Local hair salon goes the extra mile in eco-friendliness Emily Tanton Student Reporter
Amy de Kock opened Buzz Buzz Hair Co. in Hardisty Nov. 3, 2015, and has been working hard to maintain an eco-friendly designation; staff are always trying to find ways to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or the oceans. De Kock was happy to return to her roots and open her own salon in Hardisty after working in high-end salons in Edmonton for several years. “Being born and raised in Hardisty made opening the salon here an easy choice. I wanted to bring a high end experience to the amazing people that made my upbringing here so wonderful. “Having the support of family and friends made opening a business less overwhelming and I haven’t looked back since.” In her search for a single product line that she could incorporate into her salon, she came across Kevin.Murphy, a gamechanging brand personally and professionally in de Kock’s mind. “This is a brand that cares as much about the effects their product have on the world as it does on the hair.” Kevin.Murphy has a partnership with Green Circle Salons and she knew she had her answer for change. Green Circle Salons provides a program that recovers and repurposes beauty waste. “I always set out to run a business that cared and to be an owner that contributed to the community in the most positive way possible.” De Kock is immensely passionate about the message the Kevin.Murphy brand, as well as Green Circle Salons, wants to deliver and began pursuing a position as an educator for Kevin.Murphy. “I am proud of being a member of the Kevin.Murphy team. They are a second family to me and have such a positive impact on my skills as a stylist. Educating gives me the opportunity to influence a wide range of people.” She was chosen, along with 12 other people in all
of North America, to fly to California for a five day training course to become a Kevin.Murphy educator. “I was an absolute nervous wreck full of selfdoubt that a small town girl couldn’t possibly hold her own with stylists from all over North America. Little did I know, I was about to embark on an adventure that would completely change my life and positively effect my business in many ways.” De Kock was struck by the negative impact high amounts of waste has on the oceans and the world. The beauty industry in North America alone creates 400,000 tonnes of waste yearly. She was also introduced to the company 4ocean while in California; this company is partnered with Green Circle Salons to help clean the oceans. During her training, she truly learned how much Kevin.Murphy cares. Contributions from every aerosol can sold are donated back to The Climate Reality Project in order to offset the carbon footprint created. All ingredients are ethically and sustainably sourced. The company was also inspired to make a change this year to lessen their carbon footprint by making all packaging from 100 per cent ocean waste plastic. “We are a certified sustainable salon. It takes extra work to separate waste into several different categories in the shop, but the work is worth the ease on our conscience. We know we are being as proactive as we can be.” De Kock understands the value in practicing what she preaches and so her position as an educator for Kevin.Murphy naturally improved the footprint of Buzz Buzz Hair Co. By repurposing their salon waste through Green Circle Salons, the team can recycle 95 per cent of everything in the salon, including hair, foils, and hair color. De Kock’s stylists Tazma Keller and Rachael Rogers have been proactive as well in making the salon better. De Kock is incredibly proud of her staff and the hard work they dedi-
cate to her company. She says they inspired her to be better; if her staff were going to be passionate and hardworking then they deserved a boss who shows the same effort. “I wanted to create a space we could all be proud of, a space we could learn in, excel in, and make positive growth in. We are doing these things every day through outside education.” De Kock has spoken about the program with the children of Allan Johnstone school and challenged each student to make one positive change at home with their families. Buzz Buzz Hair Co. itself reduced its weekly trash from five black garbage bags to one small white kitchen garbage bag in a month. “I am proud that my staff and myself were willing to challenge ourselves to make a positive change in our salon, our community, and our planet. We are doing our part. I hope this can inspire other salons to follow suit and people in general to practice more recycling at home.”
The Community Press, Wednesday, September 4, 2019 - Page 11
Hockey Season is just around the corner... Call or email Ally today if you’d like to be a sponsor of this year’s
‘Meet the Wheaties’ player profiles. Minimum 2 per season, per business, but can be spaced out and you aren’t billed until it runs. Phone 780-385-6693 or Email ads@thecommunitypress.com
You can also contact us if you would like to sponsor hockey standings, or if you’re interested in being a sponsor of our annual “Go Sabres...” “Go Northstars...” “Go Flyers...” pages.
Business Opportunity Looking for Distributors Become a Distributor for:
4920 - 53 Ave.,Viking
Ultimate Hemp World in Viking, AB provides its customers the wide range of proven health benefits of Hemp Oil in its purest form. This includes relief of pain, inflammation, arthritis.
We are looking for Distributors in communities across the province. Maybe you are stay-at-home parent, fresh from school, or semi-retired person? Do you have a small, medium, or large business looking to enhance your product selection? You can sell our products from your home, business, or the place of your choice. We are looking for energetic representatives, willing to learn and invest time and passion into distributing our products. Token investment of just $200 to get started. Candidates are welcome to contact us at 780-336-2200, email info@uhwinc.com, or visit our office in Viking, Alberta: Mon to. Friday between 9 am and 5 pm. Prior appointments are appreciated.