To explain the motivation to start writing a blog about sustainability, we need to time travel a few years back down my life journey. My passion for sustainability derived simply from the fact that I care. I care a lot about the people around me, I care for every animal, and I care for every plant or tree. I care for them because they bring me joy and fill my life on earth with beautiful experiences. I have always been a caring person (surprise) but while growing up, I started to care less about people due to being increasingly exposed to the destruction and pain they caused. Every time I heard bad news, it brought greater sadness into my life. Although I was physically far away from where it happened, the mental effects were still significant and lasting. I cared, and to me it seemed like very few others cared about it in the same way.

Me, hiking the Höga Kusten Leden in Sweden

My first unintentional decision towards a more sustainable lifestyle was to change my diet and make increasingly more vegetarian choices. Again I was exposed – this time intentionally – to the horrible harm animals are experiencing every single day in the food industry. I later learned – although making the best choices according to my knowledge at the time – that I was still contributing to the harm done to animals and the environment, thus I became a part-time vegan. My relationship with veganism is currently like an on- and off-relationship (yes, as for many cheese is also my weakness, in particular on pizza) but I have levelled it off at approximately 80% vegan and 20% vegetarian. Educating myself about the impacts of my food choices made me more aware of my contribution to the world.

My academic choices and the urge to fulfil my biggest dream

My education about food choices did not stop there as I decided to study a Bachelor’s in Oecotrophology (explained: Home Economics and Nutritional Sciences/Food Science) in Germany. I finished my studies by writing my bachelor thesis about food waste, which I believe is the point where I unconsciously planted the idea of sustainability into my life and thought processes.

Now, we jump back a few years because I want to tell you a little bit about my grandpa without whom I would probably not be writing this now. Don’t worry, I will get back to why I started blogging about Sustainability later. My grandpa was a huge inspiration for me, which I never realised until the last few years. In his youth, he travelled and worked as a sailor on trade ships, which enabled him to see almost every country with a coast. While visiting my grandparents on holidays, he told me about all the places he visited and what he experienced there. How he played soccer with the locals in one of the many African countries (I cannot remember which one it was), how he experienced sheep counting in New Zealand, or how he traded cigarettes in China and was fooled by the locals when he brought shoes back for my grandma but they were both for the left feet.

Little did he or I know at the time what an impact his stories would have on my decisions until I set off to fulfil my dream and go backpacking after completing my Bachelor’s degree. For two and a half years I had been travelling through Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Experiencing the diversity of people, cultures, food, and nature opened my mind again to the beauty which surrounds us every day. I also saw a lot of destruction, pollution and the negative influence of capitalism, allowing me to become far more aware of the need to protect the diversity we have on this planet.

Source: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Master’s Program: Sustainable Food Systems

After two and a half years of backpacking and working different jobs, I got the urge to devote my life to educating myself so I could do good with my time on our planet earth. I was familiar with the term sustainability but I would not say that I was devoted to it. However, this changed when I was accepted into the Master’s program Sustainable Food Systems in Sweden. Living in a country like Sweden made it easier for me to make sustainable choices. The infrastructure – like safe bike lanes, good train and bus connections but also vegan and local food choices – supported the convenience of living more sustainably.

At university, I learned about the different concepts and theories of sustainability, which gave me a greater understanding of what is important and necessary to create sustainable systems. Sweden’s educational system was very beneficial, as it supported collaborative group projects to find solutions to real and pressing problems. Moreover, I met many inspiring women who through their sustainable lifestyles and choices, made it easy for me to implement positive change in my own life, as I saw from them how it could work.

I wish I had already started my blog when I lived in Sweden, because as Covid hit all my courses went online and I had plenty of time. But dwelling in the past will not help me to develop my blog now and sometimes good things take time and the right push.

Next continent, next chapter

In Australia, where I moved after finishing my Master’s degree, I experienced the push to work on becoming a sustainability specialist. Life is different here in comparison to Europe, where I have the feeling that it is easier to make sustainable choices. For example, I was in the process of applying for jobs in the sustainability space in Australia but there were very few options. Most of the sustainability job ads looked for environmental degrees or demanded a ridiculous amount of years of experience.

Nevertheless, I got a job with an engineering company and after only a few months I realised: the corporate world is not my cup of tea. Furthermore, the feeling grew in me that the understanding of sustainability is, in general, poor and very one-sided. I experienced first-hand that people who don’t have a core understanding of sustainability are making decisions to be more sustainable. We no longer have the luxury to treat sustainability half-heartedly.   

At this time I started looking into the job market again, and it blew my mind how within roughly six months the job offerings in sustainability had exploded. However, at this point applying for a different job was not my pathway. I was inspired by different women again to start my own business. With my previous experience, I had reached the point of no return: full-time sustainability on my terms.

My mission is to change the narrative about sustainability; away from the crisis narrative to focus on the opportunities and development we can and need to embrace. One of my goals is to become a sustainability specialist and I still have a lot to learn ahead of me. But I want to continue expanding my knowledge and skills to become the change I want to see in this world.

My pathway to support (global) sustainable development

Beside starting my Reimagine Sustainability blog, I was chosen to become part of the Women in Climate and Energy Fellowship organised by EnergyLab. Here I am mentored to become an entrepreneur in the Climate Tech start-up scene. My project idea is to develop an app to tackle food waste and I will keep you up to date on my progress.

As you might see, my pathway towards sustainability was not an obvious one. It took a few turns for me to get to where I am now and where I feel I should be. The decision to start my own blog and start-up was like waking up after years of being asleep, filling me with a purpose and passion which I haven’t felt for many years now. Sometimes good things happen overnight. Where I am now was determined by the decisions I made and the people who influenced my life over the past decades. And I want to support others like you to find your passion, pursue your dream or find your place in our world where you can make an impact for sustainability.

Change comes from every little decision we make. It is not the decisions we made yesterday which will change the world, but the entirety of decisions we make together every single day which will have the greatest impact.

I have no idea what the next months and years will bring, but I am convinced that I am exactly where I should be. And I am looking forward to meeting you on this journey!