How does it feel like to completely eliminate plastic from your life? Is that even possible in the 21st century?
Well, I tried. For 30 days at the end of 2017, I refused to buy or use any single-use plastic, and looked out for alternatives. In this episode, I speak openly about the struggles, experience and learnings of that month.

Also, I share some facts about plastic, so you understand the background why anyone would ever be so crazy to eliminate it from their life. Today, there are already 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic on the planet, and the numbers are growing steadily. If we don't change anything, there will be as much as 34 billion tons in 2050.
Plastic harms the environment, damages human health and impacts wildlife in many forms. And it's so omnipresent that you can find plastic particles on the most untouched places on earth already. The amount of plastic particles in the ocean - 51 trillion - outnumbers the amount of stars in the universe times 500. Scientists warn of the toxic characteristics of plastics, and yet they are the base of most of the products we use every day. And that's why I wanted to live without it!

What I did: 
FOOD: 
- buy in bulk
- no plastic / produce bags
- no junk food

BATHROOM
- DIY toothpaste, deodorant & co
- shampoo bars & solid soap
- safety razor, lunar cup, bamboo toothbrush 

HOUSEHOLD 
- refillable ecological detergents

ON THE GO
- improvised coffee mason jar
- tomato sauce water bottle 
- no straws
- always with cutlery 

Any tips, questions or comments? I'm looking forward to your messages!

Impact Revolution

My Month without Plastic

It's time to talk about money. Money matters so more than we recognise in our daily life, and it really is the of the main ways of expressing our preferences in how we want the world to look like.



Mikel Garcia Prieto Arrabal is an expert on the matter, he works as Spanish CEO of Triodos, that commits to only use and invest customers' money for programs of sustainability or social impact.

The real price of things
Mikel explains why the market prices of products often fail to represent the true costs inflicted in their production, transportation and usage. Externalities on the environment, as well as social costs are not counted toward the prices we pay, and yet they have to be covered by the whole of society. Think of organic vegetables: Even though you pay more at the supermarket cashier, their cost for your personal health and the one of farm workers is smaller and they do not contribute to the erosion of soil, the pollution of air and groundwater and the reduction in biodiversity. Consumers need to see the whole story behind the product.

From ideas to practice
Mikel has hope: he speaks about the variety of great ideas that already exist to transform our wold into a fairer and more sustainable place: Taking the example of the circular economy, he shows how businesses, governments and academia alike are already working to promote the same progress in our society. His criticism? We need to start moving faster from theory to reality, from talking to doing.

Real commitments to sustainability
Although there is a growing trend of greener and more socially responsible programs in business, Mikel reminds us to look at the whole picture and distinguish between those corporations investing some money in charity programs and those putting the social / environmental good at the heart of their operation, something that Harvard economist Michael Porter calls "shared value". Triodos core promise is to only invest in businesses, startups and programs that make the world better on the environmental or social side, and gives full transparency about their investments to their customers. Their long-term vision has allowed them to support many great initiatives, and also survive the global financial crisis in a much smoother way than most of the risk-taking commercial banks of the world have.

Our money, our responsibility
All of us use money, and we should manage our budget in a way that reflects our own values in life. Mikel reminds us of the three functions of money that we should consider as individual bankers: Consumption, savings and giving. Just as we look at companies progress in becoming more sustainable, we should ask ourselves how much of our consumption/saving/donation money goes towards sustainable and social causes, and try to improve that number year by year.

Mikel Garcia-Prieto Arrabal: Money makes a difference

Adventures for a purpose
Dhurv Boruah is an adventurer and entrepreneur who loves challenges out of the ordinary. He steps out of his comfort zone and embarks on journeys with a purpose, such as driving an ambulance from Madrid to Mongolia, sailing the Atlantic ocean against plastic pollution or crossing ice to raise awareness for climate change.

One special thing about most of his adventures is the fact that Dhruv never shies back before anything if he lacks a skill. He leaned how to swim while sailing on the ocean and skied the first time when crossing the ice in the High Arctic. He really lives what it means that nothing is impossible!

Cycling against plastic
For his most recent campaign, The Thames Project, Dhruv built a floating bike to cycle on the river and collect plastic in the meantime. This way, he was able to talk to citizens, members of parliament, news broadcasters and corporate actors and inspire action against plastic pollution.

However, Dhruv believes that cleaning up the plastic is not a solution: We need to start at the source and rethink the way we design, produce and consume. We need to transition to more sustainable economic models.

Traveling for peace
Besides the Thames Project, Dhruv is currently also planning a bike trip from North to South Korea in order to promote international peace. He wants to showcase that no matter which side of the border, humans are unique, special and united by their desire for a peaceful and safe future free of nuclear threats.

Advice for your campaign
To finish the interview, I asked Dhruv about his three core tips for anyone that wants to start their own for-purpose campaign and raise awareness. Here they are:

1. Be passionate about your cause and know your facts
2. Make it different
3. Find the right team to do it

You want to hear more from Dhruv?
Visit his websites www.boruah.com and http://forpurposeadventures.org/ as well as the Thames Project https://www.thethamesproject.org/ or check out his twitter @dhruvboruah and instagram page @AdventureAccelerator.

Dhruv Boruah: Rivercycling against plastic pollution

The circular economy is a fascinating concept: it is a way to reorganise our economy in a way that creates endless loops of material flows and sees waste as resource for new products, creating a win-win-win situation for people, profits and the planet!

In this episode, you'll learn the basics of the circular economy, why we need it and how we can realise a successful circular transition. I'll show you real circular cases that already work and give you some hope for a greener and more sustainable future world economy!

Full episode information: http://impactrevolution.eu/circulareconomy/

The Circular Economy

Unleash your own creative potential

In this podcast episode, we talk about the importance of education and empowerment of individuals so they can unleash the potential they already have inside of them.

Masaaki believes that everyone is creative and that each of us can use their own creativity to create something great. As author of several books about creativity, he never had a background in practcing arts himself – until someone challenged him to do so. Only two years ago, he decided to demonstrate, that anyone can become an artist, and has been extremely successful with it since. His calligraphy paintings have been featured in more than 10 exhibitions in the past year, and has already been honoured as the global ambassador of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy.

What role do you play in society?

It’s important we all reflect on the different roles each of us play in society, and what the impact is that you leave behind – does it make you happy and reflect your values? Masaaki reminds us that the roles are not given or fixed, and up to us to modify in the way that truly represents the change we want to see. Masaaki himself sees that his role in society, no matter if related to art, design or education is always about empowering others to see their potential, recognise their role and and make a positive difference.

Sustainability as force for innovation

He believes that sustainability allows us to higher our perspective and make new connections that we otherwise would not have seen. It is a way to innovate, find new approaches and create progress. Like this, sustainability can make us more successful both personally and professionally.

Sustainability is something that can accompany you in the longer time and get rid of short-term, narrow-minded thinking. It helps us to be aware of the things in our “blind spot” and see beyond what we are used to.

Create your own happiness

Lastly, we speak about the moment when what you think, say and do are in harmony: happiness. Masaaki shares how he believes we all can lead a happier life, and share that happiness with those around us. We already have everything it takes to be happy and creative inside of us, so let’s live fully, love and do what we believe in, we only have one life after all!

More on Masaaki: 

https://www.masaakih.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/masaaki-hasegawa-2a863153/
https://www.creativida.org/about

More on the episode: 
http://impactrevolution.eu/masaakihasegawa/
https://www.instagram.com/impact_revolution/
https://www.facebook.com/theimpactrevolution/

Thank you for your comments!!

024 Masaaki Hasegawa: Unleashing creativity for sustainability and happines

Your podcast on sustainability and social impact with changemakers, activists, experts and entrepreneurs passionate for positive changes. This is your start to make a difference!

Impact Revolution

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