Blue is the colour of the Ocean and of the sky. It is a colour often associated with depth and stability and symbolizes trust, loyalty, faith and confidence. Sadly, if we do not start to change our throw-away and single-use mind set this source of endless happiness and inspiration will turn into a plastic swamp and drown intelligence and truth. We spoke with Robyn Smith who is the founder of the online shop Faithful to Nature and who is sponsoring the movie screening of "Blue The Film" taking place this Saturday 13th of October 2018 at the premises of the Kommetjie Primary School .
Faithful to Nature is such a beautiful and striking name, what was the actual trigger that not only made you choose this name but start the business -it was a brave and dedicated decision?
One of the primary motivators in becoming an entrepreneur was to afford myself more flow in my life by doing work that was aligned with my personal values, beliefs and passions. I was searching for a way to keep my work more real and in tune with the needs of the planet, and so “Faithful to Nature” seemed like a natural progression. As for it being a brave decision, I was 26 years old when I set out to create this ethical shopping platform and in hindsight, naivety is probably more fitting than bravery :) The real courage came in later in not giving up when the business took seven years to “find its feet.”How did it all change - or maybe strengthen is the better word - your personal approach to the plastic nightmare that we are all living in?
It is a privilege being in the industry, because like all good “echo chambers” the plight of the planet as well as solutions are constantly being reinforced through all the social media channels and conversations that I am apart of. In that way it is probably easier for me than many to live a greener lifestyle. The thing that has really caught my attention about the massive ecological destruction happening from plastic however, is that unlike many other environmental issues, each and everyone one of stands to make a massive difference from being more plastic-conscious. Unlike global warming, which requires a mass of people to change their consumption patterns to have any real positive effect on the planet, each and every single piece of plastic we save or choose not to purchase has the potential to save a sea creatures life. And it is this direct line of sight from the problem to the solution that has spurred greater action than ever. That and the fact that the plastic avalanche we are running towards (not from) is so destructive.What made you finally choose to sponsor the screening of Blue The Movie across various events?
The film is so provocative and this particularly documentary is so moving that we hope it will help impassion others to start making the necessary (and not so complicated) changes in their lives required to save our seas from drowning in plastic. I particularly wanted to bring the movie to Kommetjie as I feel that one thing we all share in our community is a love for the ocean. It is my hope, that this love and passion will unite us in seriously reducing the amount of plastic trash we produce as a village ♥
"BLUE is the story our generation need to hear. The industrialization that has occurred in the oceans over the last century, mirrors the events that triggered mass extinctions on land. Industrial scale fishing, habitat destruction, species loss and pollution have placed the ocean in peril. The very nature of the sea is being irretrievably altered. BLUE is a provocative journey into the ocean realm, witnessing this critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice." (www.bluethefilm.org)