We enjoyed getting to know Graham Hill a little better in this installment of our TEDxMaui 2013 Speaker Spotlight series. “Designpreneur” Graham Hill founded the eco-blog TreeHugger.com, to help, as he says, “push sustainability into the mainstream.”
Stay tuned for more Speaker Spotlights from our amazing TEDxMaui 2013 presenters over the next week.
What drives you to do the work you do?
I like to solve problems. Our current excess scares me somewhat… so I’m trying to build ways of living fulfilling, compelling lives within our financial and environmental means. I believe there’s a different way… and that we’ll be happier living that way.
Share one personal experience or relevant anecdote that informs your TEDx talk?
We’ve all done it. You pack light for a trip and yet you still get home and realize you didn’t use a bunch of the stuff you brought. Our lives are like this too. We need less than we think. If we are conscious about the stuff we own and the space we rent/own, we can focus on less but better and this has many benefits.
How are you or your topic connected to Maui or Hawaiʻi?
I love it? My cousin, Chelsea Hill, has been a local for 17 years and we’re very close so I’ve come many times and a few years ago bought some of her land in Haiku. I come every year for a couple of months and work and kite/surf etc.. It’s heavenly.
What are some of your favorite statistics or data points?
Average home size in USA has gone from 1,000 sft in the 50s to 2500ish now, while families have shrunk. So we have close to triple the space we used to. Yet we need more space offsite as we’ve also become massive consumers. Personal storage is a $22B industry!!!
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Be unapologetically yourself and share how you feel openly.
What advice would your younger self, give to the older you?
Keep in shape.