The Spark

I moved to New York a little over three years ago. I had been to the US many times before but New York - and specifically Brooklyn - was a place that I felt connected with immediately.

As much as I loved my new home base, I also noticed some of the less great things, like the wacky construct that is the MTA or the unrelenting willingness of locals to stand in line for hours for virtually anything. Mostly though, it irritated me that there was not much of a public awareness for sustainable living and hardly any detectable ecological consciousness.

While the trash problem on the streets of the city may be paradise for the local rodent and pigeon population, regular residents are less thrilled with the omni-present garbage mountains - but also do little to improve the situation. Local bodegas hand out plastic bags as if they get extra commission for it and single-use plastic cups and straws are standard everywhere. Still, there is a high awareness for health causes like passive smoke or natural nutrition. Nobody smokes cigarettes and organic food brands are all over the place.

Being environmentally conscious, on the other hand, is definitely not a thing. To the contrary, being eco-friendly can often have a negative connotation here. In my opinion, this mindset actually applies to many parts of the US and seems to be even more prevalent in rural, less educated areas. It can easily happen that you will be labelled a "tree hugger" for bringing up recycling in a conversation. And don't even get started talking about climate change. Much like gun control, this is unfortunately a political, very partisan topic that seems to defy all objectivity or reason.

Over the years I have grown quite frustrated with the lack of awareness regarding responsible use of energy, recycling and sustainable living. Until recently that is. I noticed that more and more of my friends and acquaintances became more active sharing environmental content on social media. And more importantly, an increasing number of companies actually started implementing green initiatives and began integrating sustainable elements in their supply chains and business processes.

Of course this is not a new movement. I even remember getting involved with Corporate Social Responsibility programs in the early 2000s and since then there have been numerous positive developments like policy changes and initiatives, especially in Europe. In the US, however, it always seemed to me more of a political topic (e.g. climate change denial or the latest attempt to bring back coal).

Despite this still continuing resistance to reason in some parts of the country I get the feeling that there is a spark in the air right now that can be turned into a permanent beacon of environmental consciousness. Not a trend, but an actual shift in the public mindset - comparable to the shift that already happened with cigarette smoking or healthy nutrition.

Anyway, I decided that I want to do what I can to contribute to raise awareness to the importance and the urgency of living a sustainable lifestyle. What's important, I don't just want to criticize, I want to motivate and will make suggestions of how to live more sustainably.

I want to share easy steps for individuals and also for businesses to adjust little habits/ processes in a way that will help reduce the carbon footprint and minimize plastic waste.

My point is that by adapting these daily habits and processes by just a tiny bit it will make a substantial difference in the long run, particularly if more people do so.

I don't know how much of a difference a website like this one can make but I definitely want to give it a try and I hope you will help me raise awareness. Please share the content of this page with your friends and feel free to reach out and give me your feedback!

#NewYorkCity