A Story On Responsibility – Giving Back To The Community
Responsibility is something we all need to think seriously about.
Having a business has to be more than invoicing and requesting payment, but as a way of giving back to the community we are part of. It’s down to us to impart what we’ve learnt and to improve the lives of others.
Over the past few years and reading my local newspaper’s business section and monthly magazines, it has been like the recession didn’t happen where every story is centred around a success story or even worse a local solicitor employing a new member of staff. If life has been that good around pretty harsh times, why aren’t more businesses imparting their expertise to others when they are happy shouting how great they are?
One person (and team) who are championing responsibility at the moment in my local area by investing time from experience gained within his industry is lighting designer, Michael Grubb and his team at Michael Grubb Studio (based in Bournemouth).
The team have set-up a new initiative called the Re:lit project. Lighting technology is moving at such a pace, this means that there is increasing wastage of fully functioning equipment that can’t be sold and is simply disposed of. This is where the project takes shape, where lighting manufacturers (or partners) are encouraged to donate ex-demo, superseded or damaged lighting to the initiative to then be used within community projects that need a bit of love and create better environments for those who use it.
The current project is the Shelley Theatre, the oldest secular building in Bournemouth, which is being brought back to life as a music, arts and exhibition centre. Rather than a transaction of money for time, the Re:lit project is a transaction of need for industry knowledge.
Michael highlights, “I’m grateful for everything the lighting design industry has given me over the years, so now is the time to give something back. We hope the Re:lit initiative will raise awareness of the issues and contribute to the greater good of sustainable lighting design.”
One of the best ways to create a long-term impact on a community is to show others how to help themselves. Once the lighting scheme is in place, the intention is that everything is in place for the theatre staff to easily work with. The biggest investment for initiatives such as the Re:lit project is the investment (and volunteering) of time.
The responsibility for businesses is giving back to the community and to do something that they feel passionately about, and not a mandatory PR exercise. Whether this is to teach others, fundraise, or to bring attention to a particular cause, with the lessons that we’ve learnt (or still learning) we are in a privileged position to make a greater impact on the territories that we look to make commercial gain from.
The ability for us all to create and bring an idea to fruition is more accessible than ever and if we bring things back to the beginning of this article a way to differentiate from the competition who are quite happy to wave their ‘look at us, aren’t we good’ flag is to be more responsible.
If you would like to get involved with the Re:lit initiative, from supplying your time as an electrician, through to looking for work experience within the lighting industry, or even to be selected for the 2015 project, click here to find out more and get in touch with the team.
