Friday, November 30, 2007

Sarah Irving - Ethical Consumer magazine


How old are you?
31

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
Writer and researcher, Ethical Consumer magazine

How long have been doing this?
Since 1999, with a break in the middle

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
Firstly, Ethical Consumer’s main purpose is to research what companies do to the environment, human rights, animal welfare and on issues like GM and political donations – whether it’s good or bad, and then make that information as widely available as possible. We do that by producing Ethical Consumer magazine and a consumer information website called ethiscore.org, and providing information for companies and charities who want to know more about the ethics of their suppliers and sponsors.
Secondly, Ethical Consumer as an organisation tries to operate as ethically as possible. We’re a workers’ co-op, which means that everyone gets a say in how things are run. We work from a co-operatively-run workspace in a social housing building. We use renewable energy, print the magazine on recycled paper using environmentally-friendly inks, and generally try to think through the implications of our sourcing and policy decisions.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Hearing about real changes that people have made because of information they’ve had from us – whether it’s one person choosing to buy ethical products at home, or an entire company deciding to switch to selling only energy-efficient white goods.

What’s the worst thing?
All the really depressing information we have to read through about appalling things that companies do, whether it’s the conditions for child labourers picking cotton in Uzbekistan, or Kettle Chips hiring union-busters in Britain, or the amount of companies that still depend on selling us cheap flights that are destroying the planet.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Hard work – we’ve had a lot more consultancy work in, which is great because it reflects the growing interest in information about company behaviour and sustainability, and hopefully people will act on what they know.

What were you doing before this?
I’d quit my job at a bookseller and had spent the previous year travelling and doing volunteer work with various groups, including the Women’s Environmental Network.

What was your very first full-time job?
A bookseller at Blackwell’s.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Get some proper solid skills, whether it’s computer skills, bookkeeping, design – the ‘ethical’ sector is full of people like me who had some vague humanities degree and had done some volunteering. What will set you apart will be having some practical use, rather than a history degree and a desire to do good. I wouldn’t have hired me as I was eight years ago!

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Sleep. Plant the heritage variety apple trees I have on order from Keeper’s Nursery. Get married! And at work, help to launch our revamped new website next year.

What do you do to relax?
Read Barbara Kingsolver or Ahdaf Soueif books, get muddy on my allotment, or eat chocolate in front of Sex & The City DVDs. Sometimes drink tequila and dance, but I don’t seem to be able to do that as often as I used to!

Who do you live with?
My fiance Marc, an NHS physiotherapist, and my cats Delilah (large, black & white) and Cassidy (blue-eyed and slinky with 3 legs)

Whereabouts do you live?
Moss Side in Manchester

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Implement personal carbon rationing, so that if rich people find it so important to be able to live in big expensive houses, fly on a weekly basis and drive gas-guzzling cars they have to pay out really serious money to do it. Making air travel expensive is often portrayed as a matter of making ordinary families unable to get their one holiday in the sun. Actually, most cheap flights are taken by affluent people who fly regularly for things like weekend breaks in Europe or even, nowadays, the Gulf or USA. That’s really unacceptable and it has to stop.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Bicycles, I hope! Maybe if there are more of them around, there will be market incentives to develop really good rainwear for cyclists, too.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
I really, really need to replace our probably hideously inefficient old boiler

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Some of the things in the answer to ‘what’s best about your job,’ but also some of the things I did when I was doing voluntary human rights work in Palestine. I played a really small role, but I know for a fact that there’s at least one guy, who has young kids, who is still alive because I happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right information. That’s a pretty amazing feeling.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
The ones that really grab me personally are violence against women and the Palestinian people’s struggle for their rights, but on a global scale nothing tops climate change at the moment, because if we don’t address this, and soon, nothing else is going to matter anyway…

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
Journalist Robert Fisk for his integrity and willingness to say deeply unfashionable things, and writer Barbara Kingsolver for writing about the world’s problems and possible solutions to them in a sane and profoundly beautiful way.

What’s your website address?
www.ethicalconsumer.org

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
www.ethicsgirls.co.uk, because it makes ethical living fun and fresh
www.seat61.com, because it gives amazingly useful, practical information about getting to all sorts of places on trains – and I can use it to plan a non-flight honeymoon to Morocco!
www.creamogalloway.co.uk because I visited this maker of organic, fair trade ice-cream recently and was really inspired by their holistic approach to running a financially and environmentally sustainable business. They’ve installed renewable energy generation on-site and really think in-depth about animal welfare, as well as making absolutely gorgeous fair trade, organic product product itself.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Jason Boom - Environmental Community Warden, Hebden Royd Town Council


How old are you?
37 on the birth certificate, but the years have been unkind, I look a little older.

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I’m the Environmental Community Warden for Hebden Royd Town Council.

How long have been doing this?
I’ve just passed the first anniversary, still in the honeymoon period.

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
I consider appropriate/sustainable issues all the time. The small size of our organisation means this has to be considered at all times.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Walking past a site/project that I have been involved with and thinking…..I did that!

What’s the worst thing?
Too many projects being caused by unthinking residents/politicians/businesses. Respect for others would put me out of work.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Busy, I’ve met so many interesting people and realised it’s not just me who wants to change where I live.

What were you doing before this?
I spent 3 years looking after my young family and before that ran a retail business for 10 years, Health Foods and pills & potions.

What was your very first full-time job?
Stacking shelves at ASDA, a great motivator for getting out and improving yourself.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Start local, volunteer in your home town/village and see the difference you can make where you live. You’ll then realise how you can improve people’s surroundings.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Learn to say no. This is a skill that I really do need to learn – does anybody know of a training course for this?

What do you do to relax?
I tend not to, more volunteering followed by trips to the Pub. I do like Musical Theatre but find it expensive to take the whole clan.

Who do you live with?
Long suffering partner Julia and the brood Tom, 5, William, 3 and Molly, 2.

Whereabouts do you live?
Luddenden, 3 miles from Hebden Bridge in the old Village Hall.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Invest in Common Sense, a commodity in short supply. Add in some respect, remove greed and away we go!

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
I’d like to see walking make a return, if only people would work, shop and play close to where they live. There seems to be a preoccupation with getting away from where we live, if it’s that bad don’t bloody live there!

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
My three spot lights in the kitchen, they use more electric than all the other bulbs in the house, I refuse to eat my cornflakes in dim light.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Yet to have an answer for this one, the latest project seems to always be better than the last one. I’m chuffed to have lovely kids.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Big business and the way individuals don’t realise how they are being manipulated. I get manipulated but at least I am aware of it.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
Difficult one, I really admire the chap on Grand Designs called Ben who built his home out of wood from the woodland he manages.

What’s your website address?
I’m not posh enough to have my own but I appear on the Heb Web regularly, updates on work new projects etc. I like to been seen on paper too, the Hebden Bridge Times is very accommodating.

Andy Middleton - Founder of TYF


How old are you?
48

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
Eco entrepreneur and adventurer – I’m Founder and MD of The TYF Group

How long have been doing this?
22 years

What’s the best bit about your job?
Freedom to choose what I do, and knowing that I can make a difference

What’s the worst thing?
Not having enough to time everything I’d love to do

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Exciting and bit like winter in nature – all of the good stuff happening in places where you can’t see it growing

What were you doing before this?
I ran a windsurfing and surfing school for a couple of years and before that, I worked as a geologist in a gold mine in the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia.

What was your very first full-time job?
Geologist’s assistant, gold exploration.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Start and grow a training and events business that gives us the capacity to share good practice and management skills for a sustainable future

What do you do to relax?
Surf, mountain bike, cycle and guitar with friends and family

Who do you live with?
My wife Sarah and four fantastic teenage children

Whereabouts do you live?
On the coast in St Davids, on the west coast of Wales

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Introduce Contraction & Convergence as a fair share way of managing our carbon reduction journey.

If you had to choose just one of three identical products which differed only in that one was Soil Association certified organic, one was certified Fairtrade and one was produced 10 miles from your home, which would you choose and why?
Vegetables and bread – locally grown/made; tea and coffee, Fairtrade; rices, pasta and oils, Organic. Why? Seems to be the best mix of do good, consume less, make a difference.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
I have more surfboards that I can use at one time

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Creating a business that shows it’s possible to make a difference, have fun with good people, and make enough money to live and grow strong

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Most people seem to have no idea of how serious the current environmental situation is.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
Satish Kumar, Editor of Resurgence – he’s the living embodiment of walking lightly and talking wisely

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Be really clear about what’s different about you and your product or service; leave fear and failure at the door and try lots of small steps quickly to accelerate your learning; build networks like there’s no tomorrow

What’s your website address?
www.tyf.com

What are your three favourite other websites at the moment?
www.dothegreenthing.com; www.howies.com ; www.guardian.co.uk

Adam Read - Hyder Consulting


How old are you?
34 in January.

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
Technical director, Head of waste management – Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited

How long have been doing this?
3 years

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
I help authorities empower & encourage residents to recycle, re-use and minimise their waste streams.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Working with many different authorities makes every day a different challenge.

What’s the worst thing?
Long hours, early mornings and dark nights.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Chaos. So many authorities are driving forward their sustainable waste management policies and services that we have been inundated with new assignments to design consultation, communication, education and awareness raising programmes throughout the UK.

What were you doing before this?
I have been a waste management consultant for 8 years and before that I was a university lecturer for 5 years.

What was your very first full-time job?
I was recycling officer for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. I started the day after my finals and have been in the sector ever since.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Get experience. Volunteer as a campaigner with a consultancy / NGO.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Work a normal week. Reduce the length of day. Limit my travel by car.

What do you do to relax?
Swim. Watch sport. Read science-fiction. Travel.

Who do you live with?
My partner – Sue. She works in waste for a government agency. Plus my cavalier king charles and a collection of Wombles (stuffed of course!)

Whereabouts do you live?
Daventry, Northamptonshire.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Introduce pay as you throw charges to encourage producer responsibility.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Bio-fuels will play a significant role. And we will commute less as more people work from home.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
I drive a sports car at weekends.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Inspiring a number of current waste industry consultants to embark on a career in waste management.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Global warming and the impact of the developing economies on emissions.

What’s your website address?
www.hyderconsulting.com

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
http://www.letsrecycle.com
http://www.residua.com/residua/welcome.html
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/index.html

Hugo House - Communications Manager, Good Energy


How old are you?
31

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
Communications Manager, Good Energy

How long have been doing this?
2 ½ years

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
Good Energy is the only 100% renewable electricity supplier in the UK

What’s the best bit about your job?
Telling people about the solutions to climate change.

What’s the worst thing?
Talking to people who won’t believe that individuals can’t make a difference

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Exciting and busy: climate change and renewables has been one of 2007’s hottest stories.

What were you doing before this?
I used to work in TV

What was your very first full-time job?
Milking cows (I was about 7 and it felt full-time)

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Make sure you succeed – strive for the job you want, work hard at it and make a difference.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
We’ll I’m getting married in April, I’d like to get a dog and have a baby too

What do you do to relax?
I like playing rugby and growing vegetables

Who do you live with?
My fiancé, Lizzy

Whereabouts do you live?
In a little village just outside Bath

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Get some very good advice – change the cabinet.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
I’d like it to be trains and bikes

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
I don’t think so – there’s no point feeling guilty about your carbon footprint, just do what you can to keep it small.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
I’ve recently set up a mini rugby club for the kids in my village.
What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
All the people who think that mankind isn’t fantastic at adapting to change and who don’t believe a low carbon economy is just around the corner.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
Ken Livingstone – he makes the right choices, not just the popular ones.

What’s your website address?
www.good-energy.co.uk

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
www.green.tv
www.howies.co.uk
www.nef.org.uk

Paul Tuite - ECOutlet


How old are you?
34

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I set up and run ECOutlet so I work for myself.

How long have been doing this?
About 18 months now

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
We source and sell eco-friendly products designed to help people lead a more environmentally responsible lifestyle.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Being the boss, hearing back from happy customers and taking part in eco fairs and exhibitions. It’s nice to break free from the computer every now and again.

What’s the worst thing?
Too much to do and not enough time to do it. Products which don’t live up to expectations, it’s disappointing for us and the customers and tarnishes the whole eco friendly concept.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Challenging, exciting, busy and very rewarding.

What were you doing before this?
My last full time job prior to forming the company was as an Environmental assistant in the Department of Health.

What was your very first full-time job?
Barman in a nightclub in Belfast

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
It’s quiet scary giving up a regular salary to embark on your own business so the best advice I could give anyone thinking about setting up on their own is to research as much as possible and gain as much experience as possible in their chosen field prior to taking the plunge.


Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
We have quiet a few ideas for next year but nothing as yet is set in stone so I can’t share I’m afraid.

What do you do to relax?
Red wine, movies, weekends on my bike going around London, walking, good food at home and eating out, listening to my itunes.

Who do you live with?
My partner

Whereabouts do you live?
Archway, North London

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Form a task force to implement large scale renewable energies sufficient in size to meet the UK’s future power supplies. I’d probably have a cabinet re-shuffle too and install lots more women into cabinet positions.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Sadly I think it will still probably be cars but more fuel efficient ones. I’d love to think it might be bicycles. I cycle everywhere and love it. We really need something like the Velib system in Paris introduced into UK cities soon. If our cities and towns were more bike-friendly and bicycles were more freely available a lot more people would feel confident commuting on two wheels. Going back to the earlier question if I was Prime Minister I’d make Fridays car-free days so everyone would have to walk or cycle everywhere.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
If I had to pick on one carbon misdemeanour I’d say the main one is actually flying home to Ireland 2 or 3 times a year to visit family for the weekend. The train/boat option from London to Dublin takes so long in comparison and because I’m needed here 5 days a week it’s just not a viable option for me at the moment as it takes a whole day to get there overland. I have cut down considerably on all other flights though and not taken any for two years now.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Taking ECOutlet from an idea in my head to where it’s at now is pretty high up there but I’m just happy and proud to be doing something I enjoy and feel is worthwhile.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Probably overpopulation. I find it difficult to fathom how the planet and it’s resources will be able to cope with an increased population of another 2 billion in the next 25 years and then however many after that. We’re already over-exploiting all the natural resources we have available to us, rainforests, fish stocks, oil reserves….. almost everything on the planet apart from the human race seems to be in decline. The human population is expected to increase by 80 million a year from here on in, so how the planet can possibly sustain those figures is the scariest and most neglected issue facing the world at large in my opinion.


Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
No one particular person stands out for me but I admire people involved in conservation, particularly wildlife conservation. It’s a challenging job and often not particularly well paid but obviously very important.

What’s your website address?
www.ecoutlet.co.uk

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
www.planetark.org
www.treehugger.com
www.smartplanet.com

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Virginia Rowe - Style Will Save Us


How old are you?
Ah, now that would be telling!

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I founded and edit StyleWillSaveUs.com – the hipsters guide to a peachy green lifestyle.

How long have been doing this?
Since Summer ’06.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Oooh, there’s lots! Finding new writers, discovering cool new products, designers and places to write about, doing little bits and bobs for TV on eco style….

What’s the worst thing?
Being inseparable from my laptop, it’s my ball and chain!

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
StyleWillSaveUs.com is only published online (no paper, we’re saving trees!) and we are totally, 100% focused on only ever promoting and writing about super-stylish ethical, green and vintage stuff!

As cheap and easily available oil is expected to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Mmmm, I’m hoping for solar-powered wings.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
A roller coaster.

What were you doing before?
I worked at a style agency, representing fashion stylists and producing photo shoots for magazines and advertising. And before that, I was an accessories designer…

What was your very first full-time job?
I worked for a very portentous fashion photographers’ agency! They thought they were utterly fabulous, dahhhhling!

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Nope. Well, there might be a new addition to the site, but it’s still being worked on and I’m so bored of telling people about it as it was supposed to be ready 8 months ago!!! So, I’ll stick with nope!

What do you do to relax?
As many massages as my bank account can withstand, kickboxing, dancing and I’m actually a bit of a film buff too.

Who do you live with?
My lovely husband.

Whereabouts do you live?
London.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you do?
Resign!

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Guilty secrets? Nooooooo! I’m pretty green and serene! I don’t believe in feeling guilty for not being perfect though!

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Set up StyleWillSaveUs.com and garnered thousands of lovely, loyal fans around the globe.

What are you most concerned about in the world at large?
That the world won’t be a safe place for my kids, when I have them, that is.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
Not one living person! They’re all toe-rags. I’d like to do a bit of mix and match with different people, maybe… create my own public idol.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Do it with a business partner – it’s good to share the burden. Something I wish I had. But then I’m such a control freak the partnership wouldn’t last 5 minutes. They’d have to be an angel.

What’s your website address?
www.StyleWillSaveUs.com

What are your three favourite other websites?
www.AmericanApparel.net for the coolest, sweat-shop free tshirty fashion, with the most sex-on-legs photo shoots! I always get a bunch of my Christmas presents form ethical gift site www.goodgifts.org and last year we bought an acre of rainforest on http://www.staro.org/index.php?id=chooseacre – you can even choose which bit to go for – everyone should own one!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Richard Jacobs - Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd


How old are you?
44

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
Chief Executive of Organic Farmers & Growers, one of the UK’s leading organic certification bodies and the first approved by the Government to carry out the inspection and licensing of organic food and farming.

How long have been doing this?
I’ve been at OF&G since 2000 starting as a Certification Officer, then Certification Manager and now Chief Exec.

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
We’re supporting and promoting organic food, farming and other enterprises, such as cosmetics. In addition we now inspect and licence composting (not just organic) on behalf of The Composting Association. All of these areas contribute to the best and most efficient use of resources, the protection of the environment and the welfare of animals. In the case of composting it’s about turning what could otherwise be waste into a useful, sustainable product.

What’s the best bit about your job? Feeling that I’m doing my bit for activities that will take some of the strain off the planet. And on a more personal level I hope that we’re making organics accessible to more farmers and food producers who already have plenty of red tape to navigate through.

What’s the worst thing?
Dealing with bureaucracy, particularly at the European level, where sometimes rules are made with little discussion and without full consideration of the realities of farming and food production.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Both good and bad. Organics is growing strongly and more and more people are understanding what it means and the benefits it delivers. On the flipside we’ve been faced with many problems this year in the form of foot and mouth, bluetongue and now avian flu. These are putting real pressure on farmers, who are a large part of our client base, in many ways, most of which are not immediately visible to their customers; the public.

What were you doing before this?
I was Farm Manager for the Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm, an organic farm in Berkshire.

What was your very first full-time job?
Stacking shelves in a supermarket.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
I think in this field it’s crucial to believe passionately in what you are doing. Organics is still finding its place in the world so we are all ambassadors and need to be able to communicate the benefits to those we meet and those we can influence.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
With the addition of composting licensing and other projects we’ve had a busy year, so the next 12 months will be about consolidation in some areas, but hopefully with continued steady growth. We’ve got some events planned and there are important messages to spread, not least about getting more arable farmers to produce the organic crops we desperately need. Besides that, it’s sometimes hard to know what’s around the corner in this arena!

What do you do to relax?
I enjoy socialising, walking, reading, watching movies and the occasional glass of wine.

Whereabouts do you live?
In the lovely Shropshire county town of Shrewsbury, where OF&G has its headquarters.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
I’d put an immediate halt to the impending threat of the pollution of our countryside by genetically modified organisms. The Government seems determined to move towards introducing these unnatural elements into our landscape and we don’t know what the consequences will be. The hardest hit are likely to be the organic farmers. We don’t allow any GM in organic produce, so if they suffer cross-contamination from GM fields they will lose the benefits of their hard work and payback for their higher costs because they won’t be able to sell their produce on the organic market. So far there isn’t even a clear policy on whether they would be compensated. We say the polluter should pay but we’re far from certain that’s what the Government is thinking.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027? Probably similar to what we use now but with cleaner fuels and more efficient engines. I’m not sure that biofuels are going to be anything like the whole answer and they risk taking land away from food production. We’re probably going to have to rely heavily on the scientists and engineers for this one…

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Not that I can think of. I grow my own organic fruit and veg and make my own compost. I do have to fly for work sometimes, but we ensure we carbon offset the whole company’s footprint for travel and other impacts.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Made my children smile.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
I think this has to come back to the GM issue. We are on the cusp of widely spreading combinations of genes that nature would never allow and we don’t have any idea of the long-term consequences of that. Nature usually finds a way of dealing with aberrations, but is it equipped to deal with this one?

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
It’s not the people in the public eye that tend to grab my attention. The people that really impress me are the dedicated staff at OF&G and the many amazing clients that we serve who are making organics the success it is.

What’s your website address? www.organicfarmers.org.uk

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
I don’t really have favourite websites, I do surf many sites related to organic, food, agriculture and wider issues and I use Netvibes a lot, it’s an aggregator for RSS feeds and other features, which helps me stay in touch with news and events.

Tom Hall - Lonely Planet Travel Guides


How old are you?
30

What’s your occupation and who do you work for? I’m Travel Editor at Lonely Planet travel guides with a watching brief on green travel and business issues.

How long have been doing this?
I’ve been at Lonely Planet since 1999 but have been in this current role for 18 months.

What is it about your job that makes it ethical? I write columns in newspapers and magazines advising travellers how, as well as other things, they can travel as ethically as possible. In addition to this, I manage our carbon offsetting programme and advise other areas of the business in how they can behave in as sustainable a fashion as possible.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Helping individual travellers who are having crises of confidence or conscience about going travelling. There’s scope for so much good to come out of people travelling the world but sometimes they need a little help to get going or once they’re off on their travels.

What’s the worst thing?
The guilt that’s become attached to travel over the past 24 months. That people who want to go overseas and help developing economies feel bad about doing so because their journey involves getting on a plane is wrong – especially when the same people aren’t making changes elsewhere in their lives that can have a bigger impact, or getting involved in pressuring government’s and multinationals to me really meaningful gestures on carbon reduction.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Busy and challenging! Lonely Planet never seems to stand still and we were recently bought by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. We’re waiting to see what this means for the plans we’ve discussed for making Lonely Planet a more eco-friendly place, whether that’s through our books and online content or through how we go about the nuts and bolts of our business.

What were you doing before this?
I was working on online projects and journalism for Lonely Planet as well as freelance projects.

What was your very first full-time job? I was barman at a pub in Holborn in London.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
People assume that working for a fairly glamorous organisation like Lonely Planet or getting involved in travel journalism or and publishing must be a closed shop. It’s not. You need to be prepared to wonk about a bit at the bottom, or get relevant skills and experience to come in at a higher level. However, ‘wanting to work for Lonely Planet’ is not enough. You need enthusiasm, dedication and a willingness to learn the business inside out.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
I hope in twelve months time Lonely Planet has pushed ahead with plans to help travellers get to their destination without getting on a plane, and has become more of a voice for sustainable tourism through both products and strategic partnerships.

What do you do to relax?
Running, cycling, going to watch Arsenal Football Club and hanging out with my nine-week old son, George.

Who do you live with?
My wife Imogen and George

Whereabouts do you live? St Pancras in London

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do? Slash fares on Eurostar and compel my European colleagues to do the same on their rail networks.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Almost certainly hybrid fuel road transport, though I am hopeful that trains will be far more important than they are now, especially in Europe. More cities will, I hope, by truly bicycle friendly.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Working for Lonely Planet and travelling frequently, I am sure there are people reading this who would be appalled at my personal carbon footprint, even if I do offset everything.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Whacking half an hour off my personal best last time I ran the London Marathon felt pretty good, especially as it was for a good cause.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
I have dark visions of the amount of waste that we’re generating on a daily basis. If you think about it, the sheer volume is incredible, and worrying.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
I find the way super-wealthy businesspeople think they’ve got the answers to the world’s problems pretty unpleasant. People getting on with things rather than harrumphing on is to be applauded – Mark Smith, the founder of seat61.com is to be particularly applauded for his contribution to exciting travel without flying.

What’s your website address?
www.lonelyplanet.com

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
www.jaunted.com is a great fun travel blog
I read Simon Calder’s travel column in the Independent every week: http://travel.independent.co.uk
And for fun there’s always something interesting at www.boingboing.net

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Mark Hadfield - Fairbrand


How old are you?
29

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I’m a planner, and I work for a few people.
I spend most of the week with Liquid Communications – a marketing company - working as an Insight and Inspirations Planner.
I tutor on a weekly basis at St Martins College in London on the MA Design Studies course.
I am also a founding partner in Fairbrand with my business partner Rory Fegan.

How long have been doing this?
All for different lengths – but I’ve always had several things going on.

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
In all three areas I try and make everything I do a bit better than it was before in an ethical sense. I’m all for the ‘lots of people x little changes = big change’ school of thought but also balanced out with a ‘let’s do something about it!’ urgency I sometimes get!
From the outset Rory and I made a decision to work with ‘unethical’ brands and corporations with the intention of ‘infecting’ them from the bottom up, and for the most part that’s the same in all the other areas I work in. Working only with ‘good’ brands is a bit of a safe choice in my opinion. By working with the ‘unethical’ brands I realise that some would view it as double standards, but I prefer to think of it in a different way. If I’m not working with them and challenging them to change then someone else will be, and they won’t be trying to make them change at all.

What’s the best bit about your job?
It’s a never ending whirlwind of learning new stuff. And I love it. The whole ethical word has changed so much in the past few years that it’s barely recognisable from 10 – even 5 – years ago. I love challenging people, and standing up for my standpoint and understanding other peoples. Of course the whole thing is all about contradictions – I can’t think of any one person or brand that is perfect. But it’s about being better.

What’s the worst thing?
There’s never enough time in the day to do all the stuff I want to do. A bit corny but true – there’s always something else that I want to do but only one of me.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Busy, exciting and inspirational.

What were you doing before this?
I worked as an inhouse designer for a small healthcare company, preparing myself for what I’m doing now.

What was your very first full-time job?
See above. I was patient when I left University after my degree in Architecture to get a job that I enjoyed and wanted to work at for a few years. I’m not too keen on the merry-go-round of changing jobs every year or so. It always seems that a lot of time is wasted doing that.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Read lots, never pigeonhole yourself and be yourself. Again – very corny but there’s always stuff that you should know, always stuff that you didn’t have time to learn – but learn as much as you can. Don’t pigeonhole the stuff you should know – inspiration and valid contributions can come from a variety of sources. Science, nature, sports, sociology, psychology all have their parts to play.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Just to continue to work with ‘unethical’ brands, better brands and to continue to not only tutor my students but to learn from them also. In a years time I want to be more than 12 months better than I am now.

What do you do to relax?
Spend time with my wife, watch DVDs, eat nice food and watch Newcastle United. Although that’s more stressful than relaxing…

Who do you live with?
My wife.

Whereabouts do you live?
South East London.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Ban the Daily Mail. Stop calling McDonald’s food (it’s not – it’s matter). Fundamentally change the educational system from an ‘transactional conveyor belt us and them’ relationship into a collective of interesting, important people that can all make valid contributions.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Hopefully walking.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Yep… don’t we all?

What have you done that you were most proud of?
That’s a difficult one. I’d like to say too many to remember but it’s probably just my bad memory masking my modesty.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Geographical indifference. If someone who lived next to you was raped, tortured and murdered you would notice it. Yet, because it happens to people who speak a different language a few thousand miles away it’s ok.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
I wouldn’t like to single people out – there are certainly people that I admire in the same industry as me – but I’d like to tell them first before telling you…

What’s your website address?
http://www.fairbrand.org/blog
http://www.liquidcommunications.co.uk/
http://courses.csm.arts.ac.uk/DisplayCourse.asp?CI=64&MA=4

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/
http://charliegower.typepad.com/tantramar/
http://greenormal.blogspot.com/
and treehugger of course!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Ryan Frank - Furniture Designer


How old are you?
33

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
A free-range furniture designer working for myself

How long have been doing this?
2.5 years

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
All my furniture I design has some form of eco-sensitivity in the materials and processes I use.
I'm pretty keen on reclamation at the moment.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Sketching ideas in the park on a sunny day

What’s the worst thing?
Getting a call from my accountant

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
mad, superb, Brilliant…. and busy

What were you doing before this?
Working as a 3d artist in the computer games industry.

What was your very first full-time job?
A product designer in Holland.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Make sure you have lots of fun

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Searching for a chunk of land in the mountains in Spain, so I can start to build my (all ready designed) straw bale house.

What do you do to relax?
Go rock climbing, gardening and wood carving.

Who do you live with?
2 of my pals…..Will and Orlando

Whereabouts do you live?
Hackney….where most of London's designers seem to end up….brilliant

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
No more filthy combustion engines please….

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
I would be very happy if it was cycle or solar powered.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Too many long haul flights to the southern hemisphere…. Is any body working on eco-aviation btw?

What have you done that you were most proud of?
A recent visit to Buckingham Palace for a reception with the Queen and a couple of Dukes was pretty cool.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Relentless cutting down of tropical forests….ouch!

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
Larry Harvey …founder of the Burning Man festival….best gig in the world

What’s your website address?
www.ryanfrank.net

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
Google and google maps…..always lost
Wikipedia

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Mike Pepler - 80% Technical Manager of the Ashden Awards - 20% Woodland Manager


How old are you?
32

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I work 80% full-time for the Ashden Awards for Sustainable energy as Technical Manager. The rest of the time my wife and I are busy managing our small woodland.

How long have been doing this?
I’ve been working for the Ashden Awards for about a year and a half now. I’ve only been doing woodland management for six months.

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
My work with the Ashden Awards is ethical in two main ways. First, it is helping tackle climate change through promoting the use of sustainable energy. Second, and just as important, it is helping people, especially in developing countries, by promoting schemes that are raising their standard of living through the provision of energy services in a sustainable manner.

With regard to our woodland, the ethical side of that is providing sustainably produced construction materials and firewood, while encouraging biodiversity.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Meeting people from all around the world who have done amazing work to produce sustainable energy and lift people out of poverty.

What’s the worst thing?
The very busy periods leading up to our judging season and annual Awards ceremony.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
A bit of a roller-coaster ride! I’ve learned the ropes at the Ashden Awards, and now I’ve gone through a full year cycle, I feel better prepared for the work ahead. But at the same time, I’ve bought a woodland, moved house to be near it, and started learning about how to manage it. That’s a lot of change for 12 months!

What were you doing before this?
I originally trained in electronic engineering, and used to manage a team of engineers in a silicon chip design company. But after hearing about the world’s impending energy shortage, I decided to retrain by studying renewable energy for a year at Reading, where a project I did led to my involvement with the Ashden Awards.

What was your very first full-time job?
Erm…. Not sure if I should own up to this… I did a year out and several summer breaks working in the nuclear industry. On the computing side fortunately, not in the “dirty” areas!

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
If you can afford to take a year off to study a course in renewable energy, environmental issues, etc. it is well worth it, and the contacts you make should help you get into a job afterwards.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Outside of my work with the Ashden Awards, the big thing is working in our wood. We hope to gain more experience in coppicing (through a baptism of fire this winter, I expect!), and start to build a network of people we can call on for help and advice, and also sell our products to.

What do you do to relax?
Often we go up to our wood to do some work, as it’s a big change from sitting at my desk (I usually work from home for the Ashden Awards). We also enjoy going to church, walking or cycling along the beach, watching films and having people round for dinner.

Who do you live with?
My wife Tracy, and two cockatiels, Pete and Tom, who fly round our house and try to steal our dinner!

Whereabouts do you live?
Rye, East Sussex.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Break the news to the nation that global oil production is beginning to decline, and take urgent action to deal with it.

As cheap and easily available oil is expected to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
I think cycling will come back in big way, and car trips of under a mile will cease to exist all together – people will not be able to afford the fuel, and will have to walk. It would be nice if public transport had also been built up a lot, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Not many, thankfully. I used to fly a lot in my old job, but haven’t been on a plane in nearly two years now. We still have one car between us, though that runs on veg oil as well as diesel, and although I run it on waste oil or rejected fresh oil, I still worry about the biofuel vs. food issue. The only other thing is the chainsaw we use in the wood, but I think the energy return is pretty good on that – one litre of petrol will enable you to produce an awful lot of firewood!

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Having the nerve to quit a lucrative job in the electronics industry without knowing where I’d end up at the end of it, and in a similar vein, buying a wood and learning how to look after it properly.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Peak Oil – the fact that the world has probably already passed the peak of oil production, which will now decline, leading to rising prices and eventually shortages, with all the economic implications that brings. That’s the biggest issue for me over the next 20-30 years – beyond that, climate change takes over as the biggest issue. Fortunately most of the tactics for mitigating the effects of Peak Oil and climate change are the same.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
My current inspiration is Ben Law, (who featured on Grand Designs on TV), who built his self-sufficient house in the wood that he owns and operates on a permaculture basis.

What’s your website address?
www.ashdenawards.org

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk UK-based campaign group I helped set up in 2004)
http://www.theoildrum.com (International Peak Oil news source)
http://peplers.blog.co.uk (our own blog, with info on our woodland and other stuff)

Leonora Oppenheim - Treehugger.com


How old are you?
30 What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I’m a designer moonlighting as a writer for TreeHugger.com

How long have been doing this?
I have been Treehugging since Feb 2005 – wow that’s nearly three years!

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
I can write about whatever I choose for TreeHugger, but as a designer I am particularly concerned about how, where and by whom products are made. I like to focus on Fair Trade practises and ethical consumerism. I am very interested in sustainable design projects with artisan communities using traditional craft techniques.

What’s the best bit about your job?
Keeping myself aware + educated, but more importantly the privilege of getting to tell other people’s stories: highlighting the amazing work that is being done by individuals all over the world and bringing it to a wider audience.

What’s the worst thing?
I can’t complain it really is a fascinating job, although it must be said we don’t for it for the money, that’s for sure!

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
It has been a crazy whirlwind of adventures! Before I arrived back in London in July I was TreeHugger’s roaming correspondent for 9 months while I travelled in New Zealand, the States and South America. I spent the first half of this year in Ecuador where I worked as a volunteer design consultant for the Kallari Association – a group of indigenous cacao farmers that make the world’s best organic chocolate and handcrafts.

What were you doing before this?
I lived and worked in Barcelona for two years – writing and designing, designing and writing, oh and occasionally dipping my toe in blue Mediterranean waters.

What was your very first full-time job?
Full-time job? I think someone is going to have to explain that concept to me! I am a typical freelancer jumping from one crazy project to the next. My first professional commission was to make a sculpture for the Dutch designer Marcel Wanders – a giant version of his Snotty Vase.

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Passion in whatever you do would be my first answer to that. My second answer would be: if you are particularly interested in writing about environmental and ethical issues TreeHugger is always looking for new talent. Many people also start up their own green blogs focusing on whatever theme that particularly moves them. There is a truly great community out there in the Green blogosphere and I feel luck y to be involved in it all. That’s why I do my weekly round up on TreeHugger called TH Blog Love.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Well, as always, I have a couple of creative projects up my sleeve that I am working on, but they are still under wraps. I am also looking forward to getting more involved with TreeHugger’s sister site Planet Green – in fact we have a new interview series coming up called Change Makers focusing on people who have recently changed their job or business to incorporate more sustainable practises.

What do you do to relax?
Yoga, swimming, watching movies – anything that gets me away from the computer.

Who do you live with?
Having recently moved back to London I am temporarily at home with my parents until I find a place of my own – hopefully in the new year.

Whereabouts do you live?
I live in South West London.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Reduce the cost of public transport - compared with most other metropolises it’s outrageously expensive to get on the tube or a bus in London. Secondly, I would make recycling facilities available to people in public spaces, not just at home.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
I’d like to think that public transport will be much improved; faster, more reliable and powered by several types of renewable energy. I also hope that more people will be encouraged to bicycle by safer cycle lanes through the city and cleaner air.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
I think flying is everyone’s, not so secret, guilty carbon secret and I am no different – especially after the last 12 months. I do offset my emissions, but still, I don’t want to get on another plane for a long time.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
I think I am most proud of helping to get the Kallari Association involved in the AMD Open Architecture Challenge – a design competition launched by Architecture For Humanity.

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
The unholy amount of stuff that is produced globally for us to consume – it’s hard to even begin to understand how much there is to buy. There is an amazing disconnection in our minds about where this stuff comes from and how it is produced; often by people who can’t afford to buy what they are making.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why? I admire anyone who is pushing the environmental message in an accessible way, turning it from something dry and technical into some thing fun, engaging and most of all motivating - inspiring us all to take action in our lives. So basically that’s everyone at TreeHugger!

Other great examples are Daryl Hannah, David de Rothschild, Simran Sethi, Majora Carter, Cameron Sinclair, Wangari Maathai and William Kamkwamba - the young Malawian who taught himself how to make a windmill from a text book and is now communicating with the world through his blog.

What’s your website address?
www.treehugger.com

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
www.coolhunting.com
www.inhabitat.com
www.brotherhood2.com

Geoff Sharples - Photographer and Publisher


How old are you?
A Grumpy old man style 40!

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
Technical Director and Co-Founder (with my wife Liz) of Publisher, Bridge End Images Ltd

How long have been doing this?
We are very new, just over a year now

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
All our products are as eco-friendly as possible and it’s my job to make that happen

What’s the best bit about your job?
Being able to walk my daughter to school in the morning and working with my wife

What’s the worst thing?
Working with my wife

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Very busy and very exciting. We’ve been learning a great deal and meeting lots of interesting new people.

What were you doing before this?
Service Manager for a company retailing underwater photography equipment

What was your very first full-time job?
Delivering soft-drinks to shops, in all weathers

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
Go for it! Look, listen, learn and enjoy

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
Lots of exciting new product releases coming up featuring great artwork from our new artists!

What do you do to relax?
At the moment, sleep. Normally I love being out in the country or diving

Who do you live with?
My wife Liz and daughters Leonie and Emily

Whereabouts do you live?
We are very spoilt; we live near the coast in East Devon’s glorious countryside

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Wow, how long have you got? First thing, implement a transport policy and use the railways to drastically reduce road traffic. Then…

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Cars using alternative fuels

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
Oh dear yes. We drive a Jeep. The only thing green about it is the colour.

What have you done that you were most proud of?
Having a family

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
Stupidity on an international scale

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
It’s a toss-up between James Lovelock (Gaia Hypothesis) and Paul Watson (Sea Shepherd) for saying and doing what they believe right at their own risk. But out of the public eye, the people who go undercover for the EIA, risking their lives to expose illegal trade in wildlife and habitat destruction. They are the real heroes.

What’s your website address?
www.recocards.co.uk

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
www.photo.net (brilliant photography) – www.news.bbc.co.ukwww.eia-international.org

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Inna Costantini - Press Co-ordinator, Trees for Cities


How old are you?
26

What’s your occupation and who do you work for?
I’m the press co-ordinator for the environmental charity, Trees for Cities. They’re all about making cities greener and lovelier (by planting more trees!) and my work involves helping to promote (and sometimes organise) events, campaigns and new initiatives.

How long have been doing this?
Since 2005

What is it about your job that makes it ethical?
Promoting urban greening, educating the public on green issues and trying to improve the environment can only be ethical, right?

What’s the best bit about your job?
I’m passionate about the environment and it’s great to work with like-minded people on a variety of fun and exciting projects.

What’s the worst thing?
Can’t think of one.

What have the last 12 months been like for you?
Overall very busy but incredibly stimulating.

What were you doing before this?
I was working in PR at a fashion/design company.

What was your very first full-time job?
That was it! (as above)

What advice would you give to someone wishing to embark on the same sort of work as you?
You need to be passionate about your area (no point trying to promote a campaign you don’t believe in) and ready to get stuck into a wide range of projects. Knowledge, creativity and hard work are a must.

Have you got any plans for the next 12 months you’d like to share with us?
I’ll be working on lots more exciting projects involving some high profile people, and I’ve got both (chilly) planting days and sunny outdoor events to look forward to. I’ll be running the ‘Tree-Athlon’ again in 2008 and hoping to be even faster next year round!

What do you do to relax?
Cycling around London, lots of yoga, taking pictures and videos, writing.

Who do you live with?
My partner – and quite a few green plants!

Whereabouts do you live?
Old Street/Barbican – right in the middle of the city.

If you were Prime Minister, what’s the very first thing you would do?
Make the environment a priority and put pressure on other countries to do the same.

As cheap and easily available oil is expect to run out in the next couple of decades, what do you think will be the predominant form of transport in 2027?
Cars will still be predominant but will also become increasingly ‘green’, using alternative fuels or ways of generating power.

Have you got any guilty carbon secrets?
I’ve flown a bit too much this year (all long haul and all for good reasons!)

What have you done that you were most proud of?
I’ve been cycling non-stop since 2004 – through snow and heat waves!

What single issue are you most concerned about in the world at large?
It would have to be the environment – it affects so many aspects of our lives, from health and well being to politics and economy.

Which person in the public eye do you most admire and why?
The Dalai Lama, for his strength, compassion and positive outlook on everything

What’s your website address?
www.treesforcities.org

What are your three favourite other websites of the moment?
Treehugger.com, meandmybicycle.co.uk, guardian.co.uk/environment