🐴 Horsey fact of the week: Before the 1872 photo series 'Horse In Motion', no one really understood how horses moved their legs while galloping because it’s too fast to see with the naked eye. At the time, horses were frequently painted with their legs stretched out at both ends, which isn’t very accurate at all.

Is it worth being a B Corp?

For many businesses, the idea of going through the B Corp process might get knocked around the C-Suite at some point, and it’s very likely someone will ask ‘is this actually worth it?’. This was a big question that was discussed over on Business Daily BBC Sounds at the beginning of the month, and is a great listen featuring a few different B Corp founders.

Doesn’t it feel like the developers at LinkedIn change how the site works every week? This new 120+ page LinkedIn Algorithm Insights report published by Just Connecting dives into everything from the changes the platform has seen since the end of 2022, strategies for the best performing post formats, and tips for improving reach and follower growth. This behemoth report is completely free, so it’s worth picking up.

If you’re wondering what sales & marketing are doing to tackle environmental challenges at the moment, Hattrick might have the answers. The content marketing agency and B Corp recently published a new research report on the topic and can be downloaded for free today.

World Economic Forum was just ripped apart in the LinkedIn comments for making a post that claims that between 1990 and 2022, UK greenhouse gas emissions fell by 50%. The reality is that most of our manufacturing has been moved offshore, which skews the statistics and pushes statements like this into greenwash territory.

Agencies that connect people with nature

With 77% of people aged 18-35 wanting to be more connected to nature (according to YouGov), some big names across advertising and illustration such as Wieden+Kennedy and Amplify have been working to fix the problem. From plantable video game flowers to an ‘Ecokamasutra’, these projects are helping to bridge the gap.

The ongoing Built by Nature prize is the world’s first awards programme focused on rewarding scalable and market-ready bio-based construction materials. Offering a prize pool of €500,000, this prize programme and its participants aim to help redefine sustainable building and regenerative cities. You can find more details about the prize and details of the submitted innovations on the prize landing page.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the UK miners’ strike; and the graphical design and photography of the period paints a visual legacy that highlights how important these mediums are when it comes to documenting truth and fostering solidarity. This great writeup takes a look at the most effective posters and photos of the period, 40 years on.

World Snooker Tour’s crisp new look created by design agency Monday Nights aims to welcome a new generation of snooker supporters while shedding the sport’s dated image. Using the iconic ‘snooker triangle’ as a recurring motif, Monday Nights has utilised a bold new colour palette and typeface to match.

The three camels saving the Joshua tree

The Mojave landscape lost around 1.3 million Joshua trees in a wildfire that tore through 43,000 acres in 2020, but three camels and a band of dedicated volunteers are putting in the work to bring them back. Joshua tree seeds don’t spread easily, but the volunteers have planted around 3,500 since the project began in 2021.

Diving into the world of biodiversity, biodiversity net gain has finally become mandatory in England this week. This landmark legislation requires housing and infrastructure developments in England to give back to nature with at least a 10% increase in biodiversity.

Pulses like lentils and chickpeas are a plant-based source of protein, which may also transform the future of sustainable agriculture. They work together with soil microbes to ‘fix’ nitrogen from the air, enriching the soil with nutrients to allow them to thrive. Scientists hope to apply these characteristics to other crops like cereals soon.

According to Conservative MP Lee Anderson, we’re all a bunch of odd weirdos. This comes from a new statement he made at Liz Truss’ PopCons event last week, claiming that only ‘odd weirdos’ care about achieving net zero in the battle against climate change. This isn’t his first controversial comment and it probably won’t be his last.

A busy February for the team

We’ve had a busy start to February which will probably get even busier as we get closer to March. We have an impact report and B Corp Month campaign to plan, so we’ll be cracking on with that for the foreseeable future!

Russ & Tim took a trip to the 2024 Surrey Hills Sustainable Business Showcase last week; and they’ll also be heading to a Climate Fresk workshop in Wokingham on the 27th.

On the pro bono side, we’ve been doing some great design work for Plastic Free Farnham which has been led by Tilly; as well as creating a logo and video for the Farnham RUFC Minis Tour next month.

Unfortunately, we’ve had to cancel the People, Planet, Pint that was scheduled to take place tonight at the Castle pub in Farnham, but we’ll be back to host again very soon. Updates on the next events will always be mentioned here in nineteen eighty four, on our LinkedIn page, or in our Instagram stories.

Each issue of nineteen eighty four, we feature a different Certified B Corporation, to celebrate the brands which are working hard to create a better business world. To learn more about B Corps, click here.

Our featured B Corp this week is…

Austin Design Works

Austin Design Works is an award-winning architecture and landscape architecture design practice based in Gloucestershire which is committed to achieving bold, crafted, and beautiful projects, while holding sustainability at the core of everything they do.