Waste not want not
In a little more than 60 years, humans have managed to fill the planet with 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic – most of which will not breakdown. As the war on waste gains momentum, Genevieve Gannon meets some Australian women who are changing the way we thin
Natalie Isaacs was a CEO when a wave of searing fire set her on the path to becoming a climate warrior.
She had been at the helm of her own cosmetics company for 18 years when she found herself helping out at a rally to raise awareness about rising sea levels. It was a scorching day in the spring of 2006 and she and her husband, Murray Hogarth, were down at Circular Quay in Sydney trying to drum up some media attention for the cause. Suddenly, an incredibly hot, dry wind swept across the city. Bushfire season had started.
“It was ironic because we were trying to show what climate change does and then the bushfires took over,” Natalie says. “The bushfires led the news and our little thing didn’t get a run after that. That’s when it hit me.”
After years of reading about climate change, something clicked and Natalie was shaken into action. She modified her lifestyle and cut her household electricity bill by 20 per cent. This small achievement inspired her to strive for change on a larger scale and the 1 Million Women movement was born. She now devotes her days to empowering women to wage war on waste by changing the way they live.
“Every single thing you leave on the shelf is sending a message,” the passionate redhead says.
During her years as a manufacturer, Natalie sold to many major retailers who, she says, would pressure her to cut costs and increase packaging.
“I would go to my buyer for Christmas lines and say, ‘Here’s my Christmas range with just the product’, and it would be $19.95,” she says.
“They’d say, ‘Wow, I love it. Let’s get it down to $9.95. And when you come back, can you make sure that it’s in plastic and can you put the things inside in plastic, so they don’t fall around, and then you’ll need to put the whole thing in a plastic outer and then can you put the whole thing in a plastic tray.’”