Journalists from Project countries got first-hand experience of socially responsible businesses in UK
One-and-a-half day intensive workshop took place in an innovative special workspace for social entrepreneurs The Hub, which is energy efficient office space designed applying sustainability principles. In the morning, journalists heared Tobias Webb from Ethical Corporation speaking on trends in the media in relation to sustainability issues and CSR. It followed with a panel discussion with panelists Fiona Harvey from Financial Times, Nick Mathiason from Observer, and Simon Cooper representing Media CSR Forum. In the afternoon, journalists splited into groups and were visiting Whole Foods Market - largest green supermarket, Cafedirect – organic and fair trade coffee supplier, and Happy – computer training company, awarded as best workplace in UK in 2007. The next day journalists met for reflection on their first-hand experiences of socially responsible business practices and discussed how they can influence the acceleration of CSR practices in their countries through the work they do. Special care had been taken in designing the programme - Duke Organic had been selected due to its environmental performance in choosing ingredients for meals responsibly.