Building a Business Based on Ethics (Guest Kayleigh Nicolaou, Co-founder of Kakadu Creative)
SHOW NOTES:
Contact and Follow Kayleigh Nicolaou: Linkedin - Instagram
Kakadu Creative: Website - Instagram - Linkedin - Green Hosting - Website Audit
Ultimate Guide to Starting an Ethical Business - Online and PDF
Shows Mentioned: Lucy Johnson (Mission and Values) - Bree McCool (Plant, People, Profit) - Green Mo. (Green Marketing and Sustainability)
CONTACT HEATHER:
Zeitzwolfe Accounting: Website - Facebook
Contact Heather: Instagram - LinkedIn
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Earth Day 2021
Make An Impact
This episode is being released just in time for Earth Day 2021, which seems fitting.
As business owners, we have the opportunity to make an impact on the planet.
Unfortunately, many companies choose to destroy it, such as Monsanto, Dow Chemical, Exxon and fast food giants, such as KFC and McDonalds.
Climate change is directly linked to the humanity’s abuse of the planet through greenhouse gases mainly a result of burning fossil fuels, clearing forests and the agricultural industry based on meat consumption. To slow the effects of global warming we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Riding bikes rather than driving is an option. However, not everyone lives and works in an area that is conducive to bike travel.
An easier, assessable way to reduce greenhouse gasses is to stop eating meat and dairy.
Food production is responsible to more than a fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions and 80% of that is caused by livestock. Many human carnivores will argue that to feed the planet we need meat, however to produce only one pound of beef, cattle must be fed sixteen pounds of grains or soy. Think of how many people you could feed with sixteen pounds of grains? That same pound of beef additionally requires 1,799 gallons of water.
Then there’s all the poop. Animal bred for food production, such as meat, dairy and eggs, generate 1.4 billion tons of waste per year. Most of that poop is left untreated, containing pathogens and have been known to contaminate food and water supplies. Mmmmm, yummy! Thankfully beef consumption has been declining.
For those of you who are seafood junkies, I’ve got bad news for you as well. Interesting fact, shrimp farming requires more energy than the production of chicken or beef. Plus, overfishing has upset the balance in the ocean’s ecosystem, causing an increase in carbon dioxide production.
We humans have really screwed up this planet.
But each of us can choose to increase the destruction or take steps in our lives and in our businesses to change the trajectory of Mother Earth’s future. The simple act of changing our diet by replacing meat for plant-based foods can have a monumental impact.
As an entrepreneur, hopefully your business is thriving. As such, you have the luxury of being able to make the food choices you want to make.
Food insecurity and lack of access to healthy options is a tragic reality for many across the globe and the pandemic has made this worse.
In the US, 26 million people now say they do not have enough to eat. Lower income neighborhoods may lack grocery stores, yet cheap and unhealthy options prevail through places like KFC and McDonalds. These meat centric, unhealthy food giants are not just killing people, they are killing this planet all in the name of profit. It’s downright disgusting.
Now you may be thinking…
okay, Heather….that’s terrible, but what can I do about it?
I’m so glad you asked!
This show is chocked full of inspirational ways you can utilize your business to help the environment. It goes beyond the typical ways such as recycling, refraining from one use plastic and going paperless. Those are all important action steps, but Kakadu Creative is taking it further and so can you in your business.
In this episode of Get the Balance Right Podcast we are talking about business ethics and building a company based around the impact it can have on society and the environment. To discuss this important topic, we are joined by Kayleigh Nicolaou who is one of the founders of Kakadu Creative, a design and marketing agency located in England. Ethics is at the forefront of everything Kayleigh and her company provides not only for their clients, but their local community. Whether it’s offering green hosting, cleaning up trash in their neighborhood or being vegan, their commitment to ethics has become the roadmap for their business.
This episode is being released just in time for Earth Day 2021, which seems fitting. As business owners, we have the opportunity to make an impact on the planet. This episode is chocked full of inspirational ways you can utilize your business to help the environment. It goes beyond the typical ways such as recycling, refraining from one use plastic and going paperless. Those are all important action steps, but Kakadu Creative is taking it further. You too can take steps in your businesses to support Mother Earth’s future.
Vegan Ethics and the Environment
Suggested Reading
Protest Kitchen by Carol J. Adams and Virginia Messina
The Greenprint by Marco Borges
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
For further inspiration, you can check out other Get the Balance Right Podcast episodes:
Episode 35, I talked to Lucy Johnson from the digital agency Shido, where we discussed defining your brand through mission and values.
Episode 27 with photographer Bree McCool where we discussed embracing the triple bottom line, planet, people and profit. That episode is full of real-life examples of ways companies are making a difference for the planet.
Episode 30, which is all about earth friendly actionable steps you can take in your business and how this can relate to marketing. My guests for that episode Maria and Andres from the digital agency, Green Mo.; we discuss utilizing green marketing to promote sustainability.
Tools Heather Recommends…
Miro Virtual Collaborative Boards
The online collaborative whiteboard platform to bring teams and ideas together, anytime, anywhere.
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