Your name and profession
Nikki Pava – Sustainability Strategist (Alegria Partners www.alegriapartners.com) & Founder, EcoTuesday (www.ecotuesday.com)
Describe yourself in ten words or less
Entrepreneur who is passionate about creating awareness for alternative living choices.
Tell us about EcoTuesday and what prompted you to start it?
EcoTuesday is a networking event for sustainability professionals. Each month we have a speaker who shares her/his perspectives on the industry that she/he represents, a Q & A, and then the Introduction Circle. During the Introduction Circle, everyone has the opportunity to share their name, their company name, and one sentence about what they’re most passionate about as it relates to sustainability. Afterwards, everyone can network with everyone else. EcoTuesday is in cities across the country and takes place on the 4th Tuesday of the month. There’s also a website (www.ecotuesday.com) where our Ambassadors blog about their city’s events and their own areas of interest.
I started EcoTuesday because I saw a need for a professional networking event in the sustainability industry. At EcoTuesday events, professionals can make strategic connections to help support their business and take it to the next level.
How can someone get involved?
Just come to an event! Find out more details at www.ecotuesday.com.
What are a few things that you feel EVERY company should be doing to promote sustainability?
Create employee engagement programs so that everyone in the company can get involved, share ideas, and contribute to the company’s sustainability initiatives. This could include creating a company green team, developing a bike to work day, or having a contest where everyone submits their ideas to decrease energy or waste (with a big prize at the end, of course!). My other venture, Alegria Partners, specializes in developing these types of sustainability initiatives for companies. These are just a few of the many ideas that I have for companies to engage employees and thread their sustainable values into their business model.
What are some things that individuals can do?
Move from being a passive consumer to a conscious consumer. This means that consumers put thought into each purchase, instead of haphazardly buying an item because it’s cheap, disposable, or because your other “one” is broken. Start out by saying, “do I really need to buy this in the first place?” It possible that you might already have something similar in your house that just needs as small repair, or a neighbor might have what you’re looking for and would be happy to lend it to you for a period of time. Additionally, conscious consumers consider the materials that are used in all products before a purchase. Are they sustainable? Organic? Fair trade? Have people been harmed in their creation? To me, these are important questions to ask prior to any type of purchase.
All of our purchases add up and make a statement to manufacturers. Let’s be responsible about all of our actions!