For real change to happen, the world needs people who are able to see things differently, and think in new directions. At 5 we go out of our way to seek these people out, and help share their visions for the future. Here’s a pick of 10 memorable quotes from some of the most inspiring pioneers we spoke to this year. Follow the links to dig deeper into the stories.
Photo courtesy of Tristram Stuart
“We need to stop companies from spoiling us”
Food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart on how to solve a colossal problem
Photo courtesy of Sanergy
“Human waste, or organic waste generally, is not waste”
Lindsay Stradley, whose organisation turns so-called ‘waste’ into agricultural products
Photo: Milan Hofmans
“Black children should be told that their colour, lips and hair are beautiful. A doll can reinforce that message”
Ellen Brudet, whose little shop specialises in diverse dolls
Photo: Thirza Schaap
“I started filling my pockets with trash instead of treasure”
Artist Thirza Schaap on how she started collecting ocean plastic
Aman Alam’s photo of KS Manjunath, a garment worker in Bangalore, India, won the Community Prize in 5’s Everyday Changemaker Photo Contest.
“I feel like a historian when I take a photo. You’re documenting things for eternity”
Aman Alam, one of the winners of 5’s photo contest, on how he approaches photography
Photo: Gunnar Knechtel
“If it weren’t for the time they’ve spent [gleaning], my children might think that fruit and vegetables come from shops, wrapped in plastic”
Mireia Barba on gleaning food from fields – and what it teaches us
Photo: Ken Hermann
“We talk a lot about what we can do for the climate, but we never talk about the things we have to give up. And we do have to give some things up”
Martin Burlund on why he’s chosen life off the grid
Photo: Anne Meyer
“The milky sweet taste of a fresh potato taken out of the ground and eaten immediately – no store-bought potato can compete with that”
Modern-day hunter-gatherer Ellen Mookhoek on eating from nature
Photo courtesy of Good On You
“You are not going to be a perfect consumer, because we live in a complex world, but understanding more about what is going on is always a good thing”
Gordon Renouf on why consumers should go easy on themselves
