In this episode, I will be sharing some of the people that I find very inspiring. As I started my journey, I found it very intimidating. There was a lot I had to learn and understand and there were also many times that I felt frustrated. These three sustainable superheroes made my journey a lot easier and I am so proud to have interviewed all three of them on my podcast. During this episode, I will share with you how Bea Johnson, Rob Greenfield and Kathryn Kellogg helped me with my sustainable journey.  

If you are listening to this and you too feel overwhelmed, not sure how or where to start or continue your journey, hang on there, there is hope.

Firstly you do not have to start by doing everything at ones. This might be very hard and might discourage you to continue with the journey.

Episode Highlights

[02:47] I also realise that I do not have to do everything overnight or on my own, but rather to embrace this as a journey and take it step by step.

[03:13] Rob Greenfield. Rob is an adventurer, environmental activist, humanitarian and a dude making a difference. He leads by example to create a more sustainable world.

[03:47] He cycled across the US twice on his bamboo bicycle spreading his sustainable message across the US and have recently launched a book, Dude Making a Difference.

04: 00Rob also wore his trash for 30 days in New York, and he was the inspiration behind Marita Peters and me starting our WasteMeNot campaign in the UAE with his wonderful support. He is for sure a dude making a difference for Mama Earth.

[04:18] Bea Johnson, Bea is the woman behind Zero Waste Home a blog that turned into a best selling book. She and her family adopted a Zero Waste lifestyle in 2008, which changed their life for the better as they now lead more meaningful lives based on experiences instead of stuff.

[04:42] One of the guidelines that she proposes is for people to follow 5’R Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot and only in that order.

[05:18] She owns to only 15 items, and from these 15 items, she can create 50 different looks.

[05:52] Going Zero Waste’s Kathryn Kellogg. Kathryn’s zero waste journey started when doctors discovered tumours in her breast after suffering from a lot of pain. Thankfully, everything was benign, but they did not recommend removing it as there was a good chance that it would grow back, so she had to live with the pain.

[06:22] After moving to California, she was shocked at the amount of plastic in her area and realised that it is not only bad for her health but also the health of our planet.

[06:46] She believes that small actions done by hundreds of thousands of people will change the world. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference, you just have to try.

[07:04] If you have any sustainability questions please do hesitate to let me know and I will try my best to help wherever I can. You can either send me a message on my Instagram @designbymariska, email me at hello@mamaearthtalk.com or fill out the contact form on our website mamaearthtalk.com.

[07:26] My final tip for today is to do what you can and feel comfortable to start with. Living a more sustainable life is a journey and not a race.

Key Take Away

“Small actions done by hundreds of thousands of people will change the world. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference, you just have to try.” 

Sometimes we tend to get lost in the amount of work that needs to be done and it often can lead to use delaying to do things or addressing issues. But if we would instead of hesitating rather try and make a difference we might be creating a ripple effect that can be felt where needed. If we do not try we would not know if it what we want to do will make a difference or not. Therefore try and give it your best, you might be starting something magical.

About the author, Mariska

Hi and welcome! My name is Mariska. I am originally from South Africa, but now call the world my home. I am an artist, designer, environmentalist, podcast host and speaker.

I started the Mama Earth Talk podcast in 2018 to share some of the things that I learned about just how easy it can be to reduce your impact on the environment. This then quickly grew into a forum that showcases the amazing things that many people are doing to make the planet better, and further into a source of hope and inspiration for many. A few of the amazing guests include Zero Waste Queen, Bea Johnson, Claude Silver, Kathryn Kellogg and zero waste chef Max La Manna.

If you do not already I urge you to follow me and my journey on social media (@designbymariska), and to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot your own waste using the handy tips I post!