Welcome back to another blog on talkingshitaboutourwaste, today I am going to be discussing an important topic on *drum rolls* social media and how to get the message out there on ecofriendly products that reduce our impact on the wastewater facilities but also the environment at large.
This screenshot of a company in Australia gives a great depiction of what two ecofriendly warriors and a vision can accomplish. The Dirt Company as it is called is a brain child vision of a self confessed ‘Sustainability nerd’ and ‘Technology child’ who’s products are aimed at returns, reusability and repeat customers (wait a second do you hear that?) ding ding ding* that’s the sound of the first Sustainable development goal (SDG) of the day being noted with SDG 11 of industry, innovation and infrastructure being given a polite nod.
“This company really puts itself out there on creating a market that is like that of a circular economy with products you can mail back to them for reuse and products that will last indefinitely all for a low price.”
Another important aspect of this company I would like to add is their ‘impact’ link. In this section they discuss their initiatives on donating 50% of their profits to Ocean clean ups! I am so excited to think about that from a environmental conservation point of view! In addition, there is refill packs, so the community can return their detergent packs that are on for sale reducing the need for plastic waste getting the community in on the excitement of recycling!
Speaking of excitement in recycling to protect our waterways another clever company called ‘No issues’ found online provides yet another example of a company that is dedicated to the sustainability future. They have products that are environmentally friendly through the use of bamboo and sugarcane fibers. Why is this a big deal? Well for one there is the environmental aspect where this company boasts the ‘no tree’ use for its materials. Secondly there is the circular economy aspect, where the production of this material has both renewable resource aspects applying to it as well as the parts that aren’t renewable being 100% biodegradable which falls nicely into our SDG 12 and 13 above.
“The company ‘No issues’ employees bamboo products as bamboo is a fast growing and bountiful resource that is takes only a matter of months to reach full height”
I’ll imagine right now you are rolling your eyes and asking the question, “what does this all have to do with social media and promoting wastewater?” Well looking at this websites media section, I have noted that the owner has turned a green idea into a 2 MILLION dollar idea. Not only this the owner of this company has appeared in business with store outlets like Coles and Woolworths as a University student design concept.
So just looking above using both innovative designs to reduce wastage and looking towards expanding our horizons as just another “save the environment warrior”, we can actually use social media to do 3 important things. (1.) We can use social media to expand the dialogue of our product for not just ecofriendly ideas but ideas in general, (2.) creating a platform for a business where ecofriendly sustainability is not only promoted but a viable option cost wise and (3.) some ideas on face value may seem mundane and boring to the consumer through using websites, and other social media platforms we can create a social community around a product and or idea.
So now I want to move onto anther process to try and bring this full circle (and by that I mean quite literally). We have touched on it previously for the company ‘No issues’ but what does it mean in reality? Well as usual I’m glad you asked. Circular economy as depicted in the graph above looks a system where products that are created can be recycled 100% back to the place where they were manufactured or alternatively recycled in their entirety for other use. Wow a mouthful!
“A circular economy creates, makes and then recycles the components in their entirety for further use. Creating a self perpetuating system where waste or loss of resources does not occur”
How do we create this utopian society? Engagement is one example of where this could happen. The two companies I have listed above are an example of engaging the communities needs and working in partnership with them to return products or at the very least create a product that is biodegradable to protect our waterways.
So looking at this from a micro to a macroeconomic perspective the idea for wastewater innovation is to be clever in the campaigning of the materials. Also look at what the communities need and try and wedge yourself in there. These companies above are two of many start ups. One of the companies ‘No issues’ is a company that boasts over $2million dollars of value. So to say that there isn’t an economy of scale for being green and keen in this market is shortsighted. So I will leave with a lasting thought that media and getting the message out there on local scale that can help perpetuate the message of recycled wastewater which if promoted wide enough can cascade all the way to the global scale.
#mediashit
YouPutWHATInY(our)water?!? 