MAKE THAT CHANGE TODAY – AN INTERVIEW WITH SEB BERRY

By Asha Kayla, Waverley Sustainable Communities on December 21, 2017 in People

Focusing on what’s important, by Staggrd

Ever felt helpless in the face of big problems challenging our society: climate change, environmental degradation, plastic pollution? Keen to make a positive contribution to the health of our world, but not sure where to start?
You’re not alone. Meet Bondi local, Seb Berry. He felt the same way five years ago, so he set off on a path to help himself and others to take action, one day at a time.
Seb didn’t feel like he was doing enough to show up and use his position of privilege in the world.
“I wanted to focus on what was important and live with more purpose, but I didn’t know how to,” explained Seb.
Like all passionate change-makers, he threw himself into a new project and created the TODAY app.
Here’s the lowdown from my catch-up with Seb last month:

What is your favourite thing about living in the local area? I’ve been in the east for 10 years and in Bondi for the last four. I love that I’m pretty much 60 seconds from jumping in the surf anytime I want!

What is the TODAY app? TODAY is a sustainable living app that gives people one small challenge to complete each day. Then it gives people feedback on the positive impact they’re having. It prompts little habit hacks and changes we can easily make – like going meat-free for a day or grabbing a reusable coffee cup. For me, the first was to try and figure out how to bring the world’s most monumental challenges into a framework and tool that feels personal, relevant, and easy to share and talk about.

What are the top 3 things people would get out of using the app?
1. Personal motivation – consider it a buddy that helps motivate you.
2. Connect with friends who also want to make a positive impact, since you can log into the app through Facebook.
3. Access to products and services that can help to support more sustainable living in the long term.

Why/how do you think a digital app will deliver positive changes in people’s behaviour? It makes it easy for people to take simple steps on big issues. We live with one of the most powerful pieces of technology in our pockets, 24 hours a day – our smartphones.
We recognise the need to make change towards sustainable alternatives, and there’s no doubt that we’ll need technology to help us along the way to make it easy, fun, smart, and social.

What’s your vision for the TODAY app? My hope for TODAY is for it to become a powerful tool for us to reconnect and focus on the things that matter to us most. We have so much opportunity to turn the tables on grand-scale problems and the value we give to the environment (not to mention our cultures and the importance of our personal wellbeing).

What other ‘New Year’ advice do you have for people? Try one small thing each day. Why not start today? To find out more, head to www.the-today-app.com.

Wishing you all a happy and safe festive season and New Year.