Meet Heather Davies and Gavin Fernie-Jones, co-founders of Re-action.

They are NOT married (listen to my cock-up right here!!) but nevertheless very much a united front here to help us move forward as Adventurers of the World.

Gav, who also founded One Tree at a Time, is all about, "freedom from stuff, from brands, influencers, advertising, and freedom from a system that places a value on my individual consumption and the things I own above all else. Freedom from a system that plays on our insecurities and divides us into the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. A system that seeks to define our entire value as consumers. I’ve discovered that the less I consume the more I live, and I get more pleasure from a single day in the mountains over a lifetime of shopping.”

Heather - who has a background in marketing - loved snowboarding and cooking, but when she bought a chalet company in the Alps, she had no idea what the future held for her. She now runs the Small Footprint Agency, which helps people communicate about Sustainability without Greenwashing, and co-runs Re-active.

Heather says: “I try to spend as much time as possible outdoors so I know for a fact that we don’t need the amount of new clothing and equipment that is being produced every year to enable us to enjoy being in and part of nature.

I see the effects of climate change all around me and am also saddened that the outdoors has become a space enjoyed almost uniquely by white middle and upper classes.

We must break down the barriers and democratise access to the outdoors. Part of the puzzle is making affordable, repairable and long-lasting kit accessible to everyone. I’m certain that when people spend more time outdoors, hearing, smelling and observing it, they are driven to want to protect it.”

Heather and Gavin built Re-action to make the Outdoors more accessible but also "to protest against the consumer story that tells us we need shiny new, highly technical kit to access the outdoors. We live in the outdoors and we know this isn’t true. We also know a lack of access to basic outdoor kit is a barrier to people getting outside and active for the benefit of their physical and mental health."

These two are beacons of hope and knowledge, and are inspirational entrepreneurs.

P.S.

Listen to Part 2 to hear all about how skiing is, in fact, one of the GREENEST holidays you can take - music to the ears of a previous-life ski bunny!