Gav Lawson named ambassador for PEA Business Awards

"They say knowledge is power but if we don't act on knowledge it is meaningless", Gav Lawson, PEA Awards night.

THTC's Gav Lawson has been invited to become an ambassador for the inaugural PEA Business Awards to be held later this year, representing both a milestone for both Gav and THTC.

The PEA Business Awards are an offshoot of the PEA Awards or to cut out the acronym - the People and Environment Achievement awards. The awards aim to recognise the people and businesses dedicated to keeping things strictly sustainable and environmentally aware.

The awards, founded by Marketeer and Phoenix Rose musician Jarvis Smith have already attracted some large sponsors including Birds Eye, Kyocera and Samsung and after celebrating deserved individuals with the PEA Awards earlier this year, the PEA group now turn their attention to businesses.

Endorsers of the award include Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden (who has taken an active role in encouraging ethical business, judging for the Observer Ethical awards and using her position to continually push the cause), high profile businesswoman Jo Wood and of course Gav! Categories will include banking and finance, building and construction and chief executive officer of the year - apparently Rebekah Brooks is the favourite for that one…not.

It is a brilliant, non commercially minded venture and the fact that Gav has been chosen as one of three ambassadors (along with musician and philanthropist Galen Ayers and 'green' advisor to the Savoy Hotel Debra Patterson) speaks volumes for how far THTC has come since he and his brother Dru set the business up in 1999.

Back then, THTC was almost alone in pioneering activist fashion and refusing to compromise its ethics in doing so.

And it has been this unflinchingly honest approach which has attracted artists, musicians, and ultimately consumers to the brand; meaning it could survive a crippling recession when some mega brands like Woolworths did not. It is authentic and people respond to that.

One of the other appealing aspects of THTC has been that it has resisted the urge to merely preach to the converted, with Gav using his hard-earned Hip-Hop and street artist contacts to switch a non Guardian reading or herbal tea drinking demographic onto "green issues". Indeed, part of his challenge with the PEA Awards will be to open up what has been called the 'green oscars" to nascent audiences.

One of the ways Gav and the founders of the awards will set about achieving this is by hosting spoken word and music nights in the lead up to the event. Titled PEA Pod Sessions, these events will feature rappers such as MC Sense, singers like Aruba Red (tbc) as well as street art demonstrations from the legendary Mau Mau.

Gav has always remained optimistic that things can change and thankfully a lot has, with more businesses realising the necessity of being ethically responsible and awards such as these - as well as the Observer Ethical Awards - springing up to champion worthy businesses.

So, with the awards ceremony not taking place until later this year perhaps now is the time to celebrate that awards of these kind are at last actually possible, it wasn't always the case.

To find out more about the event go to the PEA Business awards website - http://www.peabusinessawards.com

By Isaac Parham