Movementality goes green

When teaching Pilates I often marvel at the intricacy of the human body. That so many complex elements, the nervous system, muscles and digestion to name just a few, exist within the one body. And that all these seemingly separate functions have evolved to work together so seamlessly. It’s only when part of the system stops functioning, that we realize how essential each piece of the puzzle is to the whole. The same I think can be said for the environmental systems that we live in. Oceans, plants, sunlight and the myriad of other systems of the natural world, operate in heavy reliance with each other. This is, I think, a brilliant mirror to the functioning of the human body. Anyone who has come to Pilates with neck pain knows they are likely to be frustratingly told by their Pilates instructor that it’s all because of their weak abs. The root of a problem is very rarely the same as its symptoms. This to me, is beautiful evidence of the interlinked nature of living organisms. As you will have experienced if you’ve ever had said neck pain, we ignore these links to our own detriment.

It’s for this reason that this month’s blog is focused on Ash and Rob’s aim to make Movementality an environmentally sustainable business. Having taken the reins just over a year ago they are well on their way and it’s my pleasure to share with you some of their achievements. But first a bit about what has led them to take the road less traveled.

Ash and Rob have both always had a sense of the need to build sustainability into their everyday lives. For Rob this was ingrained early on, through growing up in spectacular farming land around Dunedin, New Zealand. Of seeing and being part of the everyday cycles that are essential to life in a farming family.  For Ash, her own respect for the environment was reignited whilst watching Rob walk out of their London house in the middle of winter to take the recycling to the bin across the road when their own landfill bin was far closer and offered far less risk of hypothermia. These kinds of actions take more energy, more time and more commitment. But the joy of them is that they are ultimately an expression of care and respect for the intricate systems that sustain us.

The movement towards sustainable business in Melbourne is growing, with bars going straw free and cafe's investing in bio-degradable coffee cups. In the health and fitness industry however, it’s not so common. This is a strange contradiction given what we are beginning to understand about the complexity of human health. Ash and Rob’s decision speaks to the view we take of the human body, that integrity in each part of the system is what leads to the integrity of the whole. As business owners in the health industry they choose to stand for the integrity of our environment because they are invested in the health of everyone that comes to work out at the studio.

So on that note here is what we’re doing to maintain that integrity.

Ethical Banking

You may already be aware of the divestment movement that has been taking place over the past decade of people moving their money away from banks that invest in fossil fuels. Over the coming months, all of Movementality’s finances are being moved to Bank Australia. These guys commit to never supporting fossil fuel industries and follow a strict responsible lending and investment policy. If you’d like more information on ethical banking check out the Market Forces website.

https://www.marketforces.org.au/

Paper Free

From May onward Movementality will be (almost) paper free. There has been excellent advancement in digital note taking technology for the health industry. We’re looking forward to getting on board with this and leaving those beautiful old growth forests to flourish. This comes with the added benefit of being able to read each other’s notes - looking at you Rob..!!

Green Power

We recently switched our power company to Power Shop. We currently operate on their 20% renewables plan and hope to move towards 100% renewables as soon as possible. Power Shop only reinvests in Green Energy. 

Little Things around the Studio

• Paper towels are available in the bathroom but please use them only if you feel it’s necessary, otherwise there is a lovely fluffy towel that is changed daily.

• All of Movementality’s tissues and toilet paper are purchased through Who Gives a Crap, and are made from fully recycled products.

• With such beautiful windows we aim to make the most of that natural light and leave the lights off when we can.

The job of Pilates is to create a body that is strong and flexible, that functions with the integrity of all the systems required for good health. The choice to go green is a commitment towards the same values for the ecological systems. Because at the end of the day it’s those systems that we depend upon for all aspects of our well-being.