Friday, February 14, 2014

The Fair Pages - changing the way we understand sustainability

The Fair Pages is an extremely versatile green online resource. Uniquely, this site is a green directory in all categories imaginable  - and also it is a social media site striving to reach the same level of functionality that Facebook has.

Half-jokingly I refer to it as 'The Fair Facebook'. But half I am dead serious. This page has the potential to become the green online forum AND search engine for everybody trying to make a positive change in the world. Companies, NGOs, consumers .... all are given the same possibility to make their voice heard - a fair option of sharing their view of what the usually fluffy and undefinable term 'sustainability' stands for.

The 'normal' facebook stands today for inequality - covering up information from the users as much as possible to make a profit. The dialogue is slowly dying out on this social platform, giving way for a more and more static newsfeed consisting of paid status advertisments.

The concious consumer is just that - conscious about the choice he faces every day when spending his money. He is interested in new information and eager to discuss his values and choices with other kindred spirits.

Being 'green' can sometimes feel like a lonely choice, depending of course on the surroundings you are in at the moment being. Here is the internet's greatest force as a tool in the 21st century: to connect people all over the world that share the same beliefs, wishes and ethics.

We want to talk to each other, to inspire each other and to empower each other in the important decisions in our life. Being either to choose to spend less money on status symbols or to homeschool your children, many voices today are heard for alternative life choices that put the human - and via that our planet - in the centre of our life.

Here, The Fair Pages' most important vision comes into play: they want to make this dialogue and inspiration available for as many people on our planet as possible. For companies trying to produce items without doing to much damage - for NGO's figthing for a humane cause they believe is important - and for regular consumers who wish to support the ethical companies and causes they see as the most important changers of our world.

Inside the Fair Pages, you can open a profile - as a company/NGO or as 'just' a user. If you are a professional you can add all your services and products to your profile.

The users can then engage in a dialogue with you, the company, or with other users, and finally they can also FIND all the ethical services and goods that exist in the world so far.


There is no 'expert panel' as usual on green sites, allowing some companies to join and others not to - ultimately the Fair Pages wants people to learn how to trust each other. And also, that if you as a consumer feel that something is wrong with a company's practice - you can engage in a open and transparent conversation with them and that way push a more sustainable way of producing forward.

Wow! How's that for a world changing vision!









What's not to like? I would very much appreciate your comments on this subject - would you join The Fair Pages. If not - why not? And if yes - why haven't you already? :)


I am personally very impressed by the positive drive of the Fair Pages' founder, Liselotte. Also I found out that my own business values were very close to the vision of this green project. I proposed a professional cooperation, and am pleased to announce that I will function as the PR and sales assistant for The Fair Pages for the coming period of time!


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