Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Ferree.
Lauren, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I come from a line of gardeners. My grandma was an immigrant from Argentina, and I remember her having a huge terraced garden in her backyard. We would climb around her garden and help her pick vegetables and herbs she’d use for cooking. That passion + interest passed down to my mama, who’s always been a master gardener since I can remember. Whether we lived in an apartment in Redondo Beach or a home in Palos Verdes, she was always tending to her plants and growing a lot of her own produce. We had a compost bucket next to our kitchen sink, which I would hide as a kid when I had friends over. My mom has always been aware of her waste and keeps every coffee tin, plastic clamshell, or gift box and up-cycles it into something new. Fast forward 15 years, and here I am with similar passions of gardening, sustainability, and conservation. I feel like my journey as an environmentalist is stepping into my identity that I was destined for all along.
In all honesty, it was the Presidential election of 2016 when I took my passions and kicked them into high gear advocacy. The things and places I value so much are under extreme threat, and I was called to step into a space of action. Since declaring that I was going to use my energy towards making a difference for the planet, I’m aware that more opportunities and new people surround me, broadening my community and fueling my passion. Like Paulo Coelho wrote in the Alchemist, “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Has it been a smooth road?
Any sort of activism is destined for scrutiny and obstacles. Obviously, when we talk about the environment, it can be “controversial.” There are climate-change deniers who quote that this is all a hoax, yet climate scientists say that July is set to be Earth’s hottest month on record. I have learned that people don’t want to believe the dark truth of future consequences, or be told to sacrifice certain elements of their way of life to prevent those dire circumstances from happening. Struggles I face as an environmentalist are overcoming those objections in a calm, collected way. However, it is crucial that we have these difficult conversations if we’re going to generate any change, because global warming is a global problem, and it is up to EVERYONE.
Another struggle I face in these situations is identifying who’s responsibility it is. It’s interesting to hear individuals point the finger at business or government to implement sustainable practices, yet the power of the individual is far greater than anyone could imagine. I strongly believe if we demand it, business and government will be forced to react. We’re all a lot more powerful than we think.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m currently building a landing page/website to create community for those interested in sustainability. I’ve learned that the things I am reading and studying, are not widely broadcasted to the masses, and I want to be the middle-woman to distribute these topics in a mainstream way. Environmentalism can feel extreme at times. There are people living zero-waste who can put all of their trash from the past five years in a single mason jar, and it can be discouraging to those who aren’t in the sustainability space. I try to be as zero-waste as possible, yet still find unwanted plastic packaging and such fill up my #PlasticFreeJuly container.
I want to create a welcoming space, where all concerns and doubts are heard, and finding the best way to approach sustainability for each person. I’m known for my weekly activity of #WasteWednesdays where I pick up trash in my community or on my way to work. I share what I find in hopes of creating awareness on our unhealthy dependency of plastic packaging and encourage others to choose plastic-free options. I’m also heavily involved in our local Los Angeles Surfrider Foundation chapter and can be seen spending my weekends at beach cleanups and ocean conservations events. My aim is to share my goal of living a sustainable lifestyle while also showcasing my flaws with transparency. One of my favorite quotes from @zerowastechef is “we don’t need a handful of people living zero waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles, especially Santa Monica, is a progressive and environmental community. We have laws in place that ban single-use plastics, and we have environmentally aware government officials in office. I was reminded of this when I went on a family vacation to Arizona last fall and saw plastic bags in the grocery store. At times, we can inhale a bit of our own air here in California, and forget how much work there is to do on a national level. Yet trends and local laws start in the West and eventually can become federal implemented practices. If anyone was just starting out their sustainability journey, I would recommend plugging into a local environmental organization of their choices.
I recently watched, “No Impact Man,” a documentary where a New York City man and his family went “no impact” for a full calendar year. One of the last lines of the film was, “people always ask me what’s the one thing I can do to make an impact, and my response to them is ‘volunteer with a local environmental organization.’ Because community creates accountability, and when we have accountability we can create change.” There are several incredible organizations to plug into here in LA, depending on what you’re passionate about – whether it’s the ocean, the mountains, the climate – you name it. Just plug and in explore, there are organization members who can’t wait to meet you!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/re.laurenferree/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauren.ferree.3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/laureneferree
Image Credit:
RefilleryLA
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