Why I Nominated Myself for an Environmental Impact Award

This year, I nominated Nest & Sprout for the Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Environmental Impact Award because I felt that the shop was doing exceptional work in adding depth and choice to the secondhand economy and kids fash

Fast fashion continues to be one of the biggest polluters on the planet - offering an alternative doesn't make an impact in our local community as much as it makes an impact in the parts of the world manufacturing clothing. As families we deserve to have spaces where we can make conscious choices to improve our consumer behaviour and the impact it has on the planet at large. 

Today, was the announcement of the finalists in each category. And I'm a little bummed we didn't make it to the next round. Maybe I wasn't thorough enough? Or articulate to describe the impact we do. Nonetheless, I'm giving myself the pep talk that the work we are doing is important. 

Nest & Sprouts 2025 Impact

This award recognizes businesses that prioritize environmental sustainability in their daily operations, long-term planning, and community impact. That’s exactly what we’ve worked so hard to do:

• Rehoming over 10,000 pieces of preloved children’s and maternity clothing
  
  

• Paying out over $16,000 to local families through our consignment program
  
  

• Laundering, repairing, and restoring hundreds of items that might otherwise end up in landfill. Seriously, I do a load of laundry a week to bring things back to life.
  
  

• Creating a space that blends new and secondhand goods with intention, curation, and care
  
  

• Making secondhand shopping feel easy, clean, and dignified; something the whole family can participate in. We have change rooms, toy space, and customer service.
  
  

In Prince George, shops like Earth & Crown Consignment, Mini Moose, and others are also working hard to build circular, community-centered businesses. They help keep clothing in use, support families with affordable options, and reduce the pressure on our landfills and our wallets. 

Sure, you could just donate your clothing; but the option to resell your clothes is known to make a larger impact on our consumer behaviour and practices. When clothing has value, we are up to 60% more likely to invest in higher quality more expensive clothing such as Canadian made, fair trade, and brands with strong social and eco values. 

We get it; it's not flashy and sexy. It's a subtle type of environmental sustainability in a world of the obvious things. Some still think “just used clothes.” Others still think Nest & Sprout is only a baby store. And too often, the quiet, consistent work of reuse and repair goes unnoticed in conversations about sustainability.

That’s why I put our name forward. Because we believe in the work we do. Because we know the families who shop, consign, and trade with us believe in it too. And because we wanted to say, Hey, I think I'm doing some amazing work in our community and I wish more people knew it. 

Maybe next year, we’ll have the visibility and momentum to be recognized officially. But in the meantime, we’ll keep doing the work ----- curating thoughtfully, washing the clothes that need love, mending the pieces that matter, and connecting families with what they need. Did you notice that we have more preloved clothing in youth sizes than ever before?

To everyone supporting local, choosing secondhand, and believing in a more sustainable way to shop: thank you, 

💚
Bailey