Passion for the Planet has just received a Special Commendation in the “Green Business” category at this year’s Green Guardian Awards.
The awards are designed to recognise businesses, individuals, schools and projects that are making a positive difference to their local environment.
Passion for the Planet is the UK’s only radio station focusing on health and environmental issues, and their commitment to the environment doesn’t stop there. Sustainability and caring for the planet and its people are also core to the company’s ethos.
Listener Teresa Wingfield was so impressed with Passion, both on and off air, that she decided to nominate the company for the award.
“I’ve learnt so much listening to the radio station, I definitely recycle more now that I understand what happens to these materials and how they are recycled. I’ve started composting, reduced my car use (haven’t quite got round to swapping the car for a bike… yet!), use less water, less detergent and less energy. I know I have a way to go, but without what I’ve learnt on Passion for the Planet I am not sure I’d have started.” said Teresa as part of her nomination.
“Passion for the Planet doesn’t just talk about being green - it is green. Co-founder Chantal Cooke is more committed to the environment than anyone I know. She does not have a car, she composts and grows her own organic vegetables, she finds ways and places to recycle almost everything, meaning that her household (of three people) produces only one dustbin bag of rubbish every fortnight. And she has been a vegetarian for over 15 years,” continued Mrs Wingfield.
Passion for the Planet’s studios are based in London, and they have five radio stations in the group broadcasting to London, Essex, Peterborough, Devon and the Bristol/Bath area and for the coming month, you can hear me being interviewed by Chantal being broadcast intermittently throughout their schedule.
Founders Chantal Cooke and Kenny Stevens have ensured that the company is as passionate about the planet as they are; the studios are sound-proofed with Scottish grown hemp, they use low energy light bulbs, the office furniture is reclaimed, there are recycling bins for paper, cans, glass, plastic, CDs etc. All office PC equipment is switched off completely at night (no stand-by lights left on). Passion produces only one small carrier bag of non-recyclable waste each week. And they are carbon neutral by off-setting their CO2 emissions through “Pure the clean planet trust”.
Passion for the Planet has also encouraged the owners of the building in which they are based to be greener too. They arranged for them to have an environmental audit, have put “hippos” in the toilet tanks and organised a weekly collection of paper for recycling.
Recently the company launched Passion for the Planet TV. The ethos and aim is the same as the radio station; to change the world. They are giving free airtime to independent film makers who are making films about issues seldom given any mainstream TV space. For example there are films about people in Mexico who make a living off the city’s rubbish dumps, an ex child soldier from Sudan, a couple fighting exploitation by the large oil companies in Nigeria, a young man who came to India for the drugs but after rehab now helps others fight their addiction, and many others.
“Awards like this are an important way to encourage people to make green choices and to recognise those that are already making a difference. Green is sometimes portrayed as a bit dull and worthy, it’s our mission to make it fun, easy and acceptable, and winning an award is certainly fun!” said Passion for the Planet’s Managing Director Chantal Cooke.
Rubbishly your,
TS x
Addendum: Coming soon, I turned the tables on the interviewer by interviewing Chantal! Subscribe to my RSS feed (click the button at the top of the page and bookmark the page that comes up) and keep your finger on the pulse of what I’m talking about here at the website for The Book of Rubbish Ideas.
