  When five
computers are connected together in a “network” we have
made an internet or mini-web.  When we plug that “network”
in to another “network” we have made the web bigger. 
We are still “internetting” even if we do not dial in to a
server over the pond.

I read somewhere – and have no idea if
it is true or not – that the internet was created by a guy who
plugged his laptop in to the mains in a college somewhere and
realised by some fluke that his computer was, via the mains (yes,
internet can flow through the electric rings in your house) to a
vending machine in the corridor.  He could see the CPU in the
vending machine, affect it and make it spit out a bar of chocolate
when people walked by it.  Thus – one computer was connected to
another and the internet was born.

Whilst the hardware that
has got smarter and smarter, smaller and smaller, and faster and
faster so too has the software that makes use of the hardware.  
Software kind of strives in the opposite direction to hardware -
always seeking to need less and less of the available hardware
capability.  The lighter and simpler the software the better in
many respects.  Well… that’s the theory anyway.  Cause
the other place we are operating under an illusion (like the one that
says we need centralised hardware) is in Windows.

Microsoft
was born out of Unix like code – Unix being an opensource project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source-
and Gates capitalised it and protected the IP.  So, it had to be
developed in house, protected and hidden from anyone who wanted to
develop the code themselves.  Building in all this protection
and tomfoolery makes the programs very heavy – conveniently justifies
the need to buy a new computer with the next multiple of 10Gb hard
drive. Planned obsolence at work without any failing hardware!
There are many loads of other operating systems that are far far
lighter weight and come with no trademark restrictions born of the
Open Source movement and based on the original Unix ideas – Linux
being a major development that has achieved great things – indeed,
there is even a superb opensource version of Microsoft office (Word,
Excel etc) called OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org/
- if you don’t already use it I recommend it).  This movement is
diametrically opposed to the Gates/Microsoft model of protecting the
code and IP…  rather freeing up everything to whoever is
interested and allowing the community itself to develop software. 
For Gates the need to protect the software and collude with the
manufacturers of the hardware has resulted in a intellectually false
demand bubble for consumer access to both hardware and software. 
Its a bit like average Joe needing a car and buying a Lotus Elise
cause that’s what he is told he needs when a second hand Golf would
do just fine. Well… thinking about it, maybe exactly the same
thing has happened in the car market.  People really don’t need
4×4’s to drive down the Kings Road… but that’s a different
topic.

So, for the things that we really need computers for -
emails and sharing text (I know pics are fun too, but entertain me) -
there really isn’t a need for all the hype. Computers that were
being built as long ago as 10 years, if installed with the right
software (of course that’s another thing – you struggle to get old
versions of Windows to run on old machines – “just buy a new one
- its a lot easier”… never mind the environmental costs of
that new one!), can do all the things we want them to do.  And
there are MILLIONS of these old machines kicking about – check out
www.jamies.org.uk
- go there… see the mountain of dead computers…

So if we
use the right software and we can use all the trillions of bits of
hardware that we have already made – that means we don’t have to
produce more chips and PC’s (sounds more like the car market as I go
along) – and software being made freely and openly available by the
opensource community.  Indeed, it is on these machines with
hyperlight operating systems that computers are being sent to places
like Africa to get them online… 

That starts to
address the cups in my analogy.  Hacking back to my earlier
point about my computer connecting to another computer and making a
web is where we can find the next piece of the puzzle.  Do you
remember Naptster?  The illegal music sharing site? 
Well… out of the black market emerges a white night.  File
sharing.  Or, as the process is now commonly known, BitTorrent. 
Without accessing a single centralised server, individual PC’s can
share data with one another – in some cases massive files – by
storing little bits on lots of different machines – and then allowing
software to organise the recollection of those files assuming the
people with the information on their machines gives the individual
access.  This is using the internet as the platform – as opposed
to what is happening at the moment where the platforms are bits of
software held centrally and individuals access the internet and use
them as instead of the net itself.  Its because there are many
PC’s – and a lot of them are on – but with successful micro
generation, the internet could be a massive web of micro networks
that exists because they are all on – not because there is some
central source keeping the music playing.  I am reminded of my
good friend Rob Weston’s theory of Organismics… it is the point
when the sum of the parts transcends and becomes a whole, and thus
doing so becomes greater than it was before.  More info about
BitTorrent here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent_protocol
- (note – as of Feb 09 BitTorrent accounted for between 27-55% of all
internet traffic!!!!!!!!!!!)

Really I have to get on with some
work now… and I know I have not accounted for the string yet. 
But, in short, we will have to have some form of energy to power all
that.  Its not like there aren’t cables running in to my house
that I can trace all the way back to your house and so on and so on. 
Thanks, BT (and the original electricity firms).

By way of
conclusion – I can’t see the internet getting stubbed out.  It
will just change shape.  It will be more like the tables at the
back of the FT – lots of less pretty pictures (equating a pretty
picture on the internet to a CO2 cost suddenly feels quite weird) and
lots more tables and more careful decisions about what you do and
don’t bother to access – the flippant web user will be forced to be
far more discerning, choosing carefully what they bother to access. 
We will have lost nothing but the massive amount of pointless
activity that takes place on the web…  some might say a
blessing in disguise.

Additional Reading – supplied kindly by Jamie Simpson of
Ecological Hosting Ltd (www.ecologicalhosting.com)

Microsoft founding history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft#1975.E2.80.931984:_Founding

Internet history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet#History

Start of the Internet as we know it:

http://www.w3.org/History.html

Interestingly linked to Apple via the
NeXT cube, which was used by Tim Berners-Lee as the first web server
at CERN.  NeXT was a company started by Steve Jobs after Apple
ousted him and ultimately the company that Apple bought out that
brought Jobs back to Apple.  The NeXTStep operating system
(which was brilliant – I used it years ago) eventually became Mac OS
X.

The Internet is a collection of
internets (notice the capital I on The Internet – much ignored by
many journalists).  The protocol mainly (but not exclusively)
used on the Internet is TCP/IP, which was developed by DARPA – the
American defence research agency:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET

This is where the misconception that
the Internet is American comes from.  The World Wide Web, which
is most peoples experience of an application on the Internet, (WWW is
not the Internet!) – was developed in Europe at CERN by Tim
Berners-Lee – an English engineer no less:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee

Back to your use of cheap commodity
hardware:

If you want to see what massively scalable use of commodity hardware can do, look at the Google operating platform.
 They use cheap PC hardware, loads of it and it’s like the Borg.
 You pull one out, replace it and everything keeps running as
it’s scaled across the planet and each peace of information is held
in multiple places simultaneously.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_platform

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRwPSFpLX8I

See
also Google File System and BigTable - links here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_platform#Software

Google are doing loads in terms of
trying to become more sustainable and using more renewable energy in
their data centres.  It’s possible that if the Internet implodes
with some upcoming energy crisis, on a global scale, Google may be
one of the few of sufficient size who have made enough investment
into alternative power to keep something running.

And finally – here’s something I’ve
been banging on about for ages – using data centre heat to heat
homes:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/06/ibm-supercomputer/

Charity events provide extra motivation to get fit, according to new research

Signing up to take part in a charity challenge can boost your motivation to exercise, according to a new poll by marketing agency YouGov. In the poll – commissioned by Christian Aid and completed by more than 2,000 respondents from across the UK – 60 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds said they are more likely to stick to a regular exercise routine if they have signed up to a charity challenge such as the BUPA London 10,000.

The BUPA London 10,000, the capital’s newest 10km race, takes place on
25 May 2009. The route takes in many of London’s famous landmarks
including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and St
Paul’s Cathedral.  With all non-charity places now filled, running for
Christian Aid not only provides the motivation to get fit but also the
opportunity to raise vital funds to help fight poverty in the
developing world.

Christian Aid will provide participants with a high-spec running vest,
a training plan, nutritional advice, lots of moral support and a
fundraising pack full of ideas and materials. The deadline for entry is
24 April and registration costs just £50. Participants must raise a
minimum of £300 for the charity.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the BUPA London 10,000
or other challenge events visit www.christianaid.org.uk/events
call 020 7523 2248 or email events@christian-aid.org.

ENDS

For further press information contact Emma Wigley at ewigley@christian-aid.org or call 020 7523 2452.

Notes to editor

Christian Aid is an international development agency working in 50 countries with people of all religions and none.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total
sample size was 2194 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 30th
January – 2nd February 2009.  The survey was carried out online. The
figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults
(aged 18+).

Hand Up Media is the Edinburgh based ethical media, publishing and
events company that engages people to ethical lifestyle issues

Since
setting up three years ago, Hand Up Media has printed almost 3 million
publications about fair trade, ethical & sustainable lifestyle
issues, organise events such as The Edinburgh Ethical Christmas Fayre
which had over 20,000 visitors in 2008, The Fair Trade Experience, the
UK’s biggest weekend Fair Trade event and The Ethical Emporium on
London’s South Bank. We also provide PR, web and marketing services to
ethical businesses and organisations.

The latest and exciting Hand Up Media development is the launch of  www.ethical tv  the first global online TV website dedicated to films, stories, news and views about ethical lifestyle issues that affect people across the world.

ethical tv aims to encourage and inspire active participation and empowerment through this first dedicated ethical online TV website.

Channels include:

• Fair Trade
• Health
• Education
• Investment
• Environment
• Campaigns and News
• The Co-operative TV (first dedicated channel on ethical tv)

Why ethical tv

Tania Pramschufer, Co-Director of Hand Up Media says “We’re passionate about promoting sustainable and ethical lifestyle issues in positive, stylish & empowering ways to help individuals to make positive changes. ethical tv aims to provide individuals, organisations and businsess with a comprehensive one stops online library of films on ethical issues. More than ever, people are actively seeking information on ethical lifestyle issues. We will be constantly updating the site with new films, views, news and campaign updates to help keep viewers abreast of ethical issues”.

ethical.tv will be providing film and production services to ethical organisations and businesses and can also offer their own dedicated online TV channel on www.ethical.tv

Co-operative tv

‘The Co-operative is delighted to be the primary sponsor of Ethical TV. By bringing together experts on a range of ethical issues, Ethical TV provides a unique space to view films that will generate enthusiasm, engender debate and motivate people to take action and drive change’.

Michael Fairclough, Head of Community & Campaigns

Send your films and news

If your ethical business or organisation have films and news for ethical tv please get in touch with tania@ethical.tv

Send your films on DVD, good quality Quicktime MOV and MPEG files are best.

All films and news will be vetted before being uploaded, for more information see our content policy on www.ethical.tv

Solar powered web company marks first year in business with tree planting to highlight commitment to the environment

Environmentally friendly website company Lightbeing Creations marked
their first anniversary in business by planting trees in Bradford on
Avon and joining forces with Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon and
local community Choir, ‘Singing in the Round’.

Lightbeing Creations offers Solar Powered Green Web Hosting and Ethical
Website Design to organisations of all sizes as well as private homes.

Switching hosting to a solar powered company for a single website will
cut almost 20,000 lbs of carbon dioxide, 6 lbs of nitrous oxide (smog)
and 0.5 lbs of sulphur dioxide (acid rain) a year – the equivalent of
planting or saving 3.5 acres of trees.

Director Dan Knowlson said, “We wanted to do something to celebrate not only our first anniversary but also what we stand for, so we joined forces with Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon, who are well known for their green initiatives.  With climate change high on the agenda, there is never a more important time than now to consider our planet and what is best for the environment”.

The event took place at Barton Farm Country Park, Bradford on Avon on Saturday 21st February.  Lightbeing Creations is based in nearby Trowbridge.

Climate Friendly Bradford on Avon receives generous support from various organisations including Bradford on Avon Town Council, Wiltshire County Council, the Preservation Trust and Bradford’s Community Area Partnership.  They assist in raising awareness of climate change, reducing carbon emissions and promoting a greener way of life.  

Singing in the Round is the name for five flourishing community choirs in Bath, Bradford on Avon and Trowbridge. 

ENDS

Media Enquiries:
Lisa Jackson, Eurydice PR  01440 709460 / 07702 415187 lisajackson@eurydicepr.co.uk

Lightbeing Creations contact:
Dan Knowlson   0844 8 806 106/ 07970 631613  dan@lightbeingcreations.co.uk

Kent 2020 is Kent’s largest B2B event, organised by Business Link, on
Thursday 2nd April. The EcoVillage will be there with a dedicated space
for sustainable and ethical businesses. They have 2 spaces left -
stands are 2m x 2m each and cost £332+VAT. Visit
www.theecovillage.co.uk for more information or go to www.kent2020.co.uk

If anyone wants any more information they can call Amanda on 07739 561254

Collaboration: an essential for sustainable practices?
London, 12th February, 14:00 – 17:30

What are the recent experiences and best practices from public and private sectors?
How can organisations collaborate for greater impact?

There is a dramatic increase in attempts (and directives) to collaborate – both internally as well as externally. Open Minds has undertaken research in relation to this theme to establish, from people’s real experiences, insights and guiding principles that might help in ensuring the best possibility of collaborative efforts being successful.

Examples from UK public and private sectors as well as from India are
showing that collaboration, rather than competition, is proving to be a
far more effective strategy than competition.

Effective collaboration is going to be essential in helping address
some of the more complex challenges both within and between
organisations as well as in the broader sustainability field. We are
also keen to see how complexity science principles might help underpin
such attempts.

ASP collaborates with Open Minds and The Environment Council to run a half-day workshop in London on February 12th

Contributors (speakers)
Simon Hamilton, Director and Founder of Three Hands
Mike Jones, Director Learning & Leadership, Open Minds
Mark Lawrence, Head of UK Operations (logistics), Marks & Spencer
Sian Peake-Jones, Director and Founder Open Minds

Objectives
Identify the growing need for more successful forms of collaboration
Explore Open Minds’ research findings
Share participants’ own learnings and experiences
Understand the Open Minds’ Learning Network
Create connections

Outcomes
Participants will:
Understand how sustainability practices are inherently dependent upon new collaborative models
Learn about the research open Minds has undertaken collaboration:
The importance of Context
Logic as an inhibitor
The role of relationships and connectivity (and the strength of ‘weak’ ties)
Bounded freedom – unleashing the magic of self-organisation
Uncertainty as a given – ‘Black Swans’ (and staying open to surprises)
Edge effects – interfaces and boundaries as source of innovation and breakthroughs
Patterns and success indicators – recognising what’s in the process of breaking down as well what is breaking through
Share their experiences and learn collectively from others
Understand the distinctions between collaborations in different sectors  

Participants will be:
CSR and sustainability practitioners
Stakeholder engagement and communications practitioners
Academics working on related topics

Click here to find out more > > >

Several million ethical consumers offer two ways to boost your business prosperity…

There is a new Ethical Junction member company going live very soon. It is called Your Ethical Startup (YES Club) and will be encouraging people to set up their own ethical businesses. Don’t worry! – rather than creating competition for existing Ethical Junction members, it will be focused on increasing awareness among consumers of the need to spend their budgets more thoughtfully from now on. In this way, YES Club is intended to create MORE business for existing ethical traders. It is also designed to enable more mutual support between ethical enterprises, this will be facilitated by the YES Forum, to be launched at the same time as YES Club.

YES has something you might find extremely
interesting: access to several million ethical consumers. If you would
like to attract some of these to your business as paying customers via
the new company, you might wish to consider the following:

1. Offering a discount to YES Club and YES
   Forum members. A discount offered at the YES launch could win you many
   new customers who will stay with you for years to come.
2. Running an event – perhaps a seminar,
   workshop or conference – during Spring or Summer of 2009. Again, YES
   members would need to be offered a discount. If you can trade it, you
   can teach it – why not open up a whole new revenue stream? And if
   you’re already running courses or other events, then this is your
   chance to promote them to several million new ethically-aware customers.
   

Please let us know as soon as possible if you
are interested in participating – the YES website launches shortly and
we would like to include as many special discounts and events as
possible.

Please contact YES here: info@ecobloomfield.com