We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michelle Sabado. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michelle below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is to encourage others to live a sustainable lifestyle. My mission is also to teach others that our lives are not going to be sustainable in every aspect, but it is more about making progress than being perfect. Lastly, I aim to teach others that taking care of ourselves in terms of mental health and wellness is key to caring for others and the environment.

This mission is meaningful to me because it reminds me that even though I am a single person in a world of 7 billion people, I can make a difference through my actions and my voice. My mission reminds me that my actions as an individual affect the Earth and the environment. My mission is meaningful because it unites me to so many other individuals across the world and allows me to form wonderful connections with them. I love being an environmental activist because it keeps my life interesting and gives me a cause to keep fighting for.

Michelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey has changed so much since the beginning. It all started in elementary school when I learned about the important of recycling. I grew up seeing my grandfather, who was born in the Philippines, reuse everything in our home. Everything became a container for him to hold his belongings or a pot for him to grow a plant.

For the longest time, I thought recycling was the only action I could do to help the environment. I felt so limited in my knowledge of how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. My life changed when I was in undergrad and I read an article about Lauren Singer and her jar of trash. Lauren collected all the trash she made in a year and fit it all into a small mason jar. I was mind blown! How could this be possible?

I learned about the power of conscious consumerism. If I consume less, then I create less waste and carbon emissions, which in turn helps the Earth. I realized it would also help me save money and time.

Ironically, I thought I needed to change my every day items to ecofriendly ones, but I didn’t have the money for that as a college student. I thought to be ecofriendly, I needed to have a wooden hairbrush versus the plastic one I bought from the dollar store. It wasn’t until much later that I realized being sustainable is using what you already have until it cannot be used any longer. I resolved that when I was a nurse and had more financial freedom, I’d spend my money on ecofriendly items even if they cost more than the less sustainable alternatives. If you can do that, then that’s great. If you cannot, then the next best thing is to use what you can afford until it cannot be used any longer.

A few years later, I started my Instagram account @zerowastesunflower to share my sustainable swaps and tips. I ended up learning more than I ever thought I would about sustainability, slow living, networking, and content creation. I have had the account for 5 years and it has grown in so many ways! I have grown into a sustainability leader within my community and I am honored so many people look to me for advice and support. I have also become a mental health advocate. I never realized mental health and sustainability were connected until I began to have eco anxiety.

I think my infusion of mental health tips along with my sustainability tips is what sets me apart from other social media accounts. Initially, I was terrified to share my mental health struggles on social media, but so many people have reached out to me and thanked me for doing so. It has also benefitted me in that I have a community to lean upon.

Being a Registered Nurse is another aspect that sets me apart from other ecobloggers. I bring knowledge about health and wellness to my content and I enjoy sharing what I know. I recently became a travel nurse and it has been fun to share my sustainable travel tips with my followers.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My best advice is to be yourself and share what you think your audience wants to learn. It is also important to balance social media with your other responsibilities. Remember to have fun because there is a lot of pressure to seem perfect or to keep up with the algorithm. If your account seems like a chore, then you’re not going to put your full effort into managing it.

It’s good to research the latest trends and growth strategies, but be sure to infuse your personality into your content. That is what is going to set you apart and win over your followers and fans.

Most importantly, be kind.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to show people that changing their everyday habits can help the Earth. We can live a sustainable lifestyle simply by consuming less. We can be ecofriendly by meal planning or bringing a reusable water bottle to work. We can be sustainable by eating a plant based diet or quitting fast fashion. There are many steps in a sustainable journey and everyone’s steps will be different, but we can all help each other and cheer each other on. That is what my account is all about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFw0MHzkW0/F2J5z9PVU5LFSOfSjkr2EA/view
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/zerowastesunflower?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@zerowastesunflower?_t=8gERHcWUkxP&_r=1