Paperless office - how did we do?

Our paperless office experiment has been finished for just over two weeks now, so how did we do? Am I still managing to keep the office paper free?

As much as I have tried not to let paper back into my life a bit seems to have snuck in. There is a pile of invoices that need to be dealt with on my desk, which annoyingly takes up some of the lovely space I have become accustomed to. The book keeping side of the business was always going to be the hardest part of this task. Not everyone has got on board with email invoicing yet. I am however delighted with the receipt wallet software which we bought that enables us to combine the filing of paper and paper free invoices.

The white boards have been the best purchase ever. It's so easy to brainstorm on them and there is always one handy to take down a phone message, an order or just a crazy idea when I have one. I certainly won't be trying to live without them and they have continued to completely remove the need for post it notes.

My iPod has been invaluable too, although at times I'm sure people mistook my note taking for tweeting or texting. I haven't been so organised as to write up my notes instantly when I come home but it has certainly cut down on the clutter that would usually accumulate in my bag. I'm getting used to pulling out my iPod to make a note rather than my notebook which was in constant use before the experiment. Being paper free has also made me a lot more organised, working with the iCal programme which syncs with my iPod has kept me on top of all the meetings and events I have scheduled better than a paper diary could. My computer even emails me reminders the day before so I have no excuse for forgetting anything.

Seedlings and our first harvest.

A month on from planting our first seeds and some of them looked to be doing really well. We've been dyeing to plant them out but according to my gardening advisers it's still too cold at night to do this full time. The beans in particular are getting way too big for the tray. It was suggested to me that we could start putting the trays out during the day so that they would begin to get accustomed to the outside world.

They were looking gorgeous in their trays, big sprouts everywhere. So out they went for their first view of the sun. By the end of the day they didn't look quite so happy, some of them seemed to have dried out altogether, others just collapsed back into the compost. Next day we kept them out of the Sun but still outside in the shade, they fared slightly better. Now at the end of the week that lovely sunshine and warmth seems like a distant memory yet our seeds seem to be recovering a bit. Two of the Beetroot stems have thrived looking stronger and hardier than ever and the beans are still rocketing in height. Some of the seeds will have to be started again from scratch, but there is still plenty of time. In the mean time if anyone has any suggestions on how to make the leap from indoor to outdoor without all the casualties please leave a comment.

To make up for the disappointment I decided to take the first harvest from the garden. One of the things that thrives in our garden, and probably in most gardens is Nettles. They are young at the moment so there is no better time to be gathering some for nettle soup. So out I went in my yellow marigold gloves and clipped the new growth from all the nettles I could find. An hour later my carrier bag was bursting with free food. I have to admit to being a little apprehensive at the idea of eating nettles, would they taste good? would they sting? It also seemed a little strange to be cooking whilst wearing washing up gloves but it did help me get through the whole experience sting free.

I now have enough soup to feed me for at least a week! I'm going to be sending the recipe to my recipe of the month subscribers so if you want to know how to make your own free food sign up on the right hand side of this page. Next on the agenda is Dandelion Wine!

Our Night at the Carlow Chamber of Commerce Awards

Friday night was awards night in Carlow. So I donned a pretty frock and headed out to the Talbot Hotel where the big event was taking place.

We had been shortlisted for the Corporate Social Responsibility award but since I had found out that Carlow based charity store Chic & Cheerful had also been shortlisted I knew we had no chance of winning. More on Chic & Cheerful later.

As soon as we arrived I knew that this was the poshest event that I had ever attended. There were pipers to greet us on our arrival, then we were ushered into the drinks reception upstairs where the buzz of conversation was accompanied by the honey tones of a classical singer. Looking around there were very few familiar faces, and I thought I knew everyone in Carlow!! Waiters circulated with trays of wine and punch... I thought that only happened in movies.

After a breath of fresh air we followed the crowds into the ball room and to our table. Table 22. We were very lucky with our seating arrangements. Joined by Paul Savage and his wife Jenny, from Classic Drinks who not only sponsored the 'best licenced premisis' award also sponsored the very tasty wine that we had been sipping at the reception. Also at our table was Tara Connaghan who is the co-ordinator of the Eigse Carlow Arts Festival.

After the speeches and Grace? we were served a really good meal. I have to hand it to the Talbot hotel for accommodating my vegetarian diet, not only an alternate main course but an alternate starter and a joyfully chicken stock free soup. Well done to the Talbot!

After dinner the awards ceremony started. Although I was convinced that Chic & Cheerful had my category sewn up I couldn't help but get a little bit excited when our company logo appeared on the big screen. And the winners are... Chic & Cheerful.

So who are Chic & Cheerful and why did I think they deserved to win?

I first came across Sam & Emma, the two women behind Chic & Cheerful at an International Womens Day event run by the Kildare Network. Their energy was infectious and although the shop was still in the planning stages at the time I knew they were on to something. The shop opened a couple of months later and it's not just another stuffy charity shop. It supports two charities The Love Shack in Kenya and the Vincentian Lay Missionaries in Ethiopia which both Sam and Emma have been personally involved with. It stocks nearly new boutique fashion and is completely volunteer led. Because no one takes a wage, not even the founders, all the money raised can be ploughed into the charities it supports.

I would urge anyone who happens to be in Carlow to visit, they have some really good stuff at really good prices so not only will you be going home with some money left in your pocket, you will know that what you have spent has gone to a good cause. Buying second hand or nearly new clothes in this way is a guilt free way of shopping.

By the end of the night, after some dancing and drumming we rolled into a taxi feeling proud of our company but feeling even better that such a deserving business had taken the award. Next year we have to hope that the competition isn't quite as strong!!

Feelgood Organic Hampers Shortlisted for CSR award

I'm delighted to announce that Feelgood Organic Hampers have been shortlisted for a Carlow Chamber of Commerce Business Award for their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.

The awards will be announced at the gala dinner taking place in Carlow on Friday 17th of April.

It may sound corny but it really is an honor to have been nominated, this blog and our readership was part of our submission so the nomination is also partly for all the people who read, comment and take action here.

We all have our fingers crossed and I'm off to find a posh frock to wear on the night.

Paper Diary

I've been rather sporadic with my paper diary for the last few weeks. It's hard to find something new to write about keeping paper out of my life. So please excuse the big gap...

Day 15
Wednesday 11th March
I was in training today, a course on PR and media which was great. The usual sheet of paper and pen greeted me when I got in the door but I pushed it out of temptations way. I am getting slightly behind with taking the notes from my iPod but it still beats finding wadges of paper in the bottom of bags and in cars weeks or months later.

In the evening I went to a Speed Networking event, like speed dating but without the kissing! I have been allowing myself business cards during this fast which is just as well because speed networking is all about business cards. I met some great people and managed not to pick up any extra bits of paper during the evening. Maybe one day there will be some sort of virtual business card that we can just send by Bluetooth to someones PDA or iPhone but for now we’re going to have to stick to the physical type.

Day 16
Thursday 12th March
Today I started to follow some paperless office people on Twitter, a quick search for the term ‘paperless office’ turned up several results. I’ve found some interesting articles too through Twitter all of which have me wanting to explore more technological solutions to working without paper. I need to find out more about electronic signatures and how to use them.

Follow Feelgood Organic Hampers on Twitter
Follow Hamperlady (that's me!) on Twitter

Day 30
Thursday 26th of March
Feelgood Organic Hampers has decided to enter the Carlow Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, a process that involves much filling of application forms. Thankfully the Chamber sent us out email copies without us even having to ask so we have been able to submit our application without the use of paper. This is especially pertinant in this case as we are going for the 'Corporate Social Responsibility' award and part of our submission mentiones our lenten paper fast. I have found using the white wipe boards invaluable in this process. They are a great brainstorming tool and not as easy to loose as scraps of paper. You will see in my picture the amount of scrawling that was done!

My desk still remains resonably empty. I can't stress how much this has helped my productivity I don't think you realise how much clutter slows you down until you get rid of it.

Day 36
Wednesday 1st April
I am going to London to the Natural & Organic Products trade show this weekend. It's the show where I pretty much decide o which products I'm going to buy for the next season. This could be one of the biggest challenge yet. Flying without a paper boarding card is impossible. I have two options, check in online and print my own ticket or check in at the airport and get a boarding card printed there. I can't work out which is best or worst for the environment. I suppose if I print it at home at least it will be printed on 100% post consumer waste paper.

I always seem to come home from this show with bags and bags of paper, wherever you go there are people virtually throwing the stuff at you and sometimes you just take it in order to escape an over zealous salesperson. It's good to be going in with the strong resolution not to accept it this time. If there is a product I'm interested in I will make a note on my iPod and ask them to email me their marketing material. This will of course mean that my inbox will be jammed in the weeks following the show but when I bring home a bag of paper, the truth is I rarely look through it.