3 Good Things Worth Celebrating in October
Andy Cakebread
05 October 2021
At Thankbox our big thing is positivity. By enabling anyone, anywhere, anytime to brighten someone’s day means more smiling and more warm fuzzy feelgood going on. We reckon that’s a big plus in today’s uncertain and increasingly polarised world.
So, true to our mission, here are some feelgood stories that caught our eye. People, events and innovations going on right now that speak about the good in the world.
The things we feel are worth calling out, celebrating and taking our hats off to.
Go ahead - make their day
Celebrating good people in life is so easy with a Thankbox. One click and you're on the way to spreading love and smiles for a special person.
1. Going the extra 500 miles
We admire the lengths some people go to help others. Personal hardship, effort and sacrifice in the name of highlighting an issue or a cause has to be congratulated. So, take a bow Will Renwick.
Humanity has been battered by Covid-19, though on the flipside it has also responded with a sense of commitment and community that could never have been predicted. Will, an outdoors superman, has recently run (yes, run!) the length of Wales, up and down every mountain over 600m. Tough enough in itself considering there are 189 peaks. Super tough when you’re running and with your world on your back. Carrying everything needed to survive, Will set off from Swansea on the gruelling 500 mile run on September 10th and entered Conwy Castle on Monday (4th October). A supreme effort and act of sheer selflessness.
One good turn.....
Yes, the usual challenges of weather, terrain, physical pain and mental resilience were constant companions. However, what was also evident was the positive way people responded to, and supported Will’s endeavour. People like the farmer feeding Will and insisting he slept in his caravan, the brothers who gave blister plasters, the pub who replenished him 'on the house'. All exemplified the good in the world.
And why did he do it? Because he could and because he could raise awareness of a core personal belief. The belief that mental health is positively affected by the outdoors and nature. That belief has given greater visibility and voice to Mind Over Mountains.
So, Will, we are in awe of your effort and believe it is truly worth celebrating.
2. Clean up by going round in circles
Using less natural resources is a good thing, right? A core part of the Thankbox ethos anyway. If you need to use something then make sure it can be reused, repaired, refurbished, repurposed or at the very least recycled. Anything else is waste. The office card, greetings cards, any type of card - all create a need for disposal.
Many people are questioning the linear economic model. Where the producer takes little (or no 😲) responsibility for the disposal of what they have created. The result is often a scar on our planet - landfill, abandoned vehicles, plastic found in every nook and cranny of the planet, huge ships beached in developing nation’s leaching who knows what into the sea.
Enter the circular economy. Long championed by many (Ellen MacArthur leading the early charge), circular economics involves keeping products, materials and goods in productive use for longer. Waste and energy are inputs for other processes and products. Reuse is the guiding principle. It can play a massive part in combating climate change, averting biodiversity loss and help our collective home, Earth, get clean.
Challenge the status quo
We all emitted a collective “YES” when we heard of the Green Alley Awards. An initiative where innovators pursuing a goal of climate neutrality through circular economics are recognised and put on a pedestal for all to learn from. What was once marginal is now increasingly mainstream, with many global organisations scrutinising, and implementing, plans for circularity.
As the Green Alley Awards say “lateral thinkers who dare challenge established processes”. Here’s an idea. Replace the wasteful (of time, energy and materials), hassle ridden and frankly inefficient conventional practice of signing group office and greetings card and collections with a super cheery, all-inclusive, multimedia digital green-energy powered clean option. There’s a thought 😉
3. Recycling skyrockets because of a nudge and a badge?
Lastly, but by no means least. In Christchurch, New Zealand, recycling rates were ok, but not great. The cost of employing people, infrastructure and processing in sorting recyclable material is pretty high. The result being a lot of mixed, contaminated goods end up in landfill.
An enlightened council member, Ross Trotter, thought penalising residents for not doing something would not have a positive effect. Why not reward those who do the right thing, and not with cash? By tapping into the collective power of altruism, the simple method of sticking a big, bold “Thanks for bin great” sticker on the bins of those who sorted their recycling correctly, saw the amount of material able to be recycled skyrocket to now over 90%. Wow.
Behavioural economists love nudges and emotional levers. Who wants to be seen as a polluter? A lot less people in Christchurch for sure. The Bin Good initiative meant they cleaned up their waste act by a huge amount for little effort and cost. Maybe a Green Alley Award should head to New Zealand?
Want to celebrate someone deserving? Go ahead, create a Thankbox.
It takes seconds. Then invite your friends and colleagues to contribute - personal messages, videos, photos, Gifs and online gift collection - and make them feel appreciated and special.
A Thankbox e-card is guaranteed to brighten someone's day, whatever the reason.
Help green the world a little bit more with a Thankbox.
We strive to practice what we believe in. That's why, when you send a Thankbox you help the planet in small way.
We plant a tree for every 10 Thankboxes sold
100% of our electricity consumption is 100% green generated
We are a modern, distributed organisation. No wasteful offices, travel or infrastructure
Go ahead - make their day
Celebrating good people in life is so easy with a Thankbox. One click and you're on the way to spreading love and smiles for a special person.
