THE EARTH DIARY: GREEN GUILT & CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM WITH LAUREN
4 August 2020 - Posted by The Sisterhood of Sustainability
Lauren is an incredible inspiration when it comes to leading an earth friendly lifestyle and her knowledge and passion for sustainability is so empowering. We love her practical tips and inspiring photos and know that you're going to love learning all about her journey and why sustainability is so important to her...
ABOUT LAUREN GRIMSHAW
Lauren is a lifestyle photographer, content marketer and sustainability educator who is based in Australia. After finishing her studies in Environmental Management, Lauren found her true passion – helping small, eco-friendly brands communicate their impact online. She went on to grow a full-time business, Eco-conscious Brands, that combined her love for content creation, blogging and social media with her background in sustainability and environmental studies.
Last year, Lauren packed up her life and moved to Bali, Indonesia to live the laptop lifestyle. She was lucky enough to work with some incredible clients, meet the most inspiring individuals and work towards building the life of her dreams. Lauren is now back in Australia and has enjoyed the transition back into western culture. Recently, she has been taking the time to slow down and has been making more time for self-care, cooking, workouts, sunsets and reading.
SUSTAINABILITY & ETHICALITY
When we asked Lauren about her sustainable and ethical journey, she replied with "When I created my blog during university, I never set out for it to become a business. It was a way for me to share and document my own green living journey and sustainability knowledge, but I ended up falling in love with social media and content marketing during the process. I have never been one for sacrificing while trying to live and purchase sustainably, instead, I try to make the best possible decision for myself, for people and for the planet. I love timeless, ethically made pieces, my reusable coffee cup and reading about new, creative ways to save the environment. I am really passionate about bee populations and give back to my local community as often as I can."
- - - A NOTE FROM LAUREN - - -
"Sustainability is a journey, so stop putting so much pressure on yourself – it’s totally okay to be an imperfect environmentalist!"
GREEN GUILT & CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM
It is Lauren's belief (and we 100% agree) that sustainability isn’t black and white, and it often comes with many different views and opinions on the concept and how it can be achieved – differing between individual actions and business practices. This can lead to a lot of confusion, as well as sustainability shaming when someone might not agree with how someone else might be trying to live more consciously. Eco-friendly lifestyles are often driven by our own personal values and it is important to remember there is no “one size fits all” approach to sustainable living. A certain environmental issue may be more important to one person than it is to another, and that’s totally okay!
Environmental and sustainable living movements can also be portrayed as extreme or unattainable. There is this idea that if you’re not perfect, you’re not doing enough and although this is not what is intended, for those people who are new or interested in reducing their environmental footprint and making greener lifestyle choices, this can actually cause them to feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. For whatever reason, terms such as “vegan” and “zero waste” come with a certain benchmark and this can lead to green guilt and self-judgement.
"We can never make a 100% sustainable choice and when we think we are doing the right thing, we are often still compromising one issue for another. But I believe just being conscious about the decisions and purchases we make is enough and we must accept everyone's values, passions and priorities are different"
MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT
Lauren is passionate about making a difference and states "Personally, I believe there are many different things we can do to make an impact. With my online platform and voice, I aim to create widespread awareness and encourage everyone, greenie or not, to make small positive changes. Although I am a huge supporter of conscious consumerism and voting with your dollar, I am also an advocate for voting, donating and volunteering. There are so many ways you can make sustainable choices that positively impact the environment that don’t require huge lifestyle changes or spending lots of money – every action counts, no matter how big or small.
We can never make a 100% sustainable choice and when we think we are doing the right thing, we are often still compromising one issue for another. But I believe just being conscious about the decisions and purchases we make is enough and we must accept everyone's values, passions and priorities are different. Lots of factors such as affordability, access and lifestyle pay an important role in the choices and purchases we make. I think it’s important to be open, honest and raw about our journey and learnings and understand we don’t need to justify our decisions or mistakes. It’s also important to focus on the positives, the good you are creating and doing your best, rather than your negative impact, slip ups, and unavoidable failures."
The Earth Diary blog series was created to highlight the importance of reducing your environmental impact, adopting a slow and sustainable lifestyle and appreciating the small moments in every day.
We’ve chosen beautiful women from within the creative and earth friendly community whom we believe have something inspiring and empowering to share with you and have dedicated each of these blog posts to these amazing women, their stories and their beautiful photos.