It's Sustainability Month! This October, we'll be profiling FortWhyte staff and volunteers to find out what they're doing to live sustainably.
Sustainable Volunteer Profile - Dayna Graham
Dayna has been volunteering at FortWhyte for 11 years in various roles including Goose Flight evenings, Open Paddling nights and Santa in the Forest.
Babies come with a lot of ‘stuff’, what have you been doing to reduce your family’s footprint?
You can really only wear maternity clothes for a matter of months so it doesn’t make that much sense to invest in an entirely new wardrobe. My friends lent me their gently used maternity clothes, in many cases I’ve been the 3rd or 4th benefactor. I’m also part of a buy and sell group for parents on Facebook. It’s been really great for getting gear that we’ll only be using for a short period of time.
Many baby products are designed to be disposable, have you been able to find some more sustainable options?
Plastic diapers create a ton of waste and I knew I didn’t want to contribute to that. My friends have given me their old cloth diapers. They’re really easy to use and create a fraction of the waste.
You’re a pretty active person, how have you been continuing get your heart-rate up since you’ve had your baby?
I love biking but babies can’t support a helmet until they’re 1 year old. Riding the bus can be a bit challenging with a big stroller, so I’ve been walking to different mom and me groups in my neighbourhood. I get some exercise and I’m reducing my carbon footprint at the same time.