We spend a lot of time talking about Greenwashing at XR, and rightfully so. If you’re unfamiliar with our actions on the topic, find out more about XR Brum and other’s protests at the most recent HSBC AGM.
That said, we are a hopeful organisations that likes to recognise positives when we see them. With this in mind, I’d love to talk about Lush Birmingham.
Last weekend, Friday through Sunday, Lush very graciously invited us into their Birmingham store. It’s worth noting the significance of this because we aren’t the most cuddly of environmental groups; we make noise, we protest, and we sometimes commit illegal acts to fight the Climate and Ecological crisis.
Although our weekend consisted of art blocking, badge making, citizens’ surveys, and drumming and nothing more, we’d like to commend Lush for sticking to their values and ensuring every climate group has a space, not just the ones most palatable on social media.
In addition to that, the staff themselves were fantastic hosts and helped us by wearing our t-shirts and badges as well as just being very welcoming. Their individual support as well as that of the organisation as a whole, was a key factor in the success of the weekend.
And a success it was too! 100s of people took our citizens’ surveys, made badges, or did art blocking. We had challenging, insightful, and interesting discussions with members of the public and have over 50 new sign-ups to XR Brum to show for it.
A big thank you to Lush once again for giving us a platform and showing us how genuine their corporate values are.
