Growing more sustainably: Roots Of Change’s first anniversary
One year ago, we started Roots Of Change with a simple idea: to make the agency better for the planet and the communities in it.
Since then, we’ve taken small, incremental steps towards reducing our carbon footprint as well as raising funds and awareness for causes close to our hearts.
As a result, we’re a lot more mindful of the agency’s social and environmental impact, from our choice of suppliers to the way we recruit and retain other Radishes.
While we recognise there’s lots of work still to do, we’d like to share what we’ve been up to for the past 12 months, in the hope we can inspire others to make positive change.
Making every Radish count
Earlier this year we launched a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) committee and appointed our first certified Mental Health First Aider to help support our Radishes alongside our fantastic HR team. We’ve also been working with other members of the Selbey Anderson group through an ESG committee to ensure our D&I and CSR policies are properly aligned and as progressive as they can be.
In June we celebrated Pride with a cake sale, aptly named Equali-Tea, that raised hundreds of pounds for Stonewall. And in July, we held our very first Digital Radish Sports Day that not only brought the team together, but also helped raise money for The London Sports Trust.
This summer also saw the launch of our new graduate initiative, The Growth Academy, which is designed to help us grow the team with individuals from different backgrounds and experiences. The idea for the scheme is to nurture talented candidates who have little or no experience in marketing and help them express their change-making talent in areas they’re passionate about.
Earning and learning
Every month we have a session we like to call Learning Leopards, where a guest speaker blows our minds and teaches us something new.
We invited Michelle Carvil, coauthor of Sustainable Marketing and host of the Can Marketing Save The Planet? podcast, to find out more about what practical steps B2B marketers can take today to help the environment. Not only did the session give us tons of actions, it also gave us a great ally to work with.
This spring saw Roots of Change partner with our internal book club to explore Rutger Bregman’s “Utopia For Realists” to discuss how we can build a more sustainable, equal future as individuals.
A more sustainable HQ
Even if we do say so ourselves, the Digital Radish office is looking and feeling a lot smarter these days – and it’s all because of the small yet impactful efforts we’ve made to turn it into an eco-friendly wellbeing space for the team.
One of the first things we did was switch to a more sustainable energy company. From there, we made a commitment to source products and services from local, independent vendors where we can, from office supplies and interior decor to our coffees and sandwiches.
We’ve also encouraged fellow Radishes to reduce their plastic consumption and use refillable bottles. Our snazzy new recycling bins and posters (don’t judge our love for them) have also helped the team be more mindful around waste and reuse.
Our sustainability efforts aren’t only focused on the office. Lately, we’ve been meeting on the Metaverse for our all agency catch-ups and brainstorming sessions, as well as for wellness events and client meetings. It’s a great way to reduce our carbon footprint by saving on commuting (especially as our team is free to work anywhere in the world).
Plus, we’re offsetting the emissions for our annual trip to Ibiza by donating to MyClimate.Org who support a huge variety of climate projects.
Working closely with the community
Throughout the year, we’ve been running campaigns for charities and nonprofits whose work we’re passionate about.
For The Feel Good Bakery, a sandwich business that trains, coaches and employs staff from challenging backgrounds, we did some strategic consulting that refined their menu and expanded their customer base.
And for Musemio, where kids can use AR and VR to immerse themselves in accessible, interactive exhibit experiences, we helped review their martech stack and refine their positioning to target personas.
We also launched our pro bono scheme this summer – Marketing For Good – where we partnered with an incredible charity, a Life for a Cure, on a mini branding and marketing support project.
You can read more about these collaborations and campaigns here.
Staying happy and healthy
Our little patch would feel pretty bare without the wonderful Radishes who make the agency what it is. So we put a lot of effort into making sure everyone feels happy, supported and healthy at work.
Earlier this year we celebrated Veganuary by hosting a kitchen Zoom-a-thon, broadcasting our efforts to construct a tasty meat-free sausage roll from Dishoom (most of us managed not to burn it). We chose Dishoom because of their incredible work with Magic Breakfast, who donate a meal to a child for every one served at Dishoom.
The agency also introduced a monthly wellness fund to keep the team motivated after an incredibly busy H1. This means each member of the team gets £30 towards a treat of their choice, whether it’s a gym membership, a massage, a therapy session or a spa day each month to give them a lift. Plus, our cycle to work scheme has proved to be incredibly popular, especially with the design team (they can’t resist shiny things).
Small steps, big changes
After a year into our CSR journey, we’ve already learned a lot. How to look at what we do through a more inclusive lens. How we can give small businesses a big push with our marketing magic. How difficult it can be to follow a vegan sausage roll recipe.
The most important lesson, though, is that the small steps we take now can encourage a mindset that leads to bigger changes – which is why we’re so excited about the next 12 months as we build on what we’ve done.