28th Jun 2024
It’s Green Hosting clients appreciation time. Let’s see what the first bunch of the summer have in store…
Where Does it Come From
Award winning social enterprise that creates clothing and textiles that are kind
wheredoesitcomefrom.co.uk
Thoughts Make Things
Illustrator, art director and designer, bringing play and wonder to every project
thoughtsmakethings.com
The Ethical Copywriter
Copywriting for ethical businesses. Change the world, with words.
theethicalcopywriter.com
Natural Elements
Tai Chi and wellbeing for everyone
naturalelementsgroup.co.uk
Climate Action Lewisham
A local group working to support and generate climate action initiatives
climateactionlewisham.org
Reed Words
Making brands and businesses stronger through language
reedwords.com
Mellow Grove
Regenerative smallholding providing natural burials and carrying out nature-friendly farming
mellowgrove.org.uk
Cocoon Comms
A digital marketing communications agency for sustainable and eco-friendly brands
cocooncommunications.co.uk
Orbis Marketing
Sustainable marketing, business set up & coaching
orbis-marketing.com
ArtsMix
Pop-up markets for original artists, crafters, designers and creative food producers
artsmix.co.uk
The Abdication
An independent micropub specialising in good beer for 10 years
theabdication.co.uk
Ruislip Artists
Supporting member artists with meetings, events and exhibitions
ruislipartists.co.uk
Planetary Collective
A creative organization dedicated to worldview interruption
weareplanetary.com
Image descriptions:
A grid of images showing Rachel from Ethical Copywriter, Paul from Natural Elements leading a Tai Chi class, Katie from Cocoon Communications, Jo from Where Does it Come From?
Photo copyright – The individuals and organisations listed in this post
19th Jun 2024
To celebrate our 20th business anniversary and to say thank you for your custom we are excited to offer you the opportunity to win a year of free website hosting.
It’s simple to enter:
You must be a current Green Hosting client to take part.
Any clients who have already sent their memories or messages are already entered into the draw.
The deadline is 30th September, so if you’re not already a Green Hosting client, there’s time to purchase one of our plans and take part.
We'd love to hear from you!
Take a look at our ther wonderful Green Hosting clients to see who is powering their websites with 100% renewable energy.
31st May 2024
It’s Green Hosting clients appreciation time. There may be something wonderful to see here (see what I did there?). Find out more …
Black Skies Blue
Supporting businesses to adopt sustainable business models.
blackskiesblue.com
LiLi Kathleen Bright
Writer, ecopoet and nature experiences and workshop facilitator.
brightlyk.com
Highland Eco
Small scale hydro power designers.
highlandeco.com
Curiously Conscious
Lifestyle blog, documenting kinder ways to live and dress.
curiouslyconscious.com
South Pennines Digital Towns
Supporting community-minded organisations to explore digital and technology
southpenninesdigitaltowns.org.uk
Holly Rose
Writer, soil advocate, and environmentalist sharing tales and information through multimedia projects
hollyrose.eco
Greens Mill
A restored 19th century working windmill and science centre
greensmill.org.uk
Angels Community Enterprises
Care and domestic services and personal assistants.
angelscommunityenterprises.co.uk
Anja Lobert
Interior designer and craftswoman, delivering women’s DIY workshops
anjalobert.co.uk
The Masbro Centre
An Urban Partnership Group enterprise whose aim is to improve the health, wealth and wellbeing of the local community.
upg.org.uk
Maribru
Timeless and unique knitwear and accessories handmade with undyed British wool
maribru.co.uk
Paddy Piano
An inspirational piano teacher in London
paddypiano.co.uk
Youthquake Now
Campaigning for young people’s issues with Quaker values of peace, equality, simplicity and truth
youthquakenow.com
A grid of images showing of the team at Black Skies Blue, LiLi Kathleen Bright, Besma Whayeb from Curiously Conscious and Jamie Wallace from Highland Eco
Photo copyright – The individuals and organisations listed in this post
16th May 2024
We all know that being an entrepreneur is hard. Especially so in the social business space where we put other priorities above profit.
I believe there’s added pressure in our social business space because we have priorities beyond profit and assume a level of responsibility for various problems in the world that we’re working to resolve. We feel strongly about the causes we support and often worry that we’re not doing enough. We may need to tactfully navigate those who deride or disagree with our aims and we may have to work harder to prove our worth in our industry. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, right?
If we don’t establish self-care practices it becomes increasingly difficult to sustain our energy, care and joy in what we do and at worse we can become exhausted, despondent and sick. From my experience of running an ethical business for a long time I’ve learned that little fixes to make us feel better can be lovely but they don’t provide the longevity of setting in some helpful habits. As an entrepreneur you can be sure that things will go wrong, there will be stress and there will be long, tiring hours. It isn’t always possible to avoid that, but we can head off the nasty effects before they creep up. The trick is to look after ourselves consistently so that we’re better placed to tackle challenges when they arise.
So, here are three simple tried and tested (by me) ways I implement self-care. They aren’t fancy, they aren’t expensive, they don’t need (much) extra time and attention.
When we're busy working, time can slip by so quickly. If like me, the majority of your work involves looking at a screen we can become quite sedentary and before you know it, you haven't moved for hours. We all know that physical exercise is good for us but honestly, I know I'm not going to take up running 10K every morning before work. Nonetheless, moving your body is essential because it releases endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones that help reduce stress and lift your mood. Exercise gets more blood flowing to your brain, which can make you think more clearly and feel more focused. It can also help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, boost your self-esteem, and give you a sense of accomplishment. Movement could take any form that works for you. What works for me is a lovely dog walk and often a little dance in the kitchen when the kettle is boiling (don't tell me you don't do it too).
OK, I know how impossible this might sound when you’re juggling a business and all of the commitments that life demands. This doesn’t require a rigidly set out day, life just isn’t like that. I mean making sure the essentials are met, like eating lunch, staying hydrated and sticking to a finishing time as well as instilling habits that help you feel a sense of achievement every day. I promise that missing out on meals and staring at a screen with no break for long hours does not help productivity in the long term.
This basically means going outdoors and getting up close and personal with trees and plants. Spending time in the natural environment is now widely recognised and credited as being beneficial for our wellbeing. Some GPs in the UK are now ‘prescribing’ this to support mental good health.
Those in the know about therapeutic horticulture say that the restorative and calming effects of being with nature is increased when combined with an activity, like tending to plants. For me this has double benefits because it helps assuage anxiety about climate change and damage to our natural world by providing a soothing pastime as well as a means of doing something about it. Growing plants to eat reduces food miles and plastic waste, growing plants for pollinators supports biodiversity – it’s a win-win!
“Another thing to do?!” I hear you cry. Yes, I accept that growing plants might feel like just adding another job to the ever-expanding list. So of course, if even the thought of it creates more stress then just take little time to enjoy being in nature instead. Whether it’s in yours or a local community garden, an urban park, in the forest or up a mountain, nature can provide restorative and calming effects in the midst of a draining or anxiety inducing week.
Mental Health Awareness
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week 2024. Take a look at what the experts at the Mental Health Foundation have to say.
8th May 2024
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