Today, Wednesday 22nd April 2020 is the 50th annual ‘Earth Day’. Typically, Earth Day is a day to reflect upon and appreciate our beautiful creation. It’s a very different day for us all this year - on a human level anyway. Life, as we knew it, has changed so very much over the last number of weeks, yet nature continues as she always does.

I’ve read countless tweets, social media captions, and articles, all nodding to the notion that ‘Earth’ is trying to send us a message:

STOP.
SLOW DOWN.
TAKE BETTER CARE.

Whether you choose to believe this notion or not … many people have welcomed this rare opportunity to take a breather from the incessant hustle. Nature too, seems to have welcomed a bit of human ‘absence’. The evidence is clear: cleaner waterways and clearer air are just a few of the positive side-effects for our planet from our current pandemic.

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. Over the last year, we, as a family have been introducing some small, sustainable swaps in our home and to our lifestyle. We felt it was important to tread a little lighter on our earth, to be more conscious of how we spent our money, and to look at ways we could reduce and improve our household waste.

What prompted this change?

To answer this question, I need to take you back a little … back to an advertising campaign I did in 2018 for ‘Beyond the Box’.

I was challenged to collect my average household waste over 3 days and I was surprised at just how much waste I gathered up in such a short amount of time. I referred to this quote in my caption for the post:

“There’s no such thing as throwing something away.
There is no away.”

This thought hasn’t left me since.

Now, fast forward 6 months or so and an unusual email pinged into my inbox. It was an invitation to attend FEFCO’s (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers) inaugural “Influencer Days” event on 18th and 19th March 2019 … in BRUSSELS. It was to be a part of an innovative awareness campaign aimed at increasing recycling levels among consumers, following the rise of corrugated board packaging used in e-commerce. FEFCO would bring together journalists and social influencers from across Europe for the two day event.

I read and re-read the email. It sounded legitimate and genuine, but I couldn’t understand why it had been sent to me! I distinctly remember forwarding it on to my husband, Matt with shocked and laughing face emojis! But, sure enough, after several emails back and forth with FEFCO, much anxiety and nervous anticipation (on my part!), I was finalised as an influencer on the all-expenses-paid trip!

So why me? Why was I chosen to go to Brussels on an environmental influencer trip?

It didn’t make sense to me either … until … I realised the link between FEFCO and the ‘influencers’ chosen for the trip. The link was the advertisement I’d done with Beyond the Box. As an influencer who had worked on the ad campaign, I was invited to participate in this unique event and learn more about the sustainability of cardboard with FEFCO.

I was the only influencer travelling from Northern/Southern Ireland and this would be my first ever time travelling solo. It was a tight and busy schedule, no time for delays or errors! Looking back, I was having to be pretty brave. Not only was I travelling on my own, but my only connection with the other influencers was via a whatsapp group that had been created just days before we were leaving!

I nervously left my house for Dublin airport on 18th March 2019 at 2.30am …

An early, but delicious breakfast at 5.22am in Dublin Airport!

Little did I know, while I sat drinking the first - of many - coffees of our trip, that I’d end up coming home quite changed from this unique experience. I knew that I was going to Brussels to learn about the benefits of corrugated cardboard as a sustainable choice for the environment, but I didn’t anticipate the benefits that I would personally reap.

On arrival at Brussels airport I was met by two other participants and our ‘guide’ who sent us in a taxi straight to FEFCO Headquarters. This was our view from the top floor …

We were warmly welcomed and treated to breakfast (probably my second or third by this stage!) before engaging in introductions around the table and hearing information from general secretary Angelika Christ about FEFCO and our upcoming activities. It was fascinating to hear the global, environmental impact of FEFCO and to get to know the other participants in the group: journalists, influencers, writers and campaigners, and to learn about everyone’s sustainability journey to date.

General Secretary Angelika Christ gave us a warm welcome and an informative presentation

A major theme across the two days was the circular economy, promoted by FEFCO’s use of the hashtag #circularbynature.

After lunch at the non-profit’s HQ we headed out to our first group experience: VPK Packaging Plant. We were hosted by Patrick Leclercq and Alexis Zenner, who both gave us an eye-opening introduction to the paper recycling process.

We witnessed the collection and sorting of waste paper, the paper pulping and creation process, and finally the use of this recycled paper in creating corrugated packaging.

It was fascinating to witness this process first-hand … to see the huge machinery and come to appreciate the sheer amount of technology, time and labour that goes into creating corrugated boxes. We also learned the importance of the circular economy in the production process at VPK facilities.

After a long day of travelling and learning, we were more than ready for time to relax in the evening. We were shown to our hotel and given instructions to freshen up and be ready to head for a meal out. We were treated to an absolutely exquisite feast - one of the best meals I think I’ve ever had - and enjoyed getting to know one another a little more.

I was amazed at how ‘fresh’ I’d felt all that day - 2.30am was an awfully long time ago! Needless to say though, I flopped into my bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out!

We had another busy day lay ahead of us on Day Two so I was up and showered and ready to go nice and early, putting all thoughts of having to drive home from Dublin airport that evening to the side!! Once we were all assembled in the hotel lobby, we were ushered back on our bus and headed for a very special breakfast at the European Parliament.

What an experience we had that morning! Breakfast was served on the very top floor of the European Parliament building, a space that cannot be accessed by the public. And what an incredible space it is …

After breakfast, we met with policy makers from the EU Parliament and the EU Commission. Uroš-Valentino Saraja, parliamentary assistant for MEP Davor Škrlec, and Rozalina Petrova (policy officer with the EU Commission, DG ENV) explained key goals of the Union’s waste policies, such as the importance of standardisation of sorting and recycling practices across the EU, the need to encourage the development of sustainable packaging, and the importance of reducing single-use plastics.

If I’m being totally honest, I felt more than a bit overwhelmed at times (I mean, who was I to have earned my place there) but, I also felt hugely thankful for getting to be a part of this truly one-of-a-kind experience. It was a God-ordained moment - I have no doubt! And I just couldn’t be a part of that experience and not come away thinking of the ways that I could be more sustainable and environmentally kind at home.

After our meeting we received a guided tour of the Parliament Buildings - another totally surreal but brilliant experience!

Our final event activity was a trip to the creative headquarters of global corrugated packaging company DS Smith, located in the historic Tour & Taxis building at the site of a former train station in Brussels.

We learned about the cutting-edge technology and research that enables DS Smith to create eye-catching and effective packaging for its clients. To get a little behind-the-scenes look at the design process was really

We also engaged in an ‘Easter Egg’ challenge, racing to create the ideal packaging for a hardboiled egg that would be able to withstand the sometimes harsh handling of packages along multiple touch points of the supply cycle.

Our final activity for the ‘Influencer Days’ event was another delicious meal at the beautiful, organic restaurant, Le Pain Quotidien.

Let me take this opportunity to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone involved in organising this event. I cannot thank you enough, not only for a truly memorable, enjoyable and educational experience, but for feeding us and looking after us so well.

And the girls (pictured below) well … it was such a joy to get to know you guys and glean from your social media wisdom - these ladies have thousands more followers than I do! I was also really inspired by sustainable interior designer, Kay Prestner (@kinship_creativedc), and how she strives to live mindfully and sustainably, she said, “What can we all do at an individual level? We can reduce our consumption, be more mindful in what we do choose to purchase, be diligent with clean recycling (putting the right materials in the right bins) and lobby for change at ground level.”

I mentioned at the beginning of this piece about what prompted me to make change to my lifestyle and in my home, and there is no doubt that this trip has played a huge part in changing my mindset on living an eco-conscious life. Seeing change happening at a macro level prompted me to begin to look at ways I could be making a difference at a micro level.

From left to right: Nisha @running.wild.and.free, Kay @kinship_creativedc, Romeca @heyitsromeca

Before our departure home, I took to the streets of Brussels with a few of the gals for a little sightseeing …

Karen Henderson, journalist at ESM magazine

We completed our Brussels experience with some Belgian-style wheat beer, before heading back to airport.

The ‘Influencer Days’ event was documented on video, and you can watch it below:

It wasn’t long after I arrived home that I began to implement conscious changes, I’ll share those in the next blog! Happy Earth Day guys, what a breathtakingly wonderful creation we get to call ‘home’, let’s look after her a little better.