The City of Casey's Green Living in Casey Champions help promote sustainable living by sharing their green living stories and tips.
This month's Green Living Champion is Dan Maio.
Dan's interest in all things 'green' started off when he began to consider what small things he could do that would be better for the environment.
Over time he started to make more changes and found that when he learned certain facts or information it gave him a shock and further encouraged him to change his consumption habits.
For example, when he discovered that disposable coffee cups weren't recyclable, that spurred him into action to either remember to bring his own cup when buying a takeaway coffee, or not get a coffee at all, to avoid the extra waste.
Dan suggests a lot of waste can be avoided by having the confidence to say "no thanks." No thanks to wasteful free items, no thanks to takeaway coffee when you don't have a reusable cup.
As a musician, Dan often finds it challenging to keep his waste to a minimum with the late hours and travel, but he does his best to keep the conversation going with those he works with, and reduces waste where he can.
Eating a vegan diet has allowed Dan to eat healthier, making most of his own meals at home to take on his travels, rather than getting takeaway.
Learning new tips and information on the Green Living in Casey Facebook Group, Dan has brought his family along for the ride and shares information he learns with his family to help them on their own green living journey.
Dan's top three 'Green Living' tips:
- Be prepared - take your keep cup, cutlery and container with you. Collapsible containers don't take up much space when travelling.
- Say "no thanks" when offered wasteful items, or items you don't need.
- Use your manners - shopkeepers and staff are much more likely to adhere to your waste reduction requests when you ask nicely.
Interested in becoming a Green Living in Casey Champion?
Whether you are just starting your green living journey, are a keen composter or gardener, or work hard to reduce your waste - if you are committed to sustainable living we would love to hear your story.
