Learning to Lean Green Kim Lawlor is empowering others to live a greener life
Transitioning to a more ecologically conscious life can be a tricky and often daunting task. Kim Lawlor, founder of the environmentally friendly product hub Earthlove, is living an increasingly ‘green’ personal and professional life, and has made it her m
EIGHT YEARS AGO, KIM LAWLOR AND HER HUSBAND,
Eoin, immigrated from Ireland to New Zealand. Initially, they settled in a three-bedroom house, owned a regular car and worked within their respective industries; accounting for Kim, carpentry for Eoin. Already having a mind for sustainable living, they experimented with waste reduction initiatives such as acquiring their furniture through second-hand websites and refurbishing it according to their needs. At one point, Kim committed to purchasing used items of furniture for no more than a single dollar, and was still able to obtain perfectly usable items such as a bed frame and coffee table.
Kim and Eoin also committed to a month-long minimalism challenge that would see them expel an item from their lives that corresponded with the date; one item on the 1st, two on the 2nd, nine on the 9th, and so on. The items could be as simple as a single pencil, but could not be thrown away; they had to be re-homed. Once the challenge was completed, they had decluttered their home of over 700 items; from sundries and objects that hide in the garage, to kitchen utensils, clothes, books and cosmetics. They even sold their car in order to switch to a hybrid.
To shift their items onward without too much undue effort, Kim made use of online resources such as The Freecycle Network, a platform that coordinates local ‘gifting’ of items in order to save them from landfill.
Decluttering in this manner, as Kim explains, ‘is to also declutter your mind’, by removing objects that serve you no purpose any longer. ‘In addition to that, it also moves those objects on to people who may find use and benefit from them.
It encourages an attitude of communal sharing. We often don’t, for example, all need individual lawn mowers. In an ideal world, there would be one lawn mower on the block, and the local community of houses would share it as needed,’ she adds.
Before you pass off this idea as a fanciful socialist pipe dream, Kim directed my attention towards a business called the Tool Lendery in Christchurch Central, whose model is founded upon this exact ideal. For a small fee, they essentially act as a library for hardware such as stepladders, angle grinders and cordless drills, granting the community equal access to equipment – generally used periodically – and, in turn, saving the environment from a mass of decaying products.
‘Smartphone apps are now coming to the market which connect homes and foster the borrowing of goods from one another. Through an increase in borrowing and lending schemes such as these, I envision that we would eventually all have very little need to possess large, grand city houses which, for the most part, are only big so that they can store all of our things!’
Of course, not all items can be drawn down to a collective, communal ownership model. I, for example, am not so keen on sharing my toothbrush, and I would likewise prefer to have everyday items, such as my reusable coffee cup, readily available. This is where not only Kim’s range of products, Earthlove, come in handy, but also her expertise. ‘Often people reach for biodegradable labelled products, such as cups and cutlery, thinking they are positive alternatives to traditionally disposable items. The problem is, in Christchurch at least, we don’t have a commercial
composting facility that can reach the high temperatures required to break down these apparent biodegradable plastics.’ Kim explains further that companies have been increasingly reaching for ‘greenwashing’ strategies in marketing. That is, labelling their products as organic, sustainably sourced, biodegradable or compostable, without actually having those claims substantiated. Companies use this strategy because they recognise that consumer preference is shifting towards ecologically responsible market offerings. But, as in cases such as Volkswagen and Nestlé, their unethically false ‘green’ claims have been uncovered, and the companies have faced appropriate litigation.
‘ We have quite strict criteria with regard to the products we stock at Earthlove, and we do our research. We don’t stock reusable plastic items where glass alternatives exist. We source as locally as possible, and we also ensure that the manufacturers of these products have adopted all available measures to be waste-free throughout their respective value chains.’
Kim’s enthusiasm for sustainable living shines through with her quintessential Irish beam, and she greets every Earthlove customer with energetic optimism, excited that she might just be able to make a positive contribution to her clients’ lives. With each transaction that she makes, her customers not only leave with a handy product that will serve to replace less eco and more readily available options in the market, but are also equipped with recommendations
on how to best apply the new product to their lives. For example, Kim will not simply sell you a bamboo toothbrush and wish you all the best, but will also advise you on how to compost it appropriately, as well as where you can send your old plastic toothbrushes and toothpaste bottles to be recycled (TerraCycle New Zealand). And this is just one of many product options available for anyone via Earthlove.
Kim also retails eco options for water bottles, coffee cups, hygiene products, food wraps, books on waste reduction, and a profusion of other goods designed to green your life.
‘Earthlove began from our own waste minimisation journey,’ she explains. ‘We found that sustainable products were everywhere, but often in separate places. So Earthlove is designed to bring all of these products together and retail them in one place.’ The most motivating element to this is that Kim has practised what she preaches every step of the way. Every product she brings to market has been meticulously curated and tested in her own home. Every piece of advice that she passes on has come from years of her own experience, research, frustrations and solutions.
‘Our customers sometimes don’t realise what waste they are creating and what solutions could be put in place,’ she continues. ‘We really love having these conversations and helping them find the options that are out there.’
So what are the first steps you can take in learning to lean green? Firstly, focus on the waste in your life that can be obviously and seamlessly ameliorated. Expunge singleuse water bottles, produce bags and coffee cups, and procure ready-made reusable alternatives. Kim then recommends a wonderful guideline: use your rubbish bin as your instrument for setting green goals. For example, if you find that you have been throwing away a whole lot of cling film, look for an alternative, perhaps in beeswax food wraps. If your bin then contains a large number of plastic meat trays, consider taking your own container to the butcher. From there, begin looking at more calculated and studied schemes, such as purchasing food that is regional and seasonal, which will ultimately reduce the carbon miles per food item in your fridge. And, above all, focus on one thing at a time and ask for help. Find out the strategies that others in the community are using – there are many creative and peculiar options out there.
‘It doesn’t have to be a massive change right away. Becoming more waste-free is always going to be a journey. Just remember that every little effort counts.’
Kim’s enthusiasm for sustainable living shines through with her quintessential Irish beam, and she greets every Earthlove customer with energetic optimism.