Timberland in alliance with Changents and TrendsUpdates sponsored the “Spot Green” contest in September that was aimed at capturing trendy green projects worldwide. It was there when we got introduced with Timberland Earthkeeper Hero Cate Trotter (aka the “Green Insider”), a 27-year-old green entrepreneur and we successfully managed to rope in for an interview.
Excerpts from the interview:
1) Kindly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name’s Cate Trotter and I’m the Founder and Head of Trends at Insider Trends. We specialise in green trend tours, giving businesses first-hand exposure to what’s next in green business, retail and architecture.
2) For how long you have been working for this good cause spreading green message?
I set up Insider Trends 18 months ago, but I’ve been working in the field of green design and communication for the past 9 years.
3) What includes your future projects?
We’re looking to offer green trend presentations in 2010, in which I will travel to business people offices to give them the lowdown on the future of green. We’ll also be adding in-depth green architecture experiences to our portfolio, letting professionals get an exclusive insight into the design, construction and operation of leading green buildings, as well as learning how problems were overcome. Our Cutting-Edge Green Tour is being revamped, too, to ensure it covers the newest, coolest green initiatives London has to offer.
4) Kindly give us a brief of your latest green trends that are only conceptualized but have potential to meet reality.
Better Place is one initiative that’s recently caught my eye. It’s working to create an open network of zero-emission electric vehicles. It’s not just designing a product, it’s building a system and an infrastructure – it’s really setting its sights high. They started in Israel and are currently in discussion with 25 countries to take the idea there. It will become reality, but it’s important that it becomes a part of everyday life – that’s the level of change we need to aim for.
On a different level, it’s great to see things such as tool libraries finally taking off. People have been writing about these for years – it’s a great concept but it’s had to wait for people’s attitude to ownership of objects to change somewhat. With a bit of luck we’ll be seeing more of these.
5) What according to you is the strategy behind running successful green business?
Use green to show that you’re smart, innovative and creative. That way the business can compete on the same playing field as conventional businesses, whilst showing that they’re more sophisticated. Innocent Drinks and the Savoy hotel are two companies doing this extremely well.
6) Do you have any case studies to share with our readers and many others that depict how widely spread is the meaning of “going green”
Green Tomato Cars is a great example. This is a carbon neutral taxi company that has gone head-to-head with London’s leading taxi firm. It understands it needs to offer more than great ethics – it competes with the leader by matching it on price, by texting passengers when they arrive for a booking and by taking bookings through Twitter. That’s how widespreag ‘going green’ has become – that it’s just part of running a great business.
7) What is the USP of the green world?
Green offers a smarter way to live, essentially. Completely sustainable design gives us everything we need to make us happy, without the problems and guilt that come with conventional consumption. It ticks all the boxes.
We thank Cate for sparing time for our savvy readers and wish her luch in her future endeavors.
