Hello Erin, Congratulations to WishGarden on winning a Green Business Silver Award from the City of Louisville. Tell us about this award and why it is important? Thank you! We are deeply honored to be recognized by the City of Louisville for our sustainability efforts. Louisville and the rest of Boulder County are leading the way in the work they’re doing to make it easier for businesses and residents to up their sustainability game and make a real difference. Companies play an important role in making a tangible difference in the fight against climate change and promoting sustainability. We’ve been working hard to take our sustainability efforts to the next level, so it means a lot to be recognized for what we’ve been able to do so far.
You are the director of Science, Sustainability & Education at WishGarden. Can you tell us about WishGarden’s current sustainability efforts and your goals for the future? As a company that relies on natural resources – herbs – for what we do, sustainability is very important to us, and has been so since the beginning. But because of climate change and the rapid growth of the natural and herbal industries, including WishGarden, there has been increased urgency to do what we can to ensure not only that what we do is sustainable, but that we are part of the solution . That’s why I’m always trying to find ways to make WishGarden not only a sustainable company, but also a regenerative one.
For me, I tend to look at sustainability from two angles: internal and external. Our internal sustainability efforts include the following:
- We’ve gotten closer to zero waste with composting and recycling programs.
- We recycle specialty plastics which has further eliminated our waste and we can now recycle many of the bags and packaging in which our ingredients arrive.
- We recycle our hairnets, foot protectors, earplugs and gloves used in production with TerraCycle.
- We shred and compost all pallets.
- We recycle all containers in which the ingredients arrive.
- We have eliminated packing peanuts from our shipping materials. Almost all our packaging materials are 100% recyclable.
- We have joined the Climate Collaborative, an industry-wide coalition that aims to combat climate change in the sector.
- We have improved our water and energy efficiency
- We plant trees to help offset the carbon footprint we have
Our external sustainability efforts include the herbs themselves and our efforts to ensure that all our ingredients are sustainably sourced. I am actively involved in ensuring that all our herbs are harvested or grown in a sustainable manner. In the future, we want to include more FairWild certified herbs in our products and herbs grown with regenerative practices. We have been deeply involved in supporting research into the sustainability of many herbs in our formulas, including Osha and Black Cohosh, and we will continue to support this important work. We need more data to truly understand the impact of harvesting on the wild populations of these herbs and WishGarden is committed to supporting this research.
As a smaller, fully self-funded company, there are challenges and it’s not always easy to immediately implement all the changes we want. But I’m a big believer in the power of small actions and making the changes you can, and working with others as much as possible to leverage that change. That’s why we’re active in the Climate Collaborative and why I co-chair the Sustainability Committee of the American Herbal Product Association. As a smaller company, collaboration is critical for us to make progress toward our goals. I love that this sector in general is passionate about working together to make a difference and do the right thing.
There is so much more to tell and we will be telling more about everything we do in the field of sustainability in blogs this year and in the future.
Can you give any advice to those of us who want to live a more sustainable lifestyle? Start where you can. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. But pick one thing you can change and do it. And go from there. Even better if you can get friends and family to do it with you. Some of the biggest changes can come from simple steps done together.
Henry David Thoreau once said, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” You are known for the Herbal walks you lead. How do you ensure that participants in those walks ‘see’ what awaits them and how do they gain more appreciation for the environment? Just taking the time to wander and stop and encounter a plant is a radical shift in perception, especially in our fast-paced world that has very little knowledge about the natural world. I love taking herbal walks, because you always see a light emerging in people. On an intuitive level, I think we long for this knowledge of and relationship with our natural world. Once upon a time we had it all and people don’t even realize they’re missing it until they get there and learn again. There’s so much we walk past every day without paying any attention to it, so if I can help people just notice a little bit more, it can make a big difference. It’s a simple change in perception that can have a big impact. For example, some of my favorite plants to talk about are what most consider “weeds.” I want to help people look at them differently. Not only as great sources of food and medicine, but also because of the role they play in the ecosystem and the information they can share. If I can get someone to leave the walk and think a little about why there are dandelions in their yard, instead of blindly spraying them with toxic chemicals, that’s huge.
If anyone wants to learn more about sustainability, are there any books or videos you would recommend? There are so many. One of the recent ones I like is Project acceptance by Paul Hawken. I think people can gain inspiration and insights from this that can encourage them to take action in one or more areas of their lives. I also love the video below about the impact on wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone. I use this a lot with students, because I think it is a nice illustration of what happens when all players in an ecosystem are allowed to play their role. I often use it to spark a discussion about what it would look like if humans were also balanced players in ecosystems. It is still a widespread belief that we are somehow removed from nature, watching it at best from the sidelines or at worst as instruments of destruction. But we are a valuable and important part of a healthy ecosystem if we are aware and balanced about our role in it.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to sell any product.
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