The women championing sustainability in food, travel and art

What inspired your passion for sustainability in your work?

It was how I was brought up. My mother grew up in Holland, where people are naturally programmed to live a more sustainable life, and when she died, I lived with my grandparents. They were mindful of not wasting a single thing, ever. My granny would save every scrap of food and wash out every plastic bag to reuse, saying “Well, where will it end up otherwise?”

What sustainable practices are you most proud of promoting through Bouteco?

I have loved working with hotels to help travel brands decide what they’re going to stand for, and how to stand out for it. It’s important to consider a hotel’s behind-the-scenes practices and supply chain as much as the other elements we get to enjoy as guests.

How is the travel industry benefiting from a rising commitment to sustainability?

Sustainability is about being more efficient. It might feel more costly in the short term for hosts to have to invest in certain systems or equipment, but if you streamline your energy use and practices, it can be seriously cost-saving in the long run.

What has shocked you most in terms of the environmental impact of travel?

Last year, everyone finally started talking about carbon emissions — with fingers most wagged at air travel, since it is (or at least was, before the Covid-19 pandemic) the biggest contributor to our individual footprints. But what hasn’t been discussed enough is our carbon food-prints. Emissions from food waste comprise eight percent of the global total, whereas aviation accounted for around two percent, so we should be thinking more about that thing we do every day, at home and on vacation – eating and drinking.

Where do you hope to see the travel industry in 10 years and what part would you like to play?

I’m hopeful when I see how the Slow Food movement has re-ignited our appreciation of age-old wisdom and the pleasure of simple, quality cooking. I hope we can get our heads around those same virtues when it comes to travel. I hope people buy less but buy better; thinking about how their vacations can be a force for good and help with global wealth distribution.

Where did your passion for conservation of coral reefs come from?

Coral reefs have captivated my imagination for as long as I can remember. Both sculpture and the ocean fascinated me from an early age, so it felt natural to study marine biology and ceramics as a student. My work began to evolve from anatomical studies into more large-scale, representative work when I visited the Great Barrier Reef in 2007.

During my time in Australia – before the catastrophic coral-bleaching events that have made headlines in recent years – it broke my heart to learn about the predicted effects of climate change on the marine environment.

How are you marking Earth Day this year?

Images of my series Our Changing Seas IV were selected by the United Nations Postal Administration for its new series of postage stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, alongside five other artists. [My images] depict a rapid transition between vibrant, healthy coral reef organisms and ghostly white, bleached corals, to highlight the impacts of climate change.

How would you describe the relationship between art and the environment?

I believe that art impacts our emotions and can move us to value the blue planet we live on in ways that scientific data often cannot. We protect what we care about and we care about what we know and understand: art can bring the beauty and peril of threatened ecosystems into view.

Increasingly, art is going beyond ‘art for art’s sake’ and connecting us to the natural world in ways that can inspire us to change our lifestyle choices. I also expect it to reflect our growing sense of interconnectedness to each other and to nature following the Covid-19 pandemic. I hope we can move forward as a global community with respect for the fragility and value of life on Earth.

What major changes do you hope to see in the next 10 years?

Renowned marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle says: “The next 10 years will be the most important in the next 10,000 years in terms of shaping a future where humans can have a hope for an enduring place within the natural systems that keep us alive.” We have lost half the world’s reefs in the past 30 years. My goal is to inspire greater public and political awareness about the impacts of climate change on these delicate ecosystems. Action starts with awareness and hope, and people need to know: Earth will heal itself, if we let it.