We invited the lovely Sian Conway from Ethical Hour to talk at our Going Green in 2018 online summit on the 24th April 2018 to speak starting an eco-friendly and ethical business. Ahead of the event we wanted to interview her to find out a bit more about why she wanted to participate and get her opinion on the green issues we’re facing today as consumers and business owners.
Why did you want to get involved in the Going Green in 2018 Online Summit?
Sustainability is something we’re all responsible for – and we can all do something to make a positive impact, but it’s often hard to know where to start. The issues feel so big and even if you want to make a change, it can feel overwhelming.
Change won’t happen unless it’s driven by the consumers, so it’s really important that we work together to get the message out there – ethical and sustainable living doesn’t have to be difficult. You don’t have to overhaul your whole life – just start somewhere. If we all do it, small changes will soon add up and as a community we will have a strong voice for change.
Events like Going Green are really important to raise awareness, discuss the important issues and share tips and advice on how to create positive, sustainable change. I set up #EthicalHour to empower people to live and work more ethically and run businesses in line with their values, so I’m really pleased to support Going Green.
What issues are you most concerned with right now regarding the future of our planet?
Plastic is obviously the hot topic at the moment. The world seems to have woken up to the damage all this plastic pollution is having, and it’s good to see the debate enter the mainstream media and big brands moving to tackle it.
Something definitely needs to be done, but when it comes to sustainability, we need to take a holistic view. If we rush to act on tackling plastic, we might just come up with a solution that equally unsustainable and causing damage elsewhere. It’s the same with palm oil. These issues are bad and we do need to tackle them, but hopefully we will be able to open up a global conversation to tackle unsustainable practices in a more effective way.
What are the most challenging aspects of going green and being more eco-friendly for you?
There’s a big emotional side to it that we don’t often talk about. When you first start, you can end up feeling guilty about how you used to live. Overwhelm is real, and sometimes it’s so confusing because choosing one ethical or sustainable priority often means compromising on another. You just have to do the best you can and keep an open mind, if you’re always learning and willing to make positive changes then you’ll have a good impact.
You can find out more about easy ethical living with Sian on at our next event on Earth Day 2019.