Exploring Social & Environmental Justice w/ Mrs. Eco International (Shiela DeForest)

Social justice goes hand-in-hand with environmental justice. The two are intrinsically linked. Climate change affects everyone, but it tends to have the deepest impact on some more than others...
Shiela DeForest, Mrs. Eco International 2019 and philanthropist, joins Katie Kurpanek, Eco-Living Coach and Podcast Host, to explore various connections between social and environmental activism, speaking from her own experiences as a climate refugee and as a professional activist who has worked with several local government units and international organizations, fighting for justice and using privilege to empower those in need. (full bio below)
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Instagram: @that.minimal.life
Email: katie.thatminimallife@gmail.com
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Resources mentioned in episode:
ICAC (International Climate Action Challenge)
Global Seed Savers
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Shiela's Bio:
Instagram: @mrsecointernational 
Shiela DeForest is Mrs ECO International 2019, philanthropist, Climate Reality Leader and sustainable fashion advocate currently based in Golden, CO.   She has a varied working experience ranging from hospitality, sales and marketing, online fashion reselling, press and public affairs with the UK Embassy Manila and as a flight attendant for Emirates Airlines. She is an avid traveler having been to 57 countries supporting environmental activities or walking in fashion shows raising awareness for women empowerment, human rights or indigenous fashion. She has worked with local government units, various international and Philippine-based NGOs including Dress for Success, Haribon Foundation, Global Seeds Savers, EcoWaste Coalition, KILUS (Kababaihang Iisa ang Layuning Umunlad ang Sambayanan), TAYO (Team Albay Youth Organizations Inc.), World Vision, Gawad Kalinga USA and NaFFAA Region V. Her volunteer work was recognized by her community in the Philippines and by Jefferson County of Colorado as one of the finalists for the Unsung Heroine Award in their 2020 International Women's Day celebration.  She was also given an Eco Champion Award at the International Climate Action Challenge 2020 for participating in the 90 day challenge and founding GREAT (Golden Residents Eco Action Team). She is currently employed at The EDDY Taproom and Hotel and helped organize their green team.

Transcript

Katie Kurpanek: 0:06

You're listening to all things sustainable, where we unpack topics related to sustainable living, as well as how to apply specific actions to your own life. I'm your eco living coach and podcast host Katie Kurpanek. Let's jump in. Friends you are in for a real treat today. I am so happy that you've downloaded this episode. And I really just can't wait to dive into it with you. I did totally fangirl a little bit over our guest today in my introductory talk with her at the very beginning. So you will hear a lot about her resume and accomplishments as I'm talking with her at the beginning. But just to share a little bit of like a big picture of this guest. We welcome today Sheila DeForest, who is Mrs. Eco international 2019. She is also Mrs. Eco Philippines, she has worked with more than 10 Different philanthropic organizations and local government units. She has award winning work. She is just a lover of people and the planet. Truly a philanthropist at her heart. And at the core of all of that she is a storyteller. This episode is a little bit on the longer side, but trust me it is worth every minute, you will just be hanging on to her words and her stories. And I am sure that this time will fly by as it did for me when I had the privilege of interviewing her. Sheila goes into depth with her own personal stories and experiences. She shares a bit about being a climate refugee herself growing up and where she's at now and her ability to utilize her privilege to empower others. We really speak to the overarching theme here of social justice being inextricably linked with climate justice. If you've been following along with this podcast introductory series so far, you know that we're kind of zooming out to form a big picture view of what it means to live sustainably and we're covering five topics in the process. So in the first few episodes, we've already covered what it means to live sustainably in regards to just caring for the earth. But we've also talked about how living sustainably is connected to your own financial well being the episode after that talked about its connection to your mental health and wellness. And here today we're talking about that social piece that social justice connection. And then upcoming episodes we will talk about the physical health connection and then set a more grounded direction from there. So without further ado, we need to just dive into this episode because it is wonderful, you I hope are going to be able to pull out so much motivating and inspiring information to apply to your own lives today. One quick plug for Patreon. Thank you so much to my Patrons for making this podcast possible. This podcast is literally only possible thanks to listener support so thank you to my patrons. Currently I'm giving shoutouts to Kelly Detlef, Linda, Karen, Jennifer, Liliana, Julia, Jody, Sarah Gordon, Nancy and Elizabeth, thank you all so much, you mean the world to me, thank you for your support. We'll talk a little bit more about Patreon later in the episode, so you can learn a little bit more about how to get involved and be a supporter of the show if you would like. But let's go ahead and dive into today's episode. Hi, Sheila, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm so happy to have you.

Shiela DeForest: 3:37

Hi, Katie, thank you so much for you know, this opportunity to chat with you this afternoon.

Katie Kurpanek: 3:43

Of course, I've been really really looking forward to it as we've been planning this and I've already filled in my listeners a little bit with like a brief introduction of who you are and some of your accomplishments, your resume and just general life experiences so far are so amazing to me. And I'm really excited to hear a little bit about them, because you just been able to experience so much already. I did introduce you as Mrs. Eco international 2019 You are a philanthropist, a Climate Reality leader. You're a sustainable fashion advocate. You've done so much you visited 57 countries, and you've won and eco what was it the Eco Champion Award in 2020. You've worked with all these government units and nonprofits and organizations. I'm just amazed. So I'll stop talking now. But I'm wondering if you could just share a little bit from your own perspective and experience just about yourself. It could be work related or anything that you'd like and then you know, what are you passionate about and interested in?

Shiela DeForest: 4:51

Well, thanks Katie. I I guess I didn't set out to be an advocate. I'm I'm originally from the Philippines. And I've been here in the US in 2012. And I became naturalized as an American in 2016. So I'm actually grateful to be here. But of course, before coming here, I was a flight attendant for Emirates Airlines where I spent eight years of my life in Dubai, as an international flight attendant. So everything was like international for us. So Dubai, is like in the Arabian Gulf. And so it's a great, you know, hub to be in if you're traveling between Europe, Asia, and of course, Americas. And prior to that I was in hospitality. And I retired for a little bit where they moved here, but now I'm back in hospitality as well. So I'm working at the Eddie hotel. And I helped organize the green team, as part of my sustainability, advocacy and, and I'm grateful that they are open to having sustainability as part of the program. And as you mentioned, I was an eco champion awardee, this was given by the International Climate Action challenge, love you Joan, ICAC 21 is actually this week. So it's, you know, it's very humbling to be able to connect with people from different walks of life, different experiences. And through pageantry, I became an advocate for the environment. And I can say that it's never too late to start, you know, being an advocate and being more aware in terms of sustainability, because when I moved to the US, I'll be honest, I wasn't recycling consciously. And where I live, there was a recycling so all of our trash and recyclables went to one bin, and then it will be bagged up and, you know, dumped through the chute and then somebody would collect it, and off it goes the landfill. And it said though, that you know, with all the opportunities that some countries have for recycling, some people still though, and they think that the you know, the trash that are picked up by, by waste, haulers. You know, they magically disappear, but they go some in stasis running out for you know, for some cities and some states, so, we have to be conscious. So being able to lend my voice to that is humbling for me, and I gained it through pageantry. So having that crown helps people like when they see the shiny my head, they're like, Oh, she must have something to say.

Katie Kurpanek: 8:04

Oh, that's so great. I love that pageantry was your door that opened up this whole world of advocacy, and especially when it comes to caring about the environment for you. And I would love to hear a little bit more about that. How did that even come about? I honestly had never heard of the Mrs. Eco international pageant before. Yeah, before meeting you. So I wonder if you could speak a little bit more about that.

Shiela DeForest: 8:32

Okay, so there's not a lot of systems or pageant systems that champion the environment there is Miss Earth, Mrs Earth and then Miss eco international for a while. And then now even Miss Universe has environmental awareness as part of what they discuss in the recently concluded Miss Universe 2021. So the more queens are pageant systems, lend their voice to environmental platform, the better because not a lot of, of Queens actually do champion environment. You know, like when I started my journey in pageantry I was I asked you, I wasn't even planning to join pageantry. I was just volunteering with different nonprofits. They're here in Colorado, because for me as an immigrant, it's a great way to get to meet people make connections in my community and, you know, be more familiar with the new country I live in. And, you know, as a transplant, I don't have a lot of family and friends here in Colorado. So for me, it's an opportunity to broaden my network. And, you know, even simply just giving back to the community, so at first I was just volunteering with nonprofits that help with you know, like Dress for Success. So they have women who are rejoining the workforce after a life of, you know, poverty, and abuse, or even some have been incarcerated. So it's something that gives them confidence, and also gives them training, you know, how to like how to do interviews, how to craft your resume, and things like that something that probably is basic for some of us who've been in, you know, the corporate world for some time. But for some of them, you know, they're insecure, because they are, they think that, you know, they have to come from this less privileged life, that they know that they are insecure when they approach people, or they approach companies. So having Dress for Success, be there for them, gives them the confidence to go out and do their lives. So I also volunteered with Bella boutique where we help girls who otherwise can't afford to go to prom, because I didn't realize the promise very expensive here in the United States. And when I looked at, you know, price tags, or some some people would donate new new gowns, that's like 1000s of dollars, I'm like, this was even, they're even worth more than my gown, my wedding gowns oh my gosh, oh, no wonder like you know, some of these girls they're they're smart. They're some of them are communities or student leaders but they're, they come from less privileged backgrounds, but at least they still have that opportunity to, to join prominent promise not just a party, it's it's a rite of passage and also choosing like, you know, the right gown for them the right outfit for them also helps them you know, set for life set them for life with life decisions, and make decisions for themselves so, so those are the things that I started with. And then when I was given the opportunity to represent as Miss eco Philippines, I'm like, I guess it will help my advocacy be full circle. So I'm not just championing you know for use views or team confidence or women empowerment but also the environment so for me being able to lend my voice was a humbling experience and it also brought me to reconnect with my own people here in Colorado the Filipino community here and also reconnect with the with organizations that I work with in the Philippines previously, but I couldn't like really support them you know, like in terms of like social media or be more public with my support with them because their advocacy then wasn't what the pageant system I was with was supporting. So but now with the environment I was able to like just reconnect like hi I'm going over Philippines as Mrs. Eco Philippines so you know if we can work together for like cleanups, tree plantings, educational awareness I'll be open to and they they opened their doors to me which was humbling and empowering

Katie Kurpanek: 13:40

Wow. So like you were saying with once you have that crown and that title now all these doors open up for you. So how much you know how much of those decisions are yours now like when you want to get involved with these organizations or present yourself as Mrs. Eco International and speak to these topics as an advocate how much of that do you just get to choose the course yourself now? Or how much do you have to like run through a team or something like that?

Shiela DeForest: 14:12

Well, they they respected you know, their queens enough to let us be independent with the activities that we we do whether titles, and even as Ms. Eco Philippines, I was very proactive. I met work with different organizations, different local government units, and I guess that's how they saw um, my reign would possibly be if I do win the international title. So so for me it's like I just, I guess, I do self screening as well. Like I look at the organization's and what they stand for. What And what projects have they done, and if there's something that I can be behind, or you know, like, something that I can really support, so I do approach them. And I'm actually grateful that you know, like you like, I still get invited to guest in webinars and even, of course, virtual conferences right now. And you know that, you know, people still recognize that I'm that I'm still relevant. That your, your, or your Yeah, your reign doesn't end during your year. So it's up to you, actually, what to do behind beyond, beyond your year, so I still keep on going. Because advocating and championing for the environment that shouldn't stop. And it's above politics, it's non partisan. We all share this planet, it doesn't matter what our political beliefs are. At the end of the day, the our health or our lives depend on a healthy environment, and something that we can leave for the future generation.

Katie Kurpanek: 16:20

Exactly. Yeah, I think that that is so important. And I love that you're able to use this privilege and opportunity now that's been provided to you to continue your advocacy. And that really segues into this next question that I wanted to talk with you about, which is just and I know, you've probably had a chance to talk to so many people about these kinds of issues over the past year and a half, because we've really seen that global spike in awareness and involvement with social justice issues and movements, just everything that we've gone through as a world and a community over the past, you know, almost two years. And so one of my biggest learning curves throughout all of this is that there's just this undeniable and invaluable connection between social justice and climate justice. Environmental Justice is often hand in hand with social justice issues. So I'm wondering if you could share a little bit of your thoughts on that, like, what do you think maybe first of all, when you hear the phrases, social justice, and environmental justice, does anything in particular, come to your mind with those two phrases? Or do you feel like you have examples of how they have gone hand in hand within your own life? Well,

Shiela DeForest: 17:39

I can say that with social justice and climate or environmental justice, they are intersectional Mm hmm. As people think, you know, there, they should be thought of as separate issues, but actually, they are interrelated. And I didn't actually even realize that at a certain point of my life, I was like, I was climate refugee. So coming from the Philippines, experiencing hurricanes, it's normal. But the years as the years went by, like even as recent as now, like category four or five is actually ravaging the Philippines right now. And it's December. And I was growing up December was like a quiet month for us. And normally, you know, typhoons would happen during monsoon. And so I was away in university. And so I was in Metro Manila, and my province was part of the affected area of, of this category for typhoon in 1991. And, you know, because we didn't have cell phones at that time, myself. So we didn't have cell phones, then we didn't have social media. There will be you know, TV, radio, and you know, the landline with the rotary dial. Some of you remember that some of your listeners. But I didn't realize the extent of the damage until I went home. So half, half of our roof was blown off. And because of, I guess, the geography, like almost every typhoon or house would flood, and I think at that point, my mom was like, She's had it. So she's like, we have to move. And thankfully, my grandma had another property that we were able to relocate and rebuild more climate resilient house Then we liquidated the other property. So for a certain time, we had to move. But we were still less, we had that bit of privilege because we had our own property to relocate to, but some don't. So they are dependent on local government units, nonprofits, aid agencies, for, you know, for help. So for them to be given, like a relocation area for them to have really relief, relief goods and funding. So it's, it affects us all, some, some not as much. But usually, like all these areas that are affected by climate change are areas that are either indigenous areas, or for bipoc communities. So it's like, it's even. I'm here in Colorado, but I feel for people who are at the forefront of effects of climate change. And also, even here in Colorado, a lot of our communities, low income communities live in food deserts, or close or in floodplain areas, or areas near refineries. And of course, these refineries are full of the they create, or they emit pollutants, or greenhouse gases and who who's the first communities affected by it their need, which is really sad. So it's a we all have a global responsibility. It's not it's not just a few. It's not just governments, it's actually all of us.

Katie Kurpanek: 22:07

Exactly. Yeah. And thank you for sharing your experiences, too, because I can't imagine the hardships that you know, must have come with all of those life experiences and having to completely uproot where you were living and move homes and communities. And so, I appreciate you sharing your perspective with us. And, and we've talked Well, myself and previous guests so far on this podcast, we've talked a lot about the interconnectedness of all of these issues. That's really the well rounded perspective that I want to lay the foundation of this podcast with, is to just communicate to listeners that when you're making sustainable lifestyle choices, it's connected to a much bigger picture than just yourself, or that, you know, very, very little impact you might be having on the planet. I think so many people get tripped up on the fact that like, Well, I'm just one person and me recycling or not, or using plastic or not, you know, it's it's a drop in the bucket compared to the huge amount of like a mess that we have going on that's contributing to climate change. However, every purchase that you make every organization that you support with your dollars, and you know, your purchasing habits, it all is connected to that bigger picture and these systems and then you know, when you are making these choices in your life that are more sustainable, it's also just growing your own awareness of the interconnection of all of these things. And it leads you to think more about communities beyond your own, and communities that have varying levels of privilege and access to different resources. Hey, just wanted to jump in real quick to talk about Patreon. Patreon is an online platform that allows you to become a patron of the arts, so to speak, a financial supporter of the creators who enrich your life with their content. Thanks to the generous support of my patrons. starting as low as just$3 a month, I'm able to continue empowering individuals like yourself through these educational chats with various experts across the spectrum of sustainable living. As a patron of this podcast, you will have the privilege of joining the discussions with guest speakers via zoom and taking part in the exclusive q&a is within two. If you can't make the actual interview live. That's okay. You'll have access to the full recorded episode early before anybody else gets a chance to hear it. You also receive the added bonus of personal shout outs in podcast episodes and other behind the scenes content sent your way. Plus, you'll receive unique discounts to more than a dozen sustainable businesses that have partnered with me so that you can Save money and the earth while you shop. If any of the content that I create adds value to your life, or the perks alone have piqued your interest, check out patreon.com/allthingssustainable to join our community and become a patron today. Thank you so much for your support of this journey to minimize our carbon footprint while maximizing our positive impact on this planet we call home. Okay, let's get back to our show. How much of your family is still back in the Philippines?

Shiela DeForest: 25:31

Well, my parents and of course extended family. But my sister is in Germany. And you know with COVID it's Yeah, it kind of threw a wrench with travel. So they were supposed to come here last year spring to visit because the stance on United flights nonstop from Munich. So they can you know, just hop on the plane and then come over, but didn't happen.

Katie Kurpanek: 26:01

Yeah. Oh, that's so hard

Shiela DeForest: 26:03

Yeah. We're aiming for summer.

Katie Kurpanek: 26:06

I hope so. Have you been able to help any of the communities that you specifically lived in in the Philippines? Now as an adult, and as you know, Mrs. Eco International, and Mrs. Eco Philippines, were you able to go back and like help the same communities?

Shiela DeForest: 26:26

Well, in the beginning, like when I was in Dubai, I was able to help it financially because like, you know, being away from home, and then when natural disasters happen. So the most that I can do was like send either financial assistance or, like when they have calls for like, donations for relief goods or clothing. So we will do that, like when we collect from our friends, like, Hey, we're doing this clothing, drive and food drive for disaster relief, if you want to help and then we will bring it to the, like, the processing center where they will, like pack the goods and ship them to the Philippines. But also like SMS eco Philippines, Ms. Eco International, I did help my own village. It's like we did our, our cleanup and I you know, helping our community members and leaders like, you know, educating them with recycling. And there is some some form of like waste management. Because in the past, like, you know, home owners would just, like, burn their trash, like in their yards. But now there's a garbage truck that would collect trash, and they go to the landfills. And my parents always have like this pit where they would throw where we would throw like compostables and not, you know, not consciously like, I guess doing it, like he's like, Yeah, you know, it's like, they're they'll biodegrade, they'll go back to Earth, but we didn't we weren't thinking but my dad has always been interested in like, you know, plants. And he has a he has a green thumb. And when we were still living in that house that was affected by the typhoon, he would have like, like seedlings, like he would plant like coffee, coffee, beans, and cocoa, cocoa beans. And then you know, once they're grown, we would transplant them in the other property where we eventually move to so we had cocoa trees, we had coffee plants there and we have coconut coconut trees around so he also like now they have their vegetable garden. So it's something that we've been doing like and when I was growing up, I would even share this story like you know, whenever I get invited and I wasn't or we weren't aware that you know, what we were doing was also recycling. So like, a guy would go around the village with a cart and he would shout like, what a jar yogurt alpha which is bottles newspapers and like lamp. So, what we did, I home is like we would collate these like you know like after like say we consume like say cheese spread or anything that is in have bought a jar or bottle. So we would like you know, put it aside. And then the newspapers would collect, because they measure it by like, they're like, I don't know what you call this in English

Katie Kurpanek: 30:15

like that. What would you call that? I mean, I know what you're doing is the visual sign for like, hang loose or? Yeah. So like your pinky to your oops, your pinky to your thumb.

Shiela DeForest: 30:28

Yeah, so that's how they measure the height. So they will pay you in salt. Okay, yeah, so we would exchange jars and bottles and newspapers for assault once that money, so I didn't realize that that's already recycling somehow. And back then there was hardly any plastic until probably the 80s or the early 80s. When plastic started coming in more the market, the Philippine market opened up to imported goods, and what they call px goods, like, you know, from the military bases. So yeah, so some people have the privilege of shopping in the US. commissary, or even like, Oh, when I was growing up, because my dad was in the military, so they have their own commerce area as well. So we would come to Manila and go grocery shopping, because as dependent of military personnel, you have the privilege to to shop there, which is not open to the public. So we can we have access to all these important goods, which back then, weren't as readily available in the market. But now, of course, I don't even have to buy or, you know, bring brands from here, because a lot of the brands that we have here are there. So, right, it's easy from you know, traveling with a whole suitcase or two suitcases of stuff.

Katie Kurpanek: 32:00

Yeah, yeah, it's so interesting that you bring that up, I'm really glad that you did. Because I think that there's this mainstream, more like trendy idea of what Zero Waste is or living sustainably. And a lot of it is focused around plastic. And I think because of that, and because plastic is a more recent invention in like our, you know, history timeline. I think there's this perception that living sustainably is a recent trend. And then by thinking that, or just by not knowing anything different, it completely dismisses entire cultures that have already been living sustainably for years and years, and like you said, just probably doing it naturally. And unconsciously, it's not like you really thought about like, Oh, by putting this food into this hole in our yard that we've dug, that's composting, and it's better for the environment, because data, it's like, that's just, it's what your family did. It's what you had traditions of doing for years and years. So I love talking about this and just kind of reminding ourselves that living sustainably is in a lot of ways going back to our roots, or maybe not our route, specifically, depending on who you're talking to, but learning from each other then and each other's traditions. And then in some ways, it is a little bit more recent and trendy and has to do with you know, cutting out single use plastic and all the problems that we've created now, with, with our invention of single use plastics and everything that we have to rely on. For convenience sake, in a lot of ways, I totally understand the need for plastic, like getting food and water and specific goods to people who are in need of them. Plastic in a lot of ways has been really beneficial. But then at the same time, it's caused a lot more problems than I think good. And so we have a lot we can do to fix that if we are not in need of this plastic, then we can change our ways. So anyway, I think there's this like, Give and take that we have to remember that a lot of this is newer issues that we're figuring out, but a lot of it is also just like going back to the way that things were done or are still being done in other countries right now. So I'm just so glad that you shared that. I think it's such an important point.

Shiela DeForest: 34:32

Well, thanks. And I know it's probably like, in some cases like some Asian comedians have added that in there like skits like Jo Koy he would go to school with like, say I can't remember. I think he was a cool whip.

Katie Kurpanek: 34:54

Oh, yes. Yeah.

Shiela DeForest: 34:57

So he would have his like lunch In a cool whip container instead of like a lunch box, so it's like, you know, this purchasing and reusing items and even I guess it's all Yeah, like, I'm not sure if you heard of like those Danish cookies. The tins

Katie Kurpanek: 35:18

Yeah, yeah.

Shiela DeForest: 35:20

So in their, you know, former lives, they were like cookie cutter, cookie tins, Cookie containers, but then our grandma's or our moms would use them as sewing. Which is the same like in our culture, there are sewing kits. Here, I would hear from friends that same thing, like you know, they're like, oh, they would open their, the cookie tin and they're like, please be cookies, please. And then turns out they're. Yeah, they're.

Katie Kurpanek: 35:54

There's like buttons or something inside of it

Shiela DeForest: 35:58

Needle, Thread, the scissors and whatnot. But yeah, I mean, even now, it's like I would use jars like the store like leftovers? Or like if I have like canned fruit that you know, I didn't use all of it. I would, you know, use like mason jars that I have. I do can a lot of our excess produce. And so we have pickles, we have marinara sauce salsa. I experimented with, with zucchini, with our bumper crop last year. Oh, no, sorry, this year. And I need something that we call a chimera in the Philippines is originally pickled papaya, thick green papaya. But obviously, we're not in the tropics. And of course, the carbon footprint of buying green papaya from this store is so high. So I'm like, What can I do with all these zucchinis that I'm not using. So I found that I found out that you know, you can make a Chara with them. And then like, what I'll try, so I, I borrowed a few I can a few. And then I gave my friends some to try. So I told them, let me know what you think. And then if I get good feedback, who knows, I might, you know, turn it into a business next year.

Katie Kurpanek: 37:35

I love that it's, you know, it goes back to all of those different are words like I like to focus on the six R's because I feel like they're easy to remember: reduce and reuse, and repurpose, and then repair and then finally recycle and rot and rot being compost and really recycling and rot that should be like the last alternative because you can typically do so much with whatever item that is before it gets to that point in its lifecycle. The cookie tin gets me a we have my family is also Danish. And I don't even know if this cookie tin came from Denmark or if it was just bought at some point. And it had Danish cookies in it from like a store here. But anyway, it's probably in my closet back there and it's been read, reused as like a Christmas gift box several times. And they just come in so handy.

Shiela DeForest: 38:34

That's funny, really, it's like a though we come from different cultures. But we have all these commonalities that we don't realize that until we talk to people,

Katie Kurpanek: 38:44

right, exactly. What I'm curious what goes through your mind, like what's the process you think through living here in Colorado, when you're going to either make a purchase or some kind of like a lifestyle choice. I'm trying to think of better examples, but what goes through your mind when deciding to opt for like a more sustainable option? I think purchases are probably the most clear examples of that. But what do you think about like, Is it is it more important to you to look at a company's like ethical laws or like you were talking about the carbon footprint of tropical fruit that takes a long time to get all the way over to us and so What's that process like for you in your daily experiences of like purchasing things or those kinds of habits?

Shiela DeForest: 39:37

Okay, so I try to buy local, as much as like as much as I can and either I bring back those little like nuts like in the in the past like, you know you would buy like all these like lemons like in a bag or in a net bag and Before they would go to trash, and then eventually I realized I'm like, why am I taking new plastic from from the store? You know, it's so convenient. It's there. It's next to, like, say, lemons or onions. It's right there, you grab a new bag, you put your onion, and then you bring it to checkout. But definitely, why don't I just reuse all these supposedly landfill had the items instead, when I can just keep them with my reusable bag. And then when I go to the store as like, that's what I use, or sometimes, like, funny story, I, I went to the store, forgot my bag. I only needed like, I think tomatoes at the time, I think it was like winter or something. But I walked out. Holding tomatoes.

Katie Kurpanek: 40:58

I have so been there.

Shiela DeForest: 41:01

So like, Yeah, I'd rather not, you know, take another bag, because they may be recyclable. But these bags are so flimsy. And you know, they don't last long. And, you know, you use them once and then either you put them in the store recycling bin, and then they get remade into other products. But the less plastic we use, the better even if they're recyclable because plastic and only be recycled about two to three times because every time they're recycled, the polymer chains shortened. So they have to add virgin plastic to it to make it usable. So it's like, the less, you know, that we use, if we can, as much as possible, try to stick to aluminum and glass and recycle them properly. Because these two items are recyclable forever. Right. And with all the cleanups that I've done, it actually, it's actually sad that, you know, there's a lot of these materials found, you know, by the roadside by rivers and creeks, that people don't think that, you know, they just throw out of their cars, and they're like, Yeah, you know, it's not in my car it's not my problem. But it's a wasted resource, these are actually materials that people don't have to mined for, again, because they're already out here. So it's just a matter of, you know, remaking them, especially here in Colorado, we have like, several glass and glass plants here. And so, you know, like, I think most of our domestic glass like stays within the state, or we probably have to import some, like from other states as well. But having the, you know, the processing plants here, the carbon footprint also of those materials get shorter, and that we don't have to mine for new for new materials. So it's, you know, being I'm taking time to like think like, you know, what your purchases mean, at, you know, at the environment, side of it, and also how we support companies or brands, with our dollars, because there's a lot of greenwashing out there, you know, all these fortune 500 corporations, global brands that are like, Yeah, you know, we're making all of our bottles recyclable 100%. But what about the plastics that they produce in the last 30 years? So it's like, they're not taking, you know, they're not taking responsibility for that. And unfortunately, like in the Philippines, and a lot of the developing countries, packaging in sachets are very popular because you know, economics, like people can only afford so much like out of their daily budget. So you know, personal care items, shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, detergents are packaged in all these small packets. And they're not recyclable. They're trash. So they're highly polluting. And I've joined Harry bond foundation in the Philippines. We did, like Coastal Cleanup. And that coordinator I was with, like, she can tell like, you know, when a particular sachet was produced, and she's like, Oh, this was like late 90s, early 2000. I'm like, what they hardly degraded. Wow. And they're still present. So unfortunately, Um, a lot of our polluters like are in Southeast Asia as well, like in plastic. And so a lot of education has to happen. And there's a lot of foreground, groundwork, or grassroots movement that's happening. So you know, it's, it's our collective choice of, and if we can let all these global brands to rethink, and have producer responsibility, or the end of life of their packaging, because basically, they're passing on the responsibility to consumers and to local governments. And that costs money, especially for local governments. And of course, for us, we have to pay for waste haulers and our services. So it's like, nothing, nothing is free. And they're, they're off the hook pretty much. And so it's up to us how to let them know. And at least here in Colorado is like, the environmental movement in legislation is something that is strong, because we have concerned legislators, like, Representative cutter. So you know, you've probably met her already,

Katie Kurpanek: 46:23

I haven't in person, I think I've seen her posts throughout like women in sustainability. You know, the, the online group that we're both a part of, and for any listeners who are looking for some kind of an amazing online community to join women in sustainability is definitely one of them. And I got to interview the one of the co founders, Becky, in a previous episode, so yeah, but representative cutter.

Shiela DeForest: 46:51

Yes. And also, like, Governor polis signed the single use plastic ban. And so that's a start. And, you know, it helps like it has to come from the top. And from the bottom, so we all have to meet, like in the middle and do everything I've been asked before. And I think this lady, she was more focused on, like the legislation part of it. And she's like, so what do you think which side are you on, and like, I think, you know, it has to come from both sides and corporate. So it has to come from all of us are, we should elect leaders who are working for the community, and the environment. And also, we have to make smart choices. And we also have to sport support companies that are true. In terms of their sustainability initiatives, I know it's hard to get the B Corp certification. But, you know, for for brands to be held accountable, in terms of the standards and also by consumers is important, because if they're not selling anything, because their consumers are wiser, then they will have to really rethink and be more true in terms of their production and make their supply chains more transparent. And, and open.

Katie Kurpanek: 48:36

Yeah, exactly. I could not agree with you more that this is this is why I coach individuals and encourage them as much as possible that their individual choices really do matter in the grand scheme of things because there is no motivation for corporations or government or legislation or any of that to change unless we as individuals, which then come together and form this entire mass of an influence. So we really do matter in this in this whole bigger picture. And I think I mean, I could I could ask you a million more questions and talk to you for so long. But I feel like this is the perfect place to kind of just land the plane because I have a routine final question that I ask every guest and this just feels like it. It flows so nicely into our individual actions. I'm wondering if you could think about one or two or three actionable steps that our listeners could take, no matter where they're coming from, no matter where they're listening in the world or the level of privilege or access that they have in their lives. What are just one or two or three actionable steps that they could take to raise their awareness toward or get involved with social and environmental activism?

Shiela DeForest: 49:59

Well, To start with, you know, if they're in school, they can, you know, they can check or see if their school has like, like a green, green team, or even their companies, if they have Green Teams, or if not, they can start one may can join the international climate action challenge plugging for Joan, but it's actually true. I mean, if not for ICAC, I don't think I'll be able to organize GREAT, which stands for Golden residents eco action team here in golden. And so you know, starts in like, you know, start with a little dream, start your school, start in your community, and grow the movement, if you can, and also network with a lot of environmentalists or eco activists. So as I'm sure there are people out there, it's just a matter of finding them. And through social media, and the pivot that they all had to do, because of the pandemic, you know, we were still able to connect with people, I work with communities in the Philippines, even with the pandemic, and I'm looking forward to be able to seeing them in person. Because some of them I haven't met in person, we've been talking for months, um, through zoom, but otherwise, it's all virtual. So that's another one and then try to support your local farmers, especially because one, the carbon carbon footprint of your food will be small. And it's their livelihood. And especially, I also support like this nonprofit called Global Seed Savers. It's a Denver based nonprofit, but their projects are in the Philippines. And I was able to visit their projects. So they have organic farms, they have organizations that do seed saving. So these are endemic species, non GMO vegetables and fruits. And during the pandemic, it wasn't part of their initial program, but they were able to like help farmers get their produce to market because they were able to network with other nonprofits who need these produce, but because you know, the supply chain being broken, and the produce not making it to market, so a lot of initial, the vegetables, like in the beginning, were just like being dumped by the roadside, which was really sad, because people were, um, people need food. And food insecurity was one of the things that was highlighted by the pandemic. And not everybody haven't had access to food, and especially fresh food, you know, in some countries. And so through them, they were able to like pivot as well, and help help farmers and help the communities that actually needed these fruits and vegetables, and even fish or meat products and eggs. So I think those are the things that you can do to start with. Or you can even do your own vegetable garden.

Katie Kurpanek: 53:43

I know I love it. It's like, I mean, even if you live in an urban setting, you could definitely have something on your balcony or windowsill or something small. But I love those suggestions. I think that's fantastic. And in the episode description, I'll definitely have all of your contact information and everything linked there. But I could also put in, you know, a plug for the global Did you say their global seed starters, oh savers. Okay. Yeah. And of course ICAC

Shiela DeForest: 54:11

Yes. Joan will love us.

Katie Kurpanek: 54:14

Oh, yeah. Oh, that's so great. I wanted to take part in her challenge. I think it was last year and then I was about to give birth to my baby at that time. And so not very good timing for me, but

Shiela DeForest: 54:30

understandable. I mean, yeah,

Katie Kurpanek: 54:32

I'm totally looking forward to reconnecting with her though it her work is amazing. It's amazing.

Shiela DeForest: 54:37

Her programs amazing. So you know, like, I tried to invite my friends as well in the Philippines to participate. And I've made connections with some of the other challengers from my batch. And yeah, I'm just grateful for Joan in the end, you know, her mentorship and thanks to her I have more friends

Katie Kurpanek: 55:02

always a great thing. And I'm so happy to have met you a few months ago and that you were able to take time out of your busy schedule to be on this show. So thank you so much for joining me and for all of the amazing insights and input that you shared. I really appreciate that.

Shiela DeForest: 55:18

Well, thanks so much, Katie. And I'm excited, you know, to hopefully we can work together again in the future, and hopefully we can meet in person.

Katie Kurpanek: 55:28

Yes, one of these days. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, please consider sharing it with a friend and subscribing to the podcast so you never miss a new episode. Check out the description for important links. And if you'd like to benefit from the perks of becoming a patron to the show, check out patreon.com/allthingssustainable. Until next time, do the best you can with what you have and remember that you can make a positive impact on this world one day at a time.