Graydon Lawson started ReduceWasteNow two years ago and has been operating it alone ever since. "I create all of the social media content, write the weekly blog posts, and manage the store — all while trying to balance school at the University of Victoria," Lawson told Bored Panda. "It's a lot of work, but every second is worth it. People seem to be really grateful to learn simple, actionable ways they can help the environment, and I love helping them do exactly that."
Lawson thinks social media is great for educational purposes mostly because of how convenient it is. "A lot of people use it every day, and if you want to see how you can be more eco friendly, all you have to do is visit ReduceWasteNow and you have access to hundreds of different ways you can help the environment," he said, adding that social media is also a really great place to share things you're interested in with your friends. "So if someone really likes this Instagram post about sustainable products that save you money, they can just tag their friends in it, and maybe that inspires them to try some of the tips and be more eco friendly as well."
As you might've noticed, ReduceWasteNow features touch upon various environmental topics. With the 'old me vs. new me' meme alone, it has already addressed excessive plastic use, food waste, and other themes. Lawson said he gets most of his ideas from the company's followers, paying attention to what they comment under his posts on various platforms. That way, he knows he's talking about what's important to the people.
People who frown at such changes might say that individual efforts toward a greener planet are meaningless set against the huge systemic changes that are required to prevent devastating global warming. But Lawson doesn't think so. He believes in the power of the community. "If more and more people vote with their dollars, try their best to live more sustainably, and continue to use their voice as well as their vote, change will come," he said.
"Cooper, one of my best friends, made a great point about this as well, and I 100% agree with him. He said, 'Due to the rise in popularity of social media, it has become easier for individuals to voice their opinion, and to have their opinion heard and shared. As a result, corporations are facing the largest amount of social pressure in history, which has the potential to create real change. The power of numbers has never been so great.'"
Lawson believes that nowadays individuals can speak louder than ever before, and that we can create real change "by using our collective voice to tell the big corporations what we want. All we have to do is step forward, and speak up."
#19
