sweet
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sustainability
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sweet . simple . sustainability .
Hi, I’m Kiki!
Thanks for being here!
Kiki is the founder of ecokiki, an educational lifestyle platform dedicated to helping others to overcome eco-anxiety and take simple steps towards sustainable living.
With a passion of science, she is an advocate for plastic-free sustainable living and breaking free from the wasteful and toxic cycles of capitalism that cause us feel powerless to make safe, healthy, and sustainable decisions in our everyday lives. While recognizing the need for systemic changes, Kiki believes that common consumers still have power to initiate change. We vote with our dollar and every dollar counts!
Bio:
I have dual honors degrees in Biology and Environmental Sustainability Studies with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Utah. After graduating in the spring of 2021 I took a research position at my school to continue a project I had been working on prior to graduation. Upon project completion, I decided to take a break from academics and go back to my roots and pursue circus for a couple years before attending grad school.
Background:
Why I started living a more sustainable lifestyle:
It’s hard to say when exactly my sustainability journey started. It may have started growing up playing outside and enjoying nature, or maybe my first environmental studies class in high school. My best estimate for when I dove head in would be back in 2018. I had just completed my freshman year of college when I had a sudden realization that there was a ridiculous amount of plastic in my life.
As soon as I realized the pervasiveness of plastics in my life I couldn’t unsee it and it didn’t take long for me to recognize that it wasn’t just me. My lifestyle was just a small example of our capitalistic society and how extremely wasteful we as humans are.The more aware I became of this wastefulness, the greater my sense of urgency became to try and do better. It became so obvious that we were irreparably degrading and damaging the environment and that I wanted to do better.
Unfortunately, the pervasiveness of plastics in our society was just the tip of the ice burg. Imagine how I spiraled when I learned about the impacts of plastics on human health. If you’re not familiar, just know that it’s not good. If you’re curious, you can read about plastics and their implications on the environment and human health here!
How I overcome my eco-anxiety to take steps towards sustainable living:
I’d be lying if I said the path I’ve chosen didn’t induce an extreme amount of anxiety. However, knowledge is empowering. The more I learned about climate change, deforestation, and pollution, the more I felt a sense of responsibility to take action. With my background and education in the sciences I began to see the interconnectedness of all living beings and the importance of preserving our planet's resources for the well-being of both humans and the environment. By making small changes to my daily life, such as minimizing plastic waste, conserving energy, and supporting local, eco-friendly businesses, I feel empowered to contribute positively to the planet's health. Living sustainably not only benefits the environment, but it also enhances my overall well-being and fosters a deeper connection with both nature and myself. I am by no means perfect, but ultimately, my decision to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle is driven by a desire to leave a positive and lasting impact on our health and our planet’s health while inspiring others to do the same.