Six Influencers to Follow in the Sustainability Space
While unconventional a few years ago, turning to trusted influencers is the way many of us now get guidance on learning new things, making lifestyle changes, or trying new products. When I decided to start living a more sustainable lifestyle, eco-friendly influencers were one of the first sources I turned to for guidance on what an eco-friendly lifestyle could look like. From these sustainable influencers I learned strategies for reducing my waste, found products that I love, and was directed to information that’s helped me begin to understand the incredibly complex topic of sustainability.
Looking for some of that guidance for yourself? Here are six of my favorite, thoroughly vetted influencers that you should follow.
Lauren Singer
If you’ve ever Googled the term “zero waste” you’ve probably heard of Lauren Singer and her mason jar (where she’s kept all of her trash for the past eight years). Singer was one of the first zero waste figures to blow up after her TED Talk went viral in 2015. Her blog Trash is for Tossers offers practical tips for anyone who wants to live a more sustainable lifestyle including DIY solutions for products that typically come packaged in plastic or any other unnecessary packaging. DIY not your thing? Singer is also the CEO and founder of Package Free Shop, a one stop shop for all of your sustainability needs.
Bea Johnson
Before there was Lauren Singer, there was Bea Johnson. In fact, Singer credits Johnson with opening her eyes to the zero waste movement. Public figure and author of Zero Waste Home, Johnson has been living a zero waste lifestyle and teaching others to do so for over a decade. Her book is available in 27 languages and she’s known as the mother of the zero waste lifestyle movement. If you’re looking for guidance on how to reduce your waste, look no further.
Sedona Christina
If figures like Singer and Johnson who are known as the holy grail of zero waste make sustainability seem too aspirational for you, Sedona Christina is here to make it feel more accessible. Vegan and low waste YouTuber, blogger, and host of the podcast Intentional, Christie, as she likes to be called, identifies her lifestyle as “Intentional Living.” She transitioned into a low impact (a more flexible term for zero waste) in 2017 and shares amazing tips for how to live more sustainably on a budget.
From her YouTube channel, I learned how to slowly transition my lifestyle into being more low impact by using up and reusing what I already had and making gradual changes. If you’re looking for an approachable way transition into a more eco-friendly lifestyle, I highly recommend following her content.
Shelbizleee
Holding a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Shelbi, otherwise known as Shelbizleee, is a vegan and sustainability focused YouTuber creating truly unique content.
With videos like zero waste swaps no one talks about and her fan favorite “anti-hauls,” a series where she calls out wasteful habits and products you may not even realize are unsustainable, she provides content that helps people start thinking deeply about their lifestyles and how they can be more sustainable. Like Sedona Christina, she provides tips for beginners to slowly transition into this lifestyle while also making more advanced content for those of us who have mastered the basics and want to keep doing better.
Ashlee Piper
Former political strategist and vegan and eco-lifestyle expert, Ashlee Piper is an author and journalist specializing in sustainability. Her book, Give a Sh*t. Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet. is the ultimate handbook for living both sustainably and stylish. Her content inspires followers to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and make it fun too.
Gittemary Johansen
A zero waste YouTuber based in Denmark, Johansen has been living plastic free since 2015. One of the most confusing things to me when I started living more sustainably by limiting my plastic usage was the environmental impact of other materials. With videos doing deep dives into the environmental impacts of things like glass, paper, and aluminum, she provides insight and research into how to be aware of our resource consumption and its environmental implications. If you’ve learned that there’s more to sustainability than plastic and want to educate yourself, her videos are a great starting point.
