It’s a new year, and 2022 is your year to Be the Impact.  

Being the impact for us is multidimensional. From our materials, to our supply chain, to our initiatives such as Protect Our Parks, Clean Water, and RAD, we approach working for positive impact from all angles, considering everything from local to global in the choices we make to create products for you.  We strive to constantly improve our products, contribute to our community, and share Sustainability Tips and Readers with you to inspire.  

Sometimes impact can be put into numbers and sometimes it can’t.  It doesn’t matter as long as you’re out there doing it.  To make it easy, here’s 3 Sustainability Tips for you to kick off 2022 and Be the Impact!

Be in the Impact Sustainability Tips 2022

• Get involved in something you care about.

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think about how to create positive change when challenges may seem huge, but the truth is- you don’t need to reinvent the wheel solo.  There are an enormous amount of devoted organizations out there working for sustainable and resilient futures for our local and global community.  Finding an organization or effort to volunteer and contribute to creates an easier way to be the impact.  It also provides a way to connect, learn, and grow something you care about.

Here are some tips from the Recover team on easy ways to volunteer…

“Volunteer for a community, river, or trail cleanup and spend the day outside making your neighborhood a little more beautiful!  Many organizations are putting these on in Charlotte and in local areas all over. Some that we know of off hand are Surfrider foundation, Catawba Riverkeeper,  and Southend Social Charlotte (this one comes with a free beer too!).” -Sara Nauman, Marketing Manager and Kim Hall, Graphic Designer

“Volunteer at urban farms who support local food networks. For example, near our headquarters in Charlotte, NC, we have Carolina Farm Trust's Urban Farm at Aldersgate.” -Jimmy Lawler, Operations Manager 

“Connect with a local mentorship program in your area… mentoring the next generation about the importance of sustainability and all of the considerations that can play into our daily lives such as clean water, clean air, local food, leaving no trace in our outdoor places, and free-flowing rivers to make an impact is huge.” -Kira Tenney, Writer

• Seek inspiration. 

The power of self-education is enormous.  Seeking out articles, books, films, events, continuing education courses, and anything else you can think of that provides the opportunity to learn and be inspired to take action creates impact.  Making it a fun and regular activity with friends by forming a monthly or weekly “impact inspiration party” can be great for connecting and sharing conversations and inspiration for action after watching a great documentary or reading an influential piece of writing.

Here are some book and documentary recommendations from the Recover Team to get you started…

Books:

Let My People Go Surfing by Yvonne Chouinard

Eat and Run by Scott Jurek

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Documentaries: 

Chasing Coral 

Kiss the Ground

A Life on our Planet

Trashed

Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things

The Story of Plastic

A Plastic Ocean

• Use your power as a conscious consumer.

What you buy matters.  It matters what materials were used to make it.  Where did they come from?  How limited are they?  What impacts did their extraction have on local communities and ecosystems? It matters what conditions workers experience that make what you’re buying. Are they paid fairly?  Do their hours and working conditions support physical and mental health?  It matters how things are made.  Are resources and effects of manufacturing taken into account in the manufacturing process?  It matters where things are made.  How many fossil fuels and how many emissions are created to get your item from its source to you? Earth is made up of limited resources - and limited places to dispose of waste.  It’s also our home, so it’s worth using your power to make choices that favor sustainability for today and tomorrow. 

Happy 2022 from all of us at Recover! This is the year to Be the Impact!