More for Less

Q: What do the recession, the price of oil, the Queen’s Speech, the government’s new budget and English football all have in common?
A: They’ve all been good news masquerading as disasters.

Wherever you look, it seems the message is now the same: we urgently need to achieve more with less. Actually, despite what many politicians and pundits tell us, this is not a cause for doom and gloom at all. In fact it is a supremely worthwhile message at this critical time.

We need to achieve more with less because we have been wasting just about everything: not just money and fossil fuel but also time, human creativity, trust, opportunity and freedom. Our profligacy with all these resources has not only been damaging to our environment, it has also crippled our relationships and emptied our bank accounts. Finally, it has made us all begin to eye each other as competitively as the last survivors in a lost lifeboat.

OK, here’s the shocker: doing more with less is not an austerity agenda; it is, in fact, an agenda for abundance.

Wasting less money, energy, stuff, time, trust, space and creativity means competing less for dwindling resources. This is being re-sourceful. When we are more re-sourceful, we enjoy more freedom. We get more for less – more of what we really want: productivity, reciprocity, time, enjoyment, kudos, trust and happiness.

If you think this is overambitious or that it simply can’t be done, call Re-Sourceful and we’ll show you how.

The Bath Prize

The Bath Prize is a unique annual painting competition designed to stimulate new work, recognise and reward the best, and display it in the City that inspired it.

This year Re-Sourceful is sponsoring a new category, ‘Reclaimed, Recycled & Environmentally Aware’.

To find out more visit http://www.thebathprize.co.uk/

Time To Think

You may have been one of the lucky ones who recently got their hands on ‘National Trust: The Album’. The album, created by former Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker, is a mix of British natural sounds, such as birdsong and crashing waves recorded at a range of National Trust locations.

The idea came about after some research carried out by the National Trust highlighted the everyday distractions of our modern technology driven lives, and how we as a nation struggle to concentrate for prolonged periods with the constant interruptions of mobile phones or email alerts! We seem to think better with the sound of birdsong or the sea in our ears.

The National Trust approached Re-Sourceful for some help to bring this project to life. Clearly we were delighted to be involved on the design of the CD, the sleeve and it’s production.

Considering the nature of the album and Jarvis Cocker’s involvement, Re-Sourceful created a vibrant album cover that reflected a quirkier National Trust than many of us are used to. This design approach fed on to the CD itself and of course we produced the sleeve from FSC certified stock.

The album has been incredibly well received with over 7000 downloads from the National Trust website. As Jarvis Cocker comments. “I hope this album is a "Holiday for the Ears". It's not really meant to be listened to intently, like a piece of music, but more as something to have on in the background to aid relaxation or contemplation.”

If you weren’t lucky enough to lay your hands on one of the albums, don’t fret you can still download it from www.nationaltrust.org.uk/soundsalbum.

Re-Sourceful thoroughly enjoyed helping the National Trust bring this project to life and aiding the relaxation of the nation! We don’t just develop and source cool eco products - we are creative thinkers and designers too! Get in touch if you have anything you’d like our help with.

http://www.re-sourceful.co.uk/blog/?catname=blog

Be The Change

With the election just around the corner we thought that we would promote positive change (don’t worry we’re not going to get all party political).

We’ve got 20 copies of ‘Be The Change’ to give away to Re-View readers. The book is a collection of interviews with some of the world’s most inspiring social entrepreneurs, environmentalists and policy creators - we’ll even get, author, Trenna Cormack to write a personal message inside each copy.

Here’s a couple of snippets to whet your whistle:

‘On 7th July 2005, Gill Hicks was a passenger on the London Underground, when a suicide bomber blew up her carriage. She lost both legs…..After the bombing, she left her high-flying career at the Design Council, and is now an ambassador for the charity Peace Direct.’

‘You can make a lot of speeches, but the real thing is when you dig a hole, plant a tree, give it water, and make it survive. That’s what makes the difference’. Wangari Maathai

All you have to do get a copy is to look around your workplace and come up with an idea that would change it for the better, ‘Turn Me Off’ stickers on all your plugs, for example.

Post your ideas to our blog and the best 20 will be contacted.

Time is of the essence

With the evenings drawing out and light waiting for us at the end of the working day, it suddenly feels like there is a lot more time to play with. With the clocks springing forward later in the month, the opportunities to put this time to good use seem endless.

There’s the garden and allotments that can be tended, the run in the evening light around the park and the much needed post-work drink in the beer garden. But one of the most valuable uses of our time is to donate it to someone else.

Rather than giving money, or old clothes or unwanted toys and books, the most valuable commodity we can donate to the plethora of deserving causes is our time – and it doesn’t need to feel like a chore. Why not match your passions, interests and skills with a volunteering opportunity to suit?

One organisation that can assist you in achieving this is TimeBank – http://www.timebank.org.uk/ - a national charity that connects people with voluntary opportunities that fit with your interests and suit your lifestyle. So whilst it’s an opportunity to get involved and support local well deserving projects it’s also a chance to do something you enjoy and perhaps develop skills that have laid dormant for a while – sounds like a good use of time.

Beyond the individual this also offers a great opportunity to business to give back to their local community. Harnessing the skills within the business and giving employees the opportunity to get involved in something beyond their core working responsibilities, not only motivates staff but also reflects well on the brand.

At the same time why not review how your organisation promotes itself and if you use promotional gifts, ask what they really say about you as a brand. If the answer is ‘not much’, take a look at our charity products - http://www.re-sourceful.co.uk/charity - to see how we can help you say more about your brand.
Time is of the essence – make the most of it.

Flying the Flag

Continuing with our theme of love for February, we’d like to share some of the brands that light up our day and confirm our belief that you can place ethics at the core of your business without hampering your success and if done properly, enhancing it.

Triodos Bank – a bank that only invests in ethical and sustainable organisations that have a positive impact on people and the planet. And they’ll tell you exactly whom they are lending to. With confidence and trust in our banking system at an all time low it’s nice to know that there are organisations within this sector with an ethical mission that gives our money the chance to do some good rather than just paying some rather debateable bonuses!

Phillips - as a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips links its sustainability and ethics programs with the company’s core strategy. Even more importantly, Philips grades its success by measurable results - by 2012, Philips aims to generate 30 percent of total revenue off Green Products, further increase energy efficiency of the company by 25 percent and double the company’s investment in Green Innovations.

Wholefoods – since launching in the 80’s they have become the world’s leader in natural and organic foods by staying true to their original commitments of seeking out the finest natural and organic foods available and supporting sustainable agriculture. Through their Whole Planet Foundation they aim to alleviate poverty by empowering a community of micro entrepreneurs.

Google – they may slowly be taking over the world but they are doing so without compromising their ethics and through Google.org - the company’s philanthropic arm, which uses the power of information and technology to address some of the world’s most challenging problems: Climate change, poverty, disasters and disease - they have committed over $75 million in investments and grants in various projects around the world.

GreenKnickers – these guys confirm you don’t need to be big to be successful and ethical. Their materials are certified and sustainable, they use recycled packaging materials and they make you think when you get dressed in the morning - GreenKnickers prove that ethical products can still be fun, beautiful and sexy!

These are a few of the brands that we love, who else should we be shouting about?

What Eco Products Do You Love?

As February is the month of love we thought we’d share some of the eco and ethical products that we love here at Re-Sourceful.

1. Green Knickers – as it’s Valentines, what better eco product than pants that are 100% recycled, 100% local and even have an organic cotton gusset! http://www.greenknickers.org/
2. Green Flower Pen – once the ink runs out, plant the biodegradable pen and a plant will grow. With every pen bought, we will give a donation to Tree Aid.
3. Elephant Poo Paper Roses – 12 odourless paper roses that will last longer than your normal Valentines flowers.
4. Banner bags – re-using old advertising hoardings and producing unique and stylish courier bags. You can even use your old hoardings left over from an event that were destined for landfill and turn them into something desirable.
5. Vinyl Record Bowl – retro bowls made from 12” vinyl records. Each bowl still carries the original label and looks pretty cool.
6. Green Bannerstand – exhibitions needn’t produce a whole host of waste. One way to cut down on the waste that you make is to use Eco Bannerstands that are recycled to begin with and 100% recyclable at the end of their use - and you can print all over them.
7. Eco USB Wristband – colourful and 100% recycled wristbands that provide the perfect place to store documents when on the move.
8. Hot Water Bottle Bag – reclaimed and unique, these bags will keep you warm on these cold February nights!
9. Circuit Board Business Card Holder – it’s cool, it’s stylish and re-uses materials that had nowhere else to go. What more could you want?
10. Fire Hose Belts – when fire hoses reach the end of the road for their primary purpose they used to go to landfill. Now though, they can be transformed into numerous cool accessories like this belt.

The world is full of great green products, and with business and promotional gifts the eco and ethical options available are growing all the time. At Re-Sourceful, we are always on the lookout for new and interesting green products to add to our range. Take a look at our site and see how we can help you communicate in a more resourceful way.

Please tell us about the eco products that you love – February is about all types of love after all.

Resolutions – are yours still going?

With February drawing near, for many those well-intentioned New Year resolutions are already distant memories. Whether it was to get in shape, cut down on chocolate or read more books, the majority of us will be struggling to keep up with our optimistic aims for 2010.

Resolutions should not just be for personal improvement however; they should also consider ways in which to improve our businesses. This applies to the business owner as well as all of the company stakeholders - and 2010’s business resolutions should be eco inspired. Here at Re-Sourceful, we have a number of ambitions for the New Year and our no.1 goal is to help more businesses promote themselves in the correct way – which is relevant, ethical and eco aware.

Here are a few suggestions that your company could resolve to achieve in 2010 to get your business greener:
1. Get an audit – review your company’s energy use, wastage, recycling and look at the alternatives. Simple, eco and cost-effective measures can be introduced for most business operations making your business a more sustainable one. http://www.c-changesc.org/
2. Look at your suppliers – do they employ ethical and eco practices in supplying their products and services? If not, switch to someone who does.
3. Do your desk research – when considering your suppliers remember your basic stationery. Pens, usb’s, staplers, rubbers, notepads, mousemats – they can all be green.
4. Encourage employee participation – any green resolution has a greater chance of succeeding if your employees buy into it. Or better still; suggest it in the first place. Encouraging your employees to suggest the eco aims of the organisation and then making these part of your sustainability plan, proves you mean business.
5. Company travel schemes – incentivise employees to get out of their car and find an alternative way to work one day a week. 1 in every 2 of us drives to work each and every day. If we all left our cars at home for just one day a week and used public transport, rode our bike or walked instead we would have cleaner air to breathe, less traffic, and a smaller carbon footprint to boot. http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

So if your struggling to maintain your personal resolutions why not focus on your business ones? Re-Sourceful can help you in achieving a number of greener business objectives and where we can’t we can normally recommend someone who can.

Please give us a call if we can help you in 2010 and use this blog to share your company’s green business objectives for this year.