‘We decided not to fly anymore’

in

‘Three years ago, my boyfriend and I set up greening shop Marvy Green. We realized that there is an incentive to add greenery for new buildings, but hardly any for existing buildings. We live in a Rotterdam complex from the eighties, where a lot of space on balconies remains unused for greening. That was the motivation for us to do something.

“Now we offer filled balcony boxes, green roofs and facade garden packages. First only online, but since two years also in a store. We focus as much as possible on the city. Many people think that they can’t do much with small spaces, but it is really necessary to get started with this. By enthusing them to contribute to biodiversity, much can be gained.

“We offer ready-to-use containers with perennial, hardy plants that stay alive as long as possible. We buy it locally as much as possible, and opt for organic soil and native species without pesticides. We do this with a focus on more food for birds and pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.

“Our main conviction is to improve biodiversity, but a nice side effect is that cities become greener in this way. It has been proven that people feel better when they see greenery. But not everyone can invest in this. That is why we want to invest the profit in gardens and other projects in places where people cannot afford it. In this way we make green as widely accessible as possible.”

out

‘Our company is distinctive because of the impact model. Our employees are paid from a portion of the profit. In this way they become co-entrepreneurs, without the risks we bear. That’s nice, because we work as equals, and it makes them even more enthusiastic to use their expertise in the best possible way. It is very cool to see how they come up with ideas to grow the company.

“If our company does not make a profit, employees receive a minimum amount. In order to pay our expenses, we combine the business with other work.

“We don’t have to leave much for it, but this year we are thinking about whether we can go on holiday, for example, because certain (logistical) investments are also planned for the store.

“We do make conscious choices in our spending. So we decided not to fly anymore. We also eat less meat. In the hospitality industry I take a critical look at what constitutes a good restaurant where they handle their products well.

“The fact that almost all of our savings are in this company is exciting, but we do it because we really believe in the green vision. Then you sometimes make more radical choices.”