Environmentalism is a way of life; it’s how I make the future a little better. It all started with watching the movie Before the Flood with DiCaprio. Afterwards, it became clear why water and electricity should be saved from an environmental point of view. The main problem is the lack of awareness and involvement of people. The result will only come when everyone understands what is happening on the planet and how they affect it.

For example, it is easy to work during daylight hours without turning on the lights in the office — this saves energy and protects the environment.

I wanted to do something for the planet after watching ’Home’. That’s how I became a volunteer at Separate Collection: I help to sort raw materials and explain to people how to do it.

At home, I separate everything I can, I go shopping for vegetables with my bags, and if I don’t buy coffee in a tumbler, at least I don’t take a lid for the cup. Takeaway food can be asked to be put in your reusable container — this is a common practice. And definitely, it is more eco-friendly than disposable white foamed polystyrene boxes.

My journey into the world of consciousness began at Melon, more specifically in the experimental workshop. There you can buy samples of our brands at a symbolic price or find fabric scraps left after sewing products.

I look for interesting items and materials, and then give them a new life: I sew shopper bags using patchwork techniques. It would be great if a shopper bag became an indispensable item for shopping in every home, it would help to give up plastic bags.

I became involved in waste separation and recycling as soon as such an opportunity became available in St. Petersburg. It all started with the Separate Collection campaign.

Over time, I got my colleagues involved in this adventure: for a week, the entire product department collected plastic bottles and then took them to the nearest recycling bin. Fortunately, our beautiful office now also has the facilities to sort waste correctly.

Thanks to the training materials and lectures at Melon, I began to implement healthy habits in my life. For example, to avoid buying plastic water bottles every day, I use reusable ones. It’s good for the environment and a stylish water bottle from Melon’s merch is also a great accessory that will not go unnoticed.

In the future, I plan to dive deeper into the topic of sorting and recycling waste. I believe that if everyone makes a minimum contribution to caring for nature, it will have a significant impact on future generations and the planet.

I started thinking about mindfulness in 2020 when a bag full of bags after a lockdown and a series of deliveries began slowly pushing me out of my flat. Since then, I have been reusing plastic bags, I don’t buy new ones anymore.

I also try to use batteries wisely, because they take up a lot of resources and require more energy to produce, and an improperly disposed battery can be very damaging to the environment. I advise everyone to be more careful with this issue.