They always say you life changes when you have a child, and this was definitely the case for Gemma Lewis.
Gemma had spent the past 15 years in the fashion industry, jetting around the world and help sell clothes globally.
All this meant the 39-year-old had been building up quite a carbon footprint, and this was something that became a great cause for concern after the birth of her daughter, Cosy.
It initially started with a zero waste shop but has progressed to looking to shape the future of her hometown with the group A Voice for the Future-Porthcawl.
"After graduating from University I happily worked in fashion in London for 15 years," Gemma explains.
"It was a super exciting time. I started in Asos right at it's conception, when there were just 40 of us in the office. Quickly got promoted to manager at the peak on online retail and in the 4 years I was there we went for 40-over a thousand employers. It was a very buzzy fun environment."
Gemma left Asos for Selfridges, working as an online styling manager where she helped grow their online department. Three years later she was off to Farfetch, the British-Portuguese online luxury fashion retail platform.
"This was an incredible job," she says.
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"As global head of styling my role meant I travelled internationally on a weekly basis. Whether it was Portugal, Hong Kong, LA or Brazil. I adored the role and the culture. In the four years I was there is had gone from a start-up to a Unicorn fashion Business worth well over a billion."
In 2014 Gemma had her daughter Cosy. She admits before then she zero comprehension and thought towards her personal carbon footprint.
"I suddenly felt very conscious of all the waste being created from this one little life," Gemma says.
"That made me acutely aware of the huge waste in the industry in which I had chosen to work. My heart fell out of love with that world and I went into overdrive trying to remedy my lifestyle.
"This meant I could no longer work in fashion. And this sort of went hand in hand with wanting to move back to my home town, Porthcawl, to the seaside and to nature.
"It was the best choice we ever made."
Porthcawl is, obviously, very different from London. And while you can't throw a stone without hitting a zero water shop in the 海角视频 capital, in Porthcawl there was nothing.
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"Having no access to the zero waste lifestyle I had started to create in London I decided to set up a not for profit zero waste shop....from an old horsebox," she said.
"Total start up costs were under £5,000 so I could use some savings and make a risk free stab at this new venture. Within a month it was clear there was a real need and desire for this in the community and so I moved into a bricks and mortar shop.
"A week after signing the lease Boris Johnson announced there was a global pandemic and we were all in lockdown."
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However, as as an essential goods provider the shop was allowed to stay open.
"It turned out to be an incredible year as people made visiting The Pantri Box their daily form of exercise," she recalls proudly.
"It became a place where people could, from a distance, meet in the queue and have socially distanced contact."
Gemma says that the shop is doing really well and has created a little family of customers who she loves seeing every week.
"It's a proper community," she says.
"There are now three of us working shifts. We've created a little outside coffee shop space and sell over 150 different products and where possible always buy locally made produce.
"Our next project is 'Leave and Learn' which will run on a fortnightly basis. Customers will be invited to leave their boxes with us while they move to the garden to learn a new 'thing'; whether it be a lesson from our local coffee roaster and Barrista on making the perfect brew to making the best sourdough to conversational Welsh lessons."
Despite it's constant growth it is still a small shop and it off the beaten track, Gemma says. She felt that it wasn't spreading the plastic free message quick or far enough and so she approached her daughter'sprimary school, West Park Primary, and pitched an idea.
"I suggested I'd donate 200 litres of hand soap and together we would create their own fully functioning in-house zero-waste shop," Gemma says.
"The Head Teacher, Mrs Morgan, went for it immediately and two months later they had created their own name, Eco Green Leaf, logo, mission statement, adverts and profit and loss sheets.
"They had a finance, advertising, PR and creative team and it was a massive success with over 200 parents supporting the project.
"Most importantly the kids really loved it and gained a lot form the experience. Four schools in the area have already approached me to replicate the scheme, and five more from further afield.
"I am now looking for funding for The Pantri Box Foundation, which is super exciting and the aspect I want to now concentrate on."
Gemma is also looking at Porthcawl as a whole and how to turn the town green.
"The most pressing project at the moment centres around 'A Voice for The Future-Porthcawl'," she says.
"Together with some friends and locals I started this group to try and ensure a planned redevelopment on the coastline of Porthcawl, Saltlake car-park, is executed with the environment and the future generations at its core.
"Saltlake car-park is a prime piece of coastline that has been wasteland for over 40 years. During the pandemic BCBC [Bridgend County Borough Council] have, in our view, sadly sold a portion of it to Aldi with the vast majority of the remaining land allocated to residential housing.
"We now want a voice to make sure the subsequent redevelopment in Saltlake carpark is more future thinking than a supermarket and houses. We want to preserve this small but unique piece of land and create a space for the community and visitors to enjoy; we want it to be a space that complements the beauty of its natural habitat and provides an exciting destination for all ages; but predominantly somewhere where future generations can benefit and grow and where the environment is respected.
"We're discussing pump tracks, natural ponds/water facilities, hubs for entrepreneurs and new exciting businesses like The Goodsheds in Barry; green-space, WFH [working from home] hubs to help feed creativity and promote healthy mental well- being. Market Garden. So many ideas. And we want as many people in Porthcawl as possible to join us @avoiceforthefuturwporthcawl to ensure we retain green flexible space in the town'."
What started out as one woman mission to reduce her carbon footprint has turned into a mission to turn Porthcawl green. And, perhaps, beyond.