84: How Small Changes in Your Habits Could Save Our Planet with Romina Kwong

If you’ve ever wanted to help save the planet (and maybe even save yourself a bit of $$) this is the episode for you! I’m joined by founder of Eco-Friendly Events, Romina Kwong to talk about how you can make small changes in your habits to go-green at home and at work.

Romina shares how she built her green empire and shares small strategies you can start using today as a small business owner or solopreneur to think more green!

Romina is an advocate for environmental and social justice. She empowers and inspires others to act through education. She never lets the impending doom of climate change keep her from building her own green empire. Romina has a holistic, realistic, and accessible approach to environmental approach to sustainability and brings her step by step approach into the lives of event organizers and businesses struggling to implement green initiatives.

Where It All Started

Romina completed a degree in environmental studies only to find that all her job prospects were in research. But Romina wanted to do something more actionable.

She attended a friend’s wedding and realized how much waste there was at big events! So she went back to school and took event planning so she could transfer her skills to a new arena.

Romina started working with event organizers to decrease their environmental impact. As every event had different goals, Romina’s job was to figure out what mattered to the client and offer green strategies to accommodate.

“I don’t believe in an all or nothing approach” Romina says.

It can be overwhelming to think about environmental sustainability. It’s easy to think “well I’m not doing it properly so I just shouldn’t do it all”. That’s not the mindset we want to have!

Amidst the pandemic, Romina shifted to working with businesses to see the ways in which they could be more green around the office.

Start With Your Values

Romina says the first step is to figure out your values when it comes to environmental sustainability.

This could be anything from buying local or choosing products that made from ethically sourced materials.

Narrow it down and find out what you care about first. Then use the top 3-5 things that you value as your guide to making greener decisions.

We Have the 3 R’s All Wrong!

You remember learning the 3 R’s in grade school…

1. Reduce

2. Reuse

3. Recycle

The misconception with the three R’s is that you pick one and you’ve done your part. Romina explains that it’s actually a hierarchy. You start with reduce, then see how many times you can use it over and over again, and lastly, recycle.

Blew my mind to learn this!

How can you reduce or reuse? Find ways to use what you have. It’s the most environmentally friendly thing you can do. Reuse and repurpose what you have versus finding new things to buy.

Added bonus – reusing can save you money!

We have a linear economy system: you buy it, you use it, you throw it out.

Rather than throwing it out, a circular economy would keep that item in use.

For example, shopping at thrift stores or second hand stores is keeping that piece of clothing within the system of use, rather than it getting tossed out. These small strategies can make a big impact on our planet.

When “What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?” Doesn’t Work Out

At first, Romina wanted to be a layer. Environmental law. When she looked more into it, she realized it wouldn’t align with her purpose, so it was back to the drawing board.

She continued to enjoy all of her classes through her environmental studies degree but upon graduation she had no idea what she wanted to do.

Romina talks about the pressure to get through university, but then nobody tells you what to do afterwards other than “go get a job!”.

She reflected on what she liked to do, what her passions were, and she started to think of events. Especially after attending her friend’s wedding, she decided events was her new pursuit.

And then… the pandemic happened. And events weren’t happening.

The lightbulb moment happened when Romina had a couple different people ask for help with green strategies not for events, but for their businesses.

Romina pivoted and started to consult for businesses on how to increase their green awareness and decrease their footprint.

What Can You Do To Be More Sustainable?

Start with yourself, Romina says, and figure out what works for you. Then, look at your team.

Larger corporations will have a “green team”, or workshops/professional development courses related to thinking more green. As an employee, you can start to nudge your boss to offer these courses to create more a green culture at work.

Romina herself has begun leading those workshops! She teaches about “greenwashing”, recycling, and actionable steps to support the larger goal of being more green.

It’s important to remember, you don’t have to feel guilty if you’re not perfect at it. As long as you’re trying with small steps, you’re helping!

Start small. Romina suggests ideas like:

Bringing your own take out container to a restaurant
Thrift store shopping (I bought a lot of our Christmas gifts used this year, plus saved me money!)
Bring your own coffee mug

Every small change counts.

At the end of the day, we all live on the same planet. And we all have the same responsibility to take care of that planet.

Romina’s Book Recommendation

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker.

We all gather. Whether it be for weddings, parties, birthdays. Even if gathering is mostly virtual right now. In her book, Priya talks about bringing more intention to gathering, rather than just going through the motions of attending.

Show Highlights

[02:50] How Romina became interested in working in the eco-friendly vertical.

[04:12] It’s essential for Romina to know what’s important to her clients.

[05:30] Where to start when you want to be a more eco-friendly business.

[09:25] Using a circular economy to keep products in use.

[12:11] How Romina made the change in her career.

[14:05] Romina shares how she managed the change with the pandemic.

[15:50] Advice on how you can make changes with policies within your company.

[17:17] The types of education courses Romina offers to corporations.

[20:04] Romina shares her thoughts on changes done at the government level.

[22:20] Using a single-use product by banning single-use plastic and its life cycle.

[24:00] Options on how you can ask about using alternatives to be eco-friendly.