Solid chat with Ethically Kate

I still remember doing a little happy dance at when I found out Ethically Kate was using Solid toothpaste!

Kate Hall, also known as Ethically Kate, is an educator, activist, and blogger in the New Zealand sustainable living space. She recently agreed to [virtually] sit down with us and have a chat.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m Kate, also known as Ethically Kate. I live on the Hibiscus coast in the north of Auckland. I live 300 metres from the beach with two birds, a dog, and a lovely husband.

I studied business psychology. I’ve always been passionate about people working sustainably, no matter if they’re working in Auckland city or in a garment factory in India. I want people to be happy and thrive [in their jobs], because work is a really big part of our lives.

I love reading and gardening. And I’m a big Kombucha making enthusiast!

Why are you interested in sustainability and why did it turn into an educational blog and social media presence?

So, I grew up in a whānau who were already quite conscious [of their impact]. We composted and loved second hand shops. My mum hates malls and shopping.

And then, I watched the True Cost documentary which explains the fashion industry’s impact on people and planet in August 2015. I wondered why the heck are we not talking about these things, and why don’t any of my family and friends know about this?

Basically, I just started talking and didn’t stop talking really!

And Instagram was my means of talking and sharing. I’ve always been a communicator. I love sharing, using the right words and crafting things strategically to help people absorb information.

Before I left my full time job in 2017, I was the office Culture and Marketing Coordinator at an IT company. I turned our storage space into a yoga studio and had a lot of the IT guys doing yoga at lunch time. I also started an inhome childcare centre that year.

I  started ramping up sharing online about “Ethically Kate Stuff”, and it became not just about fashion.

Because you can’t really ask who made my clothes without asking: who made my toothpaste?

And where does my waste go? And asking about ALL the impacts.

And then I continued just being an inquisitive conscious consumer, and treating social media as another social realm. At this time, I was doing freelance writing for sustainable companies and media platforms like Stuff. It was cool to get info out to a mainstream audience, who I still write for and do opinion pieces for.

But yeah, a lot of freelance writing; freelance writing was my bread and butter.

I kept sharing things on social media, made a blog so I could write long form content, and started public speaking professionally. It just kind of just turned into “Ethically Kate” quite accidentally, but also unconsciously, strategically. I just also couldn’t not. I can’t unknow these things and not use my skills for better.

Who has been a mentor or role model for you and why?

Claire Press who was the Sustainability Editor for VOGUE. She does awesome stuff in the ethical fashion space.

Brianne West from Ethique. I especially admire Brianne for how she has let her values lead her business.

She understands that to make a successful company and to impact even more people, you have to be strategic about business too

I love that balance.

My Dad is an exceptional teacher. I’m lucky to have him as a role model in how to communicate to people. My Mum also. Her flexibility on life has shown me that you don’t have to have just one job and work for one person. You can do a lot of different things, and you can give back too. All these people inspire me.

What do you consider a non-negotiable in how you do business?

Transparency and being open. Try to know and do your best, but when you know better, you can definitely try to do better. And recognising that we’re all learning here! There’s no right answer and no right thing to do.

What companies or people in New Zealand do you admire and why?

Liam and Hannah from The Rubbish Trip are very inspirational to me. They they take no bullshit and they have so much specific knowledge in both zero waste and policy. They just get it. I learn a lot from them.

Is there something you struggle with doing sustainably?

I struggle with being social and being sustainable. And also, I struggle balancing what I want to do, and what my husband does. We’re at different levels of where we’re at in regards to sustainable living habits. But we just try and balance it out, and still respect each other.

And, flyspray! Getting rid of flies and ants and stuff is really hard to do sustainably!

One thing I really admire about you is your lack of judgement of people – it’s always about doing what you can and supporting people. Are there times you get frustrated and want to lecture people?

Yes, big huge yes! Sometimes I’m like – why don’t people know, why don’t people do these things, why is there so much greenwashing? I’m done, why do I keep on trying, ARG!

So yes definitely.  I’m still human so I still absolutely judge people. There’s no human I’ve met who doesn’t. I think when that judgement does happen, often it’s because you’re feeling guilty about something you’re not doing right. And often it’s easier to judge other people than judge yourself.

There are times where I get judgemental or frustrated. It’s often around the basic things like – bring your keep cup. Having coffee is a privilege, don’t have one! But again, everyone has their own struggles. It’s not helpful to blame people. That’s an unhelpful mental state in itself.

No one’s going to change if you’re outrightly judging them

Your thoughts on living sustainability in the time of COVID?

I think people have had a chance to stop and consider their impact. I think people were living these robotic lives, in their 9 to 5 jobs, and COVID was a smack in the face for a lot of people. I definitely found that in the conversions I was having.

But with conversations around the positive impacts of COVID, you can never forget to also address the devastation this pandemic has brought with it. Everyone is going through A LOT; We need to cut each other a bit of slack, while keeping in mind that the climate crisis is truly the biggest concern for our future.

You can follow Ethically Kate on Instagram and check out her website here!