Change the world form the comfort of your workdesk: New book from the creators of Change the World for a Fiver
‘Thirty minutes walking per day cuts the risk of heart disease by half. It’ll clear your brain as well. Blow the cobwebs away. As my old mum used to say. As she lay on the sofa, six inches deep in dust, drinking a four-pack of Guinness.’
Action 88: Get off one stop early — Change the World 9 to 5
Change the World 9 to 5 picks up where the bestselling book Change the World for a Fiver left off; with fifty simple everyday actions which we can all do during our working day to change the world. It’s a simple concept. Change the small things. Encourage your workmates to do likewise. Sit back. Swivel. And watch as not only the quality of office life improves but also the planet’s prospects, the bottom line and — in turn — your boss’s disposition.
Change the World 9 to 5, which will be published September 7th, is the result of an extensive UK-wide collaboration involving a creative team which includes some of the UK’s leading photographers, designers, writers and illustrators, all of whom gave their time and talents for free. Additionally, the book features more than 500 new suggested actions sent to the We Are What We Do website by people from all walks of life and from all corners of the globe.
The new book also has suggestions from some famous contributors, including Alain de Botton, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jilly Cooper, Sir Martin Sorrell and Kathy Lette.
With sharp copy and compelling graphics, advance orders are already exceeding 50,000 and many organisations are planning to use it as a CSR handbook. Companies which have already shown their support include Sainsbury’s, BDO Stoy Hayward, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Marks & Spencer, O2, BAA, Ben and Jerry’s, Coca-Cola Great Britain, ABN Amro and Eurostar.
Actions in Change the World 9 to 5 include: Find out where your lunch has come from; Remember people’s names; Challenge your business about its ‘lights on at night policy’; Smile when you answer the phone; Ring the IT help desk just to see how they are; Speak rather than email; Play bullshit bingo; Leave work on time at least once a week.
David Robinson, founder of We Are What We Do and the charity Community Links, says: “We believe in the simple formula that small changes x lots of people = big change. All the actions in the book will improve someone’s life or will contribute to change in the wider world. Most are commonsense, many are fun and some will even save money! This is just the beginning. We Are What We Do is still less than two years old. It is incredibly exciting to think about the breadth of possibilities.”
For more information, quotes or high res images please contact:
Ella Wiggans
ella.wiggans@wearewhatwedo.org
71 St John Street
London
EC1M 4NJ
020 7148 7665
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Editor’s note:
Change the World for a Fiver was published in 2004 to launch the movement We Are What We Do. The idea behind the movement was that simple everyday actions can change the world. It held. More than 400,000 copies of Change the World for a Fiver later, the title has retained its position on bestseller lists around the world, and the website www.wearewhatwedo.org has enjoyed a groundswell of interest, attracting more than a million users from more than 150 countries with more than 400,000 actions registered.
Last year adapted editions of Change the World for a Fiver and sister sites in Australia and Germany were launched. A Canadian launch is imminent, with Dutch, Spanish, American and Chinese books and websites in development.
5 most popular actions from Change the World for a Fiver in the UK
* Action 05: Smile and Smile Back — 13,569 actions registered
* Action 01: Decline plastic bags whenever possible — 12,465 actions registered
* Action 31: Turn off the tap whilst brushing your teeth — 10,727 actions registered
* Action 21: Turn off unnecessary lights — 10,489 actions registered
* Action 03: Fit at least one energy-saving light bulb - 8,756 actions registered
If you would like to place an advance order please visit www.wearewhatwedo.org/shop
Change the World 9 to 5:
Publication date: 7 September 2006
RRP: £8.99
ISBN: 1−904977−48−0
Publisher: Short Books
Distributor: TBS