Greentalk: Nina, creator of the committed media Green Up

Today, we’re meeting Nina, the creator of the media Green Up. This committed media, accessible on Instagram and the internet, helps us to understand the ecological transition and to live it. 

In this article, Nina will tell us about Green Up and share her experience as a young committed green woman. 

ABOUT HER 

Can you introduce yourself in a few lines? Who’s behind Green Up? 

My name is Nina, I’m 25 years old and I’m in search of solutions to build a more fair and sustainable world. In my daily life, I’m juggling with my committed media Green Up, my freelance activity and different forms of voluntary work.

When did you start Green Up and why? 

I’ve launched Green Up during the first lockdown (May 2020). At this moment, I just got back from New York where I was finishing my last semester of studies. 

In the middle of writing my essay on the subject: “Brands issues facing the ecological crisis”, I spent 3 months with my nose in GIEC and HCC reports. All this new knowledge makes me become aware of the scale of the climate imbalance. I was considering myself as aware of the subject but I didn’t imagine that the situation was so tragic and especially systemic. 

My first reaction was to talk about it around me but as I was locked down it didn’t create so many reactions. Instagram was a lifebelt to diffuse all this information and share it to the greatest number of people. I admit that it helped me a lot during this big period of eco-anxiety.

Did you have a stimulus to switch to an eco-friendly lifestyle?  

The spur was done with this much-vaunted essay. It was rather brutal because I was already in transition and I realized quite suddenly that all “good practices” already implemented in my life like the flask, the Tupperware, the compost, go cycling…were really derisory compared to my global way of life. I really learned about it thanks to the ecological footprint calculator that I recommend to everybody. 

I don’t say that eco gestures are not useful, they are essential but really insufficient. The study from Carbone 4 “Do its part” also made me aware of the impact and the huge responsibilities of enterprises and the Government. It came at the right time, it stuck perfectly with my essay subject. 

 

ABOUT HER ACTIVITIES 

Do you have another activity/job apart from social media? If so, what is it and is it difficult to combine the two?  

Other than the content creation on Green Up – which involves popularizing reports, bringing positive initiatives to light, writing articles more extensive on the blog – I also have another activity. I’m a freelancer in sustainable and committed communication. Basically, I assist brands, media and non-profit organizations that are developing projects with impact and that wish to align their communications with their values with great transparency.

Where do you find inspiration to write about so many subjects?  

I listen to a lot of podcasts, I try to diversify the sources with independent, mainstream, committed media. I share and I meet a lot of project promoters. In short, I always keep an eye on the news and as we are a lot that desire to make a difference, there are always new initiatives or fights to share.

What are your favourite “green” podcasts, readings, Instagram accounts?

My favourite Instagram accounts are: @grainedepossible, @nouvelleempreinte, @lejeuneengagé, @bonpote, @iznowgood, @girlgogreen, @thetrustsociety @makesensfr, @vert_chezvous and @reseauactionclimat 

My readings: 

• Naomi Klein : this changes everything, capitalism vs the climate
• David Wallace-Wells : la terre inhabitable
• Pierre Rabhi : vers la sobriété heureux 
• Hugo Clément : comment j’ai arrêté de manger des animaux

“Green”  podcasts and not only: 

• basilic 
• nouvel oeil
• greenletter club
• inpower 
• vlan 
• les nouveaux aventuriers 

 

ABOUT HER SUSTAINABLE COMMITMENTS

What are your daily acts to take care of our planet? 

For me, it’s not just acts but a real “new life”: eat better by adopting a vegetarian diet, move with sustainable transport and not fly anymore, consume less but better (second hand, reconditioned…) and slow down in general even if it’s the most difficult especially for work (digital impact). In short, it’s a process that will not come overnight but that fulfills when you know why you are doing it. 

According to you, what’s more difficult when you try to reduce your waste and adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle?

The most difficult is to face up to a society that’s not yet in the zero waste mold. 

Being zero waste is clearly impossible but to tend towards this way of life is really nice and vital. We need the State and enterprises to feel concerned too in this fight. Typically, if we stop selling plastic bottles of water, citizens won’t question themselves. There are a lot of alternatives, you just need to have the political strength to institute laws following the climate emergency.

Do you pay attention to eco labels (certification) when you buy hygiene products, detergents or cosmetics? Why?

I admit that I’m not ultra good at labels, there are so many that it’s very difficult for a consumer to find his way. Among this mass of labels, a lot are not very strict and they only help to “green” some brands image. 

Yuka has recently developed a scan with an ecological impact further to the success of the one linked with health. When I have doubts about products, I take the time to scan them.

Do you have a favourite beauty brand? 

I love the brand Biotanie, for its products and very strong values. Cécile and Anthony, the founders are intransigents and don’t choose between “natural”, “efficiency” or “ethical”. But there are a lot of cosmetic brands that are doing things well. I have a lot of hope regarding this. 

 

A LAST WORD

If you could give some advice to people who want to start changing their habits and take care of our planet, what would it be? 

Not a piece of advice in particular but try to understand what’s deeply motivating you and launch into it. If in addition to this, this project could be completed successfully sustainably and ethically, it’s wonderful. For a lot of people, it goes through work, for others through travels, activities, family. Every transition is unique, it’s up to us to invent ours.

Thanks a lot to Nina for this testimony that allows us to learn more about her committed media Green Up and about her life in the middle of an ecological transition. You can find her on Instagram and her website.