An ocean of Good Ripples

Conferences in the Sustainability sphere can sometimes get a bad rep. And sometimes, rightly so.

Despite being an industry dedicated to making positive change. Sustainability events often fall short.

Mountains of wasted ‘promo-swag’, non-disposable lanyards, discarded flyers, banners, the list goes on…

(Not to mention the bad coffee, worse food, stuffy hotel conference halls, and that generally uneasy feeling of ‘what am I really doing here?’)

Having been to one-too-many Sustainability Events which fell short, I’ve been hesitant to attend ones ever since.

Problem is, in an increasingly online world, this can lead to feeling a little cut-off and isolated from it all.

I didn’t know it, but something somewhere in me was craving for real, in-person connection with like-minded individuals.

But to bring such people together, and to make it work, is no small feat. And requires something entirely different to the usual Sustainability Conference framework.

The Good Ripple Experience last Wednesday was that something entirely different. And that was clear from the get-go.

Carlos had pitched the idea to me late last year, and I knew this had the potential to be a Sustainability event that really ‘gets it’.

So the EcoSend team and I signed up gladly, back in the original planning phases, which already feels like a universe in the past!

The day finally came around, and I was delighted to represent Team EcoSend at the first in-person Good Ripple event. I pitched up at OmNom bright and early, eager to get involved with the day, albeit a little uncertain as to what to expect..!

The decision to host at OmNom, a restaurant known locally for its great quality, ethical food and weekly ‘kirtan’ yoga events, I knew we were off to a good start.

After all, there’s nothing worse then yet another dreary hotel-conference hall…

Encouraged by a warm welcome from the Good Ripple team, I got stuck in with meeting fellow Good Ripplers; all lovely changemakers doing their bit to promote business for good.

Carlos then took the mic to kick-off the day. Starting with… an ecstatic dance session!

For the uninitiated (basically all of us), this involves sober-state dancing to tribal house music. As it turns out, this is a wonderful way to get a little ‘out of your head’, in a healthy way!

For a room mostly full of Brits, who tend to be a little uptight at the best of times, this was a brilliant way to warm everyone up for the rest of the day.

Kudos to Carlos for taking the risk and trying something different.

I really enjoyed the networking session when we’d cooled down from the dancing.

It gladdened me to meet so many people who have dedicated their careers to making positive change on climate and community.

The rest of the day was a series of workshops, all of which were incredibly insightful and really in the spirit of this community-building event.

The workshops included:

• A Climate comedy session by the one and only Matt Winning.

• Getting to play with lego and build a future vision by Lucy Hawthorne from Climate Play

• Practising coaching skills with the wonderful Charly from Climate Change Coaches

• I finally got to watch a screening of ACTionism, which James has been telling me about for months now. And we had a wonderful Q&A with Ellie and Jon afterwards

• Caroline Harris talked about her journey with IMMA Collective, and our friend Dan Sherrard-Smith shared his story of turning purpose into profit.

• We even had a session of singing with James Sills, which I have to admit I enjoyed far more than I was anticipating.

I was even lucky enough to present a few minutes on the impact of our online activity, and the carbon footprint of email.

But my stand-out favourite workshop was Sarah Flynn’s session on building authentic resilience. Sarah’s insight is super vital in the Sustainability field, where we’re constantly trying to dodge the extremes of climate-anxiety, burnout, and paralysis.

As a massive foodie, I should also shout-out the wonderful catering provided by OnNom for lunch.

In another life, I used to attend Estate Agency software conferences, and the smell of cheap bacon butties still haunts me to this day…

But OmNom’s buffet was incredible; a sumptuous spread of vegan delights. All very much in-keeping with the ethos and spirit of the event.

It was clear that Carlos and the OmNom team had carefully thought-through every tiny detail.

Flyers were banned, airplane travel discouraged, no-one was handing out useless ‘promo-swag’, and even our lanyards were compostable!

This was an event which truly lived and breathed its mission and ethos.

I’m sure that doesn’t come without hard work and some compromises, but it all seemed completely worth it. I felt truly rejuvenated and inspired by the day.

It was a delight to connect with so many changemakers, all out there creating their own little ripples for positive change.

Matt from IMPCTDRVN, Jim from Carma, Alex from Film Division, Hermione from Hurd, Nick from Daring Works, the list honestly goes on and on.

And this was the ultimate antidote to all the doom and gloom we are regularly exposed to from events happening around the world.

I can only round off by expressing sincere gratitude to Carlos, his team, my fellow speakers, and all the changemakers who showed up and joined together for an unforgettable day-out.

I’m sure Carlos was exhausted from all the planning, but I really hope he will look to host another in-person GoodRipple event soon.

And the EcoSend team and I will be delighted to attend and support once again!

Thanks for reading!

Photo Credit: Cassius Frankson