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Monday, 30 March 2009
The Green Business Bible is no more!
The ink has dried on the contract, the manuscript has been submitted and the (as yet un-re-named) Green Business Bible has been fed into the big book making machine of the guys at Earthscan. So I've had to keep my pledge and remove the GBB from sale as an eBook. As soon as it hits the shelves, I'll let you all know!Labels: green business bible
# posted by Gareth Kane : 19:53
0 Comments
Monday, 23 March 2009
Weekly Tip(s) #48: The last GBB tip...
This is the last of the weekly tips from the Green Business Bible:A Green Business is not a charity.
A Green Business has to compete with and beat non-green businesses. No one will feel sorry for you or give you a handout when you need one. I have seen a recycling technology developer almost literally pull his hair out because a Local Authority wouldn’t buy his innovative but highly expensive product. He accused them of stupidity, but I couldn’t help thinking that this was a bit rich coming from a so-called businessman who couldn’t understand why his target customers weren’t buying.
I'm taking a long weekend and I'll have a think about whether to continue with general tips on a Monday. If you find them useful then please let me know.
Labels: green business bible, tips
# posted by Gareth Kane : 09:19
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Thursday, 19 March 2009
Can you think of a better title than "The Green Business Bible"?
I've now signed a contract to publish The Green Business Bible as a book, but the publisher wants a new title as the religious reference may not play well in certain parts of the world. So I need a new title, preferably one with more zing than "The Green Business Guide". So I thought I'd ask for some advice.For those of you who haven't read the book, the short blurb is that it "contains everything you need to know about making your business green while increasing profits".
Whoever suggests the best idea by 31 March (note I've posted this elsewhere) will get a free copy of the eBook and, if we use it and hadn't thought of it before, I'll send you a free copy of the book when it emerges at the end of the year. Put your entries in the comments.
Labels: green business bible, terra infirma
# posted by Gareth Kane : 09:23
3 Comments
Friday, 13 March 2009
Phew, what a week!
It is weeks like this that I sometimes wish Terra Infirma was being hit by "the current economic situation" - we are flat out delivering projects, responding to queries from potential clients (2 in different time zones), getting The Green Business Bible into the right format for 'proper' publication, and doing all the dull business stuff to keep the taxman happy.Highlight of the week was the Middlesbrough Climate Change conference where I was organising the workshops to make sure they did what the organisers wanted them to. During the workshops I was hopping from room to room, but I was able to sit in on the plenary sessions. Jeff Ridley from the Hadley Centre gave us the latest data on climate predictions, George Marshall of COIN gave a fantastic talk on communicating climate change, Joan Ruddock MP gave one of the better environmental speeches I have heard from a Government minister and there was an interesting session by video from Australia on what local Government can do. The whole thing was very well (and firmly) compered by Sara Parkin of Forum for the Future. There will be a report on the whole event, and, when I've finished compiling it, I'll post the link.
What I love about this job is there's always more to learn - I've been to hundreds of events like this and there is always a couple of gems you can take away with you. This time it was definitely George Marshall who castigated the standard 'pronouncement from above' approach to climate change communications and proposed three effective strategies:
1. Respect and reflect: make it directly relevant to core values of the audience (polar bears live far away so are useless as a symbol)
2. Peer to peer: use social norms and networks to engage people directly
3. Make action worthwhile: reward desired behaviour with money, status and/or fun
All food for thought!
Next week's schedule is looking a bit clearer, thank goodness, as there's quite a lot to get finished by the end of the month.
Labels: facilitation, green business bible, seminars, terra infirma, workshops
# posted by Gareth Kane : 09:36
0 Comments
Friday, 6 March 2009
Get it while you can...
If you want a copy of The Green Business Bible, you'd better be quick. I'm about to sign a contract to publish it as a 'proper' book, but it will be six months before it hits the book shelves. Once I sign the contract, I'm going to have to remove the eBook from sale for copyright reasons.Note that the new book will have a different title as the publishers think the religious nature of the word 'Bible' may play poorly in parts of the US and the Middle East.
Labels: green business bible
# posted by Gareth Kane : 08:52
0 Comments
Monday, 2 March 2009
Weekly Tip(s) #46: Biofuel Rule of Thumb
This is the latest of a series of tips extracted from the Green Business Bible e-book:There is much debate at present over the sustainability of biofuels, but a simple rule of thumb is:
• Biofuels from crops are currently considered unsustainable;
• Biofuels from waste products (eg used cooking oil, agricultural waste) are considered sustainable.
Labels: biofuel, green business bible, tips
# posted by Gareth Kane : 09:43
1 Comments
Monday, 8 December 2008
Weekly Tip #37: Managing Expectations
This is the latest of a series of tips extracted from the Green Business Bible e-book:One trap that many fall into when working with stakeholders is to raise expectations too high. If stakeholders start to believe that they have ultimate say, they will get very angry if and when they are told they can’t have what they want. Tell them clearly:
We are listening to you, but at the end of the day we have to make the decisions, and sometimes we will disagree.
Labels: green business bible, stakeholders, tips
# posted by Gareth Kane : 08:35
0 Comments
Monday, 24 November 2008
Weekly Tip #35: Overcoming internal resistance
This is the latest of a series of tips extracted from the Green Business Bible e-book:If key individuals in your organisation think that the environment is only for be-sandaled tree huggers, then don’t panic, you just have to take another tack. Don’t mention the environment. Ever. Instead you need to talk in purely business terms such as:
• “Do you know that we are wasting £20 000 on energy every year?”
• “Have you seen how much they’re charging us for Hazardous Waste? Do you think it’s time to phase out hazardous materials?”
• “Our biggest client has just sent a supplier’s questionnaire asking for our environmental policy.”
• “The Environment Agency are here and they want to talk to you.”
Labels: green business bible, tips
# posted by Gareth Kane : 10:18
0 Comments
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
The Green Business Bible
It is here!Labels: energy, environmental management, green business bible, waste
# posted by Gareth Kane : 12:37
0 Comments
Friday, 18 July 2008
Bits & Pieces
There's all sorts of news at Terra Infirma...1. We've set up the 'Green Business Club' on the business networking site Ecademy for those who see environmental performance as a competitive advantage.
2. The long trailed e-book "The Green Business Bible" is in the very last stages of completeness (cover design, final proofing) and will be launched by the end of the month. Low Carbon Agenda subscribers will be eligible for a substantial discount, so make sure you are signed up - it's free and officially "awesome".
3. We're in negotiation with a number of very prestigious organisations for new 'Lean, Mean & Green' programmes - the effective way of improving your environmental performance.
4. We're getting a make-over in the design and branding front - although it'll be a couple of months before you see the results.
And, it's the start of the holiday period, so if you're off somewhere nice, have a good'un!
Labels: green business bible, lean mean and green, news, terra infirma
# posted by Gareth Kane : 06:10
0 Comments
Monday, 11 February 2008
Weekly Tip #1: Environmental Policy
This is the first in a new series of tips extracted from the forthcoming Green Business Bible e-book:Before you write an environmental policy, collect plenty from other businesses to get some inspiration. Make sure you get policies in the same sector as you, and from businesses with the same ethos. Whatever you do, keep it to one side of A4. Any more is a strategy, not a policy.
Another tip next Monday!
Labels: green business bible, tips
# posted by Gareth Kane : 13:55
0 Comments
A highly accessible, practical guide to those who want to introduce sustainability into their business or organization quickly and effectively.
