Meet March’s Sustainability Snapshot ESA Action council member Nancy Hiester. Nancy grew up in NJ but has been in Colorado for more than 40 years. Nancy has a consulting practice named ‘Paintbrush Consulting’ and has two kids. She has been protecting the earth since she was young and continues her sustainability practices today. Read about her sustainability practices below.
What inspired you to adopt more sustainable practices in your life?
All my life I have enjoyed nature and the wild wooley outdoors. From my teenage years, I was inspired to protect the beautiful environment that we live in. And I grew up in New Jersey! As a youth I was always seeking the lakes, meadows, rivers and rolling hills over going to the mall! When I moved to Boulder in the 70’s I became an avid recycler and have never stopped.
Can you give some examples of how you practice a sustainable lifestyle (either related to zero waste, renewable energy, conservation, involvement with the Evergreen Sustainability Alliance, etc.)?
I love being on the action council because it always challenges me to do better. I continue to recycle, compost, and reuse every plastic bag that comes into our home. Until the advent of the COVID pandemic I would carpool and make sure not to make unnecessary car trips. I attended the recent Zero-Waste Forum and it is getting me to think even more about sustainable approaches in our household.
I am proud of my involvement with ESA in the past – I was an organizer of the Freedom Run and we worked closely with the Sustainability Alliance to go from hundreds of plastic wrapped goody bags to zero waste, compostable water and reusable bags for the goodies. We went from a load of landfill to bags of compost and recyclables. We couldn’t have done it without the support of Evergreen Sustainability Alliance.
What words of wisdom do you have for someone just getting started on their journey to ‘go green’?
Think about the future of our world for our children. If you take small baby steps in going green you will start making a huge impact on our world. Get your kids and grandkids involved – so they have nature and the wild wooley outdoors to enjoy.
