Katherine Ponte
DCL
Katherine Ponte founded the online design store ECOSTASY with the mission of promoting what she calls "earnest green consumerism". Motivated by a deep respect for indigenous peoples and their precious natural habitats Katherine has created a business that supports sustainable economic development in local communities while also providing high quality designs for our homes that will be treasured and valued for years to come. Katherine sources the majority of the ECOSTASY collection from artisans and designers in Brazil, where local culture, communities and habitats are being preserved through cottage industries of traditional crafts.
Katherine, a first generation Canadian who parents emigrated from the Azores, says she was inspired by Brazil's "global social and environmental importance", and identifies with the "formidable and inextinguishable spirit of Brazilians, of those with less yet always able to smile and hope." In this Change Makers interview Katherine talks about growing up in a tough neighbourhood, the strong influence her parents on her social and environmental outlook, the problems with greenwashing, and the importance of cultural and environmental sustainability.
Planet Green: How did you get into this line of work?
Katherine Ponte: My roots. I was raised in one of Toronto's poorest neighborhoods, Regent Park, a first-generation Canadian. Our immigrant roots instilled a heightened sense of social conscience reinforced by the diversity and unifying similarities of our friendships. We all wanted more, but feared our statistical fate. Propelled by fear, I worked harder, to law school, to business school, to Bay St., Wall St., but I always looked back to those roots, where I found strength and inspiration, with a growing need to give back.
PG: When did the green bug strike?
KP: I can't recall a time that I wasn't "green". Raised in small spaces, transported by public means, with parents who have never owned a car, who insisted on fresh home cooked meals, and who only owned used furniture and antiques, I think I've always been "green". My family's deep respect for handcrafted tradition and love of nature contributed to this identity. Although, I guess I only became aware of being "green" with its rising popular consciousness.
PG: Who is your green hero?
KP: My parents. By sharing their love of nature and tradition and providing examples of
sustainable living, their influence and inspiration are clear. My parents also showed me that the similarities of human nature far exceed the disparities of means among us. They taught me the potential of human effort when organized around common understanding which is central to the ECOSTASY mission. For this lifelong example, they are my green heroes.
PG: What is your ultimate green goal?
KP: Earnest green consumerism grounded in actions and behaviors that have a clear and understandable benefit. I would like consumers to be well-informed so they can purchase better, knowing how their actions impact the environment and people. This is the spirit of conscious commerce and the reason we strive to provide our users with an information-rich experience focused on the physical, environmental and cultural properties of our collection.
PG: What is your motivation?
A desire to give back and to know that my life and work matter to the extent that my efforts and circumstance allow me. To use for good the great gift Canada gave to my parents and to me, that America provides for me today, and the opportunity and potential Brazil opened my eyes to. To inspire others to pursue their goals, particularly a mission, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, based on environmental and social sustainability.
PG: What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?
KP: A love of nature. Valuing natural resources beyond their achievable commercial value. Mutual respect and understanding of motivations on the many sides of the environmental cause. Restraint of opportunistic commercialism that may compromise the adoption of green change. Transparent and honest communication. Quality education, as it can be the most positive and persistent force in promoting awareness and sustainability longer term.
PG: What is the most challenging part of your job?
KP: "Green fatigue" perpetuated by "greenwashing". It is difficult to explain the difference between products that are actually "green" versus those that are "made to be green". Many new green products are made to be green, often out of novelty not substance, they dilute an honest and good cause. My challenge is ensuring that ECOSTASY's collection, which is based on this type of sourcing, doesn't get lost in the "greenwashing" that consumers often encounter in today's marketplace.
PG: What is the most rewarding?
KP: Knowing that I am, insignificant though I seem in the global context, contributing to a better, earnest green model, one which if embraced will not serve merely our immediate wants, but also the needs and well-being of many generations.
PG: Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?
My suppliers impress me most. I work with a diverse group of artisans, designers and indigenous communities, they share a commitment to tradition which is expressed in
different ways. My artisans work anonymously preserving centuries-old handcrafted forms and techniques. My designers find their inspiration in traditional materials and practices while marrying them with contemporary influences. My indigenous communities are preserving the ways and means of their peoples to protect their habitats through community-based sustainable development that extends beautifully from their cultural heritage.
PG: What green thing do you do everyday?
KP: I try to notice the small things more and more - beautifully planted hydrangeas, the weeds popping through the concrete, the chipmunk in my tree, the little camouflaged red lizard, the chirping of the sparrows. I think appreciating all the beauty nature provides - big and small - and the sadness of its potential loss is essential to being green. Consciousness is key.
PG: What do you wish you could do?
KP: Learn more, as much as I can. Reach more people, convince them to embrace earnest green.
PG: What is your biggest eco-sin?
KP: I ship most of my products by sea container from Brazil. I work hard to consolidate all of my shipments to achieve environmental and cost efficiencies, but my collection is clearly not locally produced. To many people that is an unforgivable carbon footprint sin. I accept that it is not ideal, but in my mind, there are many different (and often imperfect) ways to be green. Given the global environmental significance of Brazil, particularly protecting the Amazon Rainforest, I believe that the benefits of promoting and sustaining my supplier communities and their important habitats outweigh the environmental cost of shipping. I am, however, trying to partner with local crafts people to complement my collection.
PG: If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
KP: Better communication. We don't take the time to communicate with each other, understand each other's position. We burn bridges, before considering the advantages of crossing them. Notwithstanding our differences, our similarities exceed our differences. Our survival globally is based on intricate and nuanced interdependence between people, economies and eco-systems.
PG: What is your best green advice?
KP: Talk to strangers. Re-visit your childhood. Share. Love nature, it surrounds us, we are part of it. Love wildlife and know the importance of habitat preservation. Know what you buy, how it's made. Don't deny yourself the opportunity to make a difference. Look forward, but always look back too. "Green" is a lifestyle and state of being that keeps us connected to humans and nature.
Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here.
