We are well into the second month of 2022, and while some of the green resolutions people made at the start of the year are no doubt flourishing, others are being tested, while some will have been abandoned.
Wicklow-based ecologist, Alex Konieczka, is already firmly on the path to making this year her greenest yet.
Alex started her own company, called Understory, "to rebel against the current make and waste model" of business.
Operating to circular and zero-waste principles, she diverts materials from landfill, to create products - like terrariums, planters and bee houses - which connect people with nature.
She explained: "I have an online shop where I sell zero waste products. I use reclaimed materials, going around the community to see what people are throwing away. There's always plenty to work with.
"Nothing I use is toxic, or chemical. It's an adventure in a way. I can’t just go to the shop and buy something; I have to go and find it. I do become a bit of a hoarder. My house is full of stuff I can't get rid of because I will use it someday. I never see waste as waste."
Alex's childhood in Łódź in Poland has shaped how she wants to grow her business in Ireland.
"When I was growing up, we didn’t have much money, so we cared about everything," she said. "That was the way with a lot of families, you passed things down and didn't just throw things away. I live with that philosophy to this day. People respect that and see their own values in it too."
Before founding Understory, Alex worked in Accenture, where she tried to find ways of making the workplace greener.
But Alex reached a turning point in her life two years ago after becoming very ill with septic shock.
"I may not have made it," she said. "But from that moment on I said I won't delay, I won’t block myself, I want to be who I want to be. I always said 'now is not the time, I'm not ready to do this'. So I think that was the most defining moment. I said to myself 'now is the time'.
"Since then I've tried to be on the journey I want to be on and through that and the support I've received from some lovely people I have Understory."
She added, "The feeling I get from working with waste materials and knowing I'm having an impact is the most wonderful thing I could be feeling, and it makes you a better person for your family and your friends. I think it's using your life well."
In our 'Climate Heroes' series of reports, we shine a light the people who are stepping up to protect our environment and tackle climate change. While these people come from all walks of life, they share a common purpose to improve the world around us.
