Such headlines make Britain, labelled by Paul Bettison as: “The dustbin of Europe, with more rubbish being thrown into landfill than any other country on the continent” a laughing stock.

They also make us seriously question our commitment to attaining our share of EU recycling targets (50 per cent for municipal waste by 2020) which would save emissions equivalent to more than 89 million tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent to taking 31 million cars off the road.

Campaigners are calling on the UK Government to support and implement these targets to realise our vision of a low-carbon economy. As two thirds of all household rubbish can be recycled, we can maximise facilites provided by retail “champions.”

As businesses, we can also adopt responsible practices outside of recycling initiatives that can deliver both environmental and economic benefits.

For those of you looking for a starting point, the Carbon Trust’s SME Footprint Calculator will give you an idea of your firm’s carbon footprint – then you can look at reducing it.

For a comprehensive list, Business Climate Change Champions have produced an excellent guide, but steps we have already taken at Quest include:

· Turning down your heating – costs rise by 8 per cent for every 1^oC incremental increase

· Switch off equipment when not in use – avoiding stand-by modes can cut cots by 30 per cent

· Maximise natural light and reduce use of artificial light

Let’s all do something more this week as householders and businesses to help reach these targets and make us proud of our contribution

It was an interesting discussion and I was certainly intrigued to see how successful it has proved – despite the myriad naysayers along the way. However, one of the most intriguing – and for me quite frightening – issues came right at the end. Carol Arthur of Northern Lights and deputy chair of the CIPR in this region asked the 40+ attendees which out of us read a daily newspaper and who consumed their news online. Of the approximately 20 students, who were all studying some sort of PR degree, not one read a newspaper.

Having provided work placements for many students as part of our commitment to giving back and nurturing the next generation, we have encountered some truly outstanding young people – as well as some that worryingly knew very little about the workings of the media nor seemed to care very much.

While we are all embracing online and social media and recognise its importance, it still remains very much part – and some would say only a small part – of the UK’s general psyche and therefore must continue to combine with traditional media. Securing clients coverage in newspapers, on the radio and on television is something we at Quest do every day and something that continues to achieve our clients the recognition and business success they are seeking.

If the next generation of PR professionals fails to even acknowledge or consume on a regular basis our quality daily and weekly newspapers we are going to encounter an even more intense talent war than we are currently experiencing.

To any budding PR I would urge you to pick up a newspaper and start reading, critically examining it and dissecting the origin – PR-driven or otherwise – of a story. Only then will you learn how to position newsworthy ideas and stories that integrate into your new media to deliver powerful PR campaigns for your clients and achieve success for their business.

I would be interested to hear what others within the industry and particularly students and lecturers have to say on this issue – are the next-in-line moving too quickly away from traditional media to the detriment of their potential career progression?

Ever since the paparazzi were indicted in the Diana accident, stories about paps and their methods have never been far from the headlines.

When I’m not in the office, I can often be found camera in hand taking photos that appear in a range of media. In the past that’s included red carpet and rarely, paparazzi work. Indeed, my first nationally published picture was Wayne Rooney and his girlfriend arriving at a charity ball.

While I personally would never go to the lengths that some do – climbing into gardens, hounding families or girlfriends and so on – I do find it difficult to blame paparazzi when the demand for their work is generated by the public.

Many have already blamed the savagery of the media for Ms Spears’ decline and I am sure they will hail Nick Stern as a reformed soul. However, the simple truth is that across the globe, the highest value photography remains the product of paparazzi work. To give you an idea, this short film about the Diana inquest covers one photographer’s £300k price tag for his photos of the crash scene.

So how can they demand such price? It’s simple – because the public will pay to see celebrities falling over, relaxing in private or in any shocking scenario. Paparazzi shots continue to sell in their thousands and the front pages remain dominated by splashes of ‘exclusive photos.’

If the public genuinely wants to get rid of paparazzi, then they should boycott the media that pays them. Until then, who can blame someone going after a single photo that could change their life?

(For those of you still struggling to link the headline, you should consider buying this!)

Posted by Nick at 10:20