DAY 1 - Professional Development
(*NOTE: there were more panels than the ones I talk about below, which I found most impactful)
Panel on: Apparel
As is often stressed, clothing is one of the biggest and most complex industries due to its fast global supply chains and even faster growth rate. (here's a post I wrote on fast fashion + reasons to boycott it) One thing harped on during this panel was how there really is no one perfect solution to reducing textile waste/pollution, and that we still have a long way to go with regards to this, with a lot more innovation funders and grassroots needed. This is due to many reasons including immense technology gaps, as innovations - for example those that increase circularity by including recycled content into new products - are far from commercial visibility and are expensive. The market is not developed for brands incorporating such innovations, which is why a focus on the start of the product cycle is just as important as its end i.e. what a consumer might decide to do with an unwanted piece of clothing. Governments might also be under pressure from constituents to do something, but they might not have the textile expertise. Not to mention the oversupply that brands put out there, causing people to over-consume through temptation by nice and cheap fashion, and the excitement of owning something new.
Thus there is no one perfect solution, but there IS an existing system we can work with, by encouraging donations (Metro Vancouver started the Think Thrice campaign after a waste audit in the landfills) and reshaping our thinking as consumers into shopping more mindfully and supporting ethical brands. On a positive note the social aspect of clothing awareness has been nicely increasing and it is, as Vanadis the sustainability specialist for Mountain Equipment Co-op put it, a way of 'bringing humanity back into fashion/clothing'. Rebecca, Aritzia's Sustainability Director also reminded us that some countries have also adopted legislations asking clothing companies to reveal how they are going about their production. Let's not forget that the apparel industry is the 2nd largest water consumer, with all the used water coming out completely toxic (to effectively and visually inform yourself more on this, highly recommend the documentary River Blue!), and that cotton, largely grown for clothing, is the thirstiest (literally consumes the most water) and dirtiest crop. Let's also not forget that fast fashion brands like H&M underpay and even abuse their developing-country workers, and that only less than 5% of clothes going to their 'recycling bins' get recycled. And yes, Zara is fast fashion as well. With each dollar we spend on such products we actively support their injustice and damage both socially and environmentally. We are so much stronger and bigger when we act collectively and spread awareness.
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| German activists protesting against Bangladeshi H&M production sites' working conditions. |
Something to think about: considering a nice shirt one might be glad to buy because it is cheap, there is NO WAY the production of that shirt could cost 10 bucks or less, moreover with the brand still needing to make a profit! A consumer's perceived 'cost saved' upon snagging this 'great deal' is FULLY weighed out by an employee in another developing country being paid below the minimum wage.
Panel on: Food & Agriculture
Here Ted - President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia - reminds us of the past public's uproar against a proposal of a new stadium to be built on an existing cornfield, resulting in the news headline "Why's everyone so upset about an empty cornfield?". Precisely that is just how disconnected many individuals and communities around the world feel from our food. Many don't value where their food comes from. It's dazzling to some to remember that before agriculture, we were all once hunters and gatherers, therefore agriculture sustains our whole human race, needing a lot of water, and the current problem being most of us are much too dependent on industrial-scale agriculture for cheap food. Thus it is important to examine our own relationships with food, realizing that so many of us are part of the entire food system together, which is why we might want to spend our money wisely. The food system has a major impact on ecology and if we don't start supporting organic and local farmers all our food would start coming from the same source (same species of food), and nutrition and diversity would be lost.
Camil, the Co-founder at Inner City Farms, also pointed out that governments definitely should be accountable for schools serving food that are healthy, locally sourced and sustainable, in their cafeterias, and that the Ministry of Agriculture has tried integrating hands-on agriculture programs into school curriculums to reconnect youth with food. As the bottom line, our soil and water is literally our life.
DAY 2 - Personal Development
Panel on: Zero Waste
One of my favorite panels as I've always been a geek about anything to do with zero waste. It was such a kick to have the ardent and slightly fierce Bea Johnson practically owning this panel. My admiration for her makes me want to repeat this whole eloquent introduction of her that was found on the Intengine Global Change Foundation website: "Bea Johnson and her family produce a mere pint of trash per year since 2008. Dubbed "The Mother of Zero Waste lifestyle movement" by CNN, Bea has been featured on TV shows and in publications all over the world. She shatters misconceptions, proving that zero waste can not only be stylish, but also lead to significant health benefits, and time and money savings. With her simple 5R methodology and blog turned bestselling book, Bea initiated a global movement. She has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to adopt waste-free living, open unpackaged shops, conceive reusable products, and launch organizations."
Firstly, from several waste audits, it is clear that the biggest waste present is food. Governments need to start more reusing and refilling policies; the European Union (in particular France and Italy) and places like Quebec are starting well on this, working hard on waste prevention. In Canada, Quebec seems to have a strong Zero Waste movement, focusing on sale of products unpackaged.
Supporting and increasing more regional and local systems like the package-free grocery shops Nada and The Soap Dispensary in Vancouver is also a great way to reduce energy that would otherwise be spent on packaging and long-distance transportation. Bea also emphasized that change is very much in the consumers' hands - you vote with our dollars, as a way of either saying "I love packaging" versus buying from Nada and investing money in a more sustainable lifestyle and world. And if you're unhappy with a company, contact them and tell them, but bring up FIRST what you love about their service and product. She gave the example of her contacting LUSH complimenting their efforts to reuse their plastic packaging, before going on to say she wished the products themselves didn't have to contain synthetic plastic substances that are unfriendly to sensitive skin.
It was right after this panel that my friend Laura and I got to meet and chat with a Zero Waste blogger and mom Jinny (@zerowasting_family on Insta). It felt good to relate with her so much on how, as is the norm in many Asian cultures, we both used to be slaves of materialism, loving shopping and malls and literally any kind of new skincare or makeup product out there. Time spent learning about sustainability however really brought us to slowly letting go of all of those, embracing minimalism, and realizing that these things are not what bring you true happiness, at least not as much as new or enriching experiences with yourselves and with loved ones. She also told me an uplifting story of how she tried in vain for three years to convince her mom (I relate! Many times in this period it seems to be the job of the younger generations to inform the older) to reduce plastic usage. But one day Jinny got featured in a magazine, about her own family's zero-waste efforts. This grabbed her mother's attention and recognition and, finally, she did start working towards a lower-impact lifestyle. Sometimes spreading awareness doesn't mean actively trying to change someone else's way of living but it IS as simple as continuing to do what you do and just setting an example, like Jinny did.
Panel on: Engagement & Democracy
A panelist here that I have full respect for was definitely 16-year old Rebecca Hamilton, who organized the recent youth climate strike movements across Canada, one of which I got to participate in last month. The idea of these climate strikes happening downtown on schooldays is founded on setting an example of urgency for the rest of the world and for the adults, that students would skip school and drop their normal life activities to go on strike because without climate action there would be no future to go to school for anyway (and yes, many teachers joined in the strikes!). It was actually invigorating to hear her speak about system change; how THAT should be the new narrative surrounding climate change, instead of showing disheartening, hopeless images to young people about their future and making it seem as if they are to blame, when in fact governments should be taking on more responsibility for this. She reminisces the collective hope and overflowing energy and emotions that never fail to come up at these climate marches, seeing hundreds of youth gather and unite together for one common hope.
During the Q&A session, a rather big guy walked up to the mic, openly acknowledging Rebecca as 'his hero and inspiration' and that the whole time she spoke he had been tearing up nonstop at the back of the room; unsurprisingly that was also me and I believe many other young people in the room. Things like this just ignite a fire in you.
Keynote Speaker Larry Davis on: The Heart
Nearly every sentence in this speech resonated with me. If I speak of strange things here know that it's just the happy, fulfilling result of my progressing spiritual journey since a few months ago that has practically changed my life and outlook on the world for only the better. And everything Larry touched on here was very in line with all that. Maybe one day I'll write something separate documenting my spiritual journey thus far (it might be long bc I have many testimonies..), but for now... :
Larry (an education trainer at HeartMath, a non-profit and research institute) says, everything first starts with the SELF, not with other people, not with external situations that we wish to change or improve; it starts with yourself and the improvement of the self. (In the past I've taken this to be termed 'transformational change'; when I first heard of it from a few friends, I agreed blindly because it sounded positive. But it was only months after when I started to go through it myself that I really FELT and understood what they were referring to. Changing yourself inside allows a reflection of all that onto the world and reality around you, so that to an extent you are changing your own reality for the better, and to experience this firsthand has been incredible. Personally, it ranged from things as simple as strangers suddenly giving me small smiles on the street, or lending me helping hands I never had to ask for, to the most unexpected miracles, synchronicities and blessings flowing into my life effortlessly. I say effortlessly because blessings don't only come to us through our hard work contrary to what society has taught us; we ALL fully deserve happiness and peace just by BEING, not by having to do or accomplish this and that and breaking sweat over everything). To make a difference in this world at a global or smaller level, one has to first change their mindset AND heartset. We all come from a common place of love, yet why don't we show or feel it enough? It is all due to a trauma crisis, experienced either individually or as a whole generation or community, and can be developed from childhood or later. He said "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our choice of response lies our growth and freedom."
Our job for a more sustainable future is simply to be the best you can be every day. Sustainability is purely about love in action, and stepping into the truth within us, while accepting and embracing ALL experiences and struggles, choosing what to take away from them. Also, our true ability to love our neighbor is based on our ability to love ourselves. All living things are made from matter and each atom is largely just empty space, a vessel for energy, thus we and everything are primarily energy, which is why how we feel inside is essentially how we see the world around us.
As he quoted from Easwaran, "A mind that is racing over worries about the future or recycling resentments from the past is ill euipped to handle the challenges of the moment. By slowing down, we can train the mind to focus on the present. Then we will find that we can function well whatever the difficulties. That is what it means to be stress-proof - not avoiding stress but being at our best under pressure; calm, cool and creative in the midst of the storm."
Indeed, what more important thing is there to honor than the present moment with gratitude and loving kindness (to oneself and then to have it overflow to others), when past and future and time are only manmade concepts? The present moment is all we ever have (also life is too short to worry or have negative thoughts! and besides our thoughts are not essentially US unless we choose for it to be). When a 'challenge' arises (really they're mostly just there to unexpectedly redirect you to better paths for you anyway, and yes sometimes they can be BIG redirections), Larry pointed out there is the instinct to work harder against it, or to choose to reset and let go. I and I'm sure many have personally seen how miraculous fully letting go can be. Steve Jobs, no doubt familiar with these concepts, also said "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." This has been nothing but true for me the past few months; the heart's intelligence is so underestimated and overlooked when compared with the brain. I've made seemingly crazy choices only because I FELT - not thought - strongly like doing so, and have been rewarded each time.
Do check out his institute https://www.heartmath.org/ , but all in all he ended his talk with "Love is our natural state of being; we just get separated sometimes".
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Above everything my good friend Carmen and I were elated to find out that Connie Linder, the Founder and CEO of the Intengine Global Change Foundation was not only very spiritually aligned with the universe (this of course showed through her immense success and drive) but also throughout the congress she was actively educating her participants on the importance of raising our consciousness, affirming that EVERYTHING starts with yourself, that once we start focusing on our BEING (the best version of ourselves), all the DOING will play out for us and from us like a breeze, and that if only we put our faith in the goodness of the universe, things will always ultimately work in our favor, though on the surface at first it might seem out of our favor (I can attest to this!! several times). Also, we can only trust our emotions and intuition if we're coming from a place of love and not fear.
It is always amazing to think and remember how intricately interconnected everything is when it comes to sustainability, that sustainability is literally our whole life in every aspect and is our best way of being. We do our best to sustain not only nature, but also people, ourselves, our wellbeing, our relationships with ourselves and with others. But, as Connie said, the only thing that is truly sustainable is love, and I absolutely think that is the core of everything.
