One Bamboo Cutlery Set at a time: She Owns It Success Story and low-waste warrior Tasha Gray21/10/2019  Everybody knows that we are in a global trash crisis- but business owners like Tasha Gray are here to help us do something about it! Tasha runs GoAgain, a business that helps New Zealanders make low waste lifestyle changes with their range of no-plastic products. She is a yogi, traveller, beach lover and entrepreneur, so a low waste business was an obvious path. She lives in surf-crazy Piha with her partner and two lively teenagers, and she is on a mission to make New Zealand a better place for future generations- one bamboo cutlery set at a time. Firstly we want to know about you! Tell us 3 things everyone needs to know about you1) I love to travel. Exploring New Zealand in our van is the best! We have a roof top tent and an awesome camping setup. My favourite place to go is Great Barrier Island, although I recently went to the South Island and that was pretty awesome too. I am already planning our next trip. I think my favourite place in New Zealand is… any beach, they are all so beautiful. I can’t wait to discover more. 2) I am a videographer for my surf crazy family and our friends. I spend a lot of time travelling, as our teens surf competitively. I have a background in video production and now focus my efforts on making great surf videos. 3) Yoga also plays an important role in my life. I am a yoga teacher in West Auckland. I have been teaching since the early 2000s. I teach community and corporate classes and really enjoy bringing yoga together with scientific understanding of movement (biomechanics).  SO tell us a bit about your business- What's your elevator pitch?Goagain – Tools for Low Waste Living helps busy people and families with tools, tips and tricks for a lower waste life. People who use Goagain products (like our reusable bamboo cutlery sets and our beeswax wraps) are taking big steps to using less plastic in their lives, and are helping our environment. I understand what it is like to be rushing out the door with a massive day in front of you, picking up afternoon tea and dinner on the run. You are always hurrying through the supermarket without much time to think about the best eco-friendly choices. I want to make those choices easier for people too! At Goagain we focus on low waste rather than zero waste choices, so the regular Kiwi can feel empowered by the choices they make. Every step we take makes a difference.  You've been running GoAgain for a while now- how did you get into it originally?I’ve always lived a relatively low waste lifestyle, and I started to get more concerned about how throw-away our society had become. I wanted to do something to help change that dynamic. I saw that many people have started carrying a Keep Cup to drink their coffee from, but they were still using disposable cutlery with their take out breakfast, lunch or dinner, that’s when I came up with the idea to try and get everyone using reusable cutlery sets. That was my original business inspiration, now I’m expanding out to other sustainable products. My friends joke that our family eat away from home so much, we must travel with a kitchen in the back of our car! We don’t… but we do always have a chilly bin in the boot, and our bamboo cutlery sets. I also think I have perfected the art of how to eat takeout and not create too much packaging waste.
Who do you serve? What gets you out of bed in the morning?I am very community minded, and care deeply about treating people and our environment with respect and care. I would love everyone to think about how we can reduce and reuse, and I want to do it in a positive way that encourages, rather than depresses people. A year ago, the conversation around New Zealand’s plastic problem seemed to be held by a smaller group of concerned people… now I think it is on everyone’s mind! If I think about who I serve, I think about the kids in our playgrounds, the kids that are yet to come into our world, the fish in our oceans… eek I’m starting to sound like a real hippy here! I guess I would like to make a living in a sustainable way that leads to a more sustainable world. What has been the most challenging part about running Goagain so far? How do you feel as you are just starting out?With Goagain, every step is a learning curve. I am very new to the product based business world, so am very tentative about a lot of things. I tend to really think about each decision. I think I must have researched what accounting platform I was going to use for about a month! Once I have made a decision, I get really excited about implementing it. I am quite a reserved person, so getting out and doing sales for my business is a real challenge for me. This is an area I could probably do with more advice and support on. 
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