‘If you think you’re too small to have impact, try sleeping with a mosquito in your bedroom’ ~ unknown author

I really don’t know when I became a sustainability addict. It must have been somewhere between the green dreams of my friends in my favorite music & festival scene (pagan folk/Castlefest) and the green science and ideas of living together with a biologist and working together with biologists in our neighborhood green group. It gives me a great balance any way ;)

My dog is passed away for years already but I strongly remember my sustainable take on her fouraging toys. I used to make them out of everything that I could find in the house or, to be honest, nothing left the house before I judged it for its fouraging toy possibilities. Think boxes, toilet paper rolls etc. It became a way of living and thinking with the question ‘is this sustainable/can this be (more) sustainable’ always in the forefront of my mind. A while ago I realized that all the clothes I was wearing that particular day where second hand and when I browsed through my closet, almost nothing is newly bought anymore, except for some basics. I wouldn’t have it any other way and it really sparks a lot of joy to find an item that I want second hand. ‘Yes!! No resources where wasted for me’ is the feeling it brings. Heck, even my harps are second hand! I guess when sustainability is so much embedded in the way you think it’s hard to not bring it to work with you.

While working at the Housing Office (SEA) I found some colleagues who could relate (some more than others) and we got to get our office paper free and using washable cups. I really hate that single use garbage, and while I really try to respect that everybody acts differently I’m sure many a colleague has seen me rolling my eyes when they were using a paper cup, or found me forcing them to use it at least a couple of times. Sorry not sorry! So it felt quite naturally to hold the sustainable fort for Gravensteen during the Footprint challenge in

2018. I had a blast with organizing events together with other greenies and make a newsletter with a lot of tips/tricks & information. We even got a birthday box funded with washable cake plates and glasses from the ‘kringloop’ to avoid those dreaded single use plastic ones when a colleague wants to celebrate at the office. For some years now our office colleagues get discount at the ‘Rusty Zipper’ during the ‘warme truien dag’. It’s a happy collab! But the challenge only lasted one year, and while the green colleagues where still scheming together for more sustainability there was suddenly the Sustainability network! I was sure to jump the bandwagon as soon as I heard and we are having a blast there. It’s such an amazing network to be a part of.

In my neighbourhood greengroup we are re-greening our part of the city already for 10 years now with great results, however we have to get funds for every idea we want to put into practice. Luckily we know our way around fundingtown and we are quite successful in getting money but the Sustainability Network is just such a breeze. When you have an idea or question there are always people who can answer or know the person who can. It’s like a big funding network but instead of money there is knowledge. We already got a project going to get more attention for sustainable corporate presents and there is more coming so keep an eye out for the Sustainability Network or even better join!

I know the state of the world can be overwhelming and quite frankly eco/climate depressions are a thing these days. Still it makes me happy to contribute in whatever small way I can. Be it planting a butterfly garden in my neighbourhood or inspiring a colleague to make a green(er) purchase. It might not save the world but it really makes my day.

Grace Innemee, SEA Housing Office