I’ve taken the first step in pursuing my dreams. I left my day job to pursue my passion to live more sustainably, both personally and professionally, and to try and inspire change in the world. So, what’s the next step?!? They say, “Dream Big, work hard and make it happen” and I have every intention of living by that. I have some pretty big dreams for The Eco Society which I would like and am excited to share with you.  
  
This started when I realised I didn’t want your so-called “typical” job, I wanted to create a job for myself and run it my way. One where I could work by my values and where I could support local, creative, ethical and sustainable businesses, along with doing my bit for the planet.  

A big part in my decision to follow my dream was because of the impact I had seen my actions were having on my friends, family and even a few strangers who were inspired by seeing me walking around with my reusable coffee cup. I loved knowing I could make a difference and inspire others, and I wanted to do more. Discussing, with anyone who would listen, the things we did to reduce our impact on our beautiful planet was becoming the norm and was the first time I had really felt connected with and committed to what I was doing. A few friends had even said “why don’t you start a blog”?

The start of The Eco Society

So, I started a blog and made a long-term plan for what is now called The Eco Society. The blog is a place to share my experiences, my journey to live a more sustainable lifestyle. To engage with like minded people, provide inspiration and support, while I can learn and grow myself. If you are reading this (thanks) you already know what this looks likes and what I am trying to achieve by doing it. It has been an incredible experience and I love seeing the impact it is making in all its forms. 

So what’s next? Lots. Over the last few months I have been working hard on the next step, but this is all part of the bigger picture and that’s where I’ll start.  

I dream of one day having a space for a community, an inclusive society, where together we can learn and share with the objective of making a better tomorrow for future generations and the planet.  This would be a collaborative space where we can support each other, promote local businesses who are trying to work towards the same goal and share the same values, where we could run workshops ranging from DIY, empowerment talks, education and other activities, the options are endless. Alongside this would be a “dispensary” where you can get all the things you need to help you live a low impact, sustainable and ethical life. My aim is to make living like this the new norm, without having to sacrifice the things we love. 

For me, this is a big dream and one that I am not in a position to jump into right away. Much like working towards living more sustainably, this is a process, a journey, and will take a few more steps to get there. I’m currently working on the next step, a stepping stone towards my goal - an online store where you can source product used by myself, my husband or friends. Product that can help you live more responsibly through being plastic and waste-free and offering full transparency, so you can have confidence in what you are buying. As I said, I want living like this to become standard, and the key to that is accessibility – I want it to be easy.

The goal is to be able to tell you everything about the product - what it’s made from, where it was made, how it got to me, how it will get to you and how you can look after it and dispose of it at the end of its life cycle. There will be a mix of local and international brands and a few own branded items. I am trying my best to have full transparency, to ensure that everything aligns with my values and are both sustainable and ethical. Where this isn’t possible, I will explain why and will continue to work on improving that. 

I’m not going to lie, it has been a lot of hard work to get to where I am, especially trying to do this on a shoestring, but it has been very rewarding, and I am pretty excited (but also very scared) to take the next step in realising my dreams. 

So watch this space! I haven’t set an official launch date but will keep you all posted. If you have any tips or products that you love that you think we should be stocking, let me know.