Marcela Godoy is a consultant and activist living in Chile. We met her at our São Paulo Fellowship back in 2016 and recently connected to hear more about how her change-making has evolved and expanded (which it has in very big ways!). Read on to find out more.
Can you give us an introduction to yourself and your work?
Hi, I'm Marcela Godoy. I’m a consultant and activist. I define myself as a change-maker in sustainable consumption and production systems. I live in Chile, and I am passionate about the circular economy.
I co-run as a Sustainability Director, the consulting firm Stgo Slow, a sustainability trends laboratory, through which we advise companies on sustainability management, ecodesign, circular economy, trends, lifestyle and sustainable communication.
I’m also the president of Circular, the Association of Sustainable Consumers of Chile, which is a citizen organization where we work in educating on sustainable lifestyles through the #AcademiaCircular. We create awareness campaigns and represent citizenship for the creation of public policies associated with sustainable consumption and production systems.
What motivates you to do the work that you do?
Thanks for this great question! I think it's the balance between my career and my activism; being able to work on what I believe in is a gift, discovering it and daring to live the adventure of doing it is a treasure. I feel very fortunate to have discovered my passion and to be able to continue to work on it.
The challenge is to maintain it, which is why perseverance in doing things with professionalism, seriousness, a collaborative spirit and technical and scientific support is essential.
How did you find out about the UnSchool, and what motivated you to come?
In 2015 I watched Leyla's TED talk, and she blew my mind because back then I also used the example of paper and plastic bags to explain concepts such as efficiency, biodegradability and the product life cycle approach to my students at the university.
So I felt that I was on the right track and that I wasn't really crazy when I saw her talk! This motivated me to work on creating a story to close the knowledge gap in sustainability for other professionals and consumers.
And of course, I wanted to live the whole UnSchool experience. To continue learning with Leyla and the fact that there was going to be a fellowship in Sao Paulo was a great opportunity. So I applied and attended the third UnSchool Fellowship in 2016.
What was your experience at the UnSchool like?
It was an amazing week! And a real adventure, because I had been living my motherhood almost full time and it was the first time I was away from my little daughter Matilde.
I met incredible people with whom I still have contact. I learned so much more about sustainability, and of course I met Leyla, one of the women that I admire most.
What was the main takeaway you had from coming to the UnSchool?
It was definitely systems thinking, I always explain how it changed my life. Now I live, work and even decide everyday things using systems maps.
And the whole experience had an impact on the design of the training programs I run; in fact, the Academia Circular I started in Chile is inspired by the UnSchool of Disruptive Design!
Alumni working during the Academia Circular 2018. Photo by Circular.
Tell us more about your initiative(s), and how is it all going?
The two initiatives I lead are in the context of sustainable consumption and production systems. Stgo Slow works with companies to improve their production patterns and the communication of these improvements. On the other hand, Circular works both with the government of Chile supporting the creation of public policies related to sustainability and Circular Economy, and with citizens, listening and educating about the impacts of our consumption decisions as well as the power that we have as consumers to change the whole system.
Speaking about circular economy and consumption and production systems at CEFA - Circular Economy Forum Americas 2018, Photo CEFA 2018.
While running Stgo Slow, we have developed the Ecodesign 3.0©, an upgrade to the traditional methodology that incorporates marketing 3.0, improving stakeholders’ engagement and innovation by introducing market research and analysis of consumers’ lifestyles to the process.
In Circular, we participate in several initiatives in the public and private sectors. We were part of the Extended Producer Responsibility Law Committee (Ley REP) and are currently part of the Chilean Plastics Pact, the Road Map for Circular Economy in Chile for 2040. We also are part of the committee that developed the eco-label of recyclability for packaging in Chile, which will inform consumers about the recycling level and how to close the loops correctly.
I just realized it's a lot of things! It’s a lot of work and requires a lot of time, which by the way is ad honorem, so it is what we call “efficient activism”.
Introducing the Ecodesign 3.0 methodology at the Latin American Summit of Innovation in Plastic Packaging, Mexico, 2019. Photo by Stgo Slow.
How did the UnSchool help you start/evolve it?
It helped me a lot, to find others who were taking action in different spaces, with different purposes, but with the same strength, mobilized to achieve sustainability as I was.
Living the intensity of that experience, and then realizing that change begins at a personal level, helped me act as an agent and as a collective in a social movement.
And finally, The UnSchool helped me to assume that it is possible to do both: to work on what I love and to live from what I believe.
How have you amplified this change you do in the world?
By creating a community of mobilized people who want to truly change the world, without greenwashing, with social justice and equity.
Matilde telling the story of "Stephen, the single-use plastic eater" in the 2019 mini circular workshop. Photo by Circular.
This hard work is not possible without my best friend and partner Carola Moya, with whom I design and develop all the ideas that come to mind!
With my partner and friend Carola Moya, in an interview for the webserie "El Nuevo Vestir", in the episode "The new challenges of the fashion consumer".
I also try hard to give these values to my daughter, although she is the one who ends up teaching me everything. She is my greatest pride; she even has been a facilitator in the workshops for children in Circular. We started an instablog @para_grandes_y_pequenes, where we relate our journey towards sustainable living with a language for all, grown-ups and little ones.
How can people engage with, support, or follow your work?
You can follow Stgo Slow and Circular on Instagram, as this is where we are most active with publications and news.
