Greener Choices and Sustainable Swaps
Trying to be more sustainable and make greener choices is something that’s really important to me. Seeing how much I was throwing away on a daily basis just didn’t sit right, so I decided to do something about it. There was a lot of talk about carrying your own reusable cup and bag, but I thought about what else people need when out and about and decided cutlery and straws were an easy swap from single-use to multi-use. So in 2018, with the help of my mother-in-law Pat who made some of the first pouches, I set up myReusables and did my first ever market selling bamboo cutlery in fabric pouches, perfect for on the go, at a festival or a picnic. Since then I’ve collaborated with the amazing Gumi Bamboo in Indonesia to offer other reusable and repurposed items. I feel small changes to our habits and making greener choices really can make a difference.
Many of the products I sell I make myself. However the bamboo cutlery and straws, repurposed straw/spork bags are are something I source, and I wanted to make sure I knew where they were coming from. When travelling in Bali a few years ago I heard about a social enterprise over on the island of Lombok, Indonesia called Gumi Bamboo. They help women get out of stone mining and instead help them work in a safer environment making earth-friendly products. So I’ve collaborated with them and they make the bamboo cutlery and straws along with some off-cut fabric bags from excess materials from the dress making industry. Knowing that I’m helping make a positive difference to women on the other side of the world makes me truly happy.
