Booragoon’s Environmental Tree!

By The Body Shop Booragoon (WA)

When two Ex Child Care Workers come together… What can you expect… A tree made from entirely recycled products!

We decided to use as many products from our Visy Bin to encourage recycling. The only thing not recycled was the glue. We used Body Butters, Face Moisturisers, Foot protectors, Boxes (from our weekly delivery),

Plastic bags from our grocery shopping and the leaves were cut out from the cardboard used on our promo table (Body Butter Promo).

Written on the leaves are hints, tips and environmental slogans taken from the Australian Conservation Foundation website.

Many were in awe of our giant tree. Having the tree displayed in-store for the 3 week period created lots of interest from children in store. Even adults checked it out. Staff used it as an opener to talk about our ACF Campaign. Most of all we had FUN making it and are proud of our master piece.

NSW Forest for Climate Leadership

In support of the recent "Take the Lead on Climate Change" campaign with the Australian Conservation Foundation, almost 20,000 customers of The Body Shop signed a pledge to become part of the solution to the climate change crisis. During this campaign, The Body Shop (TBS) Geelong; aiming to engage all staff who in turn talk passionately to our customers about how we can tackle such important issues, invited TBS stores across Australia to participate in a national competition to create a TBS Forest.
Stores embraced this opportunity with great enthusiasm with all trees presented and judged at recent Store Manager Networks. Points were given to those displaying works in the following categories.
MOST POLITICAL
MOST CREATIVE
MOST SUSTAINABLE
An overall winner was then chosen in each State with the national winner to be announced in September at The Body Shop National Conference.
With the key goal to have fun and get the message across about how important the issue of climate change is and the difference we can all make, NSW presented their tree’s in the theme of "Values Idol".
"We had 12 stores ‘perform their tree’ on the Tuesday and the other 13 ‘performed their tree’ on the Wednesday morning. We had the music (from American IDOL) and we had our very own judges (distant cousins of the TV version… of course!!) made up from our state management team and I couldn’t resist the chance to be the host….yes I was P.J. Seacrest!!! Each store team had a minute to talk through why their tree was either the most CREATIVE, POLITICAL or MOST SUSTAINABLE. It was a nail biting, adrenalin fueled and very fun way of getting an important message ‘out there’! After each ‘show’ we had a ballot vote and then on Wednesday afternoon we announced our winners of each category as well as our overall state winner!
So in NSW, congratulations must go to the Castle Towers store who won MOST POLICITICAL, Eastgardens who won MOST CREATIVE and Galleries Victoria who won MOST SUSTAINALBE – they had voted as a store team to commit to planting 10 new trees!!!! The overall state winner went to the Charlestown Square team who did a little song!!!!!
A huge thank you to TBS Geelong for their creative idea, along with all TBS stores for their enthusiastic participation. Watch this space for further updates on State Winners along with supporting photos.

Thank you to all who signed a Climate Pledge

By Deb Baxter - The Body Shop
Over the last three weeks, almost 20,000 customers at The Body Shop signed a pledge to become part of the solution to the climate change crisis.
The valued partnership between the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and The Body Shop asked people to take the lead on climate change. By taking the lead, you have helped us work toward a strong global agreement in Copenhagen to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
Thank you to all who took the time to sign a climate change pledge, learnt more about the issue of climate change and became part of the solution to the climate crisis.

The Body Shop Summer Activist T-Shirt

By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager
I love getting faxes like this from store land.

The Values team has been given the space on the back of this summer's t-shirt. I've opened it up for any staff to submit suggestions. The back of the current winter t-shirt says :

"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand up for much." - Marian Wright Edelman

Support The Body Shop in its campaign to stop sex trafficking of children & young people.

The above idea is from Katie & The Glen store here in Victoria. It's pretty rad and promotes our Community Trade Tri-Massagers. 100% of the profits from these go to the Children on the Edge 'child friendly space' in East Timor.

If anyone out there reading this has a good idea for the back of our t-shirts, please feel free to email it to me or leave a comment on this post.

Please click here for kids in East Timor. Quick!

By Elizabeth Crow - The Body Shop Highpoint (Vic)
















Canon is having a photo competition for images related to worthwhile causes – the winning image wins $25,000 for their nominated charity. I would very much like Children on The Edge to win but I need a few hundred votes… in the next 2 days. That's where you come in.

I recently volunteered to help out at the Children on the Edge 'Child Friendly Space' in East Timor. Each afternoon, children were free to come and play with us. We skipped, painted and drew, played soccer, volleyball, frizbee and badminton… the list goes on. The older children had such a thirst to learn English and much time was spent pointing at objects that were being parroted in both English and Tetum. It’s a place where kids are free to be kids. A place where us adults were also free to be kids! I went with no expectations but came back with an appreciation, thirst & passion for the life we live.

I took some portraits of the beautiful East Timorese children while I was over there and have entered them into Canon's Creative for a Cause competition. Please help Children on the Edge and the children of East Timor. All you need to do is get you, your workmates, friends and family to vote for these photos.

HOW?
Simply click on any of my photos in this post. Each photo is linked to their place in the Canon gallery, all you have to do is vote for them to increase their chances to win!







Voting close 10 July 2009.

Rome burns while the G8 Fiddle

Via Oxfam International:

Image Via: Ucodep



G8 leaders lying on a triclinium, eating grapes and reciting ancient poems accompanied by a cetra, whilst huge flames destroy Rome. The eight leaders of the most powerful countries are, like Emperor Nero, ignoring the flaming crisis engulfing the world around them.

Stunts organised by Oxfam and its partner UCODEP

Poverty and inequality are getting worse in developing countries as a result of the global economic crisis. Poor families are eating less, being evicted from their homes, and having to pull children out of school. All of this is exacerbated by the effects of high food prices, the failure of rich countries to deliver on their aid promises, and the growing harmful impacts of climate change.

Knox and Eastland The Body Shop Climate Change Leaders

The Body Shop Eastland (Vic) Rowena Davies & Jess Wright




The Body Shop Knox City (Vic) Laura Gilbert

Green Marketing vs Green Washing vs Green Values

By Adam Valvasori - Values Manager
















Image via: sinsofgreenwashing.org

A few days ago I had the privilege to present to a room of Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing professionals at Ethical Investor's 2nd Annual Green Marketing Forum in Melbourne. If you're interested in greening your business or a student of marketing, I highly recommend you have a look through some of the presentation powerpoints etc here.

It was really heartening to learn that most organisations present were now being very careful and cautious of making 'green claims' eg: "Buy this it's carbon neutral!" for fear of being labelled or even prosecuted by the ACCC as 'green washers'.

Scott McDougall, CEO, TerraChoice (Canada) gave an excellent presentation which included the Seven Deadly Sins of Green Washing, which are:

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-off
2. Sin of No Proof
3. Sin of Vagueness
4. Sin of Worshiping False Labels
5. Sin of Irrelevance
6. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
7. Sin of Fibbing

I came to a bit of a realization whilst talking about The Body Shop Australia's version of "green marketing" which is more like “Social marketing (community communication, education and action) to achieve local and global environmental justice”...

If a company wants us green/ ethical consumers to believe it's really, truly green, it has to win our trust. It must prove genuine concern for the environment as well as it's own profits. Companies can do this by:

• volunteering to go above and beyond current industry environmental laws
• trying to educate consumers about environmental issues.
  
• using their marketing powers (jokingly described as the dark arts @ the conference) to influence stronger national and global political action on climate change. Eg: Lending their voices to the growing number of Australians demanding stronger carbon emission reduction targets from our Government.

Managing our carbon footprint, via reduction and offsetting strategies is crucial. But I think only the first step in gaining a green reputation. Once this is established, more companies can start looking beyond themselves and at the bigger environmental picture. Anita Roddick wisely said:

“The Body Shop recognised long ago that politics is far too important to leave to politicians.”

There are green groups like ACF, Greenpeace and WWF to name a few, who would love to get some mainstream partnerships, marketing and advertising advice, to help spread important environmental messages across to the masses.

To finish this unusually long post for a Friday. Here are a few websites I picked up on at the conference I'd like to share with you. Check them out:

• Bindarri - a group who aims to support and promote Australian creatives who are working for positive change and to inspire others who are yet to begin.
  
• Grow Me The Money - the simple way for small businesses to be sustainable & save money.
  
• 3 Fish - fairtrade and sustainable marketing merchandise.
• The Good Brew Company - saving the world, one brew at a time.
• Republic of Everyone - helping to build sustainable brands.
  

The Body Shop Westlakes joins the 40 Hour Famine

By Sabrina Oliver - Assistant Manager, The Body Shop Westlakes (SA)

The Global Food Crisis is into its second year.

You probably didn't even know it...



World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine, is on again. Get Involved... 21-23 August 2009.

The 40 Hour Famine is one of Australia’s biggest youth fundraising events. It’s our chance at The Body Shop Westlakes to do something real: we're giving up food or other stuff that really matters like our mobile phones or Facebook for 40 hours and raising funds for kids living in poverty overseas.

It’s a great way for Australians to actually experience what life’s like for children who have to go without – every single day!

This year the 40 Hour Famine funds will help to:

• provide emergency food aid in Kenya and Cambodia
• provide sustainable agriculture and development programs
• increase reliable access to food and water
• reduce the effects of climate change by creating sustainable environments
• invest in agricultural education and development.

SOMETHING REAL you can do to help:

• Donate to The Body Shop Westlake's 40 Hour Famine group. Our group is called "TBS girls with heart". Group number "671037711".
• Do the 40 Hour Famine yourselves (especially other The Body Shop stores!) It's easy just jump onto their website. Let's see how many hungry kids TBS can help!
  
• Watch the videos about how the Food Crisis has hit innocent children in Kenya (Beatrice's Story) and Cambodia (Chanra's Story).
• Buy one of these cool 40 Hour Famine t-shirts.