India: 100% Cotton
30 mins, 2007 Why are Indian farmers killing themselves to give us the T-shirts we buy on the high street? This film investigates the “white gold” business – growing cotton. Farmers in southern India switch to growing cotton because it brings in more money than food crops. Anand is one of the farmers who switched… Read more »
The Green Factory
27 mins, 2007 This film tells the story of a remarkable “green factory” and of a Belgian company called Ecover. Ecover claims it is possible to make a profit and help save the planet. It tries to be sustainable in every aspect of its production. PRODUCTS: Ecover makes washing products – but unlike the big… Read more »
Greening A Business
62 mins, 2007 In these case studies two very different organisations call in eco-auditor Donnachadh McCarthy to help them operate in a more environmentally sustainable way. CASE STUDY 1: ESSEX FLOUR & GRAIN: EFG is a food and drink wholesaler selling to schools, hospitals and other organisation. Boss Michael Spinks is a green enthusiast who… Read more »
Designing A Website
30 mins, 2007 The worldwide web has given birth to a new profession – the website designer. What does a website designer do? How do you design a website that works? Mark Shufflebottom, lecturer in interactive media design at Bournemouth University and Catherine Tidnam, web manager of the Food & Drink Federation, give their views…. Read more »
An Energy Revolution?
21 mins, 2007 Germany is leading the world in encouraging renewable energy. By 2050, half of its energy could come from renewable sources. But what’s the real cost of its energy revolution? Germany’s landmark EEG law compels power companies to buy electricity at above market prices, from anyone using renewable technology to generate it. “It’s… Read more »
Black Gold: The Coffee Business
47 mins, 2007 Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate an industry worth over $80 billion. But what price are African farmers paying for the price of our coffee? THE CO-OP: Tadesse Meskela is a man on a mission: to save 74,000 struggling Ethiopian coffee farmers from bankruptcy. Tadesse is… Read more »
Biofuel From Brazil
26 mins, 2007 Brazil claims to have stolen a march on the industrial world. It’s developed a cost-effective alternative to petroleum by growing sugar to produce ethanol. Brazil’s sugar crops are a great source of the petrol-substitute ethanol. And now rising oil prices and Brazil’s production of ethanol have led to an automotive revolution in… Read more »
Enterprise Case Studies 1: Winners & Losers
21 mins, 2007 Half of new businesses go bust within the first three years. How do you keep yourself going before the money starts rolling in? What if the money DOESN’T start rolling in? The following case studies tell stories of enterprise success – and failure. THE SMELL OF SUCCESS: S’Amuser is a bold… Read more »
Enterprise Case Studies 2: Technology & Innovation
35 mins, 2007 Many people start up new businesses looking to make money from technology and innovation. But what are the realities of starting a technology-based business? The following case studies illustrate both the possibilities and the pitfalls. SELLING GLASSES ONLINE: Three years ago Jamie was in university. Today he’s the boss of £3 million… Read more »
China and Brazil: Tales Of Two Cities
26 mins, 2007 This film profiles two cities – one in China, one in Brazil – with very different tales to tell. CHONGQING, CHINA: Chongqing in China is already the largest city in the world and it’s growing at a rate that beggars belief. Migrant workers flood in from the countryside and skyscrapers spring up…. Read more »
Sweet Misery: Aspartame
30 mins, 2007 Is the artificial sweetener aspartame a danger to our heath? This US film argues the case that the process by which this widely used food additive became approved by food safety bodies was dangerously flawed. Aspartame, better known under its brand name Nutrasweet, and found in many well-known snack foods and soft… Read more »
Refugees And Migrants
50 mins, 2007 The plight of refugees and migrants is a major global problem. Two films provide dramatic case study material from the US and Bangladesh. Film 1: BANGLADESH In the early 1990s, members of the Rohingyas people fled persecution in Burma to seek a new life in neighbouring Bangladesh. But instead they found government… Read more »