About Green-Engage
Green-Engage Communications seeks ways to engage people in respecting, protecting and enhancing the environment for the benefit of society as a whole. Our vision is of a society in which taking care of the environment is second nature and something that everyone wants to participate in.
We believe that…
- People do care about the environment but often don't act on it.
- The barriers people face in going green are both external and internal, real and imagined.
- Existing communications campaigns aimed at persuading the public to go green are not effective enough.
- The green movement needs to adopt a new approach in communicating with the public, based on positive marketing and an understanding of how people think and act. This will involve different approaches for different people.
In our work we aim to be...
- Accurate
- Inclusive and relevant
- Innovative and visionary
- Positive and inspiring
- Provocative and bold
- Passionate
Green-Engage Communications is led by Stephen Hounsham. He was Communications Manager at Transport 2000 from 1999 until 2006 and helped to cement its role as one of the most respected and influential campaign and research organisations on transport and the environment. In 2006 he researched and wrote Painting the Town Green: How to Persuade People to be Environmentally Friendly, a fresh look at how campaign organisations, local authorities and central government could change public attitudes and behaviours.
From 1986 to 1999 Stephen Hounsham handled a broad spectrum of communications projects at Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, prior to which he worked on the founding editorial team of the national farming journal Crops. He has a BA in Agricultural and Forest Science, has attended more communications courses than is good for anyone, has worked with and within a number of activist and conservation groups, and supports a wide range of environmental interests, charities and campaigns.
Green-Engage Communications draws on the skills, knowledge and experience of its Associates...
Sian Berry is the Green Party's candidate for London Mayor in May 2008 and was previously Principal Speaker and National Campaigns Co-ordinator for the party. She is shortly to publish a series of books on how to reduce your impact on the environment through personal behaviour change. Sian was one of the founders of the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s, which began in London in 2003 and is now a national network of groups and individuals. Well known as a local activist in her home area in Camden, north London, she works with the peace movement there and in campaigns to promote local shopping and protect the local environment and economy from inappropriate large developments.
Alessandra Buonfino is Head of Research at Demos, the social and political think-tank. She is also a Fellow at the Young Foundation, a centre for social innovation that combines practical projects, the creation of new enterprises, research and publishing. Alessandra is particularly interested in the movement of people and the social and political challenges that this poses for community relations, integration and feelings of belonging. The author of a number of reports and articles in academic publications and the national press, Alessandra has a BA in Anthropology from University of Durham, a Masters in Development Studies and a PhD in International Relations. Previously she was Research Fellow at Department of Politics and International Studies at University of Birmingham.
George Marshall founded and is Director of Projects for Climate Outreach Information Network, which engages with the public on climate change. During almost 20 years as an environmental and indigenous rights campaigner, he has worked at all levels of the green movement. He has been a Director of the Rainforest Information Centre in Australia, a senior campaigner at both Greenpeace and the Rainforest Foundation, and a consultant to the German and Papua New Guinean governments. He has authored 15 major reports and won nine awards for his video documentary work. His latest book, Carbon Detox: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Real about Climate Change, was published in October 2007.
Martin Parkinson specialises in the psychology of sustainability. He has a BA in Experimental Psychology and Philosophy, together with qualifications in law and music and experience in information technology. He has worked in communications at Transport 2000 and Friends of the Earth and is known for his thought-provoking, sideways analysis of environmental issues through the letters pages of national newspapers.
Green-Engage Communications also draws on the skills, knowledge and experience of volunteer contributors and task-workers. We are firm believers in the ethos of voluntary work as a means of both enriching projects and providing pathways for personal and professional development.