The climate crisis and humankind’s impact on the planet are constantly in the headlines. As a result, there has been an ever-growing focus on leading a sustainable lifestyle. Qatar is no exception, as evidenced by the explosion of innovative products and solutions on the market. Laura Powell-Corbett caught up with EcoSouk founder, Laura Brennan, to discuss her family’s journey into a more sustainable lifestyle and the mission behind her business.
From an early age, Laura has been conscious of the impact of human lifestyles on the environment. This eco-consciousness and the drive to protect her surroundings had been instilled by her mother from an early age. She recalls her mum sending her to school with sandwiches wrapped in washed and reused cereal packets and turning her car off when idling while waiting for trains to pass. Eventually, the messages sunk in, leading her to realise that the way children are raised can be instrumental in changing the world.
From an early age, Laura has been conscious of the impact of human lifestyles on the environment. This eco-consciousness and the drive to protect her surroundings had been instilled by her mother from an early age. She recalls her mum sending her to school with sandwiches wrapped in washed and reused cereal packets and turning her car off when idling while waiting for trains to pass. Eventually, the messages sunk in, leading her to realise that the way children are raised can be instrumental in changing the world.
A Single Idea
It is easy to get swept away by the abundance of single-use plastic options—plastic water bottles, disposable nappies, single-use wipes, and pre-packaged food. They are convenient and readily available, but they also contribute to plastic pollution. National Geographic estimates that 8 million tonnes of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations every year, and Qatar is no different. In fact, when Laura saw plastic waste washed up on West Bay Lagoon Beach during a walk with her daughter, it sparked the beginnings of an idea. This germ of an idea grew legs in the supermarket as she wrestled armfuls of apples and onions onto the weighing scales. She kept repeating “no plastic, no plastic” and hunting for a space on the shopping list she carried to stick the price stickers. An apple rolled across the floor, and it hit her: why not create a reusable bag that was fit for purpose?
Laura set out to create a bag that was not only reusable but one on which you could stick a price sticker. After testing, re-designing, and re-testing, she was ready to bring her creation to the market. “It was incredibly daunting having 600 bags delivered to my door. I was expecting to have bags around the house for months and months. Yet the response to the bags was extraordinary,” she shares. Laura quickly realised that other environmentally-aware families in Qatar existed that also wanted to make a difference.
So, EcoSouk took off. And it was a family affair, with different members hand-sticking the labels to the bags and her children accompanying her to the various market stalls. Laura’s eldest daughter also holds conversations with the shoppers explaining why her mum’s reusable bags are so important and how reducing plastic use is vital.
Beyond Reusable Bags
EcoSouk has expanded into providing many other sustainable products. What once began as a reusable fruit and vegetable bag retailer has seen new products being designed and added, including cotton buds, reusable make-up wipes, and bamboo straws. EcoSouk has also partnered with various businesses, including Ocean Bottle, where every bottle sold funds the collection of 1000 plastic bottles from the waterways. It even has Natty Peach on board, a formerly Qatar-based designer, to design a range of sustainable scarves. EcoSouk was also proud to support the efforts of an incredible team of high school girls who provided menstrual cups and sanitary kits to low-income women in Qatar.
Laura has no plans to stop, and she is constantly scouting for new product ideas and local small businesses to work with.
Finding Community
EcoSouk has grown to become more than a shop. Laura’s ultimate aim has always been to create a community of like-minded people looking for ways to help the environment. This has led to the recent creation of a new EcoSouk Facebook Group to promote sustainability in Qatar.
Many Qatar-based organisations are doing game-changing things for the environment. These include Elite Paper Recycling, DEAP, Salma Eco Lodge, and Torba. Yet, not everyone is aware of them. By creating this community and starting conversations, Laura hopes to promote their work and amplify the sustainability efforts of the wider Qatar community.
Inspiring Future Generations
For Laura, educating and mobilising children to take action is essential in the fight against climate change. She believes that with the right tools, they can be empowered to make a difference: “Anxiety about climate change is present and real, particularly in the younger generation, and we need to be the ones to help show them that there are positive ways of dealing with this, that they can control their actions, and there are options to help.”
So, since EcoSouk’s conception, Laura has been involved in spreading these messages to schoolchildren and encouraging them to adopt small changes. According to her, feedback has been heartening.
“The response from the children has always been fantastic. They are so enthusiastic about ways we can help, however small.” Besides leading future generations, she believes that children can also positively influence the adults in their lives.
Laura has also been working on a range of child-friendly, eco-fiction books addressing different climate change issues in age-appropriate formats. She plans to distribute them to schools across Qatar from the next academic year.
In the grand scheme of things, EcoSouk may seem like a small cog in this large, ever-rotating wheel we call the world. But as Laura’s story shows, the smallest actions can ripple on to have long-lasting effects. Everyone can make a difference.
CONTACT
- Email: info@ecosouk.org
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ecosoukqatar
- Facebook.com/groups/ecousoukcommunity
- Instagram: @ecosoukqatar
