What if we told you that all of our incessant scrolling on Instagram isn’t just limited to fleeting laughter and trending memes?
The content we consume on a daily basis through our personalised feeds has the potential to not just entertain, but also educate. Provided, we follow & engage with the right accounts. Whether it’s a news handle, an activism-focused profile, or someone who doesn’t just fuel our curiosity but also our minds, it’s essential to keep ourselves informed. And in this day & age, what’s a more accessible medium than social media to achieve that?
While exploring accounts that provide food for thought, we came across ones that are acting as catalysts for a healthy planet and everything that inhabits it. Here are 5 we loved, and why!
Kathryn Kellog | @going.zero.waste
More often than not, reducing our carbon footprint might feel like a daunting task, or one that seems impossible to achieve. This can be off-putting for a lot of us who’ve been looking for a starting point. It’s been refreshing to come across an account that doesn’t promote turning your entire life around all at once, but advocates slow, small yet surefire steps to frugal living.
Our personal favourite content from her page? Scraptastic Recipes that showcase easy ways to upcycle things like soap ends, old jars, etc. Her posts will also give you a low-down on changing your consumption habits.
Kellog’s page is a must-visit for those of you who want to start small but effectively. Using what you have until you can’t anymore is one of the best hacks for sustainable living, and that’s what she promotes most. You’re guaranteed to find simple, low-waste swaps that make a world of difference to the only world we know.
Sustainable Fashion Forum | @thesustainablefashionforum
When it comes to sustainability and slow fashion, we can’t deny that we all have tons of questions in our minds! Sustainable Fashion Forum is one of the pages that does the asking, no matter how hard-hitting it can be. Questions that ignite conversations and inspire change is what the online & offline platform believes in. While their website is extremely insightful, their Instagram page is thoroughly amusing as well as enlightening. This, they achieve through – wait for it – MEMES!
If there’s one thing that brings together Gen-Z and Millennials, it’s our shared interest in relatable content. Meme formats are always trending on social media, and brands have started using them to their advantage. Mildly sarcastic, often an ‘attack’, and always eye-opening,
Sustainable Fashion Forum targets the aptest templates to convey its message. Besides, memes tend to be reshared much more than information-heavy posts. That itself generates interest and introduces the subject to a larger audience.
Group Chat | @groupchat.social
Consciously curious yet have nobody to discuss your big plans for the planet with? Group Chat Social’s virtual community will unite you with others just like you. Powered by Sustainable Fashion Forum and Consciously Chatter, a podcast by Kestrel Jenkins, the platform enables people from around the world to network, learn, share and chat about all things pertaining to fashion & sustainability.
It was created after the slew of questions that poured in on the parent accounts, by enthusiasts as well as experts. What stands out the most about Group Chat Social is the fact that they offer not just a chance for an online tête-à-tête, but also hold workshops, virtual happy hours, mini-trainings and so much more for members!
Their Instagram page gives you a glimpse of what you’re offered if you invest in a membership, and also gives you a chance to see if someone else is asking the same questions! It features quick yet thought-provoking reads around the sustainable fashion business – all with stellar aesthetics.
The Zero Waste Guide | @thezerowasteguide
When you make the switch to a more sustainable lifestyle, there isn’t a dramatic, groundbreaking change at first. You start by trading in a few old habits for new, environment-friendly practices. One look at The Zero Waste Guide’s Instagram account will let you in on all the ways you can use, reuse and recycle.
From your old denims to making your veggies last longer and everything in between, the page presents a plethora of ideas that are mostly effortless. It does exactly what it says – points you in the direction of a zero-waste life.
The visuals are fairly simple too. They follow a Before & Now and an Old Me, New Me format. So, even if you’re scrolling mindlessly through your feed on a typical day, you’ll still be able to spot and grasp their content, instead of taking out extra time to read in-depth articles on preventing wastage.
Besma | @besmacc
In this day & age of ‘influencers’, the real ‘influencing’ happens when the people everyone follows are talking about the right stuff. Based out of London, Besma is a sustainable fashion and lifestyle blogger who shares her journey on Instagram, and looks absolutely on-point while doing it. Her feed is all about eco decisions and how we can make more of them.
With a mindful theme running across all her posts, Besma documents all her choices and encourages followers to take note. Promoting wearability and not just consumption is a prime focus, and her brand collaborations are proof of the same.
The reader in you can visit her blog named Curiously Conscious which doubles up as a journal. But the social media enthusiast in you can just follow her to get inspired. If you’re in London, even better, as you’re sure to get introduced to clothing stores with a sustainable edge, coffee shops, bookshops and everything in between through her feed!