MARIANA CAMPOS

'I believe that at the core of waste is the belief that perpetual economic growth is necessary for a company or a country to thrive. It’s wonderful and wonderfully important to do your best as an individual to avoid waste and be sustainable, but big change will only happen if we have a supporting framework for it to happen.  

It is necessary for governmental policies to support the desires of many (if not most) to address climate change, reduce the push for population growth, reduce the incentives for excessive consumption and tax waste. It would be great to have a different metric for success than GDP and revenue. It is necessary for companies to be both incentivised to be sustainable and to be penalised for not. Individuals have a big role to play, but not in taking the whole burden on their shoulders, rather in creating market forces that demand this change from companies and governments.

I would love to live in a world where there is more focus given to connection than to consumption. I think our economy could thrive from provision of services, arts, and other activities, rather than purchasing more quantity of ever cheaper and lower quality products. I am actively trying to do this for myself, but it is difficult when you are fighting a huge tide. Connecting with each other will give us strength.'