Creating Meaningful Change
As many of you might know, I started this small business as a means to reduce glass waste by increasing glassware's life cycle. So, every glass item that I use has lived a whole life prior to it becoming a candle. This means something to me. In this country, only about 31% of glass is ever properly recycled. That means, you could be doing everything right: cleaning off labels, washing out food particles, separating out your plastics, and STILL, your glass ends up in a landfill somewhere. So, I created a plan and a process that made landfills the last possible option.
Candle making wasn't something I'd always dreamt of or had a passion for; it began as a means to an end. There was so much research to be done and so many decisions to be made. To be honest, I was really overwhelmed. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to create meaningful and manageable change. For me, that started at the dining table of my 552 sq ft apartment. I'd accumulated so many pasta sauce jars that sat in my cabinets for far too long. Past me could not have predicted the ways the process of candle making would grow in my head and my heart. Past me also could not have predicted the level of success that would come from that tiny dining table.
Change doesn't have to be a tsunami or an earthquake; it can be a ripple. A ripple is still something. It can be reusing your grocery bags or opting for paper over plastic. It can be, finally, starting that garden or that composting bucket that you keep putting off. It can be buying secondhand or deciding to mend that hole in your favorite jeans (instead of throwing them out). Change begins with one: a choice, a step, a sacrifice.
For me, change began with time. It began with research and commitment. A single choice that led me to a community of consumers who care about the planet just as much as I do. When I began this company, I could only put one foot in front of the other. I could only pour a few candles at a time. Over the last six years, I've built something that has reminded me of how power community can be; how powerful a ripple can become. Over the last six years, Recandledkindled has kept thousands of glasses in circulation. And over the next six years or months or minutes or moments, I hope to inspire you to do the same in your small corner of our home.
As always, thank you for being here and allowing me to share myself with you in this way.