The e-Directory is a Transition Town Kingston Business Action Group initiative aimed at helping green-minded consumers find green businesses and community enterprises in and around Kingston upon Thames, and vice-versa. All sections and entries are arranged alphabetically, and wherever possible we have included environmental accreditations and comments from green-minded consumers.
The e-Directory is managed and edited by TTK volunteers and accepts no sponsorship. Although there is an option to "join" this website on the Home Page, that is intended for editors; there is no need for users or businesses to join and not benfiet to joining.
Updates: please let us know of changes in your business: if we are notified automatically that your weblink no longer works, we are likely to delete your entry if you have not notified us about this.
Green businesses and enterprises
We want to put local people in touch with local enterprises that are known to give a good and environmentally sustainable service, because as a Transition Town initiative we try to promote relocalisation of economic activity and sustainable jobs for local people.
We recognise that there are many ways to go green, and few businesses or enterprises manage all of them. The ones we feature have all undertaken at least some green actions: they may have a Green Champion or a good environmental policy statement; they may be committed to One Planet Living or environmental training for staff; they may source and/or sell locally made or grown products, or organic materials and/or products; they probably recycle, and use recycled and recyclable products and packaging; they may well have radically reduced energy use in their premises and/or transport and travel; many will have achieved an environmental accreditation of some kind, for example standard green accreditations such as: Carbon Smart; ISO 14001; BS 8901 sustainable management systems; Green tourism; Acorn scheme (BS8555); The Mayor of London green procurement code (BS8903 sustainable procurement); Green dragon environmental standard; EMAS; ISO 26000; Go Green; Go Green Plus; Eco-Schools; or product based accreditations such as: Blue Angel (dieBlaueEngel); Rain Forest Alliance certificate; FSC certificate; Marine Stewardship Council; organic accreditation (see http://www.aboutorganics.co.uk/organic_information/organic_accreditation.htm)...
We also ask enterprises that would like to be included in the Green Directory to offer evidence that: they recruit and do business locally; they usually give excellent customer satisfaction; and they meet local trade and consumer protection standards. Ideally the entry will include a comment from a TTK member who has used the business. We reserve the right to refuse or withdraw a listing on the grounds that the enterprise does not meet our criteria.
(Most of the enterprises in our e-Directory are local, but we also recognise that the internet makes some national companies "local" and that some of the big national chains have embraced excellent environmental practices.)
If you think your business or enterprise should be included, please contact us with as much of the following information as possible, and tell us which section of the Directory you think your business belongs in:
Name of enterprise, address and postcode:
About us: something about your business/enterprise and its environmental policies
Green awards and accreditations, if applicable:
Phone:
Website:
Email:
Green consumers
We know that green-minded consumers have a range of priorities. For some organic is the most important concern, for others it is food miles or carbon footprint or energy-saving, or less packaging and plastic, or nature conservation or animal welfare… We also know that some of the products we feature are not strictly necessary and so may not seem very green to some consumers, but most people, even the deepest of greens, do go shopping once in a while! We have had to take on trust what businesses say about themselves, so exacting shoppers should check green credentials for themselves too – caveat emptor viridis.
If you think a green enterprise that you know should be here, or if you have used one of the entrerprises in the Directory and can comment from experience, please contact us using the form below.