I am Ilona Glastonbury from Otti Made in the Barossa. It didn’t take long for me to work out the thing that was most important was that we continue on, driven by the thought that without hope all is lost, which of course none of us are keen for. But how to turn hope into action, steer clear of blaming people who didn’t vote like we would have wanted, and somehow be inclusive?
I spend a lot of time in the Instagram space and it seemed to make sense to try and do something over there with the voice that I have grown over the years, and thus the idea of a hashtag challenge emerged.
#waysiwaspartofthechangetoday was the hashtag I came up with. The idea is that people go about their normal days and post what they did each day - the thing that took them one step closer to sustainable living. It is a way that we can share ideas for change from our daily lives. It is a way we can cheer other people on who are doing the same. And the thing I love most about it is that I believe it actually can influence the way we go about our days. When you have it in the back of your mind that you would like to take part in any instagram hashtag challenge, you find yourself looking to do the things that support that challenge throughout your day. And if this challenge encourages a few more people to be more mindful of the way they treat the planet I will have called it a successful one. And as a side note it has already done that for me, so I am cheering.
The response I got when I announced the #waysiwaspartofthechangetoday was extremely positive. The lovely thing is watching it slowly ripple out as people who follow me have picked up the # and then used it themselves. And then their followers have picked it up to use. It has started small, but the phrase ’from little things big things grow’, keeps popping into my head, and so I think that is a most appropriate way to see it.