Environmental awareness is not yet “baked” into Bermuda’s culture and legislation.

Kaiya Richards, founder of green product business Choice Era, thinks that should change.

“Other countries are very good at forcibly making it a requirement to do things like recycling or separating food waste,” Ms Richards said.

Switzerland, for example, doubled its recycling rate in many cantons by putting a tax on trash bags. In Germany, separating waste and throwing it into the right bin is mandatory.

“Recycling in Bermuda is optional,” Ms Richards said. “We also do not separate certain trash the way other countries do, because of our incinerator. What is recycled is generally sent away to another country to be sorted.”

Ms Richards said the general attitude towards sustainability in Bermuda was “at your convenience”.

She formed Choice Era in September 2022 to make following a green lifestyle in Bermuda easier.

“You can tell people about the problem but it is nice to give them alternatives they can use to start making those changes,” Ms Richards said.

She came up with the idea for Choice Era while studying zoology in Wales several years ago. She noticed there were many more green product options on store shelves in Britain, than in Bermuda.

“There is a plethora of choices in Bermuda,” she said. “Although, I still don’t think we have the variety there is in the UK.”

Initially, she intended to start programmes that would ignite the community’s interest in environmental awareness. However, because she now has a job doing exactly that, she decided to go into sales.

“Awareness has peaked,” Ms Richards said. “Since opening, I have had some interesting conversations with people in Bermuda who already have ecofriendly lifestyles or who are gearing up towards it. That has been amazing to see.”

Through an online store, she sells everything from reusable coffee filters to clothing made from recycled materials.

“I research and vet all the brand and manufacturers to ensure they fit Choice Era values,” she said. “We have been developing two styles of dresses to release and are offering bucket hats.”

So far, her biggest sellers are laundry detergent sheets. These are an alternative to plastic laundry detergent jugs, which end up in oceans, beaches and landfill by the billions.

“The jugs are also mostly filled with water,” Ms Richards said.

Alternatively, laundry sheets are more concentrated, dissolve in the wash and come in a small cardboard box.

Many people resist going green fearing the cost. Ms Richards readily admitted that could be true, sometimes, in the short term.

“The market and the economy is run by consumers,” she said. “If consumers only want something specific, that is what is made. If there is a drive from consumers who only want ecofriendly options, it will become the standard and be more affordable.”

The trade-off is that many green products are better quality and last longer than the mainstream items, according to Ms Richards.

She said with women’s products, such as reusable menstrual cups, you see an immediate return on most green items.

“I have not had to buy menstrual products in over five years,” she said.

• For more information, seewww.choiceera.com