The Green in…Michael Fox – Q&A
What’s your personal elevator pitch/introduction?
Tell me about an interesting green initiative you’ve heard about or worked on.
Shoes of Prey is part of a movement towards mass customisation. We don’t try to predict what products are going to sell well next season, instead we let the consumer design exactly what they want to purchase which we then produce and deliver direct to the customer. We don’t manufacture anything unless it’s exactly what a customer wants to purchase, so we don’t discount and sell excess stock to consumers who otherwise wouldn’t have purchased an extra pair of shoes. It’s our vision that in the future the majority of our fashion purchasing will be done in this way, resulting in less unneeded consumerism and less waste.
How are you green in your daily life?
My parents brought me up with a very green take on life. While in the grand scheme of things they’re relatively small contributions:
- I’ve always recycled,
- I reuse shopping bags as garbage bags,
- I turn light switches off and limit my use of air-conditioning and heating (an electric blanket is much more efficient than leaving the heating on all night),
- I don’t own a car – I walk, bike, take public transport and use GoGet, a car sharing company in Australia when I do need a car,
- While I’m not a vegetarian I try to eat less meat and when I do I try to eat more environmentally friendly meats like kangaroo (I live in Australia). My favourite dish to cook is a kangaroo korma!
- Two years ago I wrote to the delicious chicken burger chain Oportos encouraging them to install recycle bins in their restaurants. They followed up and did this 2 months later. :)
How often do you think about green issues?
Choosing between the recycling bin and rubbish bin is a great daily reminder, as is turning off light switches, heating and air-conditioning. We regularly have decisions to make in the operation of our business Shoes of Prey, and the environmental impact is something we factor into this decision making.
Who inspires the green in you?
Witnessing one person make such a positive impact on the world, is hugely inspiring.
Green Articles, blogs or books you recommend…
2 Responses to The Green in Michael Fox (Shoes of Prey)
David Horton July 14, 2011
Emily, thank you, great compliment, glad you like my work – but it’s David Horton!
Emily D'Ath July 14, 2011
Sorry David, I’ve changed it!