Happy Thursday, friends!
How great are public holidays?
A time to connect with friends and family; take a breather. Perhaps some time out in nature, if you’re lucky.
It’s also time to give some thought to the big picture and kick start more sustainability in your life, work and play.
We hope you enjoy Easter!
To help get you started, first a shout out our Greenlisters.
A quick explainer if you are new to our site. Greenlisters are enterprises featured in our commercial directory/magazine. So it works like a normal commercial promotion but we write an article around your business or organisation that captures your unique sustainability offering and a bit about your passion for embarking on the journey. We’re not a rating site; but we do need to see and understand you’re on the journey to be better and greener.
You get an article – the length depends on your chosen level of exposure. And we put you in front of the average 60,000 pairs of eyes across Australia and globally – many of whom read our highly regarded sister site, The Fifth Estate. Many of these readers happen to be Australia’s most engaged and influential audience in sustainability.
Our featured Greenlister for this week is Radish Events, a creative catering company making sustainability delicious.
With emphasis on “zero waste”, the company uses leftover coffee grounds for its coffee vinaigrette and herbs from the community garden. It’s also the first catering company in Australia to be BCorp certified.
“We always start with what will make the best experience for the eater,” says managing director Ilana Cooper.
If you would like us to profile your business as well, send a note to hello@thegreenlist.com.au and ask for a media kit.
Now onto the news: consumers are more sceptical than businesses expect…
If you’re part of the growing army of green businesses trying to change the habits of your clients – as well as your own – you need to take a good look at this evidenced based report from that’s been done by one of our Greenlisters The Republic of Everyone, led by the well known and highly respected green marketing guru Ben Peacock, who’s teamed up with communications agency The Bravery.
What they found in a survey of 2040 Australians is that eight out of 10 people believe brands have a responsibility to improve social and environmental issues, and they consider that impact when making a purchase.
So if you thought consumers were suspicious of green marketing, you’re right.
As green business people, and writers about green business we all need to pull up our socks.
Time is running out and the consumers know this. To earn their trust we need to make sure we are outperforming. Not just ticking a box we found on some website or other.
The good news is that there is a lot your business can do to fix this.
And speaking of Ben and his Republic the news recently was that his company has joined South Pole, to grow his company’s influence and impact. South Pole helps develop and implement comprehensive emission reduction projects and strategies to turn climate action into long-term business opportunities.
“Joining South Pole opens the door to creating change on a global scale, by helping companies who are already doing great things to do even better,” Ben said.
Speaking about ethical and green consumption, here’s how to enjoy your chocolate treat, more sustainably at Easter.
How do you know which brands are the best? To help you choose the right guilt-free chocolate we have a handy guide for you. Chocolate, you might know, is one of the big offenders in the modern slavery, eco-destruction and bad ethics department.
So take a look at this list, compiled by experts from several universities, will help you choose the “good eggs” that score best for the environment and child labour.
A sustainable alternative to traditional construction?
And we’ve got another article for you that focuses on construction. Can we ever satisfy the enormous and growing appetite to find an alternative to the precarious building practices we have in Australia? You only need to take a look at the findings of the NSW Auditor General on the fiasco around flammable cladding.
As our sister site The Fifth Estate finds, the verdict of the inquiry is damning. We really have to do better and there are a lot of people who think that the only way to rid ourselves of the sometimes appalling quality that consumers are lumbered with in building is to prefab the lot.
Building in a factory where quality can be controlled could be a good solution. If you aren’t up-to-date with prefab, this article is a great place to start.
More eco-friendly home solutions:
Now, in the aftermath of all that chocolate consumption might come a tiny army of home invaders intent on getting a taste of that sugar. Ants have a sweet tooth, too! But nature’s tiny cleaning crew are friends, not foes. With that in mind, check out this article on what to do about them.
What to do about the rain:
Did you know that ants become tiny refugees every time it rains? In heavy rains (like we’ve seen this year) their nests become flooded and force them to relocate to higher ground.
And if (in the light of this year’s endless rain) you are also worried about your home flooding, you might want to consider this run-down of the pros and cons of physical flood barriers.
Biodegradable plastic not as biodegradable as you might think.
Finally, on the discussion of waste reduction is this article about biodegradable plastic, and whether you should toss it in the compost bin. The answer might not be what you expect.
Because while there’s a lot of enthusiasm for biodegradable alternatives, there’s also a great deal of confusion over what constitutes a biodegradable plastic. What’s more, bio-based plastics may not always be biodegradable.
Container catch-up for the Apple Isle:
At last The Apple Isle is getting a container refund scheme – almost half a decade after South Australia pioneered the concept in 1977. Drink containers make up about 45 per cent of litter in Tasmania, so hopefully this will go a long way to help! The scheme is set to hit the ground early 2023.
And on the question of packaging…
Planet Protector Packaging took home both the Agriculture and Regional Development Award and the Gold Banksia Award for its work eliminating polystyrene plastic from the world’s supply chains, at the 33rd annual Banksia National Sustainability Awards in Melbourne. Congratulations on great work Planet Protector!
Guilt-free beverages:
We’ve got quite a few green brew companies on The Green List, such as Young Henrys.
Now we hear the latest achievement in that department is to gain certification from Climate Active as a Carbon Neutral operation. Capital Brewing Co of Fyshwick in Canberra has become the first brewery in Australia to gain those credentials.
Is anyone else among our own Greenlisters doing the same?
If so, get in touch. In fact we encourage all Greenlisters to let us know of any good green initiative you’ve achieved, or any additions to your team. We’re here to help spread the word about your business. It’s what we do!
Arts and letters
Don’t you love a good doco to entertain while you learn? A good one coming up is a six part series on SBS Foods called “Eating Plants” is all about plant-based eating, one of the world’s fastest growing culinary trends – and sustainable, too!
And award-winning Australian photographer Adam Oswell opened the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum last week. His image, Elephant in the Room, captured an elephant performing underwater, raising questions about the relationship between human entertainment and animal behaviour. The exhibition is currently on display in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
