I was recently interviewed by Sarah Lewis-Hammond of The Argus about Greenmetrics. Here’s that interview in full!

What is it you do? I’m a business consultant specialising in helping businesses and organisations measure and communicate sustainability performance, such as environmental and local community issues. At the same time I can help them to develop or refresh their approach to managing responsibly, exploring ways to reduce waste, improve efficiency and save money.

Why do you do it? There is such a focus on economic success, and while a healthy economy is crucial, it doesn’t have to be at the expense of all other values and I know it’s possible to achieve a much better balance. In fact it can be a real competitive advantage for businesses to demonstrate they’re thinking longer-term.

What makes your organisation green? Greenmetrics has an environmental policy, and I do track performance on a regular basis. It’s not perfect, but does make sure that environmental issues are considered when decisions are made and there is a commitment to continual improvement. My business is all about helping people to measure things they might not be used to measuring particularly environmental impacts, and I do work hard to make sure that clients can communicate genuine improvements, without resorting to greenwash.

Are you green at home as well? Yes, I work from home a lot so it’s difficult to draw a line between home and work. I’m well-intentioned like many people, and sometimes there’s a balance between what you can afford to do and what would be ideal, not to mention how much you’re prepared to put family relationships at risk through regular ‘gentle reminders’ to switch things off when you’re not using them!

What’s your latest green project/obsession and how did it happen? I’ve recently moved to a house with a proper garden and completed a horticultural course so it’s got to be gardening, especially growing veg.

What do you say to climate sceptics? In the big picture, I’d say that everyone has a different perspective and understanding of the world around them. My own perspective is that once a certain amount of environmental and atmospheric change has taken place then other changes over which we have less control may be accelerated. What’s the harm in accepting that the science might not be perfect, but there just might be something in it so proceed with caution and in the meantime look at becoming more efficient and saving a bit of energy.

Can you estimate your ecological footprint? I’ve tried various methods and come up with different answers, so it’s probably along the lines of ‘could do better’

Where are we headed: apocalypse or utopia? Probably neither one thing nor the other Why? Because there’s such global imbalance that Utopia in one place is bound to be apocalypse for someone else.

What’s your post-oil skill? Courgettes, potatoes and French beans (just like the ones we get from Africa, but produced in Hove).

What’s your philosophy on greener living? Make it the attractive, easy option, not to be sanctimonious or judgemental about it. Accept that everyone’s got different values but that we could all probably look at how we live and work and make a few changes.

What does your perfect sustainable world look like? There would be a common understanding of future sustainability and balance in the world, together with inspirational leaders and the will  to change direction. World peace would be involved, together with eradication of inequality and poverty. Top Gear would no longer be on the telly.

The Argus 17 April 2010, Brighton and Hove