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Welcome to Planet Green's series about Change Makers. This regular column features everyday people who have made a commitment, through their work, to creating a more sustainable world for us all to live in.
We're quite used to seeing celebrities take time out from their day jobs to support one environmental issue or another. We think it's great that they use their high profiles for the cause, but we also want to show you guys out there that it is possible to work towards being green in your day jobs, as well.
Everyone has the power to make positive change, whether it's in the job you already have, changing to new employment or even starting a business of your own. Today, we're going to meet Heidi Matonis, founder and principal designer for Positivitee, a line of sustainable and sweatshop-free activist shirts and tees with a difference: $5 from the sale of each shirt goes toward a non-profit organization such as the Retired Thoroughbred Foundation, Oceana, and Heifer International. What inspired this former stay-at-home Mom to become a Change Maker?My name is: Heidi Matonis.
I live in: Greenwich, Conn.
I work at: Positivitee.com as founder.
I used to work as: full-time Mom of three healthy, happy kids.
The reason I changed my profession is: I wanted to show my kids they could make a difference. I really wanted to be a role model. Clothing seemed like a great start; we always need it. We might as well make a conscious choice about what we buy.
The most important eco-aspect of my work is: educating. My hang tags are packed with information on organic cotton and the non-profit that the tee supports. I also include a sheet that explains how I buy carbon offsets and work towards minimum packaging.
I am excited by what I am doing now because: what I do is an extension of who I am. I dedicate the third floor of my house; the business is really like having another member of the family. The kids run up and down the steps, my dogs have beds by my work table, my cockatoo even has a stand up there.
The most challenging part of my work is: keeping the momentum going. Sometimes it's hard to focus and start rolling that rock back up the hill. It's easy when things are cooking and you've just had a good sale or great P.R. It's on gray days when it's all you generating the energy that it's tough. That's when you have to believe in what you're doing.
The most rewarding part of my work is: tallying my sales and writing my donation checks semi-annually. It's very rewarding.
The results I really want to see are: I would really like to see Positivitee a vital Web site where women who want to buy a high-quality, globally conscious product go. That would be great.
I work with collaborators: I ask anyone and everyone if they have contacts. You never know.
I was first made aware of environmental issues: when I was a kid in Minnesota. They filled a marsh to build a mall. I was determined to save all the ducks. I was really distressed. I stopped eating meat the same year-I was in second grade.
One thing I do every day is: yoga-well, almost every day.
One thing I do every week is: I ask myself, my husband, and my kids: "What will bring you joy this week?" There is a lot of stress in the world, especially on kids. I think it's important we all have one nice thing/moment to look forward to at all times. A lot of the time their response involves cooking something, making a fire, and pulling out a family game...I am happy to do it.
I wish I could: convince the world to become vegetarian for at least a decade. It would take the strain off the oceans and land and give Mother Earth a chance to breathe.
I think everyone can: choose a path that is healthy for themselves and those around them. It's a conscious choice that takes a little effort. I am amazed how many people do not think of the long-term health benefits of small, daily choices.
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