One of the reasons I love working for Pela is that it's about so much more than just product. Sure, we sell some great, eco-friendly products like compostable phone cases and sunglasses, but it goes so much deeper. It's really about the mission - to remove a billion pounds of plastic from the waste stream every year.
And, while that's our personal goal, we also want to encourage EVERYONE to set their own goals for removing single-use plastics from their life. We want everyone to find ways to reduce their impact on the environment.
This is where my job comes in! I talk about the problems our environment is facing, and then share ways to help fix those problems.
My goal is to encourage action/activism through social media.
Activism is the use of direct and noticeable action to achieve a result, usually a political or social one.
The only way to protest something used to be taking to the streets, but thanks to the internet and social media - things have changed.
More than four billion people use the internet, and of that four billion more than three million are active on social media. Disseminating information and creating awareness has never been easier.
The word "influencer" can often come with a negative connotation. After all, when you hear the term, you probably think about a girl trying to sell you a bunch of products that you don't need.
I used to shy away from the word because it felt icky. But, one day I was out with a friend taking some photos when someone came up and asked, "Are you an influencer? I've always wanted to meet an influencer in real life!"
I was about to say, "NO!" when my friend said, "Yes! She influences people to live more sustainably!"
And, that's when I realized, maybe holding influence is that bad of a thing, after all, perhaps it's just how we view the term. It made me realize that we all hold influence.
We can all create change. We can all influence our friends and family to make better choices, and we can use the power of social media to take that message even further.
A recent study found that social media plays a significant role in activism. It's vital for turning a cause into a movement.
I don't think the zero waste movement would have spread as quickly as it did without Instagram.
Social media allows people from all over the world to unite and find community. As I'm sure we all know, you're much more committed to a goal when you have friends that are working alongside you.
I mean, we all know it's way easier to work out WITH a friend rather than alone, amiright?
Another benefit of social media is how instantaneous it is. You can receive and create updates in real-time. This allows the process to move so much faster - there's no more waiting. You don't have to wait for a protest permit. You don't have to wait for the paper to publish your press release. And, you certainly don't have to wait for the media cycle to cover your event.
Thanks to social media, people have access to more diverse stories, experiences, and can make connections with causes in new ways - ways that might resonate closer to them. Social media has broken a significant barrier - access. It's given everyone a voice and a tool to connect with others while learning about important issues.
Social media has done a great job with shining a light and bringing awareness to issues that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
How many of you have heard about an issue on social media and decided to look into it more? Maybe you clicked over to see what was going on with a hashtag? Maybe you googled something?
As a recent example, I first heard about the Amazon fires on Instagram. Then I did a bunch of research into ways to help the Amazon.
Many of the posts I was seeing were about the problems where very few posts share solutions. I looked up what I thought to be the best solutions and shared them on my Instagram profile.
The post was shared almost 1,000 times. In my stories, I shared with people how I was personally taking action by signing and donating to organizations on the ground. Through my stories, I drove over 10,000 actions like people giving, signing a petition, and checking out those organizations.
Social media is POWERFUL, and I want to share with you how to harness it for good, how you can change the world with your influence.
I am hosting a workshop with our ambassadors where I will go through being a powerful influence on both social media and in your town.
Being a Pela ambassador is about so much more than just promoting our products; it's about being equipped with the knowledge to create around you for a better environment.
I am very excited about this workshop, and I hope that you'll be able to attend!
