Weeding Out Unsustainability
Find out how Brenda Tan, a 23-year-old Youtuber, manages to balance a hectic lifestyle while doing her part for the environment
Written by: Samantha Lim | Photos by: Lee Zeann Christiana
Brenda Tan, or wordweed, as known by her followers, has 45,000 subscribers on YouTube, and she cannot be a better role model as she champions for social awareness for the environment.
Go Margaux
Besides being an influencer, Brenda is also an entrepreneur. Go Margaux was born from Brenda’s desire to curate things that are vintage and of her aesthetic, to share it with likeminded people. She sources for deadstock jewellery – produced in the 1980s to 1990s and sells it on her online shop. As a business owner, she ensures that the packaging of the orders she sends out is sustainable. In this way, she reduces the amount of waste she generates, staying true to her beliefs of sustainable living.
“I do not think of myself as an eco-warrior, more of an eco-conscious individual on the journey of sustainability and learning how to be more responsible when interacting with the environment and the waste I produce,” said Brenda.
Eco-activism & Singapore’s Environmental Culture
Compared to the rest of the world, she believes that Singaporeans have been slow to the idea of recycling. She attributes this to the lack of education about recycling. People are not aware of the right methods of using the recycling bins.
It is also important to be aware of the amount of trash that we create. Brenda also believes that the term “auntie” is a positive moniker for people. When people are “auntie”, they tend to save up things that others throw away. When you are caught off guard, it is alright to take one or two plastic bags occasionally. It is what you do with the bags after it fulfils its initial purpose. An “auntie” will reuse the plastic bags to store other things or even use them as waste bin liners instead of throwing them out.
Her Influence
Although pricey, she supports brands like In Good Company and Everlane, which are sustainable slow fashion brands. Sustainable slow fashion is the use of eco-friendly textiles and materials to produce garments for quality and longevity. Slow fashion encourages slower production schedules, fair wages and lower carbon footprints.
“When it comes to cosmetics, I don’t think that brands are able to consider themselves fully sustainable because cosmetics come with packaging. However, I do appreciate when brands come up with eco-friendly campaigns,” said Brenda.
What we should do moving on
In Singapore, a society that values lifelong learning, Brenda feels strongly that we should educate ourselves to learn more about current affairs around the world.
She said: “Donald Trump has publicly denied the existence of global warming. It is important to understand what his intention of denying climate change is. Is it so that businesses can continue their environmentally detrimental practices so that they can continue earning money without spending extra to appease the people?”
She adds that only after people are educated, then would they understand the negative impacts of global warming and why sustainable living can help the situation.
