Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Donahue.
Hi Abbey, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a writer for as long as I could form sentences. Throughout my childhood, I always kept a notebook close by that was filled with my fantastical poems, intricate short stories, and ideas for the world’s next greatest novel. As I got older, I turned my focus to journalism and marketing – from writing news stories and press releases to blogs and social media content, I found my stride in the professional world.
While my career path has always involved some form of writing, in late 2018 I decided that I needed another creative outlet where I could not only express myself but connect with others on a personal level. With that desire, The Abbey Normal Blog was born.
Initially, the blog was focused on the trials and tribulations of early 20-somethings. I wrote about “Why Summer as an Adult is a Joke,” “11 Ways to Live More Intentionally in Your 20s,” and general lifestyle content for us younger millennials just trying to navigate life in the “real world.”
Flash forward to the beginning of the pandemic when my passion for sustainability was first realized. And it all started with toilet paper. With the toilet paper shortage, I purchased some bulk toilet paper online from a brand called Who Gives a Crap. Their toilet paper is 100% recycled, combats deforestation, and builds toilets for communities without access to clean water or wastewater systems. Once I realized that my purchases could make an impact on the lives of people and the world we share, my sustainability journey began.
I started discovering ways to reduce my daily waste by switching to package-free alternatives and researching how I could make incremental changes to my lifestyle to help combat climate change. Since then, my platform has been singularly focused on my imperfect sustainability journey. My goal is to make sustainability and climate action attainable for the average person. I do this by sharing tips to reduce waste, ways to lessen your environmental impact, information about climate change, and simple ways to be climate activists – all with the goal of inspiring others to join me on my sustainability journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My sustainability journey over the past year and a half has not always been easy. When you start focusing on tackling a problem that involves every single living organism on this planet, it forces you to become a lot less focused on yourself. For me, that meant giving up things that I used to enjoy or that used to be conveniences in my life.
Becoming a vegetarian was a challenge initially. Not supporting fast fashion brands and only buying secondhand was a challenge initially. Doing hours and hours of research about climate legislation, ethical brands, regenerative farming, recycling, composting, and so much more on a regular basis to educate me and my followers is a challenge. But let me tell you… it is worth it!
It’s worth choosing brands that offset their carbon footprint. It’s worth giving up meat to lower greenhouse gas emissions. It’s worth carrying around reusable straws, utensils, napkins, water bottles, etc. to reduce single-use plastic consumption. It’s worth it because each sustainably focused decision we make as individuals, the more of a collective impact we can have over time.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Because I am still growing and learning on my sustainability journey, my goal is to take my community on that ride with me. I try to foster an inclusive space that discusses climate issues and sustainability in a way that is easy to understand, inspires action, and doesn’t make people feel bad.
I’m not here to make people feel guilty for their actions. Especially because a little over a year and a half ago, I wasn’t even aware that my actions were having a negative impact on the environment.
I am proud of the community that I have cultivated on my little corner of the Internet. It’s filled with regular people with regular lives who are making daily changes to support the environment. I’ll never ask them to be full-blown climate activists because they don’t need to be – they just need to care. And that’s exactly what they’ve done. I am so incredibly grateful to my family, friends, and followers for supporting me on this journey. And I promise to keep showing up, to keep educating, to keep learning, and to keep fighting for our world. Because there is no Planet B.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
In my opinion, part of success is forged in risk-taking. Every step you take out of your comfort zone is one step closer to realizing your true potential.
I took a risk when starting my blog – knowing that it was going to require time and effort to create and nurture, knowing that people may not read it or would have their own opinions about my writing, and knowing that every word and photo, and emotion that I put on the Internet would live forever.
I took a risk when I switched my focus to sustainability. And not just the focus of my blog, but the focus of my life. When I started to realize just how much my daily actions could make an impact – for better or worse – on the environment, I knew that my platform needed to be focused less on myself and more on protecting the world around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: theabbeynormalblog.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theabbeynormalblog/
