Here at isla we think it’s important to practice what we preach, so in this series we take a deeper dive into what sustainability really looks like on the ground for members of the isla team. This week we hear from our Sales & Digital Product Strategist, Jonathan Woodhouse.

Sustainability loves

Food: Proper Corn (I’m a snack fiend).

Drink: I train regularly and thus need protein supplements. I’ve recently discovered Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Vanilla – protein powders can be hit or miss in taste but this one is great!

Fashion: I love Allbirds and Po-Zu footwear. Both companies have been leading in their approach to sustainability, whilst also creating great-looking products that are highly fashionable.

Product/Service: grüum (see pic below) has fantastic skincare and grooming products that are cruelty-free and come in minimal packaging with recyclable material. They also offer the UK’s only razor cartridge recycling scheme for their customers.

Location: The Good Hotel, London is one of my all-time favourite venues. A former floating prison barge completely transformed into one of the capital’s coolest hotel venues, the Good Group runs a very successful apprentice program, meaning people with disadvantaged backgrounds can train and gain valuable experience and qualifications in hospitality. It’s an amazing example of a site being repurposed for good and embedding that ethos into everything they do.

Resource: weeklyclimate.com is a great resource and has a weekly newsletter digesting the latest climate news.

Quote: “The power is yours!” – Captain Planet

How do you ‘do’ sustainability in your own life?

I make sure that any health and body products I use are vegan and cruelty-free, and I also try to buy from sustainable clothing brands. Every few months you’ll also see me take a load of clothes to my local charity shop. I’ve eaten significantly less meat since watching The Game Changers documentary that was released on Netflix a few years back – you don’t need to eat meat to be strong!

Are they any local sustainability initiatives that you’re excited about/have engaged with? 

I have just seen that Foodcycle has landed in my local area. This is a wonderful charitable initiative that takes surplus food – food that is fit for human consumption but has no commercial value to a retailer – and puts that food to good use. They hold regular community dining events helping to tackle food poverty and combating food waste. They’re currently looking for volunteers in a variety of roles across the UK.

How do you connect to the natural environment?

I have two local parks near me that I like to take walks in or sometimes I’ll sit on the grass to read a book or tackle a dungeon in Zelda. I also love a walk by the river around Hackney Wick.

What one event that you attended really impressed you in terms of sustainability credentials and why?

I attend lots of events but the sad reality is that no event in particular has impressed me with a sustainable approach. However, I have a previous career in theatre and it’s pretty incredible the amount of creatives driving sustainability in their productions. It’s a great way to keep costs down whilst still allowing creativity to thrive.

What was your biggest aha moment when it came to climate change/the environment? 

A few years ago we had a particularly hot day in London. My bedroom is one of those that is the coldest room in winter but hottest in summer. On this particular day it was so hot that it melted the rubber handle of a pair of scissors of mine. At the time I thought this was unusual, but it’s just a pair of scissors, right? But then in summer 2022, the day after the hottest UK temperature on record, I noticed that my TV wasn’t working. Even though I had turned off all electronics, the temperature in my room got so hot that it appeared to fry my TV – and replacing it was very expensive.

Tell us something unusual about your sustainability journey…

In my spare time I am a director and producer with the bulk of my artistic work being with company Encompass Productions, a London-based company creating original theatre and film. As we were completely independent (read: unfunded) beg, borrow and steal was the order of the day – we’d very much try not to do the latter, so we’d raid Freecycle for props and set pieces, whilst we’d keep as much as we could in storage to repurpose for future shows. This was my first exposure to the huge potential waste that productions could have, but on the bright side it was fantastic to see the initiatives creatives have to make sure as very little of their props, set and costume go to waste after a production has finished. 

What’s on your sustainability to-do list?

Tallow + Ash has just launched and I’m really keen to check out their products. They are UK-based and formulate planet-friendly, vegan, cruelty-free laundry detergents and fabric softeners. The packaging is minimal and trendy, they’re very well-reviewed by their customers and the smells are apparently amazing!

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