Make Hay Ethical E-Media

An issue which has come onto my radar today (articles I’ve read and conversations I’ve had) is people’s perception of green business. Whether this is positive or negative, I’ve been wondering on the whole what do you think?

In our experience of running Make Hay we’ve worked hard to demonstrate that we are genuine in our goal to provide a service which has a positive impact for people and the environment and that we’re good at what we do.

We know we’re not 100% green but we’re transparent about the practices we employ every day to be a responsible business. Similarly we talk a lot about good quality, standards compliant website design.

However, today I became aware that the perception of small ‘green’ businesses may be that they are unnecessarily expensive and may not be as ‘good’ as non-green businesses when it comes to providing a service. I wondered why this may be…

Here are a few questions that came to mind:

• Do people assume that if a business emphasises green working then their primary concern isn’t being at the top the industry that they work in?
• Do people feel that they don’t know enough about how or why a business is green and because of this assume its a gimmick which allows them to add a premium to their price?
• Have people had experiences where apparently green businesses have not ‘walked their talk’?

I have to say that in my experience dealing with small, genuine, ethical businesses has been positive. Colleagues and suppliers of ours are receptive to our needs because they’re like minded. Additionally, because they’re a small business they do not need to charge more to cover lots of overheads and they’re passionate about their industry because they know they can use it to make positive changes. I think they feel this way about us too.

What do you think? How do you view green or ethical businesses in the market place? How would you answer the questions above?

I would be grateful of any feedback you can give. Either leave a comment below or contact me. Your views will really help us to provide a better service. Thank you.

Whether its on Green Girls Global or in the Make Hay newsletters I’m always talking about ways that we can be greener at work.

The reason I go on about it so much is because its really easy yet the benefits can potentially go a long way.

I was glad to see The Big Green Switch run a feature this week on ‘Going Green in the Workplace‘. They break down the various aspects of an office based workplace and what we can do to make it greener. Check it out at www.biggreenswitch.co.uk/workplace

A few more things that I would have liked to have seen included in their feature are:

Green Electricity: Switch to a green energy provider for your office. There are quite a few alternatives available nowadays and you can find out about them on the Energywatch website

Save Water: Save water in the office as you would at home by using a ‘Save-a-Flush’ bag (or something similar) in the loo. A lot of UK water companies will send them to you if you ask.

Green Website Hosting: Although the company website isn’t strictly ‘housed’ in your office it is a large part of your business. Your website can be hosted on servers which are run on renewable energy. Take a look at our Green Website Hosting service www.green-hosting.co.uk

Write an environmental plan: It might not be easy to implement your new green practices straight away so write an environmental plan or policy along with the key decision makers and those responsible for ordering goods for the office. Using such a plan can help you commit to making green changes as well as setting more targets for the future.

Yesterday I received a message via Facebook from our friend and Greenfinder founder Kate saying:

“Interested in networking with other green/ethical/community or social enterprise groups in the Midlands?”

Are we ever?!

Kate has set up a Facebook group for like minded people in the Midlands to connect online and possibly meet up in the region for social events. There are lots of groups and networking events in London for ethical businesses but not really anything in the Midlands - until now.

So, if you have a Facebook profile look for the group ‘Green & Ethical Networking in the Midlands’ and come and join us.

If you don’t have a Facebook profile watch this space as I will add updates about progress of the group. Please feel free to contact me if you’re interested in being involved or have any queries or suggestions.

The latest Make Noise newsletter is out now!

Check out the July ‘08 edition ‘Campaigns, directories, research & donations‘.

If you would like to find out about all kinds of green and ethical work then why not become a Make Noise member? Joining Make Noise is completely free and all we ask you to do is help spread the word by forwarding anything you think will be of interest to a friend.

Spread the word about positive action and Make Noise!

www.makenoise.co.uk

Here’s the latest from a few of our Make Hay clients…

Eco Directory & Radio Station Aim to Reduce Landfill

Long term Green Hosting client and Make Hay friend Allthingseco has teamed up with the UK’s only green radio station Passion for the Planet, to help people all over the UK reduce, re-use and recycle and keep their waste out of landfill.

Together the two companies have developed a comprehensive directory of ways you can pass on your unwanted items, recycle computers, find a new home for your furniture, give paint to a group that needs it and much, much more.

You’ll find information on ink cartridge & mobile phone recycling schemes, local council recycling initiatives, business recycling details and resources to enable businesses to donate their unwanted stationery to local Scrapstores.

There are also details of Charity Shops across the country as well as swapping and auction sites. The directory also includes a list of places to buy recycled goods.

Visit the directory at: www.allthingseco.co.uk/directoryresults.php?category_id=15

The Big Blue ‘R’ Goes Green

Make Hay web design clients and chartered certified accountants DK Rumsby & Co Ltd have gone green! Actually, its nothing new to them they have been using ethical and environmentally friendly practices for years. The only difference now is with their new website, they can tell everybody about it.

DK Rumsby and Co Ltd practice 100% paper recycling in their offices, are building up their electronic systems to save even more paper, support international and local charities and campaigns and work with ethical and eco clients. They also have an ethical policy and are comitted to ensuring good quality work kept within the family business, not outsourcing to lower paid workers.

DK Rumsby & Co Ltd - www.rumsby.com

Keep up the great work guys!

Bloom Psychology Research

Green Hosting client Bloom Psychology is an innovative psychology consultancy specialising in career management, professional and personal development, and employee well-being.

They work with individuals and organisations to help them bloom and their work is underpinned by strong ethical principles.

Rob at Bloom Psychology is currently undertaking a piece of research on the concept of ‘meaning’ at work. He is examining what causes people to experience their work as meaningful, and what benefits this produces both for the individual themselves and their organisations. Bloom Psychology is then using the results to help people to create a more meaningful experience for themselves at work.

Why don’t you help Bloom Psychology with their reseach? Click here to take the survey and help Bloom Psychology with their research. The survey allows you to stay completely anonymous and no identifying questions are aked.

Bloom Psychology - www.bloompsychology.com

ScotsCare’s Willie Docherty Runs Loch Ness Marathon

Make Hay web design and Green Hosting clients ScotsCare are supporting their chief executive Willie Docherty in his Loch Ness Marathon run this October.

ScotsCare is a charity working with vulnerable Scots living in London and donations from Willie’s run will help them raise £100,000 towards grants for children whose families live on low income or income support.

Visit the ScotsCare website to find out more and to donate online. Keep an eye on Nessie’s chart to see how their fundraising is progressing!

ScotsCare - www.scotscare.com

Make Hay & Green Hosting clients: Get in touch and tell us your latest news. We’ll share it here on Make Hay, The Blog