What are the credible alternative to the existing financial system?

Financial markets, we are told, are the lifeblood of our society, which is why governments across the globe have gone to such enormous lengths to prop up failing financial institutions. However is the economic crisis really over? Is the ‘business as usual’ mentality destined to produce more of the same instability? What plausible alternatives to the current system are there that would promote employment, social and environmental equality, whilst ensuring the economic stability we require?

Bringing together some of the leading voices in alternative economics including Ann Pettifor, Hazel Henderson, Tessa Tennant, Julie Richardson and Nathalie Buschor. This course will cover macroeconomics as well as the experiences of those working with money and investments on a daily basis. The course will uncover the myths and flaws that surround the current banking system, before drawing on the wide range of ideas and experience to explore how a new economic dawn could really lead to a fairer robust system that supports and serves the interests of communities and ecosystems.

Ann Pettifor recently featured in The Observer magazine as one of six pioneers in green thinking. Her work and writing has concentrated on the international financial architecture, the sovereign debts of the poorest countries, and the rise in sovereign, corporate and private debt in OECD economies. She is well known for her leadership of Jubilee 2000, an organisation that placed the debts of the poorest countries on the global political agenda, and brought about both substantial debt cancellation, and radical policy changes at national and international levels.

Hazel Henderson is a world renowned futurist, evolutionary economist, a worldwide syndicated columnist, consultant on sustainable development, and author of Beyond Globalization, and seven other books. She sits on several editorial boards, including Futures Research Quarterly, The State of the Future Report, and E/The Environmental Magazine (USA), Resurgence and Futures (UK).

Tessa Tennant is Executive Chair of The Ice Organisation myice.com, an environmental rewards programme. Tessa co-founded the UK’s first equity investment fund for sustainable development in 1988, the Merlin (now Jupiter) Ecology Fund. She was Chair and co-founder of the UK Social Investment Forum uksif.org and of the Carbon Disclosure Project cdproject.net where she is now a Trustee.

For more details click here: http://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/courses/rethinking-finance-good-servant-bad-master

Email:admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

Tel:+44 (0)1803 865934

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

Although the green agenda is at the forefront of political and social commentary at the moment, that does not necessarily mean that the average person understands how they can help the environment. Advertising, consumerism and capitalism are the basis of our thriving economy and as such, simply deciding that ‘being green’ comes down to halting consumerism is wildly optimistic if not completely unrealistic. Therefore, eco-shopping can be a good introduction to how to be eco-friendly whilst retaining the current mode of lifestyle that many consumers enjoy. 

One of the main problems with the green agenda, as I see it, is how depressing it can be! ‘Eco-warriors’ often put people off with their unrealistic expectations, therefore making it seem impossible that the average person can do anything to make a difference, bar giving up their home and setting up in a mud hut. Instead of looking at the green agenda as something requiring us to give up our way of life, we must try to find ways to incorporate green living into our every day lives. 

People need to believe the small differences can make a positive impact towards change. This feeling is never going to come about through the constant ‘apocalyptic’ language of the scientific and political fields and must be found somewhere else. Whilst it is entirely true that green wash holds problems for eco shopping, many eco retailers do an honest job of combining fairtrade, organic and natural produce that can replace some of the more harmful products that we use on a day to day basis. This is not buying more, it is replacing what we have (when it’s finished) with something more sustainable. Surely even if this is a small step, it is a step towards a better consumer attitude towards purchasing goods? 

One of the primary ways that can motivate people to purchase ‘green’ is by offering a cashback and carbon offset solution. Gaining a certain percentage on their purchases back makes it a reward for making a green decision and can have a positive impact on consumership. It is these small changes that can make a big difference to the way both companies and their clients advertise and sell their products. Rewarding people for shopping in an eco-friendly manner can increase sales (making profit for the green company) and increase awareness of the many great eco-friendly products that are out there. 

It is completely understandable that people are very cynical about green shopping as there has been so much press over ‘green wash’ and companies using global warming and climate change to advertise their products without any green credentials. However, this can be overcome simply with the knowledge of when to buy certain things. Replacing your goods with eco brands is something you should only do when your current product has run out. Replacing disposable plates with biodegradable ones has a positive effect on waste management and replacing your light bulbs with energy efficient ones can be good for the world as well as bringing down your electricity costs. This is why so many green sites combine their product sales with blogs and information on how to be an effective green consumer. If this informal education can give them a little bit of ‘food for thought’ about the impact their purchase is having on the environment then they may end up making consciously positive consumer decisions in the long run.

Consumerism is seeped into every part of our society, it helps our economy run smoothly and provides a large section of money for charity, non-profit and public services (such as the NHS and the Police). We shouldn’t be looking to stop advertising, to chastise people for buying necessities or living in homes without solar panels. We should be looking for ways to introduce positive change to the lives we already lead. We must look to educate and inform the public on their consumer choices and the effect these have on the overall ecology of the world. Eco-shopping is one route with which to introduce the green agenda to people without preaching. It gives people options, rather than criticising their decisions, which could put people off entirely.

MoreEco is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, not Disaster

by Peter Victor (Edward Elgar Publishing 2008)
260pp. including bibliography and index
Review by Derek Paul

Hundreds if not thousands of intellectuals across the world have by
now come to their own conclusion that continued economic growth on this
planet no longer makes sense, since the present rates of consumption in
developed countries are unsustainable. Nevertheless,
any mention of an economy without growth brings derision in business
and government circles, to the point that it cannot seriously be
mentioned. It is a non-starter. But the facts are that in the developed
countries our economies have grown too much along with our populations,
and these countries have mostly allowed their ecological footprints to
become much larger than the biological capacity of their land and
fisheries to sustain them. For instance, the ecological footprint of
the Netherlands exceeds the biological capacity of its lands by a
factor greater than four! A plot of the world’s ecological footprint
from 1961 to 2005 is to be found in Peter Victor’s fig. 6.1. This most
enlightening graph is key to the necessity for change in the way we run
our economy. For more than 20 years, we have been living off the bounty
that should belong to future generations.

It requires a great deal of temerity to embark upon a serious work on
an economy without growth, and it needs skilled presentation to bring
it off. Peter Victor has managed this well, beginning with much of the
history of growth, excellently referenced, and providing a fine list of
earlier authors who have warned of the impossibility of growth
continuing indefinitely. By citing key works in economics at every
stage, the author builds up a case no economist could lightly dismiss.
It is essential that economists and people in business read this book,
because it plots possible first stages toward a future economy that
will eventually have to be sustainable. It behooves others to read this
book too, as it contains the elements with which one can defend oneself
against the nonsense protagonists of growth can hurl at anyone
proposing new economic thinking.

The centerpiece of this volume is chapter 10, which describes an
aggregated economic model capable of projecting economic futures that
would follow from diverse policies or scenarios. The model is called
LowGrow, and had already been published in an academic paper. LowGrow
tells us very candidly that one could pursue a no-growth policy that
would be disastrous, but it also reveals alternative slow-growth paths
leading to no-growth that are beneficial in all respects. None of the
graphs in chapter 10 shows a sufficient reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions, but then all the scenarios plotted were based upon market
forces being the only ones operating. Considerably more progress in
reduction of ghg emissions could be achieved by adding further
regulations or incentives beyond the basic no-growth policy. LowGrow
has the great merit of looking at poverty and poverty reduction. The
author’s final graph, fig. 10.6, shows a LowGrow result in which the
GDP grows slowly, leveling off in 2035, while ghg emissions are
slightly reduced; unemployment is reduced relatively more; poverty is
reduced yet more; and the debt-to-GDP ratio becomes very low, almost
negligible. Chapter 10 also makes us consider the length of the working
week, since the trend of weekly working hours has been downward since
1870, and likely will have to drop further in a no-growth economy – to
maintain high employment. The major success of LowGrow is that it
demonstrates objectively the possibility of a no-growth economy at a
higher per capita GDP than we have now and with much less poverty. In
the end it is people who make decisions. Since an economy without
growth is unavoidable in the long term, the question is how best to
steer society in that direction. Peter Victor has demonstrated
disastrous routes as well as very beneficial ones. We have been warned.

Critics of the discipline of economics, disparagingly called the dismal
science, will be disappointed to see the GDP used as the measure of
economic output. This much-discussed topic has been treated many times,
but still financial gurus across the world continue to use GDP, knowing
full well that it is an inaccurate measure of the health of the
economy. Any alternative to GDP is fraught with complications, and
would be harder to sell to conventional or conservative readers, so the
author has retained the GDP, while making its limitations very clear.
In this way he will at least be using language familiar to his readers
- who ought to be very many, as this is a timely and important book.
Managing Without Growth has few errors and they are unimportant. The
most complex and difficult part is chapter eight, which deals with
economic growth and happiness, the general progress indicator,
consumption, useful goods, status goods and public goods. The same
chapter introduces another model, called HappyGrow, and also the
concepts of utility and marginal utility in economics. One could well
write a whole book on these topics, wisely kept to a single chapter by
the author. He would have done well to explain better the usefulness of
the economic concept of utility, which is somewhat obscure in chapter
eight. He failed to define marginal utility, though its definition can
be deduced from fig. 8.7 and the definition of utility in 8A Annex.
Somewhere in the annals of economic history, there must be a rationale
for the definition of utility being a logarithmic function of
consumption but, in chapter eight, the reader is left to make an
educated guess.
People who believe they have souls may be disheartened (dispirited?) to
find that they are but robots or consumers in economic theory, but they
are allowed happiness and happiness indices, so this should be some
compensation. But note, they don’t get their happiness by loving
someone and constantly giving of their best or praising God; happiness
comes from being employed, consuming just the right amount, and gaining
status on a relative scale that is different for each person. Wow!

With unemployment at its highest rate for years, who wouldn’t want to find a job they enjoy that helps the environment at the same time? With Reusable Nappies currently making the comeback they deserve, Natalie in South Wales tells us how she found new and rewarding work as a Nappy Guru with Fill Your Pants.

Natalie says “I chose to become a Nappy Guru after
using cloth nappies on my youngest son. As I was staring at our
overflowing black bin once again I decided enough was enough and
something would have to change. I’m passionate about the environment
and take the view that if we don’t look after it then what will it
become for our future generations?”

“I decided that Fill Your
Pants was the company that I wanted to become an advisor for because
they are a modern company which understands family life and we share
the same values, plus they have the biggest range of nappies I have
ever seen!
Oh and it’s a great way of socialising while working too!”

Every UK baby will spend approximately 25,000 hours in nappies and need about 6,000 nappy changes between birth and potty-training- around 8 million disposable nappies are used every day in the UK alone. Apart from the huge environmental impact, what many people don’t realise is how much money they could actually save. For example, by ‘going cloth’ your family can incur a direct saving of up to £500, and even more for baby number 2, 3, 4, or even 5.
A family run business Fill Your Pants’ commitment to customer service, and the fact that they will only stock and recommend the nappies they are happy using on their own children has led to a huge expansion in the business despite the economic climate.

New Nappy Gurus are required to have experience in using real nappies so they can fully appreciate the benefits and pass on their experience to others. Gurus are encouraged to demonstrate the nappies to potential purchasers and organise ‘Nappuccino’ coffee mornings dedicated to offering the help and advice central to the company’s ethos. Fill Your Pants already offers National email and telephone assistance and the Nappy Guru programme would mean more people could benefit from the one-to-one meetings currently offered in the Leicestershire area.

So if you love real nappies there’s no need to fill your pants if you are feeling the pinch or are looking for extra income- try Fill Your Pants instead.

Laura Tanner on 0116 279 3089 or info@fill-your-pants.com  www.fill-your-pants.com 

10 free entrances for EJ readers. Discount code
POSECO-1 will give free entrance to the 10 first
registered people.

Economic and financial crises, scandals, climate and social changes, prove us each day that addressing the economy in a different way becomes obvious. That is the reason why Positive-Economy.eu, a project aimed at promoting responsible economic behavior organizes a conference about positive economy. The conference is meant for entrepreneurs, CEOs, Human Resources managers, European and Government Officials to demonstrate it is possible to have a profitable business with a social and environmental added value.

The day will be introduced by tree experts who will talk about the urgent need to change the economy to synchronize it with the challenges of our society. We will hear Messrs Eric de Keuleneer (Professor at the Solvay Business School and author), Paul-Marie Boulanger (Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Development) and Hans Donckers (Vice secretary general at Epegon, The European People Governance Network).

Positive entrepreneurs will follow and tell their stories. These pioneers of positive economy,
who
have by conviction integrated social and environmental values into
their core-business. Amongst them Olivier Desurmont founder of Sineo
(www.sineo.fr) a car wash solution using no water but only 100%
biodegradable products as well as Nicolette Mak who started a few years
ago Valid Express (www.validexpress.nl) an express freight company
employing only physically disabled people.

During the second
part of the day 8 workshops will take place. The goal of those
workshops is to talk concretely about different fields like sustainable
finance and reporting, fair trade products, eco certification or
corporate values. Each workshop will be led by an expert coming from a
key organization. Entrepreneurs who have already implemented positive
economy in their business will bring concrete advice based on their
experience. At the end of each session 10 key steps to look forward
will be provided.

The symposium “How to build a positive
economy?” will take place on the 16th June 2009 at the Finance Tower -
Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 50, 1000 Brussels. From 9 am till 5 pm.
Registration is mandatory.

For any information please visit our website: www.positive-economy.eu

Our
conference is supported by: Flanders and Walloon region, Federal Public
Service for Sustainable Development, BeFair, BTC-CTB, Triodos, BECI,
Kauri, The Hub, Business & Society, MVO Vlaanderen, RSE Wallonnie,
Apaces, CSR Europe, Jade, RFA, FGF.

A
pioneering company, which has helped changed the lives of thousands
of smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia, owes much of its success
to its local roots in Herne Hill. Kate
Sebag, Marketing Director of Tropical Wholefoods, is marking World
Fairtrade Day (May 9 2009) by paying tribute to the support she has
received from local companies and businesses in the Herne Hill and
Dulwich areas.

Tropical
Wholefoods, which is based in Herne Hill, is an importer and
distributor of fair trade dried fruits, dried mushrooms, nuts and
fruit bars. It supplies health food, delicatessens, farm shops,
Oxfam, Morrisons and  Boots with its produce. The company
pioneered sun dried fruit which it first brought to the UK over 15
years ago. Then the company had a
turnover of £15,000 but this has now reached £2.5million and Kate
is hopeful of a flourishing year despite these difficult economic
times. She says: “The support and
help we have received from local businesses and people has been
wonderful. This has really helped us in lots of ways not least in
getting our products well known in our community.” One
example is when she called on local businesses to help when she
wanted to set up a photoshoot to show off new recipes using her
products. She says: “I decided to
make up several recipes to show the range and versatility of the
products I sell. I am quite a good cook but I asked my local baker
for help with a batch of hot cross buns with a twist – using our
Fairtrade dried apricot and mango instead of currants. The baker made
them for me free of charge – and they were delicious!” As
well as the buns, Kate needed to source plates and dishes to display
the freshly cooked dishes, plus she needed extra ingredients and
‘props’ such as flowers. Again,
local businesses triumphed. The list
of helpful businesses includes: - Hot
Cross Buns were cooked by Kindred Bakery, 23 Half Moon Lane, London
SE24 9JU- Lamb for a tagine recipe was supplied by local butcher,
Walters on 321 Railton Road London SE24 OJN- Fruit and Vegetables
were bought from The Fruit Garden, 315 Railton Road.- Spices, flour,
sugar  and other products came from Londis at 14 Half Moon Lane,
London SE24 9HU- Moroccan Crockery lent by Mimosa, 16 Half Moon Lane,
London SE24 9HU- Ribbons were supplied by The Art Stationers, 31
Dulwich Village, London SE21 7BN- Flowers came from The Flower Lady,
297 Railton Road, next to Herne Hill Station- Even the light bulb for
the lighting came from RJ Electrical Supplies, 165 Herne Hill, London
SE24 9LR Kate adds: “It all goes to
show what a fantastic area Herne Hill and Dulwich is – everything is
within walking distance and everything was provided with local
friendliness and helpfulness.   “My
husband, Adam, and I have lived and worked in Southwark for more than
10 years and have lived and worked in neighbouring Lambeth for more
than 15 years. We brought up our children here. We always knew it was
a great area and this just goes to show how brilliant local community
can be.” Tropical Wholefoods
products are also popular in the local area. The
local Oxfam store 20 Half Moon Lane stocks
Tropical Wholefoods products, local school Rosendale Primary has run
healthy eating days and days on Fairtrade when all the kids have
scoffed dried mango from the company and invited Kate in to talk
about her visits to Burkina Faso. The
fresh fruit and veg shop, the Fruit Garden on Railton Road, stocks
Tropical Wholefoods bars, as does the local chemist Fourways Pharmacy
on 12 Half Moon Lane. Londis on Half Moon Lane also stock Tropical
Wholefoods fruits and bars. And every
summer the company takes a stall at Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell
Park.   Kate adds: “We’re
always reading about the lack of neighbourly spirit in the UK today
and how unfriendly Londoners are but down here we are proof that the
opposite is true.” 

A new report, out today, shows that discriminating customers now insist on more evidence of the integrity of so-called ethical companies touting for their business.

I’d say this is entirely reasonable – I certainly would like to know that my hard-earned folding stuff is being well spent – especially in these days of cash constraint.

Also, if we can’t expect high standards of integrity in the ethical marketplace, where can we expect them?

The report shows that one feature now held in high esteem is validation of a trader’s credentials by a transparent, non-profit, professional organisation that is well-establised and trusted in the marketplace. I swear I heard about just such an outfit only the other day…

You can read about the report here: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/05/05/lohas-consumers-want-proof-and-third-party-verification/

Enjoy

Rob Weston

Schmeditor

Produced daily by the Social Enterprise Coalition

Ethical brands -How
Green & Black’s struck chocolate gold

Cumbrian farmers to
generate own energy through biogas plan

Continue reading for lots more…

National

Acevo taskforce to
monitor £1bn Future Jobs Fund

John Plummer, Third
Sector Online

Chief executives body
Acevo has set up a taskforce to ensure the voluntary sector has a say
in the Department for Work and Pensions’ new £1bn Future Jobs Fund.
The DWP announced last week that not-for-profit organisations could
submit bids to the fund, set up to create 150,000 jobs for long-term
unemployed people aged from 18 to 24.
….Taskforce members
include the Social Enterprise Coalition, the Community Alliance and
Futurebuilders England. It is chaired by Bubb and Jonathan Bland,
chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, is vice-chair.

http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/channels/Finance/Article/902903/Acevo-taskforce-monitor-1bn-Future-Jobs-Fund/

The big issues in
nursing

Steve Ford, Nursing
Times

In the wake of cases
such as that of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, there is now
an onus on every nurse to be a role model for other nurses if the
profession is to avoid criticism. The fact that not all nurses want
to be leaders but all are role models was one of the key messages to
come out of a special round-table discussion between leading nurse
stakeholders, held in April by Nursing Times.

….Ms Cook also
questioned another part of the commission’s remit, which deals with
the development of nurse-led services – and in particular the
increased use of the social enterprise model, which was also
highlighted in the NHS Next Stage Review.

http://www.nursingtimes.net/whats-new-in-nursing/management/the-big-issues-in-nursing/5001025.article

Community nurse
teams face takeover by hospital trusts

Healthcare Republic

Hospital trusts are
hoovering up community services because of the speed at which the DoH
expects PCTs to outsource their provider arms, primary care experts
have warned.
….The report says community health services have
several options as PCTs focus on commissioning. They can become
social enterprises, or link more closely with general practice as
‘integrated care organisations’. But the report adds that ‘foundation
trusts are waiting in the wings’ ready to seize the chance to expand
into community care.

http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/news/Nurse/LatestNews/902839/Community-nurse-teams-face-takeover-hospital-trusts/

Ethical brands -How
Green & Black’s struck chocolate gold

Ethical Corporation

Asking whether “social
entrepreneurs” created ethical consumerism or vice versa is a bit
like asking which came first, the organic chicken or the free-range
egg.
…Sams believes social enterprises are defined as much by
the interdependent relationships between their stakeholders, and
their financial constraints, as by ethical ideals. The lower capital
base, “encourages co-dependency with all the stakeholders in your
business”, and the result is a more “collaborative and
cooperative approach”.

http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=6456&ContTypeID=43

Cumbrian farmers to
generate own energy through biogas plan

New Energy Focus

Farmers in Cumbria are
teaming up to develop anaerobic digestion facilities to generate
their own renewable energy from agricultural waste. Community
Renewable Energy North West (CoRE NW), a group based in Workington,
plans to set up a number of co-operatives to develop the plants,
which will produce electricity and heat from farmers’ manure and
silage.

…..Social enterprise
NRG NorthEast Renewables Group is to supply and install the digester,
subject to planning permission, with technology expected to be
supplied by German biogas company Biogas Hochreiter.

http://newenergyfocus.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=32&listitemid=2580&section=Bioenergy%20%26%20Waste

Voluntary sector
cannot shy away from redundancies

Stephen Naysmith,
The Glasgow Herald, 04/04/09

Charities and social
businesses will have to bite the bullet and make redundancies if they
are to avoid falling victim to the recession, a leading entrepreneur
will warn this week.Liam Black, former CEO of Jamie Oliver’s 15
restaurant, has been invited to Scotland by the Big Lottery Fund for
a seminar titled Leadership in Tough times, which is being held on
Friday.

….Black, who is the
co-founder of Wavelength social enterprise consultancy believes the
event will help charities and social businesses clarify what is most
essential about what they do.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/otherfeatures/display.var.2506039.0.voluntary_sector_cannot_shy_away_from_redundancies.php

Local

Friends to walk
Thames Path in only nine days

Henley Standard

THREE friends from
Goring plan to walk the length of the Thames to help children in
Africa. Steve Smith, Veronica Reynolds and Vicky Hamilton will
attempt the 184-mile trek in nine days for Changing Futures, a
charity set up by Mr Smith to provide feeding stations and school
equipment.  The trio, who all live in the Goring Gap, will stay
in riverside pubs en route and will be joined by friends and families
at various points. Ms Reynolds, of Eastfield Lane, is operations
director of Walk England, a social enterprise set up to encourage
people to walk more often, and founded Goring Gap Health Walks 10
years ago.
http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=594850

Eccles art shop ‘is
blueprint to revive high street’, says Blears

Salford Online

The decline of high
streets with “eyesores” like empty shops can be stopped by
converting them into social enterprises, Salford MP Hazel Blears said
at a seminar in Stockport yesterday. “Innovative communities”
in the North West would take advantage of empty shops by holding
their own local art galleries, like the one on Boothway in Eccles,
run by Karen Illingworth. Ms Blears chaired a seminar in Stockport
with Culture Secretary Andy Burnham on tackling ‘recession in the
high street’ with councils, business leaders, landlords and town
centre managers.

http://www.salfordonline.com/localnews_page/12525-eccles_art_shop_%27is_blueprint_to_revive_high_street%27,_says_blears.html

Youngster wins
award for his cafe plan

The Plymouth Herald

A 16-YEAR-OLD East
Devon boy has won an award for setting up a youth cafe in Sidmouth.
Dan Gigg won a CHANGEit award in the innovation category for the
Giovani Youth Café, which he set up after attending National
Enterprise Week at his college in 2007. The week is supported by
Rise, which is the voice for the South West social enterprise. During
the week, Dan attended Social Enterprise Day, which is aimed at
encouraging young entrepreneurs to develop ideas to do with social or
environmental change.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Youngster-wins-award-cafe-plan/article-959641-detail/article.html

Women travels from
Australia for exhibition

Evening Times,
04/04/09

AN 82-year-old woman
is travelling from the other side of the world to attend the opening
of an exhibition on the history of Paisley’s Kibble. Judith Parsons,
from Melbourne, Australia, will be flying in with her son, Graeme and
grandson, Kieran after she discovered her late father George McPhail
had been a pupil at Kibble in 1910 when he was just 15.

….As well as
educating young people, Kibble now provides community outreach,
residential care, fostering, secure care and employment training for
care leavers through a portfolio of social enterprises.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.2505913.0.woman_travels_from_australia_for_exhibition.php

Gray’s School of
Art students bring tartan with a Japanese twist to life

Robert Gordon
University News Review, 04/04/09
More
than 100 years since the ‘Scottish Samurai’, Thomas Blake Glover,
became the first non-Japanese to be accorded the honour of receiving
the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan’s appetite for all things Scottish
remains stronger than ever.
….Sakura Scotland, a social
enterprise based in Edinburgh which was set up in conjunction with
International Tartans, is based on a belief that tartan should be
made available to anyone who wishes it, regardless of nationality and
that a share of the profits should go to those in need.

http://www.rgu.ac.uk/news/disp_NewsPreview.cfm?PGE_ID=64388&vmenu=2

Bottom’s up!
Enfield is home to the capital’s first vineyard since medieval times

Hannah Crown,
Enfield Independent

A VINEYARD is being
planted in London tomorrow for the first time since the middle ages.
Volunteers will gather at Forty Hall Organic Farm to begin work on a
new 15-acre commercial vineyard, with the aim of selling bottles of
the wine in local shops in a few years.

…. London has not
had a commercial vineyard since medieval times and will be a social
enterprise project run by Capel Manor Horticultural College, which
has donated the land in Forty Hall Country park.

http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/4337133.Bottom_s_up__Enfield_is_home_to_the_capital_s_first_vineyard_since_medieval_times/

Of
general interest

Politics:

‘No political fix’
on Royal Mail

BBC News Online

A compromise deal
suggested as a way to avoid a damaging Labour revolt on Royal Mail is
not being considered, Post Office minister Pat McFadden said. He said
proposals to turn it into a not-for-profit company like Network Rail
were just a “political fix”. The government’s plan to sell
off a 30% stake in Royal Mail remained the “most convincing”
option, he said. But Labour backbencher John Grogan said ministers
would have to compromise to win over more than 100 Labour rebels.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8033032.stm

Business:

CBI tested in spat
over Heathrow runway

Jim Pickard,
Financial Times

The CBI is facing a
stern test of its authority as the main voice of business after its
supportive stance on Heathrow’s expansion was undermined by a band
of prominent executives. Ministers have claimed for months that the
scheme has the solid support of business groups such as the British
Chambers of Commerce, CBI and London First. But cracks in that
unified front have appeared after a letter calling for a halt to the
third runway – in favour of more high-speed rail – was signed by
13 business leaders.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15b06a70-38dd-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Society:      

Convicted teenager
Kane Beales wins legal fight over ’shame’ jackets

Frances Gibb, The
Guardian

A convicted teenager
who refused to wear a high visibility jacket labelled “Community
Payback” was today told by a court that he had a “reasonable
excuse”. Kane Beales, 19, had been accused of breaching his
sentence by saying he would not wear the clothing. He had been given
a suspended sentence with an unpaid work requirement for possessing a
knuckleduster, a flick knife and an offence of drinking excess
alcohol in September. But the court heard Beales, of Caister,
Norfolk, had refused to wear the garment after arguing it would lead
to “humiliation and embarrassment”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6226345.ece

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

The media monitor is
produced daily by the Social Enterprise Coalition
www.socialenterprise.org.uk

ScienceDaily (2009-04-29) — Satellite images show that icebergs have begun to calve from the northern front of the Wilkins Ice Shelf – indicating that the huge shelf has become unstable. This follows the collapse three weeks ago of the ice bridge that had previously linked the Antarctic mainland to Charcot Island.

Read more here…

Produced daily by the Social Enterprise Coalition

CICs should get tax
relief

Hundreds of miles
of ice drop from Antarctic shelf

 Blears: ‘Recession
could cause civil unrest and fracture communities’

Continue reading for lots more…

National

CICs should get tax
relief

Gemma Hampson,
Social Enterprise Magazine

Community interest
companies (CICs) should be entitled to an equivalent of Gift Aid,
according to the law firm behind the legal structure. Abbie Rumbold,
a partner with Bates Wells and Braithwaite, which helped set up the
CIC structure four years ago, is working with the Social Enterprise
Coalition to push for tax relief for the 2,600 registered CICs. She
said the success of the CIC structure showed it was seen as a
valuable legal structure and that tax incentives would see it grow
even further.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=950

Learning from
others is a key to success

Social Enterprise
Magazine

John Pepin is
consultancy firm JPA’s Europe partner and has over 15 years as a
CEO of a variety of charities and social enterprises. He also has a
wealth of consultancy experience in many areas from strategic and
business planning, to collaboration, sales and mentoring.  Here,
he talks about his latest experience at a master class for social
entrepreneurs in Indonesia.  On 23-24 March in Jakarta, 18
social entrepreneurs gathered for a master class entitled Skills for
Social Entrepreneurs, Achieving Your Dreams: Growing Your Enterprise
Profitability, Enhancing Your Financial and Social Return.

http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/tradingplace/detail/index.asp?id=949

Filling the gap

Joanna Lyall, The
Guardian

As the government
looks for savings from public services, a small building in a
Derbyshire mining village could reshape the way we receive NHS dental
care. Here in South Normanton, Genesis Dental Care opened its first
practice as a social enterprise, welcoming NHS patients just months
after new contractual arrangement in April 2006 led to more than
1,000 dentists fleeing the NHS. “The nation seemed deprived of
dental solutions, and the new contract was going to make the needs
even more acute,” says former banker Steve Holmes, chief
executive of Genesis Social Enterprises.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/apr/29/dentists-shortage-nhs

Reluctant role
model

Mary O’Hara, The
Guardian

As one idea after
another pours from Mark Brown, he comes across like the enthused
young editor of any start-up magazine – and with its playful design
and headlines like “Eat yourself fitter”, the magazine he
edits looks and feels like any lifestyle publication. But it isn’t.

….Brown recalls how,
sitting in a greasy spoon cafe in Camden, north London, a couple of
years ago, he and a few colleagues from the social enterprise Social
Spider, where he is a director, “knocked the idea around”
for a magazine that could plug the “information gap” for
people with mental illness.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/apr/29/one-in-four-mental-health

Blears: ‘Recession
could cause civil unrest and fracture communities’

Jon Land, 24dash

The recession could
tip Britain towards riots and civil disorder unless voluntary
organisations are handed extra resources, Communities Secretary Hazel
Blears will warn today. Promising to come up with sustainable sources
of funds by the summer, Ms Blears will say the economic downturn
could either drive communities apart or bring them closer
together.
….”Not ‘on your bike’ like previous recessions,
but how can we help you open a bike repair workshop, start a social
enterprise to encourage cycling, start a bike-share scheme in your
neighbourhood.

http://www.24dash.com/news/Local_Government/2009-04-29-Blears-Recession-could-cause-civil-unrest-and-fracture-communities

Barnardo’s to
deliver training contract to Doha charity

Charity Finance

Barnardo’s has
secured a six-figure contract to deliver training and professional
development to a children’s disability charity in Qatar.

In the first phase of
the partnership, the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs
in Doha will be visited by Barnardo’s staff who will conduct a
needs analysis and decide what kind of training the Qatari employees
could best benefit from.
….The contract will be delivered by
Barnardo’s training social enterprise, tlc, which earns the charity
more than £700,000 a year.

http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2775&pg=15&cat=58

Nunn to leave
Futurebuilders in restructuring

Futurebuilders
England’s director of market development, Gill Nunn, is to leave
the organisation at the end of June as part of a “proposed
restructure” at the government funder. She will have been in the
post for nine months. According to Futurebuilders’ interim head of
press, Jo White, Nunn (pictured) has taken voluntary redundancy as
part of a proposed restructuring of the organisation.  White
said the restructure had been prompted by the winning of the contract
to deliver the Department of Health’s £100m Social Enterprise
Investment Fund. “The organisation needs to change to accommodate
that,” she said.

http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2772&pg=15&cat=58

Scottish SMEs
’should capitalise on public contracts’

Small Business

Public bodies in
Scotland are being encouraged to give small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) access to their contracts. Finance minister John
Swinney outlines a range of measures which can be taken to increase
the number of small firms, charities and social enterprises winning
public sector contracts. He suggests small businesses would benefit
from more promotion of the free Public Contracts Scotland online
portal which highlights opportunities. In addition, outcome-based
tenders which encourage innovation and payment terms that ensure
settlement within 30 days could make public sector contracts more
attractive.

http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/channels/sales-and-marketing/news/1021111/scottish-smes-should-capitalise-on-public-contracts.thtml

Local

Business Diary

North West Evening
Mail

A CUMBRIAN-based
organisation is behind a major social enterprise summit underlying
the sector’s key role in driving the North West out of
recession.NEW luxury hotel, Eden Lodge, owned by a German
businessman, opens at Bardsea. The event has been launched as new
figures reveal that the Third Sector is generating £2bn for the
region’s economy, employs 50,000 people and utilises the resources
of 30,000 volunteers. Kevin Brennan, Minister for the Third Sector,
will deliver the keynote speech at the event being put together by
Social Enterprise North West and Cumbria’s Social Enterprise
Partnership.

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/business_2_3069/business_diary_1_547339?referrerPath=raiders

Commissioner visit
to see EU funds helping economic development and regeneration

East Midlands
Development Agency

Danuta Hübner,
European Commissioner for Regional Policy, today visited the East
Midlands to witness first hand how European money is being used to
increase levels of innovation, productivity and enterprise. This
visit comes one year on from emda’s official launch of the region’s
new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Competitiveness
Programme for the period 2007 – 2013
….ERDF is a valuable
source of funding for Local Authorities, universities, business
support intermediaries, entrepreneurs, social enterprises and
community organisations.

http://www.emda.org.uk/news/newsreturn.asp?fileno=3612

New grant unveiled
for Peak District Businesses

Staffordshire
Moorlands District Council

FARMERS and small
businesses in the Peak District have been urged to apply for a new
grant starting at £3,500. The plea was made this week by
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council after the European Union and
the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs agreed to
plough £1.9m into a Leader programme established for the Peak
District Rural Action Zone.

….The Leader
initiative is intended to improve productivity and quality of life in
the Peak District by funding projects drawn up by micro businesses
and social enterprises that are too small to qualify for the main
RDPE programme.

http://www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=768

Helping disabled in
the workplace

Isle of Man Today

A COMBINATION of
corporate goodwill and one of the world’s largest auction websites is
set to become the launch pad for helping people with disabilities in
the Isle of Man into full time work. Friends Provident International,
one of the Isle of Man’s leading life and pension companies, has
helped fund start-up costs for a new office project in Douglas to be
run by the Crossroads charity.
….Now they have come up with the
novel idea of starting a Social Enterprise initiative, employing
people with disabilities to work in office premises above the main
shop, marketing and selling some of these donated products on eBay.

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/isle-of-man-business/Helping-disabled-in-the-workplace.5202929.jp

Battle to reopen
Albion Leisure Centre

This is Nottingham

PROTESTERS who want to
reopen an Ilkeston leisure centre have been given new hope. They
gathered in Ilkeston ahead of an extraordinary meeting of Erewash
Borough Council yesterday. It was called to discuss the Albion
Leisure Centre which the council closed last year. Members of the
public formed the Friends of Albion Leisure Centre (FALC) and applied
to reopen the building as a social enterprise, but their bid was
rejected. Yesterday evening, around 50 people – many of whom were
children – gathered to protest about the rejection of the bid and
called for the council to reopen negotiations over the centre’s
future.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Hope-leisure-centre-campaigners/article-945413-detail/article.html

Of general interest

Politics:

Back expenses
changes, urges PM

BBC News Online

Gordon Brown has urged
MPs to back his planned expenses reforms in Thursday’s vote, despite
having dropped the main proposal for a daily allowance. He has faced
calls to delay any changes until after an independent inquiry but
says interim action must be taken now.

Tory MP Bill Cash
jibed Mr Brown about his “comedy turn on YouTube” – a
reference to the internet broadcast in which he outlined his original
plan. He told MPs he would keep using YouTube as an important
information tool.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8024433.stm

Business:

‘Talks to end
working time opt out fail’
Bob
Sherwood and Stanley Pignal, Financial Times

British employers
breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday after attempts to abolish the
UK’s right to opt out of European Union rules limiting a working
week to 48 hours finally disintegrated. The failure of marathon
negotiations between the European parliament and EU governments to
break the deadlock on the issue means UK companies will continue to
be able to offer staff the opportunity to work longer hours.  The
CBI employers’ organisation hailed the retention of the opt-out as
a “victory for common sense”. Pat McFadden, employment relations
minister, said the government had “refused to be pushed into a bad
deal for Britain”.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7bd1924-33c3-11de-83af-00144feabdc0.html

Environment:

Hundreds of miles
of ice drop from Antarctic shelf

David Rising, The
Independent

New satellite images
from the European Space Agency show massive amounts of ice are
breaking away from a shelf on the western side of the Antarctic
Peninsula, researchers said today. The Wilkins Ice Shelf had been
stable for most of the last century, but began retreating in the
1990s. Researchers believe it was held in place by an ice bridge
linking Charcot Island to the Antarctic mainland.

But the
127-square-mile (330-square-kilometer) bridge lost two large chunks
last year and then shattered completely on 5 April.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/hundreds-of-miles-of-ice-drop-from-antarctic-shelf-1676149.html