‘When people ask where I’m from I say I'm from Planet Earth’
Pat Kane, founder of reuzi. Pictures: Eva Blake
How to embark on a mission to protect the planet? Well, focusing on experiences rather than belongings is one good way to start.
Ecopreneur Pat Kane and her family have been doing just that as a basis for maintaining a sustainable home and lifestyle for several years now. “I would describe it in two words: No fuss,” says Pat.
“We strive on a daily basis to make better choices — and I know it sounds like a cliché but it isn’t. It’s all about small tweaks like buying pasta in bulk or in cardboard boxes versus plastic bags, for example.
“Today, I can say that we are a family that watches its consumption and tries really, really hard to avoid unnecessary waste. Our end goal is to replace everything that won’t be recycled or composted with reusable alternatives.”
CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB
Becoming a parent, six years ago, sharpened Pat’s awareness of the pressing need for sustainability: “It was when I became a mum for the first time I realised the amount of rubbish I was going through every day —from plastic wraps and bottles and the hundreds of nappies. I started to think: ‘If just two adults and a tiny little baby can generate so much waste, imagine an office or a school?’”
These thoughts sparked the idea for Pat’s one-stop sustainability shop and educational hub reuzi, which she started three years ago.
reuzi aims to spread the word about sustainability while promoting ethically sourced, eco-friendly products to enable change.
Educating herself on recycling and composting, Pat swiftly realised that powerful tools that they were, they “were not the only answers”.
“We needed to address the thoughtless consumption of plastic bottles, shampoo bottles and all single-use, disposable material that we were bringing into our home every weekend, after our weekly visit to the shops. And so, we did it,” she says.
“Reuzi was born on May 4, 2018, five days before Conor was born. I was 41 weeks pregnant and dying to get it started, so I just did it.”
Pat and her husband Stephen, who live in Dublin with their young sons TJ and Conor, grow their own vegetables and herbs in their garden and they compost.
As for a sustainable wardrobe, the family largely chooses what is already on the clothes hangers at home. “When it comes to clothing, I always joke that our baby’s favourite shop is The Black Sack Boutique — why not, right? When it comes to the grownups, my husband and I try to stick to the basics.
Pat moved to Ireland from her native Brazil 15 years ago. “Dublin is our chosen home but above it all, home is where my little family is — and my husband and I feel very lucky to be able to spend extra time with our two boys these days,” she says.
“I do miss my hometown Rio de Janeiro, and my family and friends over there, but right now ‘love’ means to keep our distance until things get better.
“When people ask me ‘where are you from?’ I am always joking that I am from Planet Earth — it’s easier than having to explain my journey from Rio to Dublin as I’ve lived in so many countries in between both.”
Pat met her husband while working in the Caribbean for an Irish telecommunications company. “I had spent 18 years working for large multinationals across a few different countries but I always knew I would end up launching my own business. I strongly believe that entrepreneurship provides a rush that is almost impossible to replicate.”
The entrepreneurial culture in Ireland is “almost like a big family”, adds Pat: “You won’t find a better group of people willing to offer advice and help than fellow entrepreneurs.”
And we’re all talking about the novelty of outdoor living in Ireland this summer, but it’s nothing new to Pat: “Rio is warm and the weather invites you to exercise outdoors, socialise outdoors....that’s for sure the thing I miss the most.
"I always say that although the weather is Baltic, people are just so warm! I wear my Irish citizenship as a badge of honour.”
What’s the best aspect of creating a sustainable haven at home? “My favourite part about living in a more conscious way is that I can go to bed every night knowing I did my best. In every possible way — from the food we choose to eat to how much or how we consume household energy; from how I am educating my boys to our personal hygiene go-to products. I know that to live like this is a huge privilege and I feel incredibly grateful to be able to do my part for the planet,” she says.
Any fun tips for families? “Every weekend, we go on little litter-picking adventures with the kids. I take TJ and Stephen takes Conor,” says Pat. “At the end, the pair with most rubbish gets to relax while the other two cook dinner.
How can we maintain sustainable practices at home during a pandemic? “At home, you are in control. As a customer, you have every right to request — demand, even! — minimal packaging, less plastic and all of those good things.
“Smaller businesses will listen to you and will adapt quicker than larger ones but if we all keep demanding change, they have no way but to give it to us! If you are at a shop or supermarket, I’d urge you to continue to shop as sustainably as possible.
“And remember, several refills shops all around the country are delivering their goods so you can get your grains, pasta and pulses in paper bags, zero plastic.
Becoming part of the change is not a choice but a “must”, says Pat: “There’s no room for exclusive groups. We need everyone to get onboard.”
Small changes make a big difference, she adds. “As an example, in Ireland, say four million brush their teeth every day. That’s 16 million brushes a year — mostly, made from mixed materials that can’t be recycled. If we were to collectively adopt bamboo brushes, we could be avoiding a lot of rubbish going to landfill.”
- reuzi is located at Brighton Road, Foxrock, Dublin 18; www.reuzi.ie
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