The Power of Positivity at BareAll

Gathered in the Forest Room of The Hospital Club (who use The Planet Mark to monitor and reduce its carbon use), the Giant Peach BareAll event brought together game-changing ethical brands with the aim to listen, learn, lightly network and leave with new ideas for doing business better. We kicked things off with a few drinks and a catch up and then it was straight in to the business of being inspired…

Pay it Forward // Action for Happiness

Happy people are healthier and happier companies outperform the stock market, who doesn’t want that?! Vanessa King showed us how to share the love…

When Vanessa asked the room to think back to a time we felt happy at work the results were unanimous. Nope, there were no reports of that time the company had a robust strategy. You guessed it, the vast majority dreamily recalled:

  • Good working relationships
  • Times when our skills were utilised and appreciated
  • When we had freedom to initiate
  • We felt we mattered
  • Our contributions to the bigger picture were recognised

Being supported and being heard. Us human beings thrive on this stuff. But where to start? Well, did you know that positivity ripples out to 3 degrees of separation – and back again? Karma is alive and well people. Start with yourself. Check out 10 Keys to Happier Living. Then pay it forward. Spreading love is a radical act – vive la révolution!

Spinnin’ yarns… // Giant Peach

Our brains love a good tale: we’re wired to understand, retain and share them. James got up to talk about getting audience investment by embedding your story within your digital presence:

  • Start with your three key elements: challenges, success, solutions. Talk honestly about each one of these and you’re instantly relatable.
  • Visibility is key. James highlighted Krochet Kids as a prime example of a business making visible all aspects of their journey and what they stand for.
  • Use the design of your site. How you choose to structure things says a lot about you so use clear navigation and an intuitive user experience.
  • By 2019 more than 80% of websites will be visual. Let images and video tell your story.

To hear more about the power of storytelling, join us at Food Matters Live.

Live your legacy // The Planet Mark

Steve’s story (and chicken impression) had us gripped. A lover of fast cars leaves his world of engineering and marketing behind to create a sustainability programme that changes the fate of our planet every day.

Steve led with positivity and talked about the exciting things happening right now – legacies being lived and lives being changed:

  • The Planet Mark partners with Cool Earth, an Attenborough-endorsed charity (is there any higher accolade?!), protecting rainforests by empowering the local people and making it more valuable standing than fallen.
  • Carbon footprints of some massive projects and supply chains are being reduced by Steve and his team – one of which is the DP World London Gateway Port. It seems incredible that this huge industrial site is committed to sustainability, yet it is happening right now in our lifetime. Hurrah!

Steve highlighted going beyond compliance and the importance of what brings us together: people want to do good things. Together we can change the world.

Conserving through commerce // Pukka Herbs

Pukka Herbs is committed to making a difference through bringing joy to their tea-drinkers. Though selling tea isn’t what Pukka Herbs set out to do…

Vicky Murray, Sustainability Manager told the origin story of Pukka Herbs the aim was always to create a circle of benevolence and connect people to plants. We can’t make healing herbs on a sick planet and a sick planet is bad for business, so one of Pukka’s main aims is to conserve through commerce:

  • Teaming up with the BCorp, Pukka has joined a network of business working to redefine business success and drive social and environmental change.
  • Through 1% for the Planet, Pukka will be donating 1% of their turnover to support amazing sustainability schemes and contributing to the betterment of our planet.

Our four speakers reminded us that behind the rise and fall of successful businesses are real human beings who want to do good things. By harnessing the power of positivity and striving for sustainability we can all be winners and secure the future of our planet. From a cup of tea to a London port, pay it forward and we’ll all have a happier story to tell.