Karina Mereuta
on Fructifying Sustainability
Karina Mereuta believes kindness and common sense are superpowers.
The two ‘not-so-secret’ keywords that characterize real, pure sustainability. In a world where too many companies and too many people choose to eat only the cherry on the sustainability cake. If you want true transformation, you need engagement, you need believers. To do so, you first need to implement sustainability education & culture change programs.
This is what Karina is doing with Fructify Network, a women-led start-up organization on a mission: to democratize sustainability education & to curate top-of-the-line knowledge and expertise. In other words, they make people understand the whole cake is delicious, not just the cherry.
Karina, though, has more of a definition of what sustainability should not become: “it is not only about metrics, numbers and science-based targets. It is a human experience and a call to radical change in the way we interact with nature, other people and society at large. It should become common sense.”
She has always been a very curious professional and this is why her career path is quite diverse, including working for governmental institutions, the private sector and NGOs, as communication strategist, community manager, course designer & lecturer, and social impact advisor.
There is a common denominator to all the experiences: the passion to create a positive impact and the belief that different institutions should act as the pieces of a puzzle. Karina can see a bit of history repeating in the sustainability sector lately: people go back to “silos thinking” as the topic is becoming more complex. “Sustainability elites” are forming already and a lot of efforts to explain the “business case” are ongoing.
A sad, rhetorical question that still browses for its answer: will it be profitable to act with common sense or do we need to continue to exploit without any consideration for people and the planet?
“Once you take the sustainability path, it will be difficult to get back to work & business as usual. It is some sort of enlightenment path - not easy, but worth walking on. Opportunities will come to you, but you will become more and more selective.”
Learn how you can also facilitate a culture change ecosystem that makes business act for impact!
Thank you, Karina, for being a Fructifier!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Karina Mereuta
Company / Institution: Fructify Network
Title: Co-Founder I Learning & Experience Designer I Engagement & Outreach
Website: https://fructify-network.mylearnworlds.com/home
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-mereuta/
Country of origin: Romania
Country you currently live in: Switzerland
Your personal definition of Sustainability: I see a bit of history repeating in the sustainability sector lately: people go back to “silos thinking” as the topic is becoming more complex, there are “sustainability” elites forming already and a lot of efforts to explain the “business case” (aka will it be profitable to act with commons sense or we need to continue to exploit without any consideration for people and planet?).
Therefore, I have more of a definition of what Sustainability should not become. Sustainability is not only about metrics, numbers and science-based targets. It is a human experience and a call to radical change in the way we interact with nature, other people and society at large.
It should become common sense – and to do that we need to act at all levels, engaging people and communities and unlearning and relearning everything we knew about economy & governance.
Main business challenge you face: There is a strong focus on decarbonization and ESG reporting within companies, which is only natural, as they offer measures and numbers and set clear objectives.
On the other hand, working only to address these issues within a company is like eating only the cherry on the sustainability cake. If you want true transformation, you must bring people up to speed. And to do so, you need to implement sustainability education & culture change programs.
This is the business challenge we mainly face – we work to support companies to change the culture and engage the people – and companies sometimes choose just the cherry.
Main driver that keeps you going: In all my diverse work experience, I have never met such amazing people as the people working in sustainability or interested to move forward in this field. It is a “tribe” of souls and hearts that keeps me going despite the challenges or bottlenecks.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Self-actualization.
The trait you most value in others: Kindness.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Spending time with loved ones, local and less touristic discoveries while travelling, good food, writing.
The #inspirators who determined you to take the sustainability path:
Kate Raworth (The Doughnut Model)
Ellen MacArthur
Paul Gilding
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the sustainability journey: Can you see a better community or even world, because of your company? If not, start thinking more at your impact, and work backwards towards the activities you need to do to generate impact.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
Decarbonization = sustainability;
ESG = sustainability;
Sustainability is more than your carbon footprint and ESG metrics, it is the overall impact you have through your work.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: Once you are on this path, it will be difficult to get back to “work and business as usual”. It is some sort of “enlightenment path”, not easy, but worth walking on it!
On the positive side: opportunities will come to you, but you will become more and more selective.
Books that had a major impact on you: Belletristic formed me as an early reader, before discovering non-fiction. My favourite authors range from Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Irving Stone or Viktor Frankl to non-fiction ones writing mostly on sustainability/ethics/feminism/economic and social development.
Must-reads for any Sustainability professional:
Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green
Doughnut Economics - Kate Raworth
The Age of Responsibility - Wayne Wisser
Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner - Katrine Marcal
Utopia for Realists - Rutger Bregman
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again:
Don’t Look Up;
She Changes Climate.
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts etc. you visit frequently: We have an amazing curated list of Podcasts on our Knowledge HUB. For social impact professionals like me, I recommend Narrative of Purpose. On sustainability topics: Outrage and Optimism, Sustainababble are two great examples, too.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing:
Artists: Parov Stelar, Cesaria Evora, Rupa & the April Fishes
Genres: Buena Vista Social Club, Bossa Nova, but also good old hip-hop talking to my “social activist” side!
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Every country I saw made a mark on me (I visited around 45). My dream is to travel for one year without interruption, slow and as much as possible by train, did not manage to do this yet.
Global Sustainability Voices you recommend us to follow:
Lubomila Jordanova
Eve Tamme
Ioana Hardy
Alice Schmidt
Alice Richard
Karime Abib
Renee LaPlante
Trends in Sustainability we should keep an eye on:
Regenerative Business & Leadership
Greenwashing, Social Impact and S metrics of the ESG.
Best places for business networking (online or offline): LinkedIn is for the moment a great place to meet like-minded professionals and also get great content.
Events we should attend: There is a lot of happening in Switzerland, where we are based. For example, Sustainability week!
Keep an eye on the Fructify Knowledge HUB - we curate and recommend events, and we also will launch soon many events for pivoters to sustainability, individuals or companies.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why: GreenBuzz, Solved, Impact HUB.
Sustainable Development courses / trainings / certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: Depends a lot on the stage we are in professionally and the niche we aim for. Again, keep an eye on Fructify network for basic knowledge and a developing marketplace of courses and edu-resources.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: More and more people start to see impact and purpose as the main drivers of their professional activity.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Too much focus on checking boxes, too less focus on real transformation (especially in business).
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Collaboration and co-creation abilities.
Quote that inspires you:
“Today we have economies that need to grow, whether or not they make us thrive. What we need are economies that make us thrive, whether or not they grow.”
(Kate Raworth)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
