GreenThink! © Service | Sustainable Innovation and Design Services

What companies say about GreenThink! ©

"The GreenThink! process really helped my team and I to focus our efforts. The whole company service came under scrutiny and the GreenThink! process allowed us to really identify our next steps. Very positive and most enjoyable process."

Marc Carey, Managing Director, Carey Ambrose Ltd

"An excellent day that takes you on a challenging but positive journey that makes you take stock of the business direction and focus on the real issues surrounding the business. Great 'out of the box' thinking. I can't be positive enough about the GreenThink! process! "

Anthony Morgan, Managing Director, New Form Energy Limited

"A different perspective can be of immense importance and the GreenThink! session with Martin Charter provided an ample number of differing perspectives that will continue to help us shape the future of our organisation "

Jae Mather, Director of Sustainability, Carbon Free Group

"The GreenThink! process has provided our business with a unique opportunity to take a step back and think strategically, with sustainability at the very core. Enabling our entire team to really buy into the business owner’s vision for the future & sharing with them, in a relaxed group workshop environment, less conventional thinking in respect of sustainable business opportunities, has been just a few of the benefits. We have gained so much from the experience that we have recommended the GreenThink! process to several of our clients"

Alan Powell, Managing Director, HPW Partnership Ltd

"The GreenThink! process was a really great way to get the benefit of several keen minds on issues that you grapple with throughout your waking day – a real eye opener!"

James Little, Managing Director, Harvest Wood Fuels Ltd

"Provided helpful areas of focus for our organisation’s next developmental steps"

Alistair Gould, Chairman, Bay Trust

“I thought that the creation of a solar energy club could be an important first step in making renewable energy available to local households. I wanted to work with The Centre for Sustainable Design to help flesh out the detail, and create a well organised club. By the end of the workshop what had begun as an outline idea, had become a fully developed concept and we had put together a detailed plan. The creativity sections were great for stimulating ideas and the excellent workshop facilitation ensured that these were explored in a structured way. We are focusing on solar thermal first, then we will move to solar PV. The Solar Hot Water Club has had an incredible reception from people and we have 52 households signed up as members of our bulk purchase buying club so far. We are now selecting suitable suppliers.
The GreenThink! process helped focus our thinking on our objectives and helped us think laterally and creatively at the same time - quite an achievement"

Cindy Barnes, Founder, Maidenhead Transition Town

"It is great to be able to have the ability to free your mind and share your thoughts on a project you thought you knew so well. As a frustrated product designer spending a day with a group of likeminded people who are prepared to radically rethink your ‘baby’ is mighty refreshing."

John Turner, Managing Director, Thirty Ltd

“Whilst working in eco-homes I found it incredibly difficult at times to source reliable suppliers of sustainable materials and good independent advice. Bricks and Bread aims to fill this gap in the market, offering comprehensive sustainability expertise, along with details of reasonably priced suppliers. I found the workshop to be incredibly valuable, because it really tapped into my colleague’s creativity. It was great to see them coming forward with ideas which we can use to advance the company. During the session we created a whole brand identity for Bricks and Bread including creative ideas for advertising and a strapline. We also looked at several courses we could put together and run to train local businesses in sustainability issues.”

Trudy Thompson, CEO, Bricks & Bread

“My business looks at a diverse range of factors including the building materials used, waste reduction, lower water consumption, food sourcing and travel patterns as well as implications for health and wellbeing. There are so many factors which affect environmental impact. One of the exercises I found particularly useful, was when we were each asked to draw a picture representing where my company is right now. The common themes helped me to think hard about the business environment I was operating in. The workshop as a whole opened my eyes to the fact that I was spreading myself too thinly and that in order to succeed I needed to prioritise those areas of my business that have the biggest market.”

Carol Long, Director, Hawthorn Environmental Services

“Our first couple of years have been extremely busy, so the workshop provided us with an ideal opportunity to sit down and consolidate our experiences. We were able to give serious thought to our business model, ways of working, and approach to environmental and financial sustainability; and afterwards took away a set of actions for the future. In addition, we found it extremely useful to use the workshop as a networking opportunity, as it offered the chance to discuss business issues with directors of other sustainable companies in a non-competitive environment.”

Casper Gray, Director, Wax RDC

"We have a very limited period to address the reality of humanity’s long term survival and getting people to understand the nature of the fundamental problems and how to tackle them. GreenThink workshops could be an excellent tool to heighten awareness and resolve together how best to plan and prepare, for example at a local community level."

John Prewer, Director, Aspire To be Green Ltd

Overview

This document describes the FREE GreenThink! © process offered by The Centre for Sustainable Design – a process that aims to support companies in developing more sustainable solutions through existing and new products, services and product-services. To be eligible companies or social enterprises need to employ less than 250 employees and be based in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Berkshire or Surrey. The GreenThink! © process is a based on a clear understanding of the client’s needs in relation to its existing/new product development and/or innovation processes followed by an open idea generation (GreenThink! © ) session based on the information provided. The ideas are filtered, analysed and presented to the client in a succinct report with follow-up consultancy.

Fact-finding questionnaire: A questionnaire is sent to the client covering a range of areas including
Analysis of questionnaire results: Relevant points are extracted from the questionnaire and fed into the GreenThink! © brief. This is then used as the basis of designing the GreenThink! © process.
GreenThink! © workshop: Over 1 day a team with design engineering, product design, marketing, strategy and sustainability expertise then use various creative techniques to identify environmental challenges and opportunities associated with the client’s product(s), service(s) and/or innovation process. The GreenThink! © process is customised to each company and its product/service. It will generally focus on the following product/service and market strategies:
Report: A written report is produced for the client within 5-10 working days of the GreenThink! © workshop that provides recommendations in relation to a) existing solutions, b) the development of a new sustainable solutions, and/or c) other innovation/organisational challenges/opportunities that have been identified.
Follow-up Consultancy: Following submission of the report, feedback is requested from the client. CfSD is then able to offer 0.5 days follow-up research and/or advice related to recommendations.

For more information contact:

Martin Charter, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Design
Email: mcharter@ucreative.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1252 892772 Fax: +44 (0)1252 892747