Collapsing glaciers. Turtles tangled in plastic and fishing tackle. Forest fires. Bemused wildlife. Houses with canals reaching to their letterboxes. These are the images representing the current effects of the climate catastrophe, and they form the inevitable backdrop to any serious discussion about sustainability.
We know!
We know it’s bad, and we know we have to do something. What we really want is for the people who have the power to work out exactly what we should do and then show us how to do it. And in many cases, they are, but they aren’t doing it fast enough or thoroughly enough and that is why each of us needs to do more ourselves.
Ultimately the answer is very simple. Reduce what you take. Use what’s already been taken. Give it back so it can be used again… and again… and again. As a very wise person once told me – many things are simple – they aren’t necessarily easy.
The Make SustainabilITy Happen Bootcamp
I had the very great pleasure of being invited to one of the first Make Sustainability Happen Boot Camp sessions, along with an interesting and diverse group of professionals from our industry.
After the initial series of images to introduce the day (see paragraph 1), Make it Happen’s Sustainability Lead, Aimee Davies, provided the most important words of the day (in my view), “Sustainability is not a binary concept. No one person or group or business, or government can aim or claim to be fully sustainable. But… we can all do something to head in the right direction.”
And that is what this day is all about. Our industry of printing and sign-making, graphics and display is tiny compared to many others. But we do have a significant impact, and we can certainly be doing things better. Is it our responsibility? Again – there isn’t a binary answer to that. We need to share that responsibility with our suppliers, our teams, our customers and our communities.
Iain Wallace, who is Metamark’s Strategic Development Manager and Architect of Metastream, also attended the course and said, “It was excellent, engaging and informative. It was also very relevant to me and the industry.”
I won’t reveal the content of the day – but what I will say is that if sign-making and graphics production is your business, there are many, many reasons to attend. Apart from the insights into what really is and isn’t sustainable or recyclable (Aimee has done the deep-diving research for you here), it gives you the opportunity to be part of a community of people sharing ideas, experiences and knowledge. A hive mentality for the greater good.
Most importantly, this is not a session about lecturing you to be greener. It is practical advice about how you can become a more sustainable and profitable business by making relatively straightforward changes to how you operate.
These sessions get booked up fast, and the next ones are not far away on 17th November and 7th December. To book a place for this or future sessions, visit www.makeih.co.uk or contact Aimee directly at aimee@makeih.co.uk.
