Living Sustainably & Skincare with Sharolt Kicsi

Do you ever suffer from eco-anxiety or eco-guilt?

You know, when you’re trying to do the right thing by the planet, but there is just so much to remember to do that it gets overwhelming and everything you’re doing doesn’t seem like it’s enough? The rules about what packaging is good and bad seems to change every day, recycling correctly is a minefield (especially with each council having different rules!) and, let’s be honest, we’ve all got a friend or two who are a bit judgey about “doing the right thing by the environment” (whether it be that we’re not doing enough, or we’re being too particular).

I’ve suffered from this in a major way over the last year especially and it’s led me on a very interesting journey into the wonders of recycling and harvesting our food waste.

I’ve learnt so much during this time and continue to learn new ways to help the environment every day thanks to the vast array of podcasts, articles and websites available as well as through conversations with thought leaders like Sharolt Kicsi.

Sharolt is a project manager for Sydney Water’s capital projects by day and a co-founder of startup Clear Connections by night.

Clear Connections focuses on providing businesses and households feedback on their waste management efforts, to address the problem of contamination in segregated food waste streams intended for beneficial reuse.

It aims to connect actions to impacts through live data capture and Artificial Intelligence.

By limiting contamination in the organics, this technology strives to cleanly transform our household organic waste into renewable energy and high quality compost or soil by diverting it away from landfill where much of it currently goes.

Not so fun fact: Australian households discard 6 million tonnes of edible food each year – around 240 kilograms per person! Did you know that when our food waste ends up in landfill, it creates methane, which is 21 times more dangerous that carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas! 

It’s equal parts scary and fascinating. Having access to these sorts of figures is really the wake up call that many of us need in this day and age and our conversation with Sharolt aims to arm you with some of the tools you need to make a difference by making small changes to your daily life that will impact the environment in a major way. 

We also chat about skincare, the environmental impact that many products have and what Pink Hibiscus has committed to do to play our part in being a friend to Mother Earth.

For now though, let's learn a little more about Sharolt...

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Completing engineering at one of Australia's best universities! 

When my family and I came to Australia from Hungary, I couldn't even speak English! Thankfully, I overcame that hurdle quite quickly in my first year of high school, however, I would never have imagined that I'd follow in the footsteps of my father and older brother one day.

I have always been a creative spirit and wanted to become an author or patisserie chef when I was little. 

Through my years of volunteering and involvement in the community, I realised that my purpose is to pursue something bigger than myself - something that can make a difference and contribute value to people's life.

There are many ways to do this and many different professions that would have been a great fit. My passion for the water/wastewater industry, the environment, sustainable engineering and resource recovery has developed throughout the years, but completing engineering played a big part in that.

What is the greatest life lesson you've learnt?

Everything happens for a reason. Even when things don't seem to go our way or we are faced with challenges, it is all part of the journey. I continually remind myself and others to embrace it. 

What is the best skincare advice you've ever been given?

Your face is yours for life! Be sun safe and drink plenty of water.

What is the one skincare product you can't live without?

A hydrating moisturiser as my skin is very dry, especially in the winter months.

What does your morning skincare routine look like?

Gentle facial cleanser, toner, vitamin C serum, hydrating moisturiser, lip balm and SPF50+ zinc suncream if I am going outside.

What does your evening skincare routine look like?

Gentle facial cleanser, toner, retinol eye cream and hydrating moisturiser. I try to exfoliate 1-2 times a week and I treat myself to a hydrating rose mask when I get the time.

If we were to take a sneak peek into your handbag right now, what beauty products would we find?

Lip balm, Pink Hibiscus Hand-Aid Healing Hand Balm, SPF50+ suncream or zinc.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self?

Always stay true to who you are and live by your values. It is so easy to compare ourselves to others these days and feel pressured to conform. It's important to realise our own value and celebrate our differences.