Green-minded consumers and Kingston councillors mingled with green and aspiring green enterprises to celebrate the launch of Kingston Green e-Directory on the evening of Monday 5th December.
A slide show at the reception in Kingston Market House displayed the Directory and the work of organisers Transition Town Kingston, while local businesses and enterprises showed off their green credentials, resident business The Workshop sold locally made arts and crafts well suited to green Christmas shopping, and local environmental campaigners Greener Upon Thames served guests with plentiful food and drink.
Leader of Kingston Council Derek Osbourne complimented Transition Town Kingston on their latest initiative, which would help to make life easier for green consumers and increase their choices while encouraging more businesses to consider environmental sustainability and embrace good green practices; he hoped that the Directory would be the start of a virtuous circle in Kingston, and wished everyone a happy Christmas.
Transition Town Kingston steering group member Hilary Gander described the work of TTK and the inclusive criteria adopted by the group compiling the Directory, who were aware that green-minded individuals have a range of criteria important to them. The Directory had been put together by volunteers and inclusion was free for businesses that met their standards.
Businessman, business adviser and Green Party candidate Tariq Shabeer spoke about the interlinked business benefits of going green: "Money, Marketing and Motivation". Businesses could both save and make money by going greener, with the extra motivations of protecting the environment, gaining green accreditations, and seeing their client and customer base grow.
Both local MPs had sent messages of support. Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond Park, said: "Transition Town Kingston have created a hugely valuable website which will benefit the community and give a real boost to our local green businesses. If you haven't already, I strongly encourage you to visit this one-stop-shop for all things green." And from Edward Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton: "This is a great event and I am sorry to be missing it. It is especially important over Christmas when people can consume so much that we remember the environment - and groups like TTK help us to do that."
TTK Business Action Group co-ordinator Marilyn Mason commented: "It was good to see so many people coming together to celebrate the launch of Kingston Green e-Directory. We have now collected together over 60 green enterprises, the critical mass we needed to go public and be useful to consumers. We also want to support green businesses, and hope that more will now want to become more environmentally sustainable and be included in the Directory. Thank you to everyone who helped to create the Directory and to make the launch party so enjoyable."
Pictured above: At the party, Anna Kwilecka of Kingston Orchard Project and Marilyn Mason of TTK with Leader of Kingston Council Derek Osbourne.
More photos of the event on Anna's Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2697855212953&set=at.1175537355958.26779.1453802458.1453802458&type=1&theater.