Envisioning that future when disposable packaging will become obsolete (interview with tamara lim of the wally shop)
Tamara Lim is the founder and CEO of The Wally Shop (@thewallyshop), America's first zero-waste grocery delivery service that sources from local farmers, markets, and bulk shops.
Her journey started when she was working at Amazon in a management role and saw a desire from consumers for more sustainable packaging alternatives, but also the lack of proper infrastructure available to manage our current waste.
Taking the problem into her own hands, she began first with a startup that sorted and collected recyclables from people's homes to help improve recycling rates, then she pivoted to starting The Wally Shop, which focuses on preventing excess waste in the first place with reusables.
On this podcast episode, Tamara sheds light on how our current consumption model and waste management methods are setting us up for failure when we're striving to address our waste issues; what structural and systemic shifts we need in order to render disposable packaging obsolete; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Tamara and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kaméa Chayne.
“As you vote with your dollar, you’re increasing supply. And as supply increases, price decreases. So we need to start the change at the top so it can funnel down to a bigger volume.”
If you feel inspired by this episode, please consider donating a gift of support of any amount today!
This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast exploring environmental regeneration and intersectional sustainability from ideas to life. The preview highlighted has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and up to date on our latest episodes.
On the importance of supporting small, local shops:
"Not only are we facilitating a convenient way to live more sustainably [and that is more affordable], but we're also supporting local grocers and farmers.
In this very competitive environment where you've got larger chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joes coming in and capturing the market, these smaller shops are struggling. We're offering them the logistics to help them continue to thrive and survive.
I think local shops really increase standards of living and we need to fight to make sure they exist."
On understanding the economics of supply and demand to help lower costs of responsibly made products:
"Vote with your dollar.
I know that's tough because not everyone shares the same income and can afford to. But if you find yourself in that lucky position, definitely vote with your dollar.
As you vote with your dollar, you're increasing supply. And as supply increases, price decreases.
So we need to start the change at the top so it can funnel down to a bigger volume."
Tamara’s final words of wisdom:
"Keep doing what you're doing.
Don't let the big problem overwhelm you–every little bit counts. And keep being awesome!"
