Email sent to sent to the Archant Communications Manager, April 2011. 2024 note: “green” is the word! How naive I was.
Thought this may be of interest. As you know we are having the reshaping at the print centre. Once I had an idea of the reshaping after Nick Schiller’s 2nd briefing I put in for voluntary redundancy instantly.
I have worked very hard for Archant and am happy that I have done my bit for the company and its faith in my skills. I was taken on for my experience in publishing, printing and my computer knowledge back in 1999. I know that I have given as much as I can for the rewards I have been given here. I have been frustrated that I have not been able to do more as regards to ‘saving the planet’ and I realised this was my opportunity. Simply being personally green wasn’t enough, cycling to work, saving energy, vegetarian, not buying, not wasting. Due to shift work it has been hard to volunteer. I have been part of the Norwich Greenpeace active supporters and have done my bit for that cause with my computer skills increasing their web presence. I have also created a non-profit organisation of my own to promote environmental awareness. With Archant I have been able to put forward my ideas to the Green Champions and Archant’s own sustainability.
Ultimately I still felt so frustrated that I could not do more and had an opportunity of helping Itapoa Rainforest Reserve in Ecuador Itapoareserve.com which I could not fore-fill unless I took unpaid leave. This was simply too expensive a venture for me while I was working for Archant. Now I can see a path which involves voluntary work for Greenpeace, Tortoiseclub.org and the RSPB before I set off for Ecuador. After that I will probably head to India and the Himalayas and see if I can work with the Snow Leopardtrust. I have been obsessed with the Snow Leopard since I saw the sanctuary when I was in Darjeeling in 1996. I may then head over to help the Force for the Forest in Indonesia. My idea then is to use England as a base and head off to various places around the world to help with any eco projects I can.
I was also going to apply for festivals in order to play my music for free through which I attempt to spread the environmental word. This means using the redundancy money from Archant in order to glue the projects together between the unpaid voluntary work. Good for me, Archant and the planet, in spreading green!