Our journey

When I started My Green Goodiebag back in 2015, I was very much focused on clean ingredients and sustainable brands. Due to my son’s skin and breathing problems, I researched everything I could on what could aggravate his situation and what could make things better for him. I learned a lot about skin irritants and how certain ingredients, like SLS, certain fragrances and paraffin could have serious effects on his skin. And not only on his skin, on everyone’s skin. I wanted to know why these ingredients are used and what alternatives there were. More natural ingredients, ingredients that can be used long term without giving any problems.

That was the beginning of my sustainability journey and along the way a lot has happened. I have gone through difficult and rough patches in my life. I have learned lessons and I have come to realize that I cannot live sustainably if I only focus on one side of the story. I could not only focus on the physical part and forget about the mental part. During the past year or two I have read books, watched videos and talked to people to help me grow more on a spiritual level. And by doing so I have come to the realization that taking care of our planet is deeply connected to taking care of each other and taking care of ourselves. On a physical, mental and spiritual level. Taking care of our planet means we also take care of our communities, whether they are where we live, or halfway across the globe. It means respecting our planet, but also respecting other cultures, habits and opinions, and respecting our own boundaries.

Photo: Jeremy Bishop

I feel like I had lost connection with myself, and I think in a way we all have lost this connection with ourselves. With our inner core and with nature. What we consume and how we live is so far detached from how our ancestors used to live. I am not saying that we need to go back to living in caves and go hunting for our food ourselves, but I believe we need a reset, a going back to what’s really important, to what matters. For our present and for our future. For ourselves and for our children. I feel like a shift in energy is happening and I hope it’ll bring us all a little bit closer. To ourselves and each other. And our planet.

I try to live more consciously and with more gratitude. Not that I am an expert, but by trying everyday I believe I will get a little bit closer. And this positive energy hopefully does not only help myself but also others. By tapping into my own energy I can contribute to our collective energy. So that when someone feels low, he/she can feel there is more, that there is a way up. At least, that is what I do when I feel low myself. I hope that there is a person out there who is trying to lift me up, take me out of my negativity. Someone who I probably don’t know, but who is open and willing to help one another out.

Photo: Greg Rakozy