About/FAQ
Miranda Clingwall and Jon Bentley are the founders and web designers of Sustainable Sunshine Coast. They are passionate about the environment and the preservation of the Sunshine Coast for all future species to enjoy. Residing in West Sechelt, they grow, process, and store the majority of their yearly food requirements on a modest half acre of land.
What is the concept of SustainableSunshineCoast.com?
There is a growing and dedicated sustainable community emerging on the Sunshine Coast. There are many individuals, businesses and organizations who are creating green products or operating in a sustainable way, but discovering them and learning about their green initiatives can be difficult and time consuming. SustainableSunshineCoast.com is an extensive green directory that clearly presents the sustainable options available in our community. Compiled in one place in a standardized format, the public is able to quickly discover, review and support sustainable choices that meet their own personal green standards. SustainableSunshineCoast.com provides this platform to help foster a positive and inclusive sustainable community.
What are the main features of SustainableSunshineCoast.com?
The central core of SustainableSunshineCoast.com is an enhanced green directory featuring local individuals, organizations, and businesses who are incorporating sustainable practices in their operations. Organized into 15 categories and 137 sub-categories, information is clearly displayed on individual Profile Pages, each with their own dedicated URL. Other key website features include an all-encompassing green events calendar and “10 Questions With……”, a monthly interview with a Sunshine Coast resident involved in the sustainability movement.
What is a Profile Page?
A Profile Page is a unique-URL web page within SustainableSunshineCoast.com that summarizes the sustainable practices of an individual, organization, or business. A Profile Page includes: your logo, three photos of your choice, contact information (address/phone/email), a direct URL link to your main website (if you have one), and a brief description that explicitly outlines what is green or sustainable about your operations or products. Profile Pages are completely free and information can be submitted online through category specific upload forms by clicking here.
Why should my business/organization sign up for a free Profile Page?
For those who have limited funds to create their own dedicated website, a SustainableSunshineCoast.com Profile Page is an opportunity to acquire web presence for free in the form of your own dedicated web page. For those who already have their own dedicated website, a SustainableSunshineCoast.com Profile Page offers a sustainability-specific summary of your operations that reaches out to new potential supporters.
Who can submit their information and receive a free Profile Page?
Any individual, business or organization that partakes in green or sustainable practices can submit their information. In order for a Profile Page to be published on SustainableSunshineCoast.com, you must specifically define what is green or sustainable about your products or operations.
How green or sustainable does a business/organization have to be for their profile to be published on SustainableSunshineCoast.com?
If you are making a reasonable effort to incorporate sustainable practices into your operations, you can have a profile published on SustainableSunshineCoast.com. After years of being involved in the sustainability movement, we have learned that every individual has a very different and personal criteria for what they believe is an acceptable level of green content. In an effort to be as inclusive as possible, the mission of this website is to present useful information about the sustainable processes of individuals and organizations on the Coast. Based on that information, each public user can discover, review and support the products, businesses, and organizations that meet their own personal standards of sustainability. Obviously, the more green practices that you incorporate into your operations and describe on your profile page, the more support you will likely garner from the public.
My business/organization is local to the Sunshine Coast. Is that “green” enough to be included in SustainableSunshineCoast.com?
Even though operating locally is very important to sustainability, to be included on SustainableSunshineCoast.com you must provide additional information regarding the green or sustainable components of your business, products or operations beyond being locally-based.
My business/organization is not sure how to incorporate sustainable components into it's operations but we would still like to participate on SustainableSunshineCoast.com. How can we improve the sustainable initiatives of our business/organization?
Be creative! One excellent concept is to donate a percentage of profits to an environmental organization on the Sunshine Coast. For example, Seastone B&B donates ten dollars for every stay to the Gibsons Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Another example is the "Sustainability Bucks" program offered by Yoga By The Sea. If you travel to Yoga by the Sea, either by bike, foot, bus or car pooling, then you will receive a sustainability buck towards the purchase of your next class pass.
Is SustainableSunshineCoast.com a non-profit organization?
No. Non-profit and government funded organizations are excellent ways of furthering the environmental cause, but as we enter an era of major funding cutbacks Sustainable Sunshine Coast also believes strongly in the necessity of building self sufficient organizations that further the environmental movement.
Do you offer advertising space on SustainableSunshineCoast.com?
Akin to the “Mother Jones” model, SustainableSunshineCoast.com accepts advertising because it helps to pay the costs of creating, promoting, and hosting a website of this complexity. Advertising your business/organization on this website allows us to dedicate more time and resources to promoting a sustainable culture on the Sunshine Coast. In turn, your business gains valuable exposure and web traffic from a specific target audience. Non-profit organizations receive free “Logo Advertising” throughout the website. In addition, SustainableSunshineCoast.com utilizes part proceeds of all advertising revenue to distribute sustainably-minded micro loans through the Kiva organization. Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty around the world. Check out the Sustainable Sunshine Coast Kiva profile page by clicking here.
Can other organizations/businesses advertise on my Profile Page?
No. Only you are allowed to purchase the advertising space on the bottom of your Profile Page. If you do not wish to purchase this ad space, randomized seasonal photos of the Sunshine Coast is all you will ever see there.
Is Sustainable Sunshine Coast's funding derived from advertising alone or do you have financial backing from another source in order to sustain the website and yourselves?
We are musicians, and that is how we sustain ourselves. We have completely funded this project on our own with no external financial backing.
In the future, once established, do you plan to charge for profile pages or other services that are currently free?
No. Our profile pages and other services that are currently free will always remain free. That is a guarantee. Our goal with Sustainable Sunshine Coast is to be as inclusive as possible by providing a platform where everyone can be represented equally. This can not be achieved if we charge a fee for profile pages and other basic services.
Is Sustainable Sunshine Coast a political or religious based organization?
Sustainable Sunshine Coast has no political mandate or religious connections. However, our inclusive policy encourages such entities to submit profiles to outline their green/sustainable initiatives.
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