Jenna Haefelin of SPIFF: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become More Sustainable
An Interview With Penny Bauder
Parents should do better with snacks: avoiding small individual snack packs and buying in bulk to use with reusable bags. It can not only save money in the long run, it mitigates so much unnecessary plastic and garbage. This also helps save a ton of room in your pantry/kitchen. We know from experience!
As part of my series about companies who are helping to battle climate change, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenna Haefelin, Founder SPIFF.
SPIFF is a luxury home organization company located, offers high-end clientele, celebrities, and athletes that offers a clean, minimalistic solution to home organization. The company’s goal is to transform your space while leveling up your lifestyle with eco-friendly solutions. Founded by Jenna Haefelin, she combines her passion for minimalist organization and her love for the environment to make SPIFF your go to for in-home organization.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have always had a passion for cleaning since I was little. I also loved art in school and home organizing is like an art to me, creating an aesthetic that looks pleasing to the eye, yet functional. I am also incredibly passionate about living a sustainable and eco-friendly life. Shortly after I began my business, I started to notice how much plastic was used in the organizing industry and it really started to bother me. Since then I have encouraged brands to become more sustainable, I educate my followers on eco friendly alternatives, and I plan to have my own eco friendly line one day.
What is the mission of your company?
The mission of SPIFF is to raise your vibration through organizing your home while leveling up your lifestyle with eco-friendly solutions..
What problems are you aiming to solve?
I am aiming to solve the epidemic of plastic pollution in our beautiful oceans. I reached out to the local environmental team in my town and have since started my own group to educate others on reducing single use plastics. We have a team now that aids in research of products to confirm we are offering the best solutions possible. I’m so proud of how far we have come, I couldn’t do it without them! My biggest goal is to have my own line of sustainable alternatives one day. The faster I grow, the faster I can achieve this goal.
Something I am also very passionate about is the “detox solution” SPIFF offers. I educate my clients about this global issue we face and have transformed some of them to use all non-toxic and eco-friendly alternatives to make their home safe and sustainable. Many of these clients have passed on their solutions to their family and friends.
Can you tell our readers about the initiatives that you or your company are taking to address climate change or sustainability? Can you give an example for each?
From a personal level, I previously mentioned that I am a part of the environmental team in my town of Larchmont, New York. We just began this year after I contacted an environmental group about a year ago. My company SPIFF spreads awareness each week via our different social media platforms. For example, every Wednesday we educate our followers on alternatives to plastic in general, the harm plastic does to our environment, and our bodies. We also have a no plastic bottle rule, we always show up with our reusable bottles on jobs. I have probably only purchased 5–8 plastic water bottles in the last year, and this was because I ran out of my own or forgot to bring it. Life happens and sometimes things are out of our control but we do our best to control the controllables.
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?
Another member in my environmental group had to switch his company to sustainable products in Aruba because the island has banned single use plastics since 2017. Michael, my teammate, is in the hotel business, supplying one time use items as a vendor. He had to learn to pivot very quickly in order to maintain his business on the island and it actually turned out very well for him!
The youth led climate strikes of September 2019 showed an impressive degree of activism and initiative by young people on behalf of climate change. This was great, and there is still plenty that needs to be done. In your opinion, what are 5 things parents should do to inspire the next generation to become engaged in sustainability and the environmental movement? Please give a story or an example for each.
1. Parents should do better with snacks: avoiding small individual snack packs and buying in bulk to use with reusable bags. It can not only save money in the long run, it mitigates so much unnecessary plastic and garbage. This also helps save a ton of room in your pantry/kitchen. We know from experience!
2. Teaching kids to cut the plastic that comes around aluminum cans! Cutting all of the rings can save the lives of so many animals by allowing them to escape their necks from the small holes; it can also be a fun project for kids!
3. Parents should practice recycling and/or composting in their own home. Kids will follow what they grow up with. I learned it from my childhood.
4. I have noticed that most parents are actually where the issues begin. My suggestions are to do research to educate themselves on why sustainable solutions have such a dominant marketspace even in big box retailers. Next, begin to make small changes inside of their home, that is really where their lessons will carry on. I notice a lot of my clients just aren’t educated on the matter, but on many occasions when I have told clients about non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products, they are shocked. Many have never even heard of them and aren’t aware how bad the chemicals are for their health.
5. I always get a major headache when I organize a cleaning closet or a laundry room because I am not used to the chemicals in the products. These products are also packaged for one time use, which is horrible for the environment and contributes to my “headache.” Educating kids about the negative impact both on our health and our environment is so important. Once you get used to the chemicals, you don’t realize what you are actually ingesting through the air.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. Growing your audience on social media is and isn’t as hard as it seems. Once you have the right tools, you can grow fast. Gaining those tools was what took so long for me to grow! Growing on social media is also another job in itself. This helps me reach so many, allowing me to educate more and more individuals on important subjects such as the environment.
2. Building a stellar team that aligns with your company’s mission is critical! I love that my team believes in living a sustainable lifestyle.
3. Some people will like you and some won’t, and it’s ok. Some people will love and accept my vision, my passion for the environment and others won’t. However, as long as I am doing what is true to me, I know I am on the right path.
4. Get a business coach that understands your mission, purpose, goals, and pushes you. I can’t stress this enough.
5. Research as much as possible. Whether this is people in the same space, ideal clientele, new products, to upcoming events. This will set you apart from the rest.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
From a business standpoint, my father. He taught me my work ethic and he inspired me to be my own boss. He tells me I can do whatever I want to do. From an environmental standpoint, Michael, my team member, reached out to me to join my effort in reducing one time use of plastics in Larchmont. He had all the inside knowledge from his experience in Aruba and that has been extremely helpful for us. I always see the big picture and he is always making sure we take the right steps needed to close any gaps.
You are a person of great influence and doing some great things for the world! If you could inspire a movement that would bring the greatest amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I feel such a connection with the ocean and sea life, especially whales, so eliminating single use plastic is my mission and calling. We only have a short period of time to make a change because plastic will outlive fish in our oceans by 2050 if something isn’t done. Plastic now lives in our fish, which also ends up in our bodies. Eliminating single use plastic would be the most impactful to both animals and humans. In humans, we are ingesting a credit card size amount of micro plastics each week.
Do you have a favorite life lesson quote? Can you tell us how that was relevant to you in your own life?
Life is what you make of it. Each person is responsible for the good and the bad in their life. Everything we do, every thought we have, every action we take contributes to the outcome of our lives. People are capable of doing anything they want to do, it’s those who understand this that will go the furthest in life.
What is the best way for people to follow you on social media?
My instagram (@spifforganizing) has my entire portfolio of my work. I am also on TikTok @spifforganizing — we just reached over 1 million views!! Instagram and Facebook is where we educate our followers on environmental issues!
Jenna Haefelin of SPIFF: Five Strategies Our Company Is Using To Tackle Climate Change & Become… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.