Eco-friendly consumer strikes again

By Erin Hubenig

The Carrotmob strikes again! This year it raised over $9,000 to help green the operation of Sauce Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Victoria.  In one action packed day the University of Victoria's Business Sustainability Club partnered with Synergy Enterprises, a local environmental consulting firm, to put on their most successful Carrotmob yet! Aside from raising over $9,000, the event achieved the most successful consumer-sourced revenue of any Carrotmob in Canada.

"Carrotmobs are reverse boybotts, often referred to as buycotts," explains Michael Traverse, Business Sustainability Club Co-Director. Throughout an entire day, consumers support a chosen local business, which in turn pledges a portion of the day's revenues to making the establishment more environmentally friendly. Carrotmobs reward environmentally friendly and socially responsible businesses with a mob of new customers. The company rewards the environment by greening their operations." "Everyone wins- that's why Carrotmobs are so amazing!" says Linsi Comfort, Business Sustainability Club Co-Director.

On Wednesday, March 21, the event kicked off at 11:30 am, featuring delicious lunch eats and carrot-themed cocktails. Starting at 4:00 pm The Zone hosted a live radio broadcast of the event, followed by performances from local musicians such as Michael Hamilton, Amy Wood, Maryse Bernard, and more. The restaurant was packed full of eco-consumers which included students, professionals and other Victoria locals.

One hundred percent of the $9,000 generated on Wednesday, March 21 , will go towards making Sauce Restaurant and Lounge more eco-friendly. The earning will go towards meeting Sauce's goal of decreasing its energy consumption by 20%, upgrading their lighting and equipment, and towards new insulation instalment. While the ballot is still out for who will be the mob's next target, the organizing team is eager to hear from any local business that want to move towards more sustainable operations. If you are interested in being mobbed, please contact Chantal Orr at chantal@synergyenterprises.ca