Green-Works Welcomes World Climate Change Leaders

Wembley warehouse hosted delegates from more than 40 cities around the globe

Environmental Charity and Social Enterprise Green-Works was delighted to welcome representatives of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group to their warehouse in Park Royal Wembley.

The group, which includes representatives from more than 40 cities across the world, is in London for the Mayor of London’s Waste Workshop, and representatives visited Green-Works on the last of their 3 day event (Wednesday 24 March) to learn more about the initiatives used to reduce the environmental impact of office furniture waste and gain an insight to the benefits of reuse.

The Mayor of London and Greater London Authority, working in partnership with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Clinton Climate Initiative, are hosting the three-day workshop exploring how to make better use of the waste we create through resource recovery. Green-Works was chosen as one of the city’s best examples of how third sector organisation’s can help to divert waste from landfill and achieve social and environmental objectives.

Benefiting from Books

It really is truly amazing how much we take books and education for granted. Most people say they hated school, but really what would we have done without it? We don't realised how lucky we are... and what's even more interesting - is the knock on effect of furniture and how it plays such a vital role within our day to day lives.


I have just been working on some of Green-Works Overseas programme, providing office and school furniture to all kinds of people who have a real need. We have been working a lot in Sierra Leone's Waterloo region providing this much needed resource which is giving hope to the children of this devastated country.




Can you imagine having to pay for your own furniture to go to school; not only that but your uniform and your books as well - doesn't sound too different from here, except chances are your parents have been murdered or if you're one of the lucky ones, it's going to cost them 3 days work to afford 1 note pad - but you need 13, one for each subject. If you can't afford this chances are you won't be allowed to attend or at best you might be able to find a space on the floor - but oh, mind the puddle!


However, despite all this these kids LOVE going to school. It gives them hope for the future and all they want to do is learn. Just having some seating, some books and some metal storage to keep them in is making huge differences. The storage means the books are secure and protected from rain and dust and the seating is helping children stay focused by being more comfortable and reducing the amounts of back complaints.


Name: Alie
Age: 14years
School: St. Raphael Junior Secondary School, Waterloo
Receiving all these books has changed my school and it is now rapidly noticed by the way parent are yearning to send their children to the school because of our academical improvement in public exams. My follow students always visit the library almost everyday to read these books.
Some of my colleagues where found of not coming to school, but receiving these books have really cause a change in their attendant. Also our school is producing good debaters, who are said to be always victorious in debating, because the good English languages that these books have cause us to learn. For me, I am really grateful.



If you would like to support the Green-Works overseas efforts you can donante at www.justgiving.com/green-works/donate or get in touch about organising your our fundraiser, email Rachel Billett on rachel.billett@green-works.co.uk

Colin's views on SME's innovation with Social Enterprises

Read about what Colin Crooks (CEO) believes SME can do to innovate and engage with Social Enterprises in Management Today.

Green Cross Sale

First event Thursday 28 January 2010



Green-Works Green Cross Sale,
Last Thursday of the month, 5pm-8pm

All items marked with a Green X are only 5!

This sale is on a first come first served basis - get there early to avoid disappointment.

Green-Works Wembley warehouse
Click for directions

Click for more information about Green-Works furniture

Waste targets and enforcements - Should businesses pay?

The world of recycling and reuse seems to get busier by the day. I was recently at the AGM of the London Community Resource Network where I was standing to be elected as a new trustee to the board. In my election address I’d said that I felt that amidst all the gloom of the recession there are clear signs that reuse is really climbing the political as well as the economic agenda.

With reuse being 12 times more effective at creating jobs and at creating better jobs at that, the time has come to really promote it and the community sector has a great opportunity to be right at the front of that growth. I was asked whether I felt there should be any legislation to force householders to recycle more and I replied that actually I thought there should be legally binding targets imposed upon business to recycle and reuse their waste. Not an opinion that will go down well in board rooms but when you consider that businesses produce around 3 – 4 times the amount of waste that is produced by households you’ll appreciate where I’m coming from.

When you also consider that businesses have far more control over their waste than households or local authorities then I think the argument is conclusive. Businesses can and should look to significantly increase their recycling and reuse of waste and if they can’t then the government should set targets for them.

Colin Crooks, CEO

Green-Works really can help - you can't set up an office cheaper - furniture fit for a MP without the expense....

See how Green-Works can help you set-up your business. No one wants to fork out thousands and thousands of pounds before your have brought a penny back in. on furniture. But you still want to look professional - No Problem!

See how we helped Syd Nadim in setting up his office - and he even got Jack Straws Coffee table...why not bag some top MP's furniture for your office...(without the top MP prices!)

Moving the agenda on - Reuse

I was very honoured last week to be asked to be the key note speaker at Islington councils “ Giant Green Awards” for local businesses who’d gone the extra mile to do their bit for the environment. There were some fabulously bold initiatives such as the St Lukes Centre who have converted their entire car park into a vegetable garden – radical stuff and life enhancing too. This and all the other award winners were active and real testimony that supported my invocation for all of us to go the extra mile for the environment. – To push into new territory.

In regards to waste of course, recycling has started to become a social norm at home and at work - we’re not there yet but it is clearly catching. But I think we need to start moving the agenda on; we need to start reusing.

Reusing massively increases the carbon benefits that can e won but perhaps even more importantly it can generate real, sustainable worthwhile jobs. A recent EU report shows that Reusing a 1000 tonnes of product can generate 24 jobs while recycling it would create only 2 and those 2 would be very basic. At Green-Works we see the real impact of that sort of ratio as we are able to create so many real opportunities for training and employment creation often for people who are on the margins. So when you next want to throw away that table that TV that computer please ask if it can reused first!

Colin Crooks CEO