Sustainability: Humane Marketing Cares!
Humane Marketing is marketing for the generation that cares: for ourselves, our clients and the planet!
My Story With Sustainability
Foundational Years
I grew up in a small hippie commune, and political debates, peace marches and regular demonstrations in our capital were part of my foundational years. I was surrounded by activists: for the planet, social rights, gender equality and independence from nuclear energy. We never had a car, took timed showers and repaired and reused everything.
Me-Focused Years
After leaving home, forming a family and launching my business, activism wasn’t part of my day to day anymore. The ego took over, and the main focus was on our little family circle: raising the boys, making money and having lots of fun discovering the world.
Back To My Roots
A few years ago, before the pandemic, I had a home-coming, full-circle experience. I realized that I wasn’t in integrity, because I wasn’t fully living in my values. The values of community, care and standing up for what I believe in!
How Humane Marketing Contributes to a Better Future
The Humane Marketing Movement shares the message that marketing isn’t just a way to get people to buy stuff! It’s not all profit-oriented. If we use marketing the right way, we can use it as a lever to do more good, to help create change.
Company Engagements
As a solopreneur it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between my personal engagements vs. the company’s engagements. As the founder of the company I make an effort to use my influence and raise awareness and educate around the Sustainable Development Goals and the Inner Development Goals, in our community, my programs, my books, on Social Media as well as with my clients.
The two goals where I feel like I can make the most impact with my work are:
Number 8, Decent Work & Economic Growth: by helping Changemakers with their marketing I’m helping them make a living, contribute to economic growth – but most importantly I’m indirectly contributing to change on a bigger level.
Number 17, Partnerships: To me this is the most important goal of them all. Without this one, we can’t achieve any of the other ones. Partnership is also the 7th P of my Humane Marketing Mandala, and therefore an essential part of Humane Marketing. Partnership means operating in community, and expanding the notion of self from me to we. It doesn’t stop at human partnerships, but also includes partnering with our planet, as well as the invisible!
As an Online Entrepreneur, I almost use no paper. I do however create carbon emissions via my website, which I’ve optimized as much as possible by reducing image sizes, load times etc.
Our Carbon Accounting Report
As one of the founding members of the My Carbon Zero initiative I commit to four simple actions:
- Reduce my own emissions
- Reduce emissions elsewhere without offsetting
- Remove my lifetime carbon emissions from the atmosphere
- Inspire others to join the journey
My Carbon Zero has fully audited Simplicity, Santacroce Sàrl (the official company name under which Humane Marketing is registered) and created for it a Carbon Balance Sheet, covering its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions since inception.
The total carbon dioxide emissions from Simplicity, Santacroce Sàrl’s business operations from its inception to this December 31st, 2022, are estimated to be 13.83 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e).
Applying a 20% uplift to Simplicity, Santacroce Sàrl’s final lifetime carbon emissions calculation brings Simplicity, Santacroce Sàrl’s current carbon impact to 16.60 tCO2e as of December 31st, 2022.
In late 2021, Simplicity, Santacroce Sàrl invested in 16 tCO2e worth of carbon credits from The Pond Foundation project partner, Ricehouse.
As of December 31st, 2022, Simplicity, Santacroce Sàrl’s LCB sits at only 0.6 tCO2e.
I’m committed to report on my progress and the environmental, social, and negative carbon return my investments are achieving on an annual basis.
Financial Commitments
Besides the investment in carbon credits in MyCarbonZero, the company is also a Stripe Climate Partner and donates 1% of its revenue coming through Stripe to carbon removal projects.
Personal Engagements
I do my best to be as carbon neutral as possible, which is not always easy as we’re going through a transformation to let go of some of our comforts.
Some wins:
- I work from home and eat at home
- Our house is heated by a geothermal heat pump that reverses to cooling in the summer
- We have insulated our roof, and installed solar panels
- One of our cars is now electric (yes, I still own a 15 year old Toyota that I will drive for short distances until it dies)
- We’re in the process of transforming our bikes into electrical bikes
- I don’t like shopping and still wear the same clothes over and over again
- While I’m not Vegan, we eat no more red meat (or only on rare occasions)
- We’re big fans of ‘no food waste’ programs such as the To Good To Go App.
Some challenges:
- We have a place in Sicily that is difficult to reach by public transportation and is not yet livable without air-conditioning
- I like traveling, and giving up flights is very very hard (can we please come up with electrical planes?!)
- We still own too many electrical gadgets and buy too much ‘stuff’
- I do suffer from ‘Eco Anxiety’ every now and then, but try to come back to being human and just doing my very best.
The Future We Want!
In the future I want and believe in, humans find their way back. Back to nature, back to needing each other. The future I envision is humane, kind and peaceful and not corrupted by money.
It’s a return to voluntary simplicity where we go back to leading more simpler lives. One personal goal I have for this is writing my third book on Being Human in Business – Redefining our Relationship to Work and Create More Spaciousness for Being Human. (working title).
If what you read here resonates, and your values align with mine, than you might enjoy our marketing community, the Humane Marketing Circle. It’s a think-tank for people like us who want to use business as a lever for good!
Thank you for reading
Sarah
P.S. Want to add a Sustainability to your site? Maribeth Odulio’s Sustainability Page Guide has been really helpful to me.
