Tuesday, February 19th 2013 | Short URL
As we're coming to the end of February it seems that there's an end to winter in sight and all the excitement of new possibilities. Here's a round up of the new and exciting things some of our clients have been up to this winter...
Wayfarer Furniture, innovative furniture designer joins our Green Hosting family.
Dummy Jim the movie and Tiger Award nominee premiered at the International Film Festival 2013 in Rotterdam.
Climate East Midlands announce Climate Week 2013 events.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust celebrate their new Wildlife On Your Doorstep awards.
Social Enterprise Support Centre launch 'Exploring Enterprise', supporting young people to set up in business.
Foxglove Covert do not let the snowy weather stop their conservation work.
Factory Design employee wins 1st place at the Design for Dwell competition.
Ethical Weddings brings back the popular Eco Chic Wedding & Home show!
Cherrygorgeous' beautiful Autumn Love design gets featured in the Scottish Wedding Directory.
Wildlife in the City collaborate with The Environment Agency and Nottingham City Council to improve one of Nottingham's urban rivers, the River Leen.
Creative Nottingham features the city's first literature festival.
Scottish Ecological Design Association's co-founder is awarded an OBE.
Monday, November 26th 2012 | Short URL
As we hurtle towards Christmas and the festive season here's a round up of what our clients have been up to this autumn...
The National Parent Partnership Network supports Parent Partnership Services and parents and carers of children with special educational needs accross England and Wales - We launched their brand new website last month.
Fifi Bijoux owner Vivien is named 'Trailblazer' in the Professional Jeweller Hot 100 2012. Congratulations Vivien!
Ethical Weddings launch their 'Follow That Dress' campaign, tracking weddings dresses from bride to bride which have been donated and bought through charity shops and schemes.
Empower Renewables switch their website to wind power with our Green Hosting.
Binky is born! The new online portfolio of DMA award winner 2012, designer, art director and illustrator Lydia Lapinski.
Whave works with communities and governments to develop and demonstrate solutions to poverty and conservation issues - We created their first professional logo and website which is powered by our Green Hosting, of course!
Wheels for Wellbeing, owners of Cycling for All have made it to the National Lottery 2012 Awards finals! Good luck guys!
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust celebrate the success of 'Cow Appeal'. Their new herd of cows will graze and preserve wildflower meadow habitats in Nottinghamshire.
Social Enterprise Support Centre announce the 10,000 Small Business Programme - fully funded support for small businesses and social enterprises.
Foxglove Covert Nature Reserve mark the 20 year anniversary of CES, the bird ringing and bird species recording scheme.
The Curious Machine exhibit their wonderful HeliOscillator1 installation at the Unversity of Sheffield's Festival of the Mind.
Factory Design see their cool aircraft interior concepts and visuals published in international magazine.
Sustainability Centre new course gift vouchers now on sale, just in time for Christmas!
Colbha Consulting joins the 'Story of Energy', helping to people understand their relationship with energy use and play their part in tackling the global energy crisis.
Wildlife in the City shortlist for their 'BIG Photography Competition'. Winners will be chosen by Mr Bill Oddie himself at the end of this month!
Mr Beeton's Blog is launched by long term Green Hosting client, Samuel Palin. Thoughtful wirting, definitely worth a read.
The Social Business' Rob Greenland shares his experience of life without a car, one year on.
Sustainable Saltaire joins forces with Leeds Metropolitan Univserity to promote food growing in Saltaire.
Images above © Ethical Weddings and Factory Design.
Monday, October 8th 2012 | Short URL
Here is our just launched website and logo design for our new clients, Whave.
Whave works with communities and governments worldwide to address poverty and conservation issues. This is their first professional logo and web presence. The logo brief was to represent Whave's global reach and their expert, caring approach.
We developed a funky, one page scroller website, providing a clear and usable way of presenting their business content.
The site is responsive for mobile devices which is vital in providing access for Whave's international audience.
Find out more about Whave.org in our portfolio.
Wednesday, August 22nd 2012 | Short URL
We are delighted to present to you one our latest clients, the Army Ornithological Society. We have recently launched their brand new website and it really has been a pleasure working with them. Below, Roger Dickey, the Society's Chairman tells us more about AOS' excellent work, enthusiasm for birding and their ethos.....
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
It comes as a surprise to some people that the Army has its own bunch of Birders, and although the Army Ornithological Society can sound a little scientific, it covers a huge variety of interests and activities, all with birds at their centre. Ultimately we are an informal conservation group with the understanding and promotion of birdlife as our focus whether that means bird watching, surveys, ringing or expeditions; there is something of interest for all Birders. We support the national societies of the British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB, but also local wildlife organisations as well as taking particular interest in the birdlife on the Army's training areas across the country and abroad.
How is your organisation different to that of others in your field? How do you stand out from the crowd?
What makes us different is that we have to appeal to the modern soldier who want to be proactive and actually make a positive contribution to conservation. We provide expeditions to places such as Ascension, Jura or West Africa where the emphasis is on getting out into the wild, finding and recording birds, and then ensuring that our data contributes to something worthwhile. We provide information from ringing birds on the Training Estate, to surveys of some of our rarer species. The main idea is we are an active society, serving and retired, who like making things happen and enjoy a challenge.
Who visits your website and what does the website provide for them?
We attract a variety of interests, from people who want to be part of what we are doing, to those interested in the more scientific aspects of our work, particularly the recording of birds in the UK and abroad and the detailed studies that we conduct on Ascension Island. Many of the people who show an interest are not soldiers but conservationists who just want to know a little more about our work.
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
Being deployed across the country and indeed, the world, makes us very conscious of our carbon boot prints! There is always something to contribute or to give back when deployed abroad and we have never let the opportunity pass to help with conservation effort from Canada, through Iraq to Afghanistan. Similarly in the UK, a large number of our members use our work to contribute to the BTO and RSPB and to environmental studies liked to our training areas.
What motivates you to do work this way?
Just a little of this work is self indulgent. We all have a real interest in birds and the opportunity to mix work with such pleasure can't be missed. Add the fact that most soldiers and ex soldiers are well motivated, have the same work ethos and can be relied on to pull their weight and you have some pretty powerful birding teams. That means that we make a positive conservation contribution as a team - motivation in itself.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical businesses / organisations?
We have two sister birding Societies within the Armed Forces. Sometimes the competition is fierce but we are all similarly motivated.
Share your top 3 tips on how other organisations can work more responsibly.
How do you see the future of your work and what are you most excited about?
We would like to see others have the opportunities that we have had in shaping the environment and making a positive contribution to conservation, not just talking about it. This is why our new web site is so important to us as it will help us to reach so many more people that feel as we do. The more people we put into the hills with binos, the better.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
If you meet the criteria, come and join us!
You can find out more about the Army Ornithological Society's website in our portfolio.
Wednesday, June 6th 2012 | Short URL
As you may have noticed it has been a while since the last client news roundup. We're moving these to quarterly editions so that we can share even more news in one go. Here's what our clients have been up to this spring and early summer....
Welcome to New Green Hosting Clients
Artsmix - Connecting people through creativity and providing opportunities for artists.
Made by - The 3D design new practice degree show 2012.
Army Ornithological Society - The organisation for military birders. Look out for their new website coming soon!
Anvil Collective - A design collective profiling the work of 5 designers.
More client news...
Wildlife in the City encourage budding creative writers to send in their poems about homes for wildlife.
Cycling for All's parent organisation Wheels for Wellbeing celebrate being picked by National Lottery Awards as one of the top 10 national sports projects. With voters' help they're hoping to reach the top 3!
Cherrygorgeous launch their brand new range of eco wedding stationery, 'Indian Summer'
Image © Cherrygorgeous
Climate East Midlands announces winners of the 'Business in the Community' annual awards.
Ethical Weddings interviews jewellery designers using Fairtrade gold and couples who are wearing it, one year on from the launch of 'Fairtrade and Fairmined'.
Nottinghamshire Widlife Trust celebrates the successful winning of a grant from the charity Mind, to help fund the Idle Valley nature reserve and their Ecominds project.
Climate Change Gardening reports on the eco credentials of Chelsea Flower Show 2012.
Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve are always spotting and recording brand new species to the reserve. This one was also their first dragonfly of the year!
Image © Foxglove Covert LNR
Ask Iris teams up with Eden Hall Day Spa in Notts to give one lucky reader a relaxation day. The prize draw closes on 31st July.
Greenhouse PR were delighted to be nominated for the 'Ultimate Eco Blogger' award presented by Find Energy Savings.
Barnes and Adams announce the production of their first 2012 batch of Tyndale Gold cider.
Remember if you're one of our Make Hay web design, Green Hosting or Make Mail clients you can share your exciting news here too. Send it over to us anytime, just get in touch!
Monday, March 12th 2012 | Short URL
Where did February go? Not that we're complaining because spring is finally here! Hope you enjoy our latest client news roundup:
Welcome to new Green Hosting Clients:
Cycling for All - An online resource for anyone who thought they couldn't cycle.
Sustainable Saltaire - Creating a more sustainable, successful future for the community.
Polar England - Representing recreation as an artform. Sports products by Factory Design.
More client news...
Fifi Bijoux, luxury ethical jewellery store is highlighted in TV's 'The Wedding Fairy' e-book, promoting fair trade gold.
Factory Design celebrate once again on winning two design awards. The DBA effectiveness award and another for innovative material use. Congratulations guys!
Creative Nottingham share their roundup of upcoming visual art exhibitions in Notts.
Green Talk announce Sir David King as the keynote speaker at the Green Talk 2012 event this summer.
Ask Iris gets ready for 'Any-Body Month'. A chance for anybody to try paralympic sports and activities for free.
A creative Foxglove Covert volunteer makes films of wildlife at the nature reserve.
Climate Change Gardening announces plans for their new project Climate Gardens, making a difference in green spaces in 2012 and beyond.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's Cow Appeal gains support from Olympic Storyteller.
Attenborough Nature Centre announces launch of NWT's 2012 peregrine cam. Also, buy your very own cuddly peregrine from the Attenborough Nature Shop.
Ethical Weddings welcomes latest addition to their team. Awwww, congratulations Katie, Jamie and big sister Polly!
Climate East Midlands publishes their 2012 Climate Week programme taking place 12th - 18th March.
Gertie & Mabel get great reviews from their customers.
Images above © Ask Iris and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Tuesday, January 24th 2012 | Short URL
Strictly speaking, this is a round up for December too but its still fab to see what you, our lovely clients, have been up to. Here's your new year news roundup....
Climate East Midlands' local authority partners win Carbon Trust awards.
Ethical Weddings shares top 12 wedding tips for 2012.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's friendly robin photograph wins National photography award.
Climate Change Gardening shows us how getting rid of our lawns can help the climate in 2012.
Foxglove Covert LNR volunteer video shows a day in the life of volunteering at the nature reserve
Ask Iris share their list of top iPhone Apps to support pupils with Autism.
Fifi Bijoux, add ethical opal and pearl designs to their luxury Jewellery collection.
Creative Nottingham review the Lowry exhibition at the Djanogly Art Gallery
Just So Festival offer volunteers the opportunity to attend this year's event for free!
Greenhouse PR share 6 home improvement tips to save energy and lower your bills
Rob at The Social Business tell us his plans and advice for reducing energy use at home.
Polar England launch their new online shop by Factory Design, "representing recreation as an art form"
This is news from just a handful of our clients. We know you're all doing great work out there so drop us a line and tell us your news so that we can share it here!
Photograph © Climate East Midlands
Wednesday, November 30th 2011 | Short URL
Lots of awards and things to celebrate in this month's client news roundup...
New Green Hosting Clients:
Third Rock - Communications consultancy specialising in environment and green PR.
My nPoint Exactly - A print and online magazine created and produced by a group of friends.
Project Warren - Hand crafted home and garden projects
Parents Carers Forum - A place for parents to give their views about services in Nottingham & Nottinghamshire
More client news...
Climate East Midlands launch a survey to find out how resilient local businesses are to extreme weather
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's Ecominds project which aims to improve mental health and wellbeing has won an award! Congratulations guys!
Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve mark a record in number of birds ringed. A significant part of their conservation work.
Ask Iris says congratulations to a local teenager for winning the Nottinghamshire Outstanding Achievement 4Uth Awards
My Climate Change Garden anticipates the launch of the new iPad vegetable garden planner.
Fifi Bijoux becomes UK authorised reseller for ethical diamond brand
Just So Festival announce the winners of their great photo competition 2011
Attenborough Nature Centre invites visitors to join in their Christmas crafts activities on 4th December for children aged 6 and over.
Greenhouse PR share their highlights of the 'Feeding the 5000' event to raise awareness of the problem of food waste.
Cherrygorgeous post their winter warmer wedding mood board and their range of pretty winter eco stationery.
Rob at The Social Business discusses the Occupy Movement and how he identifies himself as the 99%
Grasslands Trust launch 'Nature's Tapestry' an in-depth report into the state of England's grasslands.
Photographs above © Foxglove Covert LNR and Ted & Miki c/o Just So Festival respectively
Thursday, October 20th 2011 | Short URL
Happy Halloween! Here are lots of treats and no tricks from our clients this October...
New Green Hosting Clients:
Angels Housekeeping - Cleaning and domestic services for older people in Leeds.
Chinese Calligraphy Society of Europe - Promoting the skills of Chinese calligraphy.
Douglas Lee Dental Practice - A caring family dental practice.
Marumi - Creations inspired by Viennese and Japanese art of cake making.
In other client news...
Climate East Midlands launch a series of workshops to support local councils to implement carbon management plans.
Ethical Weddings gives an interview to Environmental Protection magazine on how to reduce your carbon footprint at the altar.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust needs moo! They are looking for support to raise funds for a herd of grazing cattle.
Foxglove Covert Nature Reserve enjoyed a day of spooky Halloween activities.
Seal Protection Action Group reports huge reductions in Scottish seal killings
Creative Nottingham introduce their new guest blogger from Nottingham Hackspace
Hanna's Orphanage covers school volunteers, droughts in Ethiopia and fundraising in their October newsletter
Factory Design continue their winning streak. They've now won the DBA Design Effectiveness Award!
Just So Festival are delighted to share the great family reviews of this year's event.
Cherrgorgeous gives us inspiration for Autumn weddings ideas.
Orbis Marketing shares their expert advice on blogging best practice.
Greenhouse PR tells us about 5 interesting green products that run without electricity.
Grasslands Trust trustees publishes new book 'Wildflower Wonders of the World'.
Photographs above © Angels Housekeeping & Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve
Wednesday, September 28th 2011 | Short URL
It's that time again! Here's what our web design and Green Hosting clients have been up to in September...
New Green Hosting clients:
Planetary Collective - Filmmakers and visual media creatives working with cosmologists, ecologists, philosophers and futurists to inspire people to look deeper.
Marie Krag Therapy - Psychotherapist and counsellor with a specialised interest in working with the field of universal energy.
In other client news:
Ethical Weddings celebrate National Cupcake Week by listing their top 10 cupcake companies.
Leicestershire Support for Carers announce set up of new local carers' support groups.
Climate east Midlands ask for your help to shape support for climate change adaptation.
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Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust are looking for nominations for their Green Guardian Awards 2011.
Creative Nottingham publish a special feature from their sponsors - That's us!
Grasslands Trust have published new free advice leaflets on how to create and manage wildflower meadows.
Just So Festival have put together a photo gallery of this years' event and launch their photo competition.
Cherrygorgeous create DIY wedding stationery options for crafty couples or those on a budget.
Greenhouse PR talks about Estethica, London Fashion Week's eco hub
Cycle Hire UK gets involved in our 'Meet our clients' feature
If you're one of our clients and have exciting news you'd like to share here on our blog then do get in touch.
Monday, September 12th 2011 | Short URL
Cycle Hire use our Green Hosting to provide an online service to help get more people on their bikes. Meet our client...
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
We launched our website in June 2011 with the aim of making it easier for people to hire bikes. As regular cyclists ourselves, often travelling around for work and fun, we recognised the need for a simple-to-use online directory bringing together all the information about cycle hire companies across the UK.
How is your business different to that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
We like to think that our website is about as user-friendly and intuitive as you could hope to be, and a lot better than anything already out there.
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
We have an environmental policy that clearly sets out our aims for minimising the impact of our business on the environment. So as well as hosting with Green Hosting, we look at everything else we do in association with the business with the aim of making it as ethical and environmentally responsible as possible. Added to this, the whole business is about encouraging people to cycle more for recreation and as a utility transport option, so by making information on hiring bikes more accessible, we can help this happen.
What motivates you to do business this way?
As well as running this website, we both work full-time for a sustainable transport charity, so these issues are very close to us. We want more people to cycle because it's good for their health and better for the environment, both locally and globally.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
Working within the cycling sector, many of our current and potential clients are aware of environmental and ethical issues. So our policy is readily available through our website and approach and beliefs are transparent. Response from clients has been positive and our environmental / ethical credentials have also helped to open doors in the way we have publicised and promoted the business.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
We see our work as helping people to live a healthier lifestyle, with the added benefit of supporting businesses with environmental benefits. We therefore consider ourselves part of a network moving in the same direction.
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
Our aim is to have every cycle hire provider in the country listing their services with us. We're about a quarter of the way there after 3 months, so give us a year and we'll have achieved this aim!
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work?
If there are any Green Hosting clients who would like to work with us, please get in touch (contact through www.cyclehireinfo.com). We are particularly keen to hear from businesses who have a service they can offer to our clients, that we can help promote as a special discount. We already work with a couple of like-minded businesses in this way and would like to develop this aspect of our service further.
Friday, September 2nd 2011 | Short URL
We welcomed cherrygorgeous to Green Hosting earlier this year. They use our hosting to make their already green business a little greener. Meet our client...
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
We are cherygorgeous. We’re an eco-friendly (or eco-chic, if you’re feeling trendy) wedding stationery company. We were the first carbon neutral wedding stationery company in the UK and with our new site being powered by green hosting, we just got a little greener.
How is your business different from others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
Well, as we said we were the first UK wedding stationery company to go carbon neutral and unlike many other wedding stationery companies, we get all our stuff printed in the UK to cut down the air miles and our impact on the environment. Our designs are a little different too: they’re not you’re average ‘horseshoes and hearts’ clichéd stuff you get on the highs treet. You can take a look at cherrygorgeous.co.uk
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
We’re carbon neutral, we use you guys for our web hosting, we get all our stuff printed individually in the UK (as opposed to getting loads printed in China and shipped over on a container ship) and we do all the best practice stuff around the office to keep our use of resources and our footprint as low as possible. We even cycle into the office whenever it’s not raining too hard in Leeds.
What motivates you to do business this way?
We set the business up after traveling around Asia for six months and we felt a little guilty about all the air miles we racked up. Since then we do everything we can to minimise our impact and tread as gently as we can.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
We mention it wherever we can on the site. It’s a big part of what we do and many of our couples choose us because they are trying to have as green a wedding as possible.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
Over the last few years, I think there has been a big swing towards ethical business practices and social responsibility, which can only be a good. However, there are a growing number of companies out there that are just jumping on the eco-bandwagon.
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
Our new website is pretty exciting. It’s ace, and now it’s powered by wind power, it makes us just a little bit happier. We’re also going to try to find a few more eco-friendly wedding favours and get them launched by the end of the year and increase our range of stationery.
Visit cherrygorgeous at www.cherrygorgeous.co.uk
Tuesday, August 30th 2011 | Short URL
They say that August is traditionally a quiet month but that's not the case for our busy clients. Take a look at what some of them have been up to...
Support for Carers are beginning a new project to help carers find and set up support groups in Leicestershire.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust launch the new nature reserves smart phone app
Climate East Midlands publish the new guide and online resource to help local communities get involved in planning for climate change.
Ethical Weddings share news of upcoming green wedding events this autumn
Attenborough Nature Centre - By popular demand ANC are running wildlife photography courses this September
Foxglove Covert welcomes their new Deputy Reserves Manager to the team
Transition Vert interviews Fred Bass, 'King of Energy Savings Lights'
Greenhouse is profiled in The Ecologist Green Business section, August edition.
Factory Design are nominated for a D&AD award for their superlight aircraft seating design
Second Wednesday's next web industry social event will enjoy a talk from web designer, author, speaker and creator of New Adventures in Web Design, Mr Simon Collison.
GreenTalks now have all of their videos of green talks online
Images above © Climate East Midlands and Greenhouse
Thursday, July 28th 2011 | Short URL
Here's the latest from a few of our web design and Green Hosting clients:
Newly launched websites using Green Hosting:
Clarendon Press - Environmentally friendly printing services in Gloucestershire.
Planetary Collective - A collective of filmmakers and visual media creatives working in partnership with cosmologists, ecologists, astronauts, philosophers and futurists to wake people up to their place in the cosmos.
Ideas that Change Lives - Ideas to help people to live independently
In other client news:
Foxglove Covert celebrate their annual open day with many activities for children and adults and a grand opening of their wheelchair accessible hide by Professor David Bellamy.
Picture above © Foxglove Cobert LNR
Gertie & Mabel get their lovely products in the glossies again. This time their beautiful 'Happy Glow' tea light holders have been featured in the August edition of Vogue.
Climate Change Gardening confirms that our urban gardens can help combat climate change.
London Insight are looking for experienced organisers to help put together an exhibition of visual art by contemporary Buddhist teachers and practitioners.
Ethical Weddings tells us about eco bride workshops taking place at the 'Vintage at Southbank' festival on 29-31st July
Campaign Whale share news from the Internataional Whaling Committee meeting.
Cherrygorgeous' Tea & Cakes poster is picked up by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen for a cup cake garden party theme and featured on ITVs This Morning
The Social Business attends the launch of a pioneering eco village in Leeds.
If you're one of our clients and would like to share your news here on our blog, do get in touch.
Wednesday, June 29th 2011 | Short URL
Where did June go? This month has flown by but it hasn't stopped our clients from getting up to all kinds of interesting things...
Newly launched websites using Green Hosting:
Cycle Hire - Helpful online search for cycle or cycle equipment hire in the UK.
pickIT - Bespoke IT and e-learning training company with a green and ethical ethos. Read pickIT's client interview.
Client news:
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust launch City Butterfly Watch!
Attenborough Nature Centre anounce upcoming wildlife art exhibition by Paul Dyson.
Climate Change Gardening encourages us to plant trees wherever we live.
Social Enterprise Support Centre plan to open a Deaf Visitor Centre in Bradford in partnership with the Deaf Association. Help them by voting for them in the 'Small Step Competition'.
Climate East Midlands seeks contractor to facilitate better understanding of the impacts of small scale hydropower installations.
Factory Design's Lee Bazalgette talks sustainability in this month's New Design magazine.
Just So Festival interviews children's author and illustrator David Lucas.
Luxury ethical jewellers Fifi Bijoux joins the 'style mile'.
Car Free Walks members get a discount on Lakeland Walker magazine subscriptions.
Greenhouse PR interviews eco hero and friend of Make Hay, Dave Hampton.
Great & Small Physiotherapy are offering a 1 month free trial to veterinary clinics in their local area.
Carbon Tee launch Carbon Tee Couture
Monday, June 20th 2011 | Short URL
We are very happy to welcome pickIT to Green Hosting at the celebration of their 1 year anniversary. Meet our client pickIT...
1. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
pickIT is an IT Training company providing high quality, bespoke training solutions with an environmental and ethical twist.
2. How is your business different to that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
pickIT offer learning solutions to enable your company to provide training that is online, accessible and adaptable to the needs of your staff whilst reducing costs and the environmental impact of your company.
3. How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
pickIT has committed to give upto 10% of its profits to charities each year. In 2011 our chosen charity is Save the Children.
pickIT also has an Environmental Operating Statement with some Green Operating Values, Guiding Principles and a Green Contract which we ask clients to sign and adhere to whilst working with pickIT. These were created by ecoConcierge who I can strongly recommend to help companies find their “Green” way of working.
4. What motivates you to do business this way?
Since my volunteering days with VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas) in Papua New Guinea, I have realised I need to give something back as I am lucky enough to be able to do so. Having fundraised through marathons and giving time to voluntary organisations in the past, now having my own company I can build my commitment and values into the company from the offset.
5. How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
Hopefully through our website, word of mouth and also twitter we hope to start communicating this message across and work with clients with the same principles as us, as well as encourage other clients to start thinking this way.
6. Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
We hope so. I think people are realising we need to work for something we believe in rather than to just pay the bills and luckily I have always felt this way and now have the opportunity to fulfil this.
With regards to training people are trying to find ways to save money, and online and elearning solutions provide this as well as being carbon friendly with no travel involved!
7. Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
8. How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
We want to really get involved with ethical and green companies and help them deliver their services with more efficiency by training their staff. We hope to build a good core green client base from which we can continue to build on the values of the company.
I am just excited full stop! Setting up a company is a great adventure in its own right and I hope to really work with some great companies in the future!
9. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work?
We want to really help companies save the environment and save money! From creating a simple online guide on how to print duplex; to creating complete learning solutions for implementations and projects using webex and web conferencing tools saving on the training costs as well as the companies carbon footprint.
Visit our website and find out more and help us to help you work better, greener and cleaner…!
www.pickit.co.uk
Thursday, May 26th 2011 | Short URL
It's that time again! Check out what some of our clients have been up to.
Newly launched websites using Green Hosting:
Barnes & Adams - artisan apple products & cider
Green Talk - Short talks, big ideas from leading thinkers and doers on climate change, energy and food security and the natural world.
Bradford Personalisation - a network of organisations that are actively involved in developing services that people who receive support from Adult Social Care could buy with an Individual Budget
Client News
My Climate Change Garden asks "How green is Chelsea Flower Show?"
The much anticipated 'Dummy Jim' film is underway. This is a great story, set in a cold place, guaranteed to warm your cockles.
Car Free Walks share their top tips for cheaper train travel
Greenhouse PR introduce their brand new blog editor
Those Gertie & Mabel ladies have done it again, with a feature of their Soda Boxes in Country Homes Magazine
Ethical brides & bridesmaids can find out where to get *that* famous 'P Middy' dress via Ethical Weddings
Just So Festival named the 'Best Family Festival' by Green Parent Magazine - well done guys!
Help Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust receive their share of a £35K grant. Also see our NWT news story about tripled website visitor numbers.
Creative Nottingham asks if being creative makes us happy
Transition Vert provide a beginner's guide to recycling
The Sustainability Centre share their inspirations from the South Downs Green Fair
Book now for the Scottish Ecological Design Association EGM and Sustainable Communities Event on 3rd & 4th June
Images above © Dummy Jim & Just So Festival respectively
Tuesday, May 24th 2011 | Short URL
We were in the news yesterday with a story about our work with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Here's what it said:
Visitor numbers to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's website have nearly tripled since a new online presence was unveiled. The number of people signing up online for membership has also increased as a result of the new-look website, the charity reports.
Nottingham-based ethical website developer Make Hay, who created the website in conjunction with the environmental charity, said it was delighted by the news, which comes as the website celebrates its second anniversary.
Pictured above: Victoria Stevens, from Make Hay, and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's communications and marketing manager Erin McDaid
"The web is an incredible medium, which can be used to spread a message far and wide, and it's crucial that an organisation has a website that reflects its values and its aims, and one which is also easy and convenient to manage and keep up to date," said Make Hay director Victoria Stevens.
"We're extremely pleased to hear that Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has been using the online tools created by Make Hay to market and promote the charity so successfully, and that this has been reflected in increased online membership applications and thousands of extra visitors to their website."
Make Hay, which specialises in green and ethical website design, as well as web hosting which is wind powered, had previously created a website for Attenborough Nature Reserve, which is run by the Wildlife Trust.
The charity, which is the county's leading conservation charity and is part of a national network of 47 local trusts working to protect wildlife, said its new website changed the way the organisation looked at its internet presence.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust communications and marketing manager Erin McDaid said: "We've seen a tripling of visits to our site, and a rise in the number of online memberships. The new platform makes it far easier for us to promote our work and events.
"We find working with Make Hay a real pleasure. Understanding the technological aspects of creating an attractive and functional website can be quite daunting, but their friendly, straightforward approach makes it a lot easier. Working with Make Hay means that we can concentrate on deciding what we want our website to achieve without having to worry about how to make it work."
Make Hay, run by Victoria Stevens and Jez Swinscoe, was founded in 2004. Its green web hosting arm was launched in 2006.
Clients include the Uganda Carbon Bureau, Climate East Midlands, Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve and London Insight Meditation.
Pretty nice story eh? We are continuing to work with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, developing the website and online strategy alongside their work and campaigns.
Tuesday, May 3rd 2011 | Short URL
Well, with all of the recent bank holidays and festivities our April round-up has been slightly delayed. Where did April go anyway? If you have exciting news to share let us know. Here's the latest from some of our fab clients...
Vote for Climate Change Gardening in the 'One Small Step' business competition. Climate Change Gardening provides information and inspiration about gardening in a changing climate, helping to preserve gardens in an uncertain future. Winning this competition would help founder Debbie Anderson develop her business further so that gardeners may access more advice and support resources such as videos, expert knowledge, green gardening products and local climate data. Gardeners will also be able to share experiences of their gardening challenges online. Voting opens on 30th May but you can find out more and send Debbie messages of support at her Climate Change Gardening competition entry page.
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Attenborough Nature Centre are making plans for an exciting new phase of developments at the reserve which was originally opened by Sir David Attenborough in 1966. Can you help them by giving your views on the suggested developments in their online survey?
Ask Iris is looking for footballers with cerebral palsy in support of the Notts FA's search for new squad members to represent the East Midlands in the National Cerebral Palsy Football structure for the 2011-12 season
Bradford Personalisation launches their new website, hosted by Green Hosting. A network of organisations involved in developing services that people who receive support from Adult Social Care could buy with an Individual Budget.
Climate East Midlands reflect on the success of their climate week events in March across the East Midlands.
Ethical Weddings asks 'is the Royal Wedding green?'
Creative Nottingham tells us about local art events over the coming months with an ethical theme.
Notts PPS opens a new drop-in service for parents of children with special educational needs.
SESC announce the Big Venture Challenge award. A competition for social entrepreneurs to win up to 150K
Images above © Climate Change Gardening and Climate East Midlands respectively
Thursday, March 24th 2011 | Short URL
Here's the March edition of our client news round-up. If you're one of our lovely clients and you would like to share your news here, just get in touch.
My Climate Change Garden celebrates Climate Week with a post-a-day on things you can do in the garden to combat climate change.
Foxglove Covert and their volunteers prepare for the massive task of extending the nature reserve's lake.
Ethical Weddings marks Fairtrade Fortnight with Fairtrade wedding offers and ideas on the blog.
Gertie & Mabel's Esmerelda document boxes featured in the March 2011 issue of Living Etc Magazine.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust's Idle Valley launches its Ecominds Project to help improve the mental health and wellbeing through conservation, food growing and wildlife gardening.
London Insight says thank you to everyone who raised funds which helped buy a vehicle for Khuphuka, the HIV and AIDS project in South Africa
Cherry Gorgeous, experts in eco-chic wedding, birth & social stationery helps readers find a green wedding supplier and launch their new website!
Creative Nottingham searches for 'golden nuggets' of creative news in Nottingham.
Factory Design are proud to announce that they were winners of the Design Week Awards Industrial Product Design - Congratulations chaps!
Greenhouse PR meet their Eco Hero, Kate Andrews, founder of Loco2
Colbha Consulting considers a green business dilemma and how they tackled it.
Photographs above © Foxglove Covert LNR & Cherry Gorgeous respectively.
Friday, March 18th 2011 | Short URL
Meet another of our great Green Hosting clients...
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
Car Free Walks is a website for people who love walking but want to reduce their impact on the environment. We offer 100s of free, easy-to-use walking guides that show you the best places for a walk that buses and trains can take you in the UK. The project was the brainchild of Tim Woods, a freelance editor specialising in sustainability and development, who met business partner Gary Shipp through a mutual love of the outdoors. Patrik Germann brings the IT and application design & development skills to the team.
How is your business different to that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
The whole project is a good old fashioned ‘labour of love’ - we all work full time as well as running the website and writing articles and publications to support our work. So we stand out because we don’t make any money!
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
We set up the project because we wanted to help encourage people to think about the way that they travel to get ‘outdoors’, and we wanted to show there is an alternative to reliance on private transport and all the negative impacts that reliance on cars can create. We also wanted to relate this to wider environmental issues, helping people to make the connection between their lifestyle choices and the implications for the natural environment that they enjoy.
What motivates you to do business this way?
As the project is a not for profit venture, we are free to make decisions based on our ethics rather than compromises due to economic decisions. Quite a lovely position to be in!
It’s been wonderful to see our project grow. The number of visitors to our site has increased steadily, and we’ve started to forge links with some major national organisations that are helping us to promote what we do. So the reward is more in a sense of achievement than anything else.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
We like to wear our hearts on our sleeves so our beliefs and passions are a common thread throughout our website and publications. However we also are conscious not to alienate people by being preachy or self-righteous as there’s fewer better ways to turn people off.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
We are pleased to have built up some great relationships with similarly minded businesses and organisations, where we try to trade skills, knowledge and support, rather than exchange money. This seems to be working really well and means we can continue to operate the project on a very small budget.
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
Our website re-launch, and some important new partnerships with a few large NGO’s should see the number of visitors increase sharply over the coming months. We hope this momentum will be sustained and the whole site will grow, both in size and popularity. At the same time we are hoping to start writing more articles and features for magazines and newspapers about car-free walking, with the potential to diversify into producing publications of our own.
Find out more at www.carfreewalks.org
Tuesday, March 15th 2011 | Short URL
Opulent Ethics uses our Green Hosting service for the website they created about their ethical jewellery...
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
We are Opulent Ethics, an up and coming ethical jewellery company. Our jewellery is produced mainly in 100% recycled UK silver, Fairtrade or recycled gemstones and some Oro Verde gold (pre-fairtrade certified gold). We blog about current ethical jewellery issues and trends. Our vision for the future is to to bring ethical jewellery more into the mainstream and to increase the ethical jewellery consumer base.
How is your business different to that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
The jewellery industry is one of the worst industries for its impact on the environment and people. Opulent Ethics tries to limit this impact by carefully sourcing our materials. We use recycled metals and stones, are working towards becoming licensed to use the new Fairtrade and Fairmined gold and also spend time researching and using new materials such as vegetable ivory. Alongside this we combine traditional hand skills with new technologies in our work.
We stand out from the crowd with our innovative designs and by being fully transparent in every part of our business. We are constantly striving to improve our ethical credentials.
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
All the materials used in our jewellery are carefully sourced to ensure that they are recycled, from the UK (for a low carbon footprint) or adhere to Fairtrade and Fairmined principles. Printing is kept to a minimum but when done, all advertising materials are printed on FSC certified recycled papers. Our packaging is recycled and recycleable. Opulent Ethics lend our name to various campaigns which work towards improving the lives or environments of areas affected by the jewellery industry. And to top it all off we now have a wind powered website!
What motivates you to do business this way?
Whilst travelling across Africa and Asia we saw how hard life was for some people. Just being able to support and feed their families is a struggle and this life below the poverty line is totally incomprehensible to many of us. Supporting Fairtrade work means supporting not just the worker but their local community as the Fairtrade premiums are put into improving health and education infrastructure in the local community. Opulent Ethics is motivated by the idea of helping establish and promote trade which works towards improving the lives of workers. Opulent Ethics also support programmes such as the Green Gold programme as it works to re-establish the natural eco-system of an area which is mined. This is done as an on-going process so that indigenous plants and crops are established in the area providing an additional source of income.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
Ethical jewellery is still relatively unknown so many people simply want to know the cost implications for our business. Once we explain that for recycled silver there is no price difference and the premium from Fairtrade materials is a reasonable amount which works towards making grass-roots improvements within communities our consumers respond positively.
The Opulent Ethics blog is becoming more established and recognised within ethical jewellery circles. We have had very positive feedback about articles that we have researched and written. We hope that the Opulent Ethics blog will also become more widely read by non-ethical jewellers.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
We definately do see our work as a movement of ethical business. Ethical jewellery is still in its infancy but there are many up and coming future deveopments. With the recent release of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold came the projection that Fairtrade and Fairmined gold will account for 5% of gold sales within the next 15 years. This will amount to a massive amount of revenue over the period. It will also, hopefully, bring about changes in other parts of the industry. Ethical jewellery is an exciting industry to be in at the minute.
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
Opulent Ethics is excited about the future and are hoping to see ethical jewellery become more of a mainstream product with less consumers having to ask what it is. We are also hoping to see ethical jewellery become more established in high street stores. The ethical section of London Fashion week is sure to help this happen. Opulent Ethics is most excited about establishing relationships with our consumers and seeing them return to the brand over time.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work?
Opulent Ethics' jewellery ranges are very different and unique. Our classic Sakura Range is based on Japanese cherry blossom and is quite classic. We also have a range produced using laser cut vegetable ivory. This is a world first and can't be found anywhere else. We are constantly designing and producing work so please keep popping back to see what we have been up to lately. You can also keep up to date with what we're doing through the Opulent Ethics blog.
Find out more at www.opulentethics.com
Thursday, February 3rd 2011 | Short URL
We love what our clients do and so we like to talk about them. Here's the latest news from a few of them:
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust launch their wildlife photography exhibition at The Museum of Nottingham life.
Gertie & Mabel get their Danish ribbon featured on the cover of Not on the High Street's latest catalogue. Well done ladies!
Social Enterprise Support Centre begin their annual search for the most dynamic and innovative social enterprises with their Social Impact Award.
Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve open their new outdoor classroom and science station.
Winkworth Farm give guided tours of their beautiful green venue and grounds at their 2011 open days.
Unscene Production Company release the trailer for their latest short movie thriller 'Peanut'.
London Insight Meditation's - Director appears on Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
Just So Festival - 2011 festival tickets are now on sale. Take your family on a journey of the imagination.
If you're one of our web design, Green Hosting or Make Mail clients and have exciting new to share, let us know!
Friday, May 7th 2010 | Short URL
Leonora of Elio Studio has worked with Make Hay for some time, being one of our longest-standing Green Hosting and web design clients. She is also a good friend of Green Girls Global. So, a warm welcome please…
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
Hello, my name is Leonora Oppenheim and I’m the director of Elio Studio, a design consultancy that crafts narratives to inform and inspire.
Our work can be described as design storytelling – in other words, we use word, image and form to tell local cultural, environmental and community stories to wider audiences.
We work in collaboration with architects, designers, curators and scientists on creative projects that promote engaging conversations around sustainability issues.
I also regularly put finger to key to tell epic tales of design derring and sustainability do for TreeHugger.com and other online and print publications.
How is your business different to that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
From working on plans for a chocolate factory with cacao farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon to reporting on biogas toilets from the mountains of northern Ethiopia, we tell many an adventurous tale of beautiful and inspiring encounters with creative minds around the world.
With an unusual combination of design, writing and sustainability skills Elio Studio tells cultural stories through several disciplines, including public design installations, journalism and brand consultancy.
This diversity gives us multiple platforms to communicate from and we often enjoy blurring the boundaries between them, which makes for a pretty dynamic and unique approach to storytelling.
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
Every project that Elio Studio is involved in has its root in ethical and environmental responsibility, we take that as a given. If the project is not making a positive contribution in some way then it’s not the right fit for us, and moreover it’s just not fun to work on.
What motivates you to do business this way?
I like a good challenge! And I really believe that forging emotional connections between individuals and their local environment is one of the greatest design challenges of our time.
At the studio we’re excited by the possibilities of creative collaboration with local communities. We take local stories at a grassroots level and promote them on global platforms, inspiring businesses & individuals to create positive change.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
We try to take a light, engaging tone that shows we’re as passionate about good design as we are about environmental issues, and that the two are not mutually exclusive.
We communicate using word and image through multi-media channels of email (hello [at] eliostudio.com), website (www.eliostudio.com – thanks to Make Hay) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/ElioStudio).
Occasionally, when we really want to grab someone’s attention we like to be old school and send a beautiful hand written note. Sometimes we even turn up in person!
Each medium is useful in it’s own way. For example Twitter is an excellent tool, not only for promoting your own work, but also to curate content of others you trust and admire. It gives you the opportunity to create a dynamic ‘brand voice’ that gives potential clients an impression of what your business is about.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
Yes, absolutely.
It’s difficult to say whether there is any body else doing exactly what Elio Studio is doing right now, but there is certainly a fantastic community of sustainable design thinkers locally in London, and globally in the blogosphere, working in all sorts of different disciplines – fashion, products, architecture, service and systems design.
We all bounce ideas off each other regularly and often form fantastic collaborations. I feel very lucky to be part of this community that keeps me inspired and motivated every day.
My top 5 UK ethical design business picks:
Worn Again – www.wornagain.co.uk
Imaginals – www.imaginals.net
Thomas Matthews – www.thomasmatthews.com
Exploration Architecture – www.exploration-architecture.com
New Frontiers – newfrontiers.uk.com
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
Cradle to Cradle – learn to embrace systems thinking and close the loop.
Act local. Think Global – get involved in your local community and tell everyone about it online.
Work for ‘More joy per person’ – always ask how your business decisions affect people, from supplier to consumer and everyone in between.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
The future of my business is multidisciplinary and multi platform storytelling, finding creative ways of communicating the important issues of our time to people locally and globally.
I’m most excited about the possibilities of working with commercial brands to communicate their sustainability initiatives to their customers in fun and engaging ways. I think there is so much potential to inspire people through design storytelling.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work?
You might like to check out one of Elio Studio’s projects that’s currently in development. It’s a series of public design installations called Creative Data (www.creativedataprojects.com) that are taking place around the UK over the next few years.
We’re working in collaboration with climate scientists with the aim of the communicating local environmental issues to local people in their local environment.
You can watch the short film of our pilot project The Butterfly Effect, and watch out for the up coming Creative Data projects in Wales 2010 (coastal), Cornwall 2011 (Eden Project) and London 2012 (Olympics).
If you are interested in finding out more about Creative Data or would like Elio Studio tell your design story please do get in touch (hello [at] eliostudio.com)
Visit Leonora’s website at www.eliostudio.com
Wednesday, April 28th 2010 | Short URL
Ethical jewellery label Fifi Bijoux runs their website on Green Hosting…
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
Vivien Johnston, Director and founder of Fifi Bijoux. I set up the brit brand in 2006 to offer consumers jewellery made exclusively from ethically sourced materials; fairly traded gold, platinum and silver mined without mercury or cyanide. The jewellery is crafted in London by master goldsmiths. Our diamonds and gems also come from ethical sources, small scale co-operative mines where possible and carefully selected mining and cutting projects which practice exemplary social and environmental responsibility standards.
How is your business different from that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
Fifi Bijoux is a design label, we show at London and Paris Fashion Weeks and have been readily accepted by the fashion press. It’s a luxury product; with the unique new luxury of known provenance of all our materials. Our customers are a mixture of hip ethical shoppers and fashion-forward trend setters.
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
We take great care to partner with mining programmes which demonstrate a strict code of conduct for social standards, including no child labour, fair advancement for all workers, living wages to employees or co-operative projects which invest back into the communities where possible. Environmental standards are tough and they have to be. Standard mining practices rank 2nd in the world for environmental damage and the consequences to water sources, fish, flora and fauna, as well as local communities who depend on these for their food sources can be devastating.
Fifi Bijoux was founded on the principle of maximising the positive impacts for the local communities.
What motivates you to do business this way?
I experienced the lack of transparency in the typical jewellery business model and saw that the value chain was heavily weighted after export of rough or unrefined goods, meaning a raw deal for the producers. The extreme problems in the jewellery industry have been well documented; a lack of traceability in the supply chain ultimately allows for conflict situations and for corruption to flourish. The film Blood Diamond shows the civil war which was funded by diamonds in the 1990’s; but similar atrocities occurred as recently as Nov 2009 in Zimbabwe when Mugabe’s troops murdered miners in the diamond fields. The DRC and Cote d’Ivoire remain volatile.
At worst, diamonds and precious minerals remain an easily smuggled hard currency. At best, mining companies who do actually fulfil high standards of CSR remain invisible and often lumped together with the worst offenders because of the lack of traceability. I think consumers should be able to make informed choices, especially on something as precious and sentimental as an engagement ring for example.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
The press have been kind and have shown great interest in Fifi Bijoux and my business model. I meet with private clients and work on design briefs with them, I also design ready to wear collections which are sold on-line and through our stockists. Currently, we have around 30 stockists across the UK and also export to France, New York and Australia.
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
Yes, most certainly. I see forward thinking business and sustainability being critical to the global economy.
Above image: Little Acorns – 10% profits to Child Sponsorship Project, Entebbe, Uganda
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
Know your supply chain. Use your purchasing power to make ethical choices. Accept that ‘being ethical’ is about making a journey; you have to start somewhere and don’t be discouraged if certain things elude you to begin with. Companies like Make Hay didn’t exist 10 years ago; but now boast a very lively client list and provide a green choice for business.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
We launched our own on-line boutique last year and it’s going from strength to strength. Export is also growing, so we hope that Fifi Bijoux will develop its international reputation in the next few years as well as the UK has received our designs.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work?
We have just launched a silver collection and a collection of 18ct gold engagement and wedding rings.
Visit the Fifi Bijoux website at www.fifibijoux.com
Monday, April 12th 2010 | Short URL
In the first of our interview features we are very happy to introduce one of our lovely Green Hosting clients, Bloom Psychology. Find out what motivates them to help people discover their ideal career and how they stand out from others in their field.
So please give them a very warm welcome…
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work.
We are Rob and Amelia, co-founders of Bloom Psychology. We’re psychologists who help people make and deal with change. We realise this may sound a bit vague, but for example we do a lot of work with people wanting to identify their best career.
Both of us made a career change ourselves (I was a management consultant and Amelia a TV Producer) so this has real meaning for us.
We also help leaders who want to improve their performance at work, Mums who want to return to work, people who want to improve their health and wellbeing, and teams that wish to work more productively together.
We think that the barriers to change are usually in the mind, so we use psychology to help people understand what’s going on and act more consciously towards what they really value.
How is your business different to that of others in your industry? How do you stand out from the crowd?
This may sound like a cliché, but our values really do set us apart.
Psychologists are all about evidence, and having proof for what you say. So being evidence based is a key value, because otherwise it’s difficult to make an informed decision. Another key value is to be remarkable, that is, we want to do work with people in a way which is inspiring and energising. We want to ‘bring psychology to life’.
We always work in the direction of someone’s strengths – ensuring that the change we make is authentic.
Finally, we gave up our jobs to do something that makes a difference. I remember too many jobs as a consultant which simply did not need doing. The client was being sold something they didn’t need. We don’t want to be like that, it has to be about more than profit.
All this doesn’t mean that we’re perfect, but it does mean that we try to do the right thing through what we do, not just what we say.
How would you say your work is ethically and / or environmentally responsible?
For the ethical stance, see above. We want to look back on this adventure and know that we stood for something beyond just success in the market. For example, we do cut price work for people on low incomes, pro bono work for good causes, and we also help businesses work out how they can change employee and consumer behaviour towards environmental issues.
But for the environment – other than using Make Hay and using public transport we think we could do a lot more! Any ideas from your readers?
What motivates you to do business this way?
Because if we can’t look back on our work, knowing we really did our best to take a stand for what we believe in….then really what’s the point? We see a lack of real leadership in this country with too many people looking after only their own interests. We want to stand for something more and set an example.
Ironically, we think that doing this will bring us more meaning and fulfilment and we reckon we’ll be more successful because people can see we mean it.
How do you communicate your positive work with clients and potential clients and how do they respond?
We’ve just completed an e-brochure of our services for organisations and we also have a great newsletter, Bloom Vine.
We also have a Blog, where we try to give as many career change exercises and resources away for free. We also feature an inspiring series of people who’ve changed careers on our Blog. If any of your clients would like to be featured please get in touch!
Follow us on Twitter, here. And finally we have a rather nice website, hosted by Make Hay!
Do you see your work as part of a movement of ethical business?
Yes. Organisations have the power to change the world. But it will take small businesses and their consumers to lead the way, it will take us to show them how it can be done. It’s all about being authentic to a set of values beyond mere profit. If this sounds wishy washy to anyone, there’s strong evidence that organisations that operate in this way also outperform those that don’t. Quite simply, people want to trust the people they work with.
Share your top 3 tips on how other businesses can work more responsibly.
Clearly, we all have a responsibility to think about the resources we consume. Making this the default setting in your life (think ‘Nudge’) by making good habits easier is key.
But we have only 1 proper tip. Most people make decisions automatically, almost on auto pilot. But this means we tend to make choices based on short term comparisons – how’s he or she doing, am I missing out?
Our tip is to identify the things that are really important to you in terms of values. Then to live more consciously in pursuit of these. Money is not a value, it’s the values that it buys you (think about security, freedom, status) that really matter to people.
How do you see the future of your business and what are you most excited about?
Right now, we’re trying to bring the cost of our career services down by introducing a brilliant online career decision making tool called CareerStorm Navigator (see pic).
In terms of our work for organisations we’re looking forward to delivering more of the services which we are good at – employee engagement, change management and coaching. Our recent clients include Directgov, the School of Life, The Arts Council and working out in the desert for the Abu Dhabi Civil Service (see pic)!
In terms of our own development, we are pioneering the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in our work. This is a new, evidence-based way of helping people deal with change and stress which is incredibly effective in helping people identify and make progress towards the things they value most.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work?
We don’t love it all the time. Seriously, running your own business isn’t about becoming happier, which many people think it is. Since starting, we’ve been more stressed, more tired, more anxious and every day we face new challenges and frustrations.
But the difference is we know that we’re doing something that matters. We’ll have no regrets…and there’s no happier thought than that.
Visit Bloom Psychology at www.bloompsychology.co.uk
Friday, January 16th 2009 | Short URL
One of our recent web design projects, finished ready to bring in the New Year, was Elio Studio from the lovely Leonora Oppenheim.
Elio Studio is a sustainable design and consultancy practice, providing services in bespoke design, consultancy and writing. They specialise in communicating environmental issues and bringing it into the mainstream via a multi-disciplinary approach, including research, concept development, text, image & sculptural installation.
The Elio Studio website tells us all about the practice and latest news but look out for further developments soon. Visit them at www.eliostudio.com
Friday, January 16th 2009 | Short URL
Make Hay web design client Ethical Weddings has joined forces with Greenfinder and Just The Thing to host the UK’s first Eco Chic Wedding and Home Show.
The event takes place on Sunday 8th March at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens from 11am to 4pm.
Going green shouldn’t just be for your big day, so as well as exhibitors and suppliers from the ethical wedding industry visitors will find beautiful items for their homes too.
Visit the Ethical Weddings website to find out more.
Friday, December 19th 2008 | Short URL
Well, this year is nearly over and its flown by in a flash. I thought it would be good to finish up this year with a ‘Client News Round-up’ and tell you about some of the clients we’ve been working with this month.
Lovely new web design clients
Professional caterers C8TER needed a brand new website and a way to communicate how they feel about good quality, locally sourced and organic food. So that’s what we did. C8TER is also hosted on our wind powered Green Hosting
Check them out at www.c8ter.co.uk
‘SPAG’ work to protect seals and their environment across the UK and overseas. They needed a fresh new look and a content management system to keep visitors up to date with their news and campaigns. SPAG also uses our Green Hosting
Visit them at www.sealaction.org
Green Hosting clients…
A daily glossy online magazine for vintage lovers everywhere
www.queensofvintage.com
A production company based in Uganda specialising in wildlife documentaries and conservation films
www.earthmedia.co.uk
Make Mail clients…
PR agency Green Rocket helps companies with an authentic green focus communicate their message. Our Make Mail newsletter system helps them to communicate with their clients.
www.greenrocketgroup.com
ScotsCare, the charity for Scots in London, uses our Make Mail newsletter system to keep visitors up to date with year-round news and events
www.scotscare.com
Friday, September 19th 2008 | Short URL
I’d like to apologise to our readers for the recent silence on the Make Hay blog. The only reason for this is work, work and more work which means that we’re getting the opportunity to collaborate with more amazing, ethical businesses and individuals.
So, less about us and more about them. Here’s our latest client news round-up:
One of our latest web design creations, launched just this week is the London Insight Meditation website. London Insight offers a programme of events based in the insight or vipassana meditation tradition. With a group of leading teachers, they explore the application of authentic Buddhist teachings in London city living.
They now have a brand new look website plus visitors are able to book online for their events, listen to talks and find useful resources. There is also a new blog to keep you up to date with all their news.
Check them out at www.londoninsightmeditation.org.uk
Our latest Make Mail (e-mail marketing) client Susan Davies is an expert in personal development and life coaching. Her services include addiction recovery, emotional freedom technique, spiritual mentoring and personal, professional, couples and family coaching
Why not sign up to her newsletter to find out more? Also, see her testimonials page for an impressive read!
Visit: www.susanscoaching.co.uk
Now using our Green Hosting, powered by the wind, Greenmystyle.com is a place to find and share discoveries, reviews and tips about fashion, beauty and home style done the kinder way.
Now there’s no excuse not to keep up with the latest in eco style with Greenmystyle.com’s daily updates. Take a look at their directory too!
Check it out at www.greenmystyle.com
Green Hosting and Make Hay web design client Leonora Oppenheim is playing a big part in a major event this autumn. Leonora works as a Sustainable Design Consultant and will be speaking at Grand Designs Live in Birmingham.
The Grand Designs LIVE event will feature several ‘Grand Seminars‘ focusing on environmentally friendly building and design. Running from 10th to 12th October these seminars will include talks on reducing the negative environmental impact on self-builds, the eco credentials of prefabricated houses and furnishing your home with eco interiors. Leonora will be speaking in the ‘Best Eco Footprint Forward’ debate.
Green Hosting client Allthingseco are working alongside radio station Passion for the Planet to encourage debate on biofuels. As there are so many views on the pros and cons of biofuels Passion will be bringing in experts to discuss the issues from different perspectives.
An online poll is available for you to give your opinion on the subject. Visit the Allthingseco website at: www.allthingseco.co.uk/econews-september08.php to find out more.
Thursday, August 7th 2008 | Short URL
Here’s the latest from a few of our clients…
Now using our Green Hosting, powered by the wind:
Natural Nursery Blog
News and updates on green products, activities and baby and family stories.
www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk
DEA Services Wimbledon
Domestic energy assessing and home energy assessing services in Wimbledon.
www.deaserviceswimbledon.co.uk
Grasslands Trust
A national charity protecting grasslands and wildlife-rich meadows.
www.grasslands-trust.org
Pledging for Change
Affiliation and promotions for business who are seeking change.
www.pledgingforchange.org
Our lovely Green Hosting clients Pure Design will be taking part in in the Eco Fashion Show and Party in London on Tuesday 12th August at Club for Climate.
Items will be on show and available to buy from some of Pure Design’s designers and many more.
By special invitation from Pure Design you can recieve 25% off the entrance fee for the show. Download the invitation flyer to find out more.
For further details visit Pure Design’s blog and to book tickets go to www.eco-fashion.co.uk
Baby Boo Organic became one of our Green Hosting clients earlier this year. Recently I was very pleased to hear news of their international success. Here’s what they told me…
“Since the lunch of Natural and Organic range of baby bath care products, Baby Boo Organic has been inundated with calls and emails from stockists from around the world. We have had interest from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Australia, USA, Israel, Hong Kong and Singapore….Here in the UK we have had very positive feedback from two major pharmacy chains in relation to stocking the Baby Boo Organic range.
We have had 54000 hits on our website since the launch of our products in April 2008.”
Make Hay & Green Hosting clients: Get in touch and tell us your latest news. We’ll share it here on Make Hay, The Blog
Monday, July 7th 2008 | Short URL
Here’s the latest from a few of our Make Hay clients…
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
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!
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
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
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