Eco Blog

GreenSEO Meet Up - Join the Green Web Revolution - Part of BrightonSEO Fringe

Join us on the evening of Wednesday, April 24th, 6:30 - 8:30pm for the launch of the Green SEO movement. Discover how SEO practices can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of websites through sustainable digital strategies.  This event is a fringe event part of Brighton SEO.

This event is an opportunity for SEO professionals, digital marketers, and anyone interested to connect with like-minded individuals and learn more about creating a sustainable approach to digital marketing and driving the green web revolution. To get inspired, we're excited to have the following speakers sharing their ideas:


Green SEO: How SEOs can drive the Green Web Revolution - Stu Davies (Creative Bloom)

The Green Software Revolution - Adam Newman & Oliver Winks (Green Software Brighton)

Addressing Greenwashing - Natalie Arney (SEO Consultant) 


Join us in taking steps towards a greener web. Reserve your free spot today and be part of the conversation on building a more sustainable digital future.


Close to brightonSEO’s main conference centre just a short walk to FreedomWorks Brighton .

The Impact of Websites on the Environment

The Impact of Websites on the Environment

One World Protest - The Impact of Websites on the Environment - Creative BloomOne World Protest - The Impact of Websites on the Environment - Creative Bloom

Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

The Internet World Stats (1) suggests that there are approximately 1.8 billion websites running online, drawing in over 4 billion daily visitors. With the need to reduce our carbon footprints to help save the planet, it can be seen that the more life moves online, the less physical damage we are doing to our environment. However, this is barely the case.

The use of the internet alone causes emissions of approximately 2,330,041 tons of CO2 and consumes 2,339,400 MWh of electricity every day. At a granular level, every single internet search consumes about 0.3 Wh of energy and contributes to the release of 0.2g of CO2 in the environment. (2) According to HTTPArchive.org, the average web page today is nearly four times the size that it was in 2010 and is continuing to rise. (8) To put this into context if the internet were a country, it would be the 7 the largest CO2 emissions polluter in the world and makes up 4% of all greenhouse gases.

This stresses the importance for businesses to create ‘green websites’. Most of the issues that increase your site’s carbon footprint are also the same issues that make your site load slower, so any changes for the planet are also for your consumer (7) - consumers tend to prefer simpler websites too as the interface is simpler to navigate. So What is a ‘green website’ and how can you ensure your website is less impactful on the environment?

An example of a good, energy-saving website:

“Amsterdam-based design studio FormaFantasma went one step further in its website overhaul earlier this year. It goes back to basics: a plain white background, system typefaces like Arial and Times New Roman, minimal font weights and classic blue hyperlinks. Pictures are kept small, and site visitors have the option to enlarge them; information about the file weight of each full-size image is visible if they hover over them. The entire site can be viewed in dark mode to reduce screen brightness and energy consumption”. (5)

How can you ensure you are running a ‘green website’ - Creative Bloom

Photo by George Milton from Pexels

How can you ensure you are running a ‘green website’?

Know your website’s environmental footprint

Use this helpful resource to work out your website’s current carbon footprint:

It calculates:

  • The amount of data that your site transfers

  • The energy intensity of web data in general

  • Whether your host is known to use green energy

  • The carbon intensity of electricity in general

  • Your site’s website traffic (you need to add this manually) (7)

Compress and reduce images to rescue server space

  • Reduce the size of all your images, compress them so they take up less space and take less energy to load

  • Remove old and irrelevant content (3)

Get your website scripting in order

  • Trim your clunky Javascript, this will increase your website loading speed which in turn usually increases the time consumers spend on your site

  • Choose your programming language wisely: scripting languages, for example, PHP uses about seven times more energy than JavaScript (6)

  • Code does have an impact — it takes energy to run applications and transmit data, so inefficient and bloated code can add up to a significant environmental impact (6)

Website host location

  • Place the website closer to your consumers using local CDNs, this helps reduce network latency and improves their brand experience

  • Use eco-focused host sites such as this

Optimise your mobile site

Good SEO helps save the planet

  • Ensuring your website is optimised for search will help direct users straight to the content they are looking for without needlessly browsing other pages saving energy on server interaction (3)

If you need help with any of the above, or want to talk to use about how SEO and good digital practice ideas and solutions can help save the planet then do get in touch with us below.

Making Ocean Activism Accessible in Brighton & Hove

Making Ocean Activism Accessible in Brighton & Hove

Being based in Brighton, our beaches are important to us.

We want everyone who visits this city to be able to enjoy their natural wonder and support the tourism industry that goes alongside such beautiful beaches and ocean; unfortunately, that’s not always possible.

Plastic waste, broken glass, and disposable barbecues are often littered across the beach front. Our seas are regularly over-fished, and waste water is pumped into the ocean at the shoreline.

It can be overwhelming to realise how much damage we do to our oceans on a daily basis, so we want to share some tips that can make ocean activism more accessible.


Support an Ocean Charity in Brighton

There are tons of amazing charities in Brighton focused on saving our oceans. 

You can join Stuart, our Head of Agency, at Surfers Against Sewage.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) regularly hold protests against waste water being pumped into the ocean by surfing with gas masks on - who doesn’t want to surf for a cause?

You can follow SAS on Facebook to keep up to date on everything they’re doing and get involved.

Another amazing cause to support is Leave No Trace Brighton - they often have pop up tents along the beachfront with the aim of educating the public on the damage our everyday actions have on our oceans and beaches. 

Again, you can follow Leave No Trace on Facebook to stay up to date on everything they’re doing and get involved.

No need to spend money to support these organisations, just spend your time getting involved!


Take 3 from Brighton Beaches

“Take 3” is a movement started by Leave No Trace Brighton.

The idea is that everytime you visit the beachfront, you keep an eye out for 3 pieces of plastic waste littered on the beach, and take those away with you to dispose of (as well as your own rubbish of course!) If even just a few more people were taking 3 pieces of plastic waste away with them, we would have far cleaner beaches all around. 

We love this tip because it’s so accessible - no money to donate, no time commitments, just a small thing you can do while you’re already at the beach that makes a huge difference.


Join a Beach Clean in Brighton

Similarly to Take 3, a beach clean involves walking up and down the beach and keeping an eye out for rubbish to dispose of correctly.

It seems simple, but it can have a massive positive impact.

Even when the beach looks clean, you’d be amazed just how much rubbish can be found when you look hard enough; it’s those small pieces of rubbish that can have the most impact on ocean wildlife, so it’s a really important aspect of ocean conservation.

SAS and Leave No Trace will regularly host beach cleans, but why not gather your friends together and host your own? Grab a drink, enjoy the waves, and support ocean conservation all at the same time. 

A beach clean is one of the single best ways to ensure our ocean and beaches are free from dangerous waste, so we highly recommend you get involved if you’re passionate about ocean conservation.


Support the Brighton Beach Ban on BBQs and Lanterns

Having a beach BBQ with friends and sending off lanterns can be a ton of fun, but they also create a ton of waste.

BBQs stay hot for an extremely long time and are often left unattended on the beaches; this puts children, adults, and wildlife at enormous risk.

Lanterns may drift away looking beautiful, but what goes up must come down; when they crash back into the ocean, any plastic and non-biodegradable waste falls into the ocean with it and puts wildlife at risk.

You can follow this link to support the ban of BBQs and lanterns in Brighton by filling out the survey at the bottom of the page, we’ve already shown our support!


Thoughtful Purchases to Support Ocean Life in Brighton

Not everyone has the funds to go vegan or completely plastic free, but we wanted to include some small ways that you can support ocean life with your purchasing decisions.

Firstly - what seafood do you eat? Overfishing is an enormous issue, particularly when it comes to fish like cod, herring, and English Channel scallops, they’re being overfished to a critical level. Making smarter choices, and often cheaper choices, when it comes to your seafood can prevent these species facing extinction; personally, basa fish is a go to for me!

Secondly - what kind of sunscreen do you use? Some sunscreens dissolve into the water as you swim and can release chemicals that are harmful to surrounding wildlife, particularly reefs, which can eventually lead to bleaching. To get a bit of ocean activism into your daily life, why not take a look at this list of ocean friendly sunscreen products and see what takes your fancy!

Thirdly - avoid bringing plastic to the beach at all. This may seem obvious, but you never know when a plastic bag is going to blow away beyond your reach or a bottle cap is going to be forgotten. The less plastic we bring to beaches in the first place, the less there is to clean, and the less risk to the environment.


Hopefully these tips have shown you how accessible ocean activism can be and why it’s something you should care about.

Join Creative Bloom in the fight to keep our oceans clean, and let us know how you’re getting involved on twitter: @CreativeBloomUK.

Brighton Pride 2023: LGBTQ+ Support Charities in East Sussex

Brighton Pride 2023: LGBTQ+ Support Charities in East Sussex

Happy Pride Month everybody!

Brighton is one of the gayest cities in the UK, with a 2014 estimate of 11-15% of the population identifying as LGBTQ+. 

The history of LGBTQ+ culture in Brighton dates back to the early 1900s, as garrisons of soldiers from all over the country gathered in the city, meeting like minded members of the community for potentially the first time in their lives. By the 1930’s, there were gay and lesbian pubs being established, allowing a thriving LGBTQ+ culture to develop after the Second World War.

Despite the abundance of love and acceptance in Brighton, there are still plenty of people of all ages and backgrounds who are unsafe to be themselves. 

In celebration of Pride Month, we wanted to highlight some incredible Brighton based LGBTQ+ charities that deserve support, as well as create a list of resources for anyone who needs to talk.

pexels-sharon-mccutcheon-3738055.jpg

5 Charities for People Struggling with Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in Brighton and Hove that Deserve Support this Pride.

 

ALL SORTS YOUTH PROJECT

All Sorts is a charity aimed at connecting LGBTQ+ youth.

They run support groups for ages ranging from 5 all the way through to 25 years old, as well as support groups for families of LGBTQ+ youth.

Whether you’re struggling with gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other LGBTQ+ related issues, All Sorts will be happy to help.

Donate Here.

 
60096fd8f494f63cbd043ba8_allsorts logo 2018_rgb_72dpi.png
14962651_1138632079565467_1893222558765940091_n.jpg

NAVIGATE BRIGHTON

Navigate works with Trans, Nonbinary, and Intersex people in Brighton.

They regularly run meetups, have forums where you can talk to people like you, as well as support resources designed to help you navigate your transition.

They even have a “binder library” where you can purchase pre-loved binders, making them more accessible to those who are closeted or on low income!

Donate Here.

THE LGBT SWITCHBOARD: Disability Project

The LGBT Switchboard is an all-round fantastic service for LGBTQ+ people in Brighton and Hove, but their Disability Project is what we’re featuring today.

They organise and run social activities from disabled and neurodivergent people in LGBTQ+ communities, helping connect people with similar life experiences. 

You can connect with them via their website, on Facebook, or even via Zoom calls if you need to talk!

Donate Here.

 
switchboard-logo-black-text.png
 
download.png

THE VILLAGE METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH

Many members of the LGBTQ+ community have been ostracized from their religious communities, but if religion is an important part of your life, there are places in Brighton you can still worship openly.

The Metropolitan Community Church in Brighton is a Christian church who believe that everyone, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, abilities, beliefs, situation or any other factor, should have full and equal access to a loving God.

If you’ve felt excluded from your religious community in the past, the Metropolitan Community Church has a home for you!

RAINBOW FAMILIES

Rainbow Families is an informal social group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their children in Brighton & Hove, Sussex and surrounding areas.

Whether you already have children or are expecting, Rainbow Families provides a safe space for children and families to connect with other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

They regularly organise and run events, so if you want to meet other LGBTQ+ families, this is the charity for you!

Donate Here.


unnamed.jpg

5 Brighton Businesses to Support Post COVID-19

5 Businesses in Brighton You MUST Support Post COVID-19

Now that life is beginning to get back to normal and restaurants, bars, and shops are slowly re-opening their doors, it’s now more important than ever to support the local businesses that supported us. Being based in Brighton means we are surrounded by amazing businesses who look after the community, so we wanted to show you a few that we’re proud to support.

NHS Scrubs by Lucy and Yak.

1. Lucy and Yak

Lucy and Yak are an independent feminist fashion brand with a local store in Brighton. During lockdown, they took a break from fashion and started making scrubs for NHS Nurses, helping combat the PPE shortage.

To say thank you, give them a follow, or have a look at their online store to brighten up your day. If you’re passing by their store once we’ve returned to normal, make sure to stop in and say thank you!

Visit their website here, or find them on Instagram here.

2. Curry Leaf Cafe

Curry Lead.jpg

You might know the Curry Leaf Cafe for their wonderful South Indian street food - but did you know you can have it delivered straight to your door as a ready meal?

There’s no minimum order, and free delivery to help those sheltering! Just make sure you check the delivery slots, as they deliver to the same area all at once to keep their service low on Carbon emissions.

Visit their website here.

3. Lindsay’s Animal School

Animal School.jpg

Keeping the kids entertained isn’t easy, and that’s without lockdown. Lindsay usually runs an After School Club for children where they can interact and learn about the animals she keeps, as well as visiting Care Homes and offering Animal Experience days in schools.

Since lockdown, she’s started running Animal Art Classes online, so you can keep the kids entertained and educated in a unique way! Be sure to stop by and say thank you once she’s able to reopen, and book an online session for the family.

Visit her website here.

4. Painting Pottery Cafe

the-painting-pottery.jpg

Painting Pottery Cafe normally runs fun, in person pottery classes that range from Kids Parties to Hen Parties to Team Building exercises. Since lockdown, they’ve started providing At Home Pottery Kits!

If you’re looking for a sheltering hobby to do with your partner or family, Painting Pottery Cafe might have just what you’re looking for.

Visit their website here.

5. Brighton and Hove Food Partnership

ETe_LmbWoAE7INk.jpeg

Brighton and Hove Food Partnership have been running a Crowdfunding campaign to get food parcels and pre-prepared meals to those who are vulnerable or self-isolating, ensuring our community is that much safer.

Help protect those who need it most by supporting their Crowdfunding campaign, or go to their website to see what other projects they’re running right now.

You can find their Crowdfunding here, or go straight to their website here.

We hope this has helped you think of a few different places to support once we’re back to normal, or while you’re stuck at home. Brighton is full of amazing independent businesses and we love supporting them wherever we can, especially when they do so much to support our community! Do you know any other local businesses that deserve a shout out? Let us know, tell your friends - let’s support our local economy together!

A Shopper's Guide To Sustainable Products

A Shopper's Guide To Sustainable Products

So, you want to do what you can for the environment and be more sustainable in your every-day life? Welcome to the club—sustainability and eco-friendliness are hot topics right now.

And consumer habits are witnessing changes in light of this rise in awareness. According to a recent survey, consumers are willing to pay more for clothes considered sustainable and more eco-friendly, a trend which isn’t limited to fashion.

But for consumers wanting to make the right choices and ‘do their bit’, the path isn’t exactly clear. With environmental terminology and jargon coming out of our ears, as well as fact and fiction about the sustainability of items blurred, shoppers need a clear guide to what the options are—importantly—what it all means.

In this blog post, product marketing specialists, Zagwear, provide a shopper’s guide to sustainable products.

People Over Profit Artwork

What is a Sustainable Product?

The definition of sustainable is ‘the quality of causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time’.

But in reality, the impact that a product has on the environment—from its manufacture to eventual disposal—is only part of the story. Products that claim to be sustainable should also consider their social and economic impact.

The three sides to sustainability:

  • Environmental - impact of a product—from manufacture to disposal—on the environment, such as its carbon footprint.

  • Social - impact of a product on society, such as trading ethically.

  • Economic - profitability of a product for the business that brings it to market.

With the growing concern over the future of our planet and turmoil seen across the world which are widely considered the result of Man’s activities, environmental is a key focus for those looking to be more sustainable.

As well as environmental impact, social sustainability is also a focal point, with ensuring workers are paid fairly and kept safe a priority for the 21st century consumer.

Shopping for Sustainable Products

But even with a clear idea of what sustainability is, knowing if a product falls into this category can still be challenging. What should consumers look out for when trying to shop sustainably?

Protest

Don’t Get ‘Greenwashed’

Brainwashing consumers into thinking a product is sustainable or eco-friendly, green washing are products which are packaged in a way to make them look like they’re good for the environment, even though they’re not.

Often sporting natural colours and minimalistic design on their packaging, these items are false pretenses. The companies guilty of green washing are often spending more time and money on marketing themselves as environmentally friendly than they are on minimising their global impact.

Delve Deeper Into Brands

If green washing shows one thing, it’s that the word of a brand can’t always be trusted. If you want to shop for sustainably, you need to do the groundwork to find the brands who really are out to do good.

If a brand has taken action to be more sustainable, the chances are that they’ll want to publicise that.

From information on a brands website and social media to employee spokespeople in brick-and-mortar stores, a simple search or question should be able to give you all the information you need to establish if a products sustainability is legitimate.

The environmental impacts of products can be a bit of a minefield. This post has hopefully clarified sustainability, but there’s much more to shopping responsibly.

If you want to know more about this topic, take a look at our in-depth Eco Glossary.

This article was contributed by Daniel Hill, a creatively-driven, product marketing specialist currently responsible for heading up Zagwear’s EMEA & APAC regions. His years of experience in branding, brand activation and promotional merchandise has seen him assist some of the world’s best-known brands with incorporating product-based marketing in their campaigns.

Brighton Sustainable Fashion and Local Choices

Brighton Sustainable Fashion and Local Choices

The price of staying fashionable is more than just what’s on the price tag.

The fashion industry is considered to be the second most polluting industry in the world. This not only puts a huge amount of pressure on our planet but also the garment workers that are creating our clothes. The textile industry relies mostly on non-renewable resources – an estimated 98 million tonnes a year- including oil to produce synthetic fibres, fertilisers to grow cotton and harmful chemicals to produce, dye and finish fibres and textiles. If the fashion industry carries on using these resources the way they are currently, by 2050 the fashion industry could use more than 26% of the carbon budget associated with the 2°C global warming limit.

In 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,138 people and injuring 2,500. The Rana Plaza building had five different factories inside, all manufacturing garments for large global fashion brands. The majority of people who make clothes for the big fashion brands you see on the high-street live in poverty and are unable to buy basic necessities for themselves or their families. 80% of these workers are women, who are subject to exploitation, verbal and physical abuse and extremely poor working conditions with very little pay.

Fashion

What sustainable fashion choices can I make?

The first thing we can do is to shop second hand. Charity shops, car boot sales, vintage stores… there are so many places we can go to find fashion. There are some real gems out there ready to be re-loved! If you find something in a charity shop, not only will you be helping the planet you’ll also be helping the charity you’ve chosen to shop at.

For September, Oxfam have been running a campaign called #SecondHandSeptember. Pledge not to buy anything ‘new’ for 30 days, send in your finds on social media and join in with the movement!

Here are some local Brighton sustainable fashion choices to get you started on your second-hand journey…

·        To Be Worn Again Vintage

·        Beyond Retro Brighton

·        Dirty Harry Clothing

·        Cancer Research UK (Western Road) – they have a great vintage section too!

·        Martlets Hospice Charity Shop

Another way to help is to re-look at your current wardrobe. Do you really need to buy something new? Many of us have items of clothing in our wardrobes that still have the tags in. Consider why this is… if you know you’ll never wear it - sell it! There are many platforms out there now where you can sell your clothes, so why not make some money whilst having a clear out?

Here are a few places we recommend for selling your clothes. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure after all!

·        Depop

·        Ebay

·        Vinted

·        Facebook Marketplace

·        Or ask your friends – maybe they’ve had their eye on something of yours!

If there are clothes in your wardrobe that don’t fit anymore, or you haven’t worn them in a while donate them to a charity of your choice. There will be someone out there who will be thankful for your old pair of jeans or jacket! If you have something that looks a little worse for wear, consider a second use for it. Could it be cut up and used as a cleaning cloth? Could someone use it for arts and crafts? There are so many possibilities – and if you’re still stuck of what to do with your old worn and torn clothes recycle them in a textile recycling bank! Find textile recycling points local to Brighton & Hove here.

Brighton Beyond Retro

Local Brighton sustainable fashion choices

If you do need to buy something new consider buying from brands that are not only doing great things for the environment but also supporting the people that are creating their garments. Here are a few brands local to Brighton and Hove who are doing fantastic things…

·        Zola Amour – they create everyday essential clothing out of high-quality organic fibres. Each garment will decompose naturally and not harm the earth in the process! All the garments are made in Warwickshire and each employee is paid the Living Wage as a minimum. They currently have a pop-up shop in Dukes Lane, Brighton!

·        The Emperor’s Old Clothes – working exclusively with vintage and end-of-roll fabric The Emperor’s Old Clothes create one of a kind garments that are almost never re-produced. Everything is made in Brighton and every member of their team is paid the Living Wage. All scraps are kept and made into accessories and garments can be altered to make sure they fit perfectly and can be worn time and time again.

·        Unoa -  they source ethical and certified sustainable organic cotton and create soft and versatile leisure and active wear. Aamena, the creator of Unoa works closely with a factory in Pakistan where women are encouraged to take on fairly paid leadership roles supported by the United Nations Development Programme.

Hopefully we have inspired you to make some small but impactful changes to the way you think about fashion and what alternatives there are out there for you to do ‘your bit’! Brighton is full of various eco-friendly and sustainable brands and with a multitude of vintage shops around – it’s one of the best places to help you make more conscious decisions when shopping for clothes.

Do you feel strongly about having a positive impact in your community or environment around you? There are so many ways you can get involved with great projects in your area. Check out how you can become A Bloomer.

How Millennials Are Demanding Social Responsibility Within The Workplace

How Millennials Are Demanding Social Responsibility Within The Workplace

Millennials are a growing presence within the workplace; by 2020, millennials, the generation born between 1980 and 2000, will comprise more than 50 per cent of the UK workforce.

How is the wave of millennials pushing corporate social responsibility into action?


Millennials in the workplace are stereotyped as many (mostly negative things); fickle, unmotivated, greedy, entitled, ''technology-obsessed'', you name it, millennials have been accused of it. 

photo-1520881363902-a0ff4e722963.jpeg

But what actually motivates millennials in the workplace? Extensive research suggests that millennials are not only driven by social change, but they expect and demand businesses to meet their high expectations of acknowledging their corporate social responsibility.


According to a PwC report; corporate social values become more important to millennials when their basic requirements, like adequate pay and working conditions, are reached. The report states that "millennials want their work to have a purpose, to contribute something to the world."

Similarly, a study conducted by Cone Communications highlighted that three-quarters of millennials consider a company's social and environmental commitments when deciding where to apply for work. This suggests that millennials want to feel they are contributing positively to broader society and want to feel like they can support the social good their company does. 

The drive to work within an ethical and socially driven workplace shouldn't be surprising. The younger generation has access to the news instantly and continuously. Meaning their awareness and understanding of today's social injustices has equipped them to push brands to put meaning behind the company's advertising. 

Nowadays "people are so aware of the concept of greenwashing...so if you are saying you are sustainable or having certain values, then failing to abide by them, people will know you are not being authentic" - Katie Leggett from Innocent.


Millennials are stereotypically known for being fickle with their job and ''job-hopping'' whenever it suits them. However, research suggests that a business' commitment to a responsible business model can be a significant factor in whether young people agree to stay or leave. For example, nearly 70 per cent of millennials said that if a company had a strong sustainability plan, it would influence their decision to stay long term. Additionally, 75 per cent of millennials would even take a pay cut if that meant they could work for a socially responsible company! 

What workforce diversity means for millennials

Diversity is another crucial aspect of millennials demand from the workplace. For them, diversity includes everything from race, gender, sexual orientation and different thoughts and perspectives. They want an open and transparent work culture where inclusivity and diversity are at its heart. They are less likely to accept the traditional approaches to the workplace and demand that discrimination is tackled head-on. Results from a Deloitte survey revealed that 83 per cent of millennials feel empowered and engaged when they see that their company fosters an authentically inclusive and diverse culture.

Millennials push companies to be the best they can and in some cases can force them to change their ideology for the better. Companies must accept that 87 per cent of millennials would be more loyal to a company that helps them stand up for social and environmental issues. You can already see a change in corporate attitudes to social responsibility, in 2016, over 9,000 companies around the world have signed the UN Global Compact, a promise to uphold social responsibility in human rights, labour standards, and environmental protection.


Millennials are more connected and more conscious of the environmental and social challenges which are happening today. Millennials understand the importance of using their voices and actions to try and make a change and contribute to broader social campaigns. Consequently, they want their work life to reflect their demand for change and know that in order to make a significant difference, companies need to listen to them and follow their lead.

Do you feel strongly about having a positive impact in your community or environment around you? There are so many ways you can get involved with great projects in your area. Check out how you can become A Bloomer.

7 Amazing Sustainability Projects in Brighton You Never Knew About

7 Amazing Sustainability Projects in Brighton You Never Knew About

Brighton. The most hipster city in the world. We’re also pretty environmentally conscious. Following the success of the Climate Strike march in February 2019, slowly but surely ideas are changing about how to keep our planet healthy and happy. Here’s a list of seven eco-projects going on in our town you probably had no idea were happening...

1. Hubbub Foundation | City Centre

Hubbub have teamed up with the B&H council for their project #streetsahead, hitting our seaside city in full force. After finding out 80% of plastic found in oceans comes from land, they took a creative approach to educate citizens about appropriate disposal of litter. Through bold bright colours and catchy tagline’s like “For fishes sake — Don’t drop litter!”, this project has littered the streets of Brighton with positive environmental messages that stick in your head! They also carried out an enlightening social experiment, testing if passers-by would pick up dropped litter and produced a short video which can be viewed here — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcTJsX2lRug — Just goes to show educating others doesn’t have to be boring, and a little creativity goes a long way!

2. The Brighton Waste House | 58-67 Grand Parade

This award-winning project started out in 2012 involving over 700 students, builders, carpenters and ecologists. Now completed, this ‘living laboratory’ for ecological design is Europe’s first permanent public building made up of over 85% discarded materials. It is also an EPC ‘A’ rated low energy building and is a model used for investigating strategies for constructing contemporary and low-energy permanent structures in the future. Situated on Grand Parade, it's a monument that's worth the visit and exemplifies Brighton’s eco-friendly ethos!

3. Fareshare Sussex | 7 Westergate Road

Next on our earth-happy hot-spot list is Fareshare, a charitable project run by city gate community projects. Their work has two main objectives; tackling food poverty and tackling food waste — two aims that encapsulate the phrase ‘two birds one stone’. Fareshare receives surplus food from food companies that would otherwise go to waste, delivers it to local charities in refrigerated vans by a team of dedicated volunteers, and transforms it into thousands of meals or food parcels every week. In the last year, they’ve worked with the food industry to redistribute 468 tonnes of food, which has contributed towards more than 1 million meals and helped to reduce CO2 emissions by 223 tonnes. Simple and ethical ideas like this are an amazing way to help the hungry and save the planet from excess waste!

Additionally Fareshare Sussex work supporting people into employment, and they
re-distributed 564 tonnes to 122 charities last financial year! 

4. Freegle | Online

Freegle, Brighton’s very own freecycling platform, is an online community that encourages the three R’s — reduce, reuse, recycle — by giving away unwanted items for free! They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and this is certainly endorsed by Freegle, whose main aims are to reduce demand for the new, and appreciate the used for all it has left to offer. Thinking about that old microwave sitting in your garage? Get online to Freegle to give it another chance at life!

5. Earthship | Stanmer Park

Earthship Brighton was the first ever self-sustainable building to be built in the UK. This off-grid building project started in 2002, and now boasts the capacity to heat, cool, power itself through solar energy, collect its own rainwater and treat waste using plants instead of chemicals. Earthship Brighton is not only a monument of sustainability in our city but has also focused on educating others in reducing their carbon footprint and modifying individual behaviours for the better of our planet... It also looks incredible!

6. Brighton Pride | 2nd-4th August 2019

The UK’s biggest pride festival lands on our stoney shores every year, and plans have been put in place to ensure that us humans won’t be the only ones celebrating. Pride organisers have announced they have created a long-term strategy encouraging all businesses across the city to support their green agenda. They will also be encouraging attendees to make use of the many recycling points available across the festival and working to reduce as much single-use plastic as possible.

7. Butterfly Bank | Brighthelm Gardens

Brighton & Hove city council have teamed up with Brighthelm’s trust gardening group and youth ranger volunteers from Sussex Wildlife Trust to plant over 1,000 downland plants in the heart of Brighton. The chalk bank is 17m long and is made of 60 tonnes of chalk, attracting a huge variety of butterflies, bees, and other pollinating insects. At a time where bee populations are at serious lows and posing serious risks to the future of our planet, projects like this are one way that we humans can help out the little guys.

An Eco-Friendly Guide To Brighton

Brighton is leading the way with its eco-friendly conscience, something that is reflected in its huge range of ethical shops. Our city is filled to the brim with second hand goodies, handmade treasures and multitudes of cafes boasting their eco-friendly morals. At times it can be overwhelming, so where should you start?

Your breakdown starter-kit for eco-friendly shopping in Brighton:

Small-Batch-Coffee-Brighton_f7fa31a932976d8575477ccf86b3e8a1.jpg

Small Batch Coffee: Brighton , 17 Jubilee St, BN1 1GE

They started off as a small family run business, and despite their growth they still treat their workers like family! Their coffee comes from 20 countries, that fit into their Farm to Cup philosophy. They aim to develop long term relationships with their coffee producers by buying from them year after year, visiting them to understand the challenges they face and paying sustainable prices significantly higher than the Fair Trade minimum.

12799029_1667446936859202_571821354789256277_n.jpg

Brighton Repair Cafe: 33 Southover Street, Hanover Centre,BN2 9UD

Giving things a new lease of life; repairing and reusing is the motto of The Brighton Repair Cafe. They are open on the last Saturday of the month (apart from December) and with help from craftsmen and volunteers; they can fix everything from clothing to electronics. Plus you can have a cuppa, while you learn some new skills on how to extend the life of your beloved items!

bb99861abef7cc0b3eaa88c77deaa4fa.jpg

Wolf and Gypsy Vintage: 30 Sydney Street, North Laine, Wolf & Gypsy Vintage, , BN1 4EP

Shopping secondhand is one of the best ways to ensure your spending habits are eco-friendly. The crew at Wolf and Gypsy Vintage not only repair worn items and source incredible vintage bits but they also sell beautiful new pieces of clothing.  They love to collaborate with local artists and specialists, so keep your eyes peeled for unique campaigns.

dowse_design_shop_high-6894.jpg

Dowse Design: 27 Gloucester Rd, BN1 4AQ

At Dowse Design they believe in collaborating with people they know are fairly paid for their work. Their Brighton shop showcases their range of jewellery, homewares and more alongside other pieces of work from great independent small businesses & designers. So you can rest easy, knowing you are supporting the incredible talent that Brighton has to offer.

Need more tips for eco-friendly shopping?

Check out ‘The Pebble Guide to Brighton’ ; a simple way to check what great eco shops and community projects are happening around Brighton.

Have you heard about ‘The Brighton Elephant’?

The Brighton Elephant

You know the scene… you get off the bus in Brighton, ready for a great Friday night on the seafront. You get to the bar, order your drink and maybe think about getting something to line your stomach for the impending night ahead...

A great big plastic cup comes flying towards you. It feels flimsy in your hand. It looks and feels cheap. You know you won’t be allowed to use it again, and you can’t see a recycling bin in the surrounding area.

Or you decide to go for a walk along the seafront. It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in your beloved town, and you feel like being a tourist. You start off with a coffee to walk along the beach with. You receive your plastic lined cup and wonder if the vendor uses biodegradable cups. They don’t. Now what? You go get a selection of lovely local sea food – some lovely prawns, some jellied eel and maybe some pickled whelks! Why not! It’s the weekend! Oh, but that’s in some nasty polystyrene too. And again, you can’t see any recycling bins nearby.

cup 2.jpg
plastic back underwater.jpg

So you sit on the beach… with your plastic cup full of beer, or your polystyrene container full of seafood. And as you finish up, you pop it next to you, and continue to look out to sea. A gust of wind blows your container towards the sea. You jump up, conscious not to let it go in. You wouldn’t want some poor sea creature to suffer because of your single use plastic, so you chase after it and catch it. As you straighten yourself up, you look around for a recycling bin. You can’t see any, so you resign to carrying it until you find one.

 

You don’t find one, so you prop it on top the overflowing bin you can find, and hope it gets picked up soon, before it gets blown into the sea.

You carry this plastic container with you all night, thinking about it, heavy on your mind. You wonder if the next bar will serve your drink or meal in plastic too.

fish and hips.jpg
zero w.jpg

“What’s the solution?” you ponder. Bring a container with you? Maybe a reusable coffee cup! Or you could keep cutlery in your handbag! And one of those modern new steel straws you saw at the Open Market the other day!

That’s it, you think. I’m going to change this mess, even if it’s just me.

You feel empowered. You’re making a change.

Because you love your town, and you want to care for it.

One reusable item at a time.

 

We suggest a few of the following as a starter kit to getting you on the way to being plastic free whilst out and about.

Four Brighton Charities We Love And Think You Will Too!

photo-1529540344784-8f40c380de5c.jpeg

We want to share some amazing charities we work with and a few that we think are doing great things in Brighton and the surrounding areas. We get so much pleasure in partnering with charities that are doing good and we really want you to see what they are up to!

  • ONCA Gallery supports the wellbeing of people and places by increasing awareness of, and engagement with, environmental and social challenges. They partner with local and international artists to embrace a diverse perspective and try to foster more inclusive creative practices. They are a space for meeting, thinking, learning and celebrating art!

    Contact the ONCA Gallery: 01273 607101

  • Sussex Prisoners’ Families is a community interest company which supports local families to cope emotionally and practically with the imprisonment of a loved-one. They offer support and advice to families as well as training and awareness-raising for professionals so that they can better meet families’ needs.

    Contact Sussex Prisoners’ Families: 01273 499843

  • The Railway Land Wildlife Trust consists of a beautiful nature reserve and The Linklater Pavilion. They inspire environmental sustainability by bringing nature to the heart of Lewes. They aim to achieve this goal by running the Linklater building as a community- based hub for the understanding of a sustainable environment, providing inclusive outdoor learning using innovative approaches and supporting the local authority in managing the Railway Land nature reserve for the whole community.

    Contact the Railway Land Wildlife Trust: 01273 477101

  • Sussex Oakleaf provides a range of support services to people with mental health needs, those with a personality disorder and individuals at risk of homelessness. They empower people and promote independence by providing recovery focused community wellbeing services, residential care, peer mentoring, housing support and volunteering opportunities.

    If you need to speak to someone about your mental health out of hours then please use the following numbers.

    • Sussex Mental Health Line – 0300 5000 101

    • Samaritans – 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org

    • NHS, non emergency number – 111

    • SANEline – 0300 304 7400

Tips For A Sustainable Halloween

Tips On How To Have A Sustainable Halloween!

Create A Reuse-able Costume!

Why not tailor your halloween costume to your everyday outfit tastes? A Halloween costume can be for life, not just Halloween. Or better yet, why not use second hand clothes to bring your spooky idea to life?

Use Eco-Friendly Halloween Treats

Cheap Halloween sweets are usually covered in plastic and won’t biodegrade any time soon. Consider throwing your own ingredients into a cauldron and making toffee apples instead! 

Say Boo To The Plastic Candy Bucket

Those plastic candy buckets will end up hanging around long after Halloween. Try going trick-or-treating with a different kind of container, get imaginative with a pillow case, laundry basket or even just use a normal handbag. 

Local Pumpkin Pie

Consider researching your local pumpkin patch this year or your nearest farmers market that sell pumpkins! Not only will you be cutting carbon emissions from transportation significantly, but often you’ll find all different shapes and sizes of pumpkins which will only add to the creepy factor once it’s been carved!

Check out a few places in Sussex that you could pick your own pumpkin! Here.

Meaning Conference Fringe Event: Lunchtime Brighton Beach Clean

Tuesday, 13 November 2018 from 12:00-14:30

From the Palace Pier, Brighton (in front of the Sea Life Centre)

SAS2.jpg

Plastic is a man made invention and it won’t simply deteriorate while we’re not looking - plastic items can take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills. While everyday plastic bags can take 10-1000 years to decompose, the vast majority of plastic used on packaging ends up floating in our oceans and polluting our land, instead of being reused or recycled. Single use plastic is without question, killing our planet and our oceans.

Right now an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic, everything from plastic bottles and bags to micro-beads, end up in our oceans each year. That’s approximately a truck load of rubbish a minute. Not only does this amount of plastic waste hurt our planet, but it hurts other living creatures; many marine organisms can’t distinguish common plastic items from food. Animals who eat plastic, often starve as they can’t digest it and it fills their stomachs, preventing them from eating real food.

Want to make a difference? Join Creative Bloom and Brighton’s Surfers Against Sewage in cleaning up Brighton Beach on the 13th November from 12-2:30 - an event which is part of the Meaning Fringe. We are taking direct action against plastic pollution and will prove that anyone can make a difference when they work together. There will also be a short talk at 2pm which will further discuss marine plastic pollution and what you personally can do to stop it.


And if you needed any more reason to fight for the end of plastic pollution- a recent study by Sarah-Jeanne Royer et al, has discovered that plastic wastage, when exposed to sunlight, will emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.  

So come help us fight against plastic waste and do your bit to make a difference.



How to Reduce Plastic Waste at Festivals and Events

The hot British Summer is in full swing and we're well into the festival season now. If you're anything like me, you'll love soaking up the summer whilst enjoying a bit of music and culture outdoors. I recently joined a 40,000 strong crowd for a music festival in London. By the end of the evening and a couple of beers down, I was so swept up in the excitement of the headliner's encore, that I thought I would be going home with a lingering sense of contentment (and perhaps some ringing in my ears). As the crowds descended into the evening, the feeling quickly disappeared as I was followed by an overwhelming sound of crunching. As I looked back, I was shocked to see a dense carpet of plastic pint glasses strewn on the ground, and being crushed underfoot. Sadly, this scene is all too familiar during the festival season.

At Creative Bloom, we wanted to challenge the issue that has become a norm amongst festival-goers and organisers. There are many actions that we can take to have some fun in the sun in a more environmentally responsible way. We partnered up with 'Surfers Against Sewage' and the 'Paddle Round the Pier' event and some other fabulous local activists to try to tackle the issue.

IMG-20180709-WA0000.jpg

how-to-reduce-plastic-waste-at-festivals.jpg

Our project began last year, when members of Creative Bloom along with SAS volunteers, conducted a waste audit at the 2017 Paddle Round the Pier event. This included a review of food and drinks packaging and promotional material that was being supplied by stallholders, availability of segregated recycling bins and guidelines of how and where waste should be deposited. After conducting this audit, guidelines were created to help to inform stallholders of ways to help reduce the production of plastic waste at the 2018 Paddle Round the Pier event.

Although some stallholders found this task a little too tall, many were up for the challenge. Alongside Surfers Against Sewage we helped to arrange two beach cleans after the event and our very own Stuart Davies and local designer Claire Potter held talks throughout the weekend about how to reduce plastic waste as the Hove Local SAS Representatives. During this year's event, Jimmy from Bloom also held a second waste audit to see ways in which the festival had improved since last year, chatting to some attendees & stall holders and discussing their thoughts on the issue.

IMG-20180709-WA0003.jpg
IMG-20180709-WA0005.jpg

These are only small steps that have been taken, but already we have seen a great reduction in the amount of plastic waste created at the Paddle Round the Pier Event. The festival's organisers, stallholders and attendees have shown that with the right attitude, events both large and small are are able to achieve this reduction in plastic waste. We are aware that this is part of a process to try to tackle the issue, but small actions and conversations are a great starting point to help resolve the current plastic problem within Brighton and Hove.

It’s very simple to do - start your own conversation and watch change start to happen.

We GLITTERALLY can't believe it! Nursery cuts microplastics

water-2500313_1920.jpg

We've been hearing all about the recent ban of plastic microbeads in UK cosmetics due to the damage it can cause to marine life, but did you know that glitter can be just as responsible for aquatic pollution?

So when, Brighton residents, you last shook your beard/bed/coffee in the months after Pride, just consider that these microparticles turn up just as easily in our oceans, leading to growth problems in sea life, amongst other issues.

glitter.jpg

We are, however, beginning to see some very welcome changes. Tops Day Nurseries group have recently called out for a glitter ban in their classrooms in the run-up to Christmas, now using environmentally friendly alternatives such as lentils and rice. It won't make any difference in the development of a child's learning, but it could make a difference in our oceans if we all follow suit!

glitterlution.jpg

Don't worry, we don't expect everyone to turn up to Pride 2018 covered in lentils and rice, but there are some environmentally friendly glitter alternatives that you can choose from. There is an increasing number of companies creating bio-degradable glitter from compostables and renewable resources such as Eco Glitter Fun, Eco Stardust & Glitterlution.

 

 

Although we're well aware that cutting out conventional glitter will not solve the issue of plastic pollution, it will hopefully set a goal for others to follow and create a conversation about more hidden pollutants in our homes. 

Rubbish at Recycling? The Truth About Brighton & Hove

Rubbish at Recycling blog picture.jpg

If you live in Brighton & Hove, I’m sure that you would make the same assumption as most when it comes to the city’s recycling. We are the only city in Britain that is home to a Green Party Constituency so Brightonians must be green?

Surely we would have some of the best recycling statistics of the nation?

You may be surprised to hear that in 2014/15 Brighton & Hove was ranked 337th out of 351 English authorities for the performance of household recycling, composting and reusing - with only 24.6% of household waste being sent to council waste management. Top of the list was South Oxfordshire District Council, managing to send 66.6% of their household waste to council organised recycling, composting and re-use management.

However, if you walk from one end of Brighton’s city centre to the other, you will come across an abundance of environmentally driven restaurants, activists, and pub conversations. This could lead you to the conclusion that Brighton has one of the most green-conscious communities in Britain. So why isn’t this reflected in the statistics?

line for squarespace.jpg
Statistics for blog post.jpg

If you take a look at the list above and compare the recycling capability of South Oxfordshire and Brighton & Hove, you can see that the number of materials that can be recycled in each city varies greatly. So if the only plastics that can be picked up from your home to be recycled are bottles, where do you turn to when it comes to drinks cartons, tin foil, and other recyclables?
 

OUR RECYCLING SOLUTIONS

One answer lies in Brighton & Hove’s well known make-do and mend mentality which stretches as far as the resident’s approach to recycling. In the true community spirit of Brighton and Hove, 3 volunteers from Hanover Community Centre began to collect recyclable waste around residential and business areas in 1990 and are still running 27 years later under the name of Magpie Recycling Co-operative Ltd. Magpie Recycling Co-operative has a far more extensive list of items that can be recycled and offer weekly home collection services under the name of 'Green Box' from as little as £1.39 a week. They have also set up 'Shabitat' - a warehouse of bric-a-brac that gives truth to the phrase ‘one man’s trash is another’s treasure’.

noun_1328022_cc.png

There are several other recycling organisations that provide similar services, for example, The Wood Store who collect unwanted wooden items.

Freegle is a homegrown Brighton and Hove  online freecycling community, a site similar to Gumtree, but where everything’s free! It encourages the community to help each other to reduce the demand for buying new products and cut down on waste. Freecycle is another great resource that works similarly, so if you’ve got a spare microwave or child’s buggy, you know where to go. 

line for squarespace.jpg

Katie, a current Brighton resident who used to live in Oxford, commented on how she felt both cities council recycling compared,

“I was surprised that as a green seat, Brighton doesn’t do much about food waste but in Oxford, they communicated information at least 4 times a year about what we could and couldn’t put in bins and gave us loads of resources for food waste.”

Although there is currently no food waste collection by Brighton and Hove City Council, they are aiming to help reduce food waste by working with The Brighton and Hove food Partnership organisation to set up community composting around the city. They have already set up 16 community composting sites, as listed below. In addition to this, The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership alongside the council are on track to set up a community fridge, funded by Sainsburys. This will allow local residents to leave any spare food for hungry people and again help reduce food waste around the city.

Community composting.jpg

Having reviewed these areas of recycling around Brighton and Hove, you could argue that although the statistics for household recycling may not seem very high, there is without a doubt a sense of community ownership of recycling which is not quantified in these statistics. The council decided, only a few days ago, to phase out the use of single-use plastics in the city. This motion was supported by a public petition, proving that the people of Brighton & Hove take it upon themselves, with the help of private and public organisations, to find creative ways of cutting down, re-using and recycling waste in the city.

So perhaps the fact that we have a lack of recycling resources available on our doorstep doesn't matter as much when there are efforts in place to cut down on the production of waste in the first place.

There is that old saying that 'prevention is better than cure' after all.

We are going to start talking a lot more about designing out waste.