I’ve blogged before about people glazing over the minute you mention you’re any of the following:
- Green or Eco
- Fairtrade
- Sustainable
- Ethical
They’re thinking the following:
- Expensive
- Boring
- Preaching
- Hippy
- Why should I?
Well recently I attended a Green Group meeting organised by Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce. It was the idea of local business owner Clare Hall who worked with the Chamber to bring together 20 or so local businesses and organisations who have that ‘Green’ slant to what they do or the way that they do it. In a room full of like minded people, there was great passion for creating a focal point and information hub to benefit other businesses, and the city as a whole.
I also went to the Brighton and Hove 10:10 campaign first birthday celebrations, where we were treated to presentations from business and education sectors, local community groups and home improvement experts. They all described the steps they had taken in the last year to reduce their carbon footprint, and the plans and targets for the future. Again, it was a room full of like minded people all applauding the efforts made, all feeling positive about what can be achieved.
At these events, we’re kind of preaching to the converted. We need to find away to help the cynics see why we are doing these things. Why people like Clare Hall give up their time to try to bring about change. It’s easy to get excited about all the things we can do and the ways we can help. But local businesses have to want to be helped and to want to change their often deep routed habits.
For me, the message should be a simple one. Do what you can.
Not all of us can have a wind turbine in the back garden, but we can switch things off if we’re not using them. Not all of us can replace our boiler for a more efficient one, but we can turn the thermostat down a notch. People shouldn’t feel they’re being told off, or that they’re not doing enough. But they should be pointed in the right direction to make a start on the right path. They should be encouraged to make greener choices. And the Green Gang will hopefully make that easy for all by being encouraging, approachable and supportive. Sharing knowledge and experience and making it simple for habits to be changed to new, cleaner, greener habits.
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Did you know that Johnny Sparkles does our site inspections and has his own Sparkle-o-Meter scale? All our hardworking Green Moppers have to pass the Sparkle test to get good marks on the site inspection. So Johnny has demanded his own page on the website so that he can explain what he’s marking people on, how he decides the score and why. He’s like the Simon Cowell of Green Mop - harsh, but fair. Only he can judge if a Green Mopper has The Mop Factor.
We have a very clever system that we use so that when our Green Moppers turn up to a site to clean, they call a free phone number with their unique codes to clock in. When they’ve completed their shift, they call it again and clock out.
Eggs and bacon. DeLISH! What a treat for lazy weekend mornings after a hard working week. So many ways to enjoy a sinful, leisurely breakfast laden with unnecessary calories & fat, but bursting with comfort and flavour and happiness. Shall I pop to the shops and buy all the bits and make my own fry up? Shall we cycle to Carats Cafe? Is the weather nice enough to enjoy a lardy breakfast on the seafront? So many choices….
I’ve been attending a few of the local networking events lately. I have to say, it’s not something that comes easily to me, but I’ve been persevering, and it’s getting a little less stressful at each attempt. And it’s actually almost good fun!