An Interview With Monica Sanders
Rest and take care of each other. The inherent urgency in doing climate justice-related work can easily facilitate burnout. Aim for sustainability in the literal sense of the word, so that you can continue the lifelong fight.
According to the University of Colorado, “Those who are most affected and have the fewest resources to adapt to climate change are also the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions — both globally and within the United States.” Promoting climate justice is an incredibly important environmental responsibility that is slowly becoming more and more recognized. In this interview series, we are talking to leaders who are helping to promote sustainability and climate justice. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Anita Spiller.
Anita Spiller’s parallel careers are defined by passion. As a United Church minister, a private business owner, and now, directing ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives for Tru Earth, one of Canada’s fastest-growing environmental companies, her work and life are characterized by social justice, collaboration, and leaving the planet better than she found it.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Thanks for having me!
Social justice, collaboration, and leaving the planet better than I found it have been key themes throughout my life and career.
I grew up as the youngest of four girls in what was a small town in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario in the early 70’s. I was blessed to be surrounded by a group of female role models who were breaking barriers at every turn. My working mom (who worked two jobs while being a mother of four) created a home that was welcoming to all and it didn’t matter who you loved or where you came from. This was where I learned about diversity, inclusion and social justice. My aunt wrote a book, Advice to the Working Woman, in 1981 and sat on the Status of Women’s Commission. She is the one who taught me about equity and feminism and that children have a voice that matters. My dad gave me a strong work ethic and the importance of experiencing the world because travel is the best education.
In addition to my work at Tru Earth, I’m a United Church minister and a member of the Board of Directors of HOPE International Development Agency in Canada, where I bring my business, social services and sustainability expertise to support HOPE’s mission of empowering communities to overcome poverty.
Everyone has a cataclysmic moment or marker in their life which propels them to take certain actions, a “why”. What is your why?
My life is founded on two core values, which are justice and joy. All the decisions I have made in my career and my personal life are grounded here. My life has been full of “aha” moments, but my true fight for justice came on a remote mountain top in the Dominican Republic when I learned that 500 people had been denied a water system. It was just too costly to spend so much money on so few people. I was struck by the idea that cost was the reason for this denial of a human right. I am proud to say that I helped lead a group that helped raise $400,000 so that this community could more readily obtain water. Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. With water comes everything — access to education, good health, and livelihood.
You are currently leading an organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change?
Of course! I have the privilege of leading ESG (environmental, social, governance) initiatives for Tru Earth, an award-winning household cleaning products organization with a critical cause to make true, lasting change that helps save the planet.
We started just over four years ago, when we carved out a new category for laundry detergent with easy-to-use, effective, and earth-friendly strips — no plastic containers or packaging, no unnecessary water production, and no toxic ingredients that are bad for the planet. Our laundry eco-strips proved to be a hit with environmentalists, people who travel extensively, and even parents who don’t have the time to measure out detergent. Since then, Tru Earth has expanded to cleaning products for the bathroom and kitchen that offer a cleaner way to clean and a simple opportunity for our customers to make a positive impact on the environment.
My team and I are focused on eliminating single-use and short-lived plastics and microplastics and donating earth-friendly products to organizations in need. I’m proud to say that, so far, Tru Earth has prevented 123 million plastic containers from being created and donated 26 million environmentally friendly laundry detergent strips around the world.
We believe many “small hinges” — or behavior changes — can swing the very, very big door that represents the climate emergency. You may think making the switch from liquid detergent in a plastic container to an earth-friendly detergent strip is a small change, but 1.2 million of our customers doing so has a big impact on the planet. That’s what the #TruEarthMovement is all about!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
What I find interesting is that an Ordained Minister is working for a packaged goods company. I am part-time on purpose which means I minister to a congregation AND I work for Tru Earth. In both circumstances, I am working to effect change. Systems change is big picture thinking that looks at the root causes of social and environmental problems.The approach requires us not only to understand why difficult social and environmental problems persist but also to challenge our own role in tackling them — a formidable task. I believe that we all have the capacity to be agents of change and it is imperative we do so. We need to take an intersectional approach to the climate emergency because there can not be environmental justice without economic and social justice. We need to get better at challenging ourselves and the ways we have always done things. In addition, we must move from competition to collaboration for the planet and the people who inhabit it.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I have many mentors to thank, but I want to give a shoutout to my daughter, Kate — my cheerleader, sounding board, and partner in sustainability work. Her generation will feel the effects of climate change in a way mine won’t. I’m inspired by her and her peers’ unwillingness to accept the ‘status quo’ and the complacency that helped accelerate the climate emergency in the first place. It’s seriously energizing!
By the way, I love this question, because mentorship is essential to our movement. So often, we hear kids at the top of their class say they aspire to become doctors, lawyers, and CEOs. What if it were just as common for students to say “I want to save the planet when I grow up”? I want to be an environmental engineer, a community organizer, an ocean scientist, a health and safety officer, or an environmental lawyer? While there has been a proliferation of climate-related jobs over the last ten years, we need even more so that the best and brightest minds can dedicate their livelihoods to solving this climate crisis.
Thank you for that. Let’s now move to the central part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition of terms so that everyone is on the same page. What does climate justice mean to you? How do we operationalize it?
The climate crisis affects all of us, but it affects communities of color, low-income communities, and the people and places least responsible for creating this emergency the most. To me, climate justice means acknowledging these fundamental inequities and addressing them head-on.
As sustainability leaders, we can operationalize climate justice by staying committed to accountability in our work. There is no climate justice without racial, social, and economic justice. That’s why Tru Earth is doing its part to alleviate poverty around the world by donating our first quality products to those in need. We also remain committed to DEIB — and the ‘b’ stands for belonging, which is necessary for any justice movement. People are not separate from the planet; we have to protect both simultaneously. We value creating space to honor our varying experiences and reflect on our roles within our current systems in order to build a more equitable future and liveable planet.
Science is telling us that we have 7–10 years to make critical decisions about climate change. What are three things you or your organization are doing to help?
- We’re battling the plastic waste crisis. The global statistics around recycling are appalling, but one of the biggest greenwashing scams of our day is detergent packaging. About 700 million of the 1 billion plastic detergent containers in circulation each year end up in landfills. Tru Earth is committed to eradicating the need for plastic packaging by eliminating it from our process completely.
- We are narrowing economic inequities and making eco-friendly practices more accessible by donating our products to organizations in need, across North America and around the world. We commit to donating 100 million eco-strips by Earth Day 2026.
- Tru Earth is committed to setting our scope 1 and 2 targets for 2030 by Earth Day 2024. We are not willing to make commitments for 2050 and take decisions away from our emerging leaders at Tru Earth. We want to talk about the critical steps we can take this year and this decade and commit to trackability and transparency.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you in your mission?
Absolutely! Tru Earth’s critical cause is to make true, lasting change that helps save the planet. Here are three things that come to mind:
- We have to eradicate plastic at the source. Less than 9% of the plastic we put in our recycling bin gets recycled, and the vast majority of plastic developed over the last 30 years still exists…and is still entering our waterways. We cannot expect consumers to recycle ourselves out of a climate emergency. We need to stop producing it and turn the plastic tap off! This requires a systems-change approach with all sectors fully engaged.
- Society, politicians, and communities need to uplift entrepreneurs on the frontlines of eco-innovations. There are many people working on ‘the next great idea,’ but these solutions can be bolder and bigger and happen faster with an all-in approach.
- Everyone needs to work together. One organization can make an impact, but why not grow that impact even more? How can we move from competition to collaboration? How can we ‘come clean’ about our struggles in a bid to help us be bolder and go faster for the sake of the planet?
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
It’s funny you should ask that, because Tru Earth has grown 944% since we began operating in 2019!
In all seriousness, businesses should not have to pick a lane; they should pick a mission. If companies just aim for profit or just aim for environmentalism, then they are missing out on the beautiful innovation that happens at the intersection of those two things.
We’ve built up a considerable amount of brand loyalty among our #TruChangemakers both through our critical cause and our giving program, which we are increasing. Beginning on June 1st, for every $100 that is purchased online or at any one of our worldwide retail partners, a family of four will receive a month’s worth of laundry. Our next milestone goal is 40 million eco-strips donated to organizations, including food banks, maternity programs in the global south, local women’s shelters, and nonprofits across the world.
This is the signature question we ask in most of our interviews. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started promoting sustainability and climate justice” and why?
- Pay attention to the good news. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of chaos when you do climate-related work. Sometimes, I think I know too much! But for every eco-anxiety-inducing story, there’s another story of hope and innovation waiting to be read.
- It’s okay to start small. Take stock of your life — your consumption, your lifestyle habits, what’s already in your home — and see what the first change you can make is. The moment of change comes when you run out of something. When you are faced with an empty household cleaning product, this is the moment to do your research and make a better, healthier choice. Remember, many small hinges swing big doors.
- The more diversity, the better. It’s well-documented that diverse perspectives lead to greater innovation, which is critical for the system transformations we need.
- Investing in future climate activists is one of the most important things you can do. Like many, I take hope in fearless young leaders like Greta Thunberg, who remind us they are inheriting the crisis our generation and generations before created. We have to nurture their learning and bring them into our work. We need to let them lead the conversation because it is their future.
- Rest and take care of each other. The inherent urgency in doing climate justice-related work can easily facilitate burnout. Aim for sustainability in the literal sense of the word, so that you can continue the lifelong fight.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
My first choice will always be a 12 year old named Rosanna who lives in that remote community in the Dominican Republic. She is full of hope and wonderful ideas for her future and for her community. She wants to become a nurse so she can help her community live healthy lives. I’m dreaming about building her a medical clinic where she can be the Medical Director.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
You can learn more about Tru Earth and join in our critical cause by visiting www.tru.earth and following along at @TruEarthMovement.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org.
How Anita Spiller Of Tru Earth Is Helping to Promote Sustainability and Climate Justice was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.