It’s a new year, a new decade and four months into the third incarnation of Little Red 🐓. Presenting a momentous opportunity to think about how we can do things a little differently.
As a company we have always been conscious of wastefulness – from the volume of product samples packaged and sent out daily, to the multitude of goody bags at events but also simple things like forgetting to turn the heating off or picking up plastic knives and forks with our takeaway lunch when we really don’t need them.
As a team we kept coming back to this idea of wanting to be more sustainable despite the hurdle this presented (time, remembering, perceived expense etc.) and to engage with and support our local community further. Essentially, to just do more ‘good things’. Enter project ‘Do Good’. (we know, very catchy!)
Say no to plastic!
First things first we’ve banned plastic bottles and cutlery at the Coop – tough for the fizzy drink lovers amongst us but with plastic waste being one of the top contributors to landfill, this small step will help lessen our impact on the environment and also reduce the amount of recycling we need to do! There is a stiff £5 fine (that goes to our chosen charities – see below) for those breaking the rules, which may seem tough but has proved failsafe so far.
We’ve also said goodbye to our signature red plastic mailbags for press samples and have instead introduced recycled brown paper with a grosgrain ribbon and a Little Red 🐓 stamp for all postage that leaves our Berkshire HQ.
Banning the goody bags!
Perhaps our bravest move this year is to ban goody bags from our events – this extends to events hosted by our clients, too. Goody bags, although a nice gesture, are usually filled to the brim with badges, pens, USB sticks, stickers and other branded bits and pieces that generally end up in the bin – and eventually landfill.
With this in mind, we’re calling time on these wasteful gifts and will now seek to offer a sustainable, more eco-conscious replacement.
Our recent end-of-year client dinner and journalist Christmas party saw us give away homemade (by Emma Younger’s lovely parents) chutneys and relishes which could be paired with cheeses and festive lunches. Something a little different, sustainable and useful for each person to enjoy!
Tree huggers
Rather excitingly for every piece of press coverage the team achieves, Little Red 🐓 will plant a tree. Yes, you read that correctly; every piece of coverage. For example, in November, the team secured 263 pieces of coverage. That’s 263 new trees planted on the continent of our choice. In November, we chose the Amazon Rainforest.
Get rid and recycle!
We still love print magazines and quickly build up an impressive stash in the office. Instead of throwing it all in the recycling, we’re making a more conscious effort to give these a more useful home. All of our magazines are being donated to Bridge House – a retirement home just around the corner, and all of our newspapers are being given to local vets in the area alongside the Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre. In all seriousness, if you’re a local business and have any need for scrap newspaper PLEASE get in touch.
Supporting the local community
This year, inspired by our friends at Smeg we’ve picked a handful of local charities we want to raise money for and support. 2020 will see us donate funds, old samples and product to three of our chosen charities.
We have pledged to donate time – and old sock samples – to New Beginnings – an alcohol-free pub serving free food and drinks for Reading’s homeless and those in need.
New Beginnings transformed the Queens Arms pub in Great Knollys Street Reading so it can be used for homeless services and also as an After-School Cafe for parents and children in need. The After-School Cafe serves a complimentary hot meal and has pre-owned clothing and school uniform on offer for free. Homework help is also available.
Our next choice of charity for our fundraising support for the first six months of the year is Sue Ryder – a British palliative care and bereavement charity which provides care and support for people living with terminal illnesses and neurological conditions, as well as individuals who are bereaving the loss of a loved one. A cause close to a number of our team’s hearts.
Finally for the second half of 2020 we shall dedicate fundraising activities to Daisy’s Dream, a charity that supports children and their families through bereavement.
Give as you shop – simples!
Another way we will be helping to support these charities is through a handy online toolbar, Give as you live, allowing you or your business to donate money to charity every time you shop online. Participating retailers, of which there are over 4,000, include John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, ASOS, Amazon and Boots – to name a select few.
Thinking about others at Christmas
We’re all very lucky to have family around at Christmas and to wake up on the 25th with a lovely bundle of presents waiting for us but there are some much less fortunate. Kicking it off this year, we each picked a Christmas decoration, kindly supplied by Kids Out, and it wasn’t your usual bauble. Instead, each decoration provided the name of a child and the choice of toy that they wanted from Mr Claus which was then up to us to buy. Hopefully we made a difference to a small number of children in Reading, facing difficult times this Christmas.
Summer Showcase Redux
One big area where we are making a noticeable change this year is our annual Summer Showcase – not only will we be ditching the goody bag, but we are also looking to theme the whole event around sustainability. Stay tuned for further updates!
To celebrate this initiative, we are giving over our social channels to project Do Good for the WHOLE of January. For starters, each Rooster will be making individual pledges to try and do one thing to be more sustainable, environmentally friendly and to do good!
Whilst we completely appreciate we’re not going to single handedly stop climate change or make everyone happy, we truly believe in making small, dedicated steps to try and make a difference.
Why don’t you join us? If you have any ideas of what else we could do, please feel free to get in touch everyone@littleredpr.co.uk
