Meet Ashleigh Dawson

We were lucky to catch up with Ashleigh Dawson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashleigh, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I get resilience from our non-profit community members. Seeing them support this mission helps me keep going. Also seeing that consumers and businesses need help transitioning into this green economy in a just and equitable manner.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I started my environmental advocacy work while pursuing fashion internships in Los Angeles, California. In 2014 I started learning more about overproduction and the broken linear economy we have today. At age 18 and with a vision, I created Recycle2Riches.org! The main goal of this non-profit is to transform the culture of consumption through communication, collaboration, and community education. As the President of R2R, I believe that the world needs to work towards a circular economy along with a closed-loop lifestyle.

In 2020 I joined the Climate Reality Leadership Corps by attending a multi-day training with former US Vice President Al Gore and leading scientists and experts. They gave us the tools, know-how, and network to create just climate solutions. I’m also the curator of EarthDaySummit.org; an annual one-day climate action event that makes Earth Day Every Day for all involved.

The UN’s 17 sustainable development goals inspire me in the scope of my work; focusing on circularity and becoming a leader in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance).

In September 2023 I just started on an 11-month journey with California Climate Action Corps. Assigned to the local organization LACompost.org! This opportunity is so exciting because I get to give back to the community that has inspired me to do the work with Recycle2Riches. This is something I never thought would be possible, getting a climate job that inspires me to keep going and growing.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The free climate training events I attended and the investment in the community I did in the beginning years got me where I am now. Networking, community building and just saying YES to things in the first stages of my environmental journey have helped me build identity in this space!

Take your time, this is not an overnight adventure. This is a lifelong journey of finding your way in the climate space. It first starts with getting to know the big players in this space, that are local to your region. Then it takes the bold action of just doing it even though you think nothing is growing. Then one day you walk into a climate action event and know several people in the room. The next year you are speaking on the panels and consulting. I’ll say it again this is not an overnight success story. To build a strong community it takes time.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We are always looking for community members to join R2R. This simply means signing up to be a monthly supporter of our mission or following us on social media for more conscious consumer tips! I believe it is going to take all different kinds of humans to make a global shift in our consumption habits. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join our community. Here are some sponsorship packages: https://www.recycle2riches.org/pages/r2r-sustaining-sponsorship-packages

We are also looking for sustainable brands that would like to partner with us and be a part of our online directory. See more info here: https://www.recycle2riches.org/pages/copy-of-community

 

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