We are very happy to be shortlisted for the Business Awards for Excellence presented by the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce.

We are nominated in the Green Business category, which is sponsored by Lloyds Cardnet.

And we are in some very good company. Our friends, Rapanui, are also shortlisted.   Now they won one of the other awards last year and have since gone on to win a whole heap of awards so we are hoping their trophy cabinet is currently full

Feast, music and awards presented on 25 November 2011.

Good luck to us all.

If ever there were ever a need for an eco dictionary!

Upstream recycling, downstream recycling, upcycling and just plain old fashioned recycling.  What does it all mean?

Upstream is the input market and downstream the output market, got that … ummm, no, not really.   Let’s try again, upstream recycling means manufacturers creating products that are better for the environment, less packaging or superior degradable products for example.   Downstream however is argued as being companies who turn material that would have otherwise been thrown away into a new product.

But now I am really confused because that is what we do and companies like terracycle and I have always called it upcycling.   Indeed, upcycling has a definition in wiki (well that’s that then!) whereas downstream and upstream recycling do not. ‘… Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value…’

So…. I will stick to the old recycling and upcycling of sails and sailcloth.   We upcycle sails into new products and we hope one day to recycle sails to sell back to sailcloth manufactures.

Great to be in the news again for the 16 deckchairs we made for the Ellen Macarthur Trust for their Bestival enterprise with EcoIsland’s mobile phone charging boutique.

There are a growing number of products made on the Isle of Wight, all of which are eco friendly and some wonderful businesses.   Two of my favourites are Vintage Vacations and Isle of Wight Campers.   Both brilliant ideas run by great Island entrepreneurs.

The Eco Island project launched this week and I for one foresee the day where being ‘made on the Isle of Wight’ is worldwide stamp of approval and integrity.   Is it not already I hear you cry!!

All are products are made on Isle of Wight and any business we need comes from Isle of Wight businesses (ok …… Southsea Deckchairs is the exception, but we couldn’t find an Island producer of deck-chairs).

By Royal Approval – well how about by Isle of Wight Approval.