At the office
Our tips:
Recycle decorations and gift wrapping like ribbons, gift bags, paper and bunting.
If you’ve ever wondered how much goes to waste after our parties, you’ll be pleased to know that we have multiple storage boxes of goodies and most of our party decorations are reused over and over again. You can do this at home too!
Keep a well-stocked office kitchen.
The BEING office kitchen is incredibly organised and stocked with everything you could need to reduce waste. All the basic food items, cooking equipment and cutlery you could need are provided, shared and recycled, so we aren’t all buying our own or buying countless takeaway breakfasts and coffees.
At home
We asked the whole team what they do for the planet from the comfort of their own homes, and these are some of our favourites.
- “We use reusable hand soap and surface spray bottles from the brand Hey Happy Human. When your soap or spray runs out, you order refill tabs (in compostable sachets) and mix the tabs with water inside the bottles.” — Alex, Relationship Manager.
- “Did you know you can also recycle aluminium foil? Just scrunch into a tennis-sized ball before putting it in your yellow bin.” — Yasmin, Design Lead.
- “I buy 99.5% of my clothing, accessories and furniture second-hand. If I can get it second-hand first, I will! I also donate my own unwanted items to charity.” — Alex, Relationship Manager.
- “My partner Maria is a big fan of reusing old jars, mugs, cans, liquor bottles and plastic trays as pots for propagating her ever-expanding plant collection. Plants are fine with rust from old cans, it can even provide iron for them.” — Ian, Senior Videographer.
- “We actively participate in the Inner West Council’s food recycling program, which gives apartment buildings an extra wheelie bin for all food scraps. The council and EarthPower recycle the food waste to be used as green electricity.” — Leisha, Senior Copywriter.
- “I don’t use glad wrap; I use vegan beeswax wraps. And I recycle glass jars/bottles at home by using them for plant propagation, as pen holders and to store home-made toilet cleaning bombs.” — Steph, Video Editor and Producer.
- “Preparing for my first child, I’m purchasing reusable modern cloth nappies, reusable wipes, sustainable cleaning products, and getting as many things second hand as possible.” — Leisha, Senior Copywriter.
Other home tips:
- Check out The Bread and Butter Project, Australia’s first social enterprise bakery.
- Try a subscription service that reduces food waste. Good and Fugly delivers a box of fresh produce to your door every week, filled with delicious but irregular produce from farmers that supermarkets won’t buy.
- Make your own coffees at home — try an Aeropress or plunger and locally roasted beans.
- Reuse packaging for storage — nice boxes from products can be used for organisation.
- Air dry your laundry rather than using the dryer.
- Think about the amount of plastic and other disposables you have in the bathroom and consider switching to bar soaps and shampoos, washable cloths (instead of makeup remover pads and wipes), and face wash and moisturiser with packaging that stays in a closed loop recycling system, like from Lush.
- Say goodbye to plastic razors and try an old-school safety razor (like this one from Kappi) that will be with you for life and save you money!
- If you go through a lot of sparkling water or soft drink, get a Soda Stream.
Out and about
We all know our responsibility to the planet doesn’t end at our own front doors, so we’re conscious of our impact when we step outside as well.
- “I do my bit using the Take 3 For The Sea method to pick up rubbish when I’m out surfing, running or just enjoying the outdoors. The idea is to take three pieces of rubbish with you whenever you leave the beach, waterway or anywhere outdoors, and you can make a big difference.” — Josh, Visual Media Director.
- “My partner spearfishes (the most sustainable way to fish) and I snorkel — we only catch what we will eat and take a net bag when going for a dive to collect any rubbish we come across in the water.” — Leisha, Senior Copywriter.
Nearly all single-use plastic items that you might use while out for the day or when travelling now come in a reusable, sustainable option. Many of our staff carry keep cups, metal or glass water bottles, metal drinking straws, fabric shopping and produce bags, bamboo chop sticks and cutlery sets.
Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2021
This year, we are encouraging everyone to take the Keep Australia Beautiful Week’s Seven-Day Plastic Pledge, choosing a single-use plastic item to give up from 16–22 August. Follow us on Instagram to see our pledges and get involved!
At The Being Group, we’re proud of the work we are doing with all our clients that are working towards a beautiful, sustainable future for NSW and beyond. Doing work that leaves a positive mark on the world is what gets us out of bed each day — you can read about some of our branding and campaigns working on keeping NSW beautiful here.
If you’ve got an idea or a brand that you think could make a difference, and to partner with us at The Being Group, tell us all about it.