Shame on the Guardian for letting the side down
A while back, I wrote an item here about how the USA has jumped on the green bandwagon and is, by and large, using it as a means of generating revenue through costly conferences.
I was generally much more complimentary about how the UK handles the dissemination of green knowledge and Sustainabilitylive!, which has just finished, demonstrates perfectly the ethos of charging sponsors and exhibitors so that the attendees can enter for free, thus delivering true accessibility to all those with a desire to broaden their knowledge about the issues, see what products and solutions are out there and generally engage at a business level with an issue that threatens to change, forever, the way we will do business.
So, let’s talk about the Guardian, shall we? They are hosting a conference on 15th June called Climate Change Summit 2009. They strapline it with the tag, “Moving from awareness to action in tough economic times”. Now that sounds really good, I thought, since that is exactly what Biz4Green for its clients. So I went to the web site to register, only to find that entry to the event would set our humble enterprise back £480 + VAT (that’s £552).
Even if you’re from the voluntary sector, you’ll be out of pocket to the tune of £270.
Now, I’m a fair person, so I dropped them a line challenging this stance and giving more than enough time for a response. That was nearly 2 weeks ago and the silence has been deafening! … which is a shame, as there are important issues and topics being covered; but if, “in tough economic times” (their words), you think my FD is going to agree with me spending a monkey to attend a talking shop, you’re sadly mistaken. One of the voluntary organisations that we work with asked if they should attend; I told them not to. Their money can better spent elsewhere – delivering “action”.
So it disappointing to see that the vulgar commercialisation of an issue that goes to the very heart of every business in this country (and, for that matter, across the globe), is not just an American sin.
What concerns me as much (and should have you thinking too, as your business is on the line if you are living in ignorance and not taking appropriate sustainable action as a result) is that perhaps the Guardian is charging extortion money because the speakers are as greedy as they are, so nudging up the entrance fee. I hope not, but feel free to respond, in this column or privately, to explain yourselves.
Since the conference team at the Guardian offices appear to be suffering from laryngitis, perhaps those of you who do part with ‘green issue’ and attend, might like to challenge their representatives at the event about this? I’d love to hear the response.
I still believe that the business community in the UK is doing more than it is given credit for (which I experience often when doing green business audits around the UK), so it is doubly disappointing that a mainstream media organisation should be letting the side down. Sustainability is not an elitist issue; it is a mainstream issue that affects all businesses, large and small.
Shame on the Guardian for letting the side down!
June 9th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Thanks for bringing this to the publics attention Peter….
Indeed I see your concerns over exploitative charges to such conferences and unfortunately this practice will exclude many SMEs and smaller companies from the debate.
However that said I think if we stand back and realise that, as is always the case when there is money in ’something’, that ’something’ will be pursued.
There is money in the green industry and that will fuel the green industry - this will trickle through to all areas of business and ultimately boost the cause of what people such as yourself are trying to achieve.
I must say that in the long run there are some definite benefits you are overlooking….