Lazy Faire - March 2022

MARCH 2022 ISSUE

Nicole Sanchez Co-founder of RUTH

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Editor's Note

Editor's Note Hello! My name is Red, and it is my pleasure to be Lazy Faire Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief for the 2021/2022 academic year. We are so excited for you to read our latest issue!

When you hear the word “sustainability,” what comes to mind? Most people will probably say something along the lines of “protecting the environment and conserving resources.” Sustainability is not just about environmentalism, but rather a combination of social, environmental, and economic development within our society. Lazy Faire Magazine is proud to explore the theme of “SUSTAINABILITY” this month, looking at ways in which we can all be proactive and take responsible action to contribute to creating a community that is thriving, healthy, diverse, and resilient for not just ourselves, but also for the future generations to come.

In this issue, among other things, learn more about corporate responsibility with respect to greenwashing. Explore the advantages/disadvantages of shopping locally or globally. Connect with Professor Webb Dussome, who in this issue provides insight as to how companies can “take traditional marketing tools and techniques and use them to change people’s behaviors”. Lastly, hear more from Nicole Sanchez, an Alberta School of Business graduate and co-founder of Ruth, a company dedicated to tackling menstrual waste and using its business for “social good.”

Each month, we will be featuring impactful students on the cover of our magazine. If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their accomplishments, please feel free to connect with us through email or our social media platforms.

On behalf of the Lazy Faire team, welcome, and thanks for taking the time to join us on this journey. We’re excited to share quality content for business students by business students. Read on ahead!

VP Marketing

VP Operations & Finance

VP Editorial

Melanie Mah

Janet Dhanoa

Vaneeza Asif

Photographers

Social Media & Website Director

Writers

Kevin Wilianto Martin Bendico

Justin Fong

Designers

VP Arts & Design

Harkeerat Brar Catherine Gorman

Kim Tinana

3 | FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS

Greg Choi Liezl Ubaldo Saima Jahan Liza

Table of Contents

TABLE OF

CONTENTS Meet the Team

05

06 Social Studies

Thought vs Thought

07

09

Shop Local vs Shop Global

Lazy Chat Webb Dussome

Greenwashing

11

Student Spotlight Nicole Sanchez

13 Opinion Plant Care

15

Clubs Corner Net Impact Botany Student Organization

FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS | 4

Meet the Team

MEET THE TEAm Meet the Team

Janet Dhanoa Hi! My name is Janet. I'm a third-year finance co-op student. My primary role at Lazy Faire is VP Operations and Finance, and my secondary role is Designer. I joined the team because of the many promising opportunities to learn and grow with like-minded people. I look forward to meeting other students and expanding the reach of Lazy Faire within our U of A community.

In my free time, you can find me hanging out with my family, at the gym, or binging Netflix. Feel free to connect with me anytime!

Kevin Wilianto Hello, my name is Kevin Wilianto and I am in my third year majoring in business studies. I am an international student from Jakarta, Indonesia and I am excited to join Lazy Faire as a photographer and operations director! A fun fact about me is that my birthday is on September 11, 2001, and my hobbies include photography, gaming, and sports!

Liezl Ubaldo Hi! My name is Liezl and I’m an Accounting major at the University of Alberta. In my free time, I like to read, go on walks, and spend time with friends. As a writer at Lazy Faire, I’m excited to explore my creativity and get to know different people and groups who are making a mark at the School of Business!

Harkeerat Brar My name is Harkeerat Brar, and I am currently in the last semester of my Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Business Economics and Law. Since it is my final year, I wanted to join a club where I could meet new people and expand my skill set, which is when I came across Lazy Faire. I have always had a passion for interior designing and knew being a designer would be the right opportunity to do something I love. Aside from school, I enjoy spending time with my family, singing, and finding new places to eat. I am excited to connect with great people and be a part of a team that will allow me to flourish!

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The story of

g n i h s nwa

e e r G

As the world continues to experience the undeniable effects of climate change, companies have embraced the implementation of more sustainable practices to minimize their carbon footprint. However, some corporations make unsubstantiated claims regarding their products to capitalize on the increasing demand for environmentally-friendly products. Sustainable.

Eco-friendly. Vegan. These are just some of the labels that companies advertise on their packaging to present their products as “greener”. But how much of that is true?

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing is when corporations falsely label their products as environmentally friendly. It involves spending more time and money on marketing their products as such without actually minimizing the impact their products have on the environment.

What does it look like An example of greenwashing is using buzzwords like ‘natural’; ‘eco-friendly’; ‘green’; ‘recyclable’; ‘biodegradable’ on product labels. These are vague terms that are not regulated and can be used by companies to describe any of their products. For example, companies can label their products as ‘biodegradable’. All products biodegrade – it’s just a matter of how long the process takes. Another example is the branding of the product. The use of earth tones as the colour palette and the display of nature images in packaging can also mislead customers into thinking that the product is sustainably-sourced or produced when this may not actually be the case.

Social Studies

Written by: Liezl Ubaldo Designed by: Vaneeza Asif

The Effects of Greenwashing Greenwashing impedes the positive impact of the sustainability movement. When claims regarding sustainability fail to be supported by action, it hinders efforts to a more sustainable future - the time and money to misleadingly advertise the product as “green” could have been used to actively and genuinely participate in sustainable practices.

Furthermore, greenwashing can ruin a brand’s reputation. When a company's dishonesty is exposed, they lose customer trust and brand loyalty. It can take many years to regain that public trust. A famous case of this is the Volkswagen (VW) emission scandal. In 2008, VW launched a “Clean Diesel” campaign, claiming that their diesel engines were “clean” to target environmentally-conscious customers. Over the seven years of their marketing campaign, VW sold over 550,000 diesel cars. In 2014, Volkswagen was exposed for rigging the emissions test to appear lower and was fined more than $20 billion for false advertising and for violating clean air regulations in the U.S. How to avoid Greenwashing As a business, the best way to avoid greenwashing is transparency. By presenting these details about the product or brand and its environmental impact, businesses can show the authenticity of their claims.

Our Responsibility Responsibility for environmental protection falls on the individual level, but more importantly, on the collective level. Due to the high degree of impact businesses have on the environment, they have a critical responsibility for its protection. They play a key role in slowing the effects of climate change. By actively implementing genuinely sustainable practices, society as a whole can hope for a more sustainable future.

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Thought vs Thought

SHOP LOCAL Written By: Gregory Choi Designed By: Harkeerat Brar

As of late, there has been a larger influence on the sustainability and eco-consumerism of our day-to-day actions. Whether it be from purchasing more eco friendly products to switching to more green sources of energy, we’ve started to shape our habits into more sustainable behaviors. This continued trend to our commitment to a more sustainable behavior can be reflected no differently in shopping local.

Shopping locally can offer many advantages, one of which is being that the money you spend will stay within the local economy. On average you will see only around 40 percent of your money spent on a non-local business stay within the local economy compared to roughly 70 percent staying when shopping locally. This extra portion of value staying within the community is in large part due to the fact that local businesses tend to hire and spend money on other local businesses which in turn can positively affect things such as environmental impact because of the fact that less transportation is used through local business purchases. Furthermore, the money is also used in creating and supporting local jobs, with small business employment covering roughly 70 percent of employment in Canada. Shopping locally can continue to keep these levels stable as well as creating more jobs.

Of course, when it comes to shopping locally there are definitely higher costs when it comes to shopping at these places and this is often the greatest barrier to those who wish to be more locally sustainable but are unable to do so. It is however without its merit, in that you can see a larger impact on the product and service you receive at local stores where you are seen more as an individual, which draws further with the fact that local business markets towards you and those around you rather than national marketing strategies trying to encompass the nation of people as a whole. Simultaneously, it is important to remember that cost is more than just a label.

It can also include time spent searching for or waiting for a product. Oftentimes you also receive a higher quality product that lasts longer (and can reduce time spent looking for new products) and positively impact your local economy. As well, with new innovations and small business grants, shopping locally can often be favorable in regards to the factors mentioned above.

Sustainability is about the journey, not the destination. You need not shop 100 percent locally. Ultimately, explore your area and see what it has to offer. A lot of these places are within walking distance and offer a completely different experience when you consider all the factors mentioned above.

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Thought vs Thought

SHOP GLOBAL Written By: Saima Jahan Liza Designed By: Harkeerat Brar Around 10 or so years ago, when we went out shopping, did we ever imagine that we could buy anything we wanted, right from our sofas? From small necessities to large investments, all sorts of things can be bought online these days. Global shopping is nothing but the advancements of science and technology that is making our life easier day by day.

The COVID-19 situation had the most recent significant impact on how we, as consumers, interact with products. As a result, online spending grew tremendously over this period.

And due to its nature, your browsing is not limited to any regional boundary. If what you want isn’t available in Canada, you are welcome to import it. That is just part of why shopping globally is so popular.

Global Shopping or ecommerce can be many things like cross border shopping, international online retails, borderless business. We can’t say what it is not because it is everything. Shopping globally is much more a necessity than a luxury in today’s world. Almost all products consumed today are part of the global picture. This perfectly encapsulates how immersed we are in the global market and each of its daily developments.

So, what can be done with global shopping? I would rather ask, what can not be done?

Global shopping is at the convenience of our fingertips 24/7. Consider the following scenario: A woman living in a small town needs to buy an outfit for an important upcoming function.

She was able to find some shoes and get her hair done at local shops. However, that perfect dress was found online from a shop overseas. Though fictional, this scenarios is often reality for many of us. Even if we are able to find several items from local shops, sometimes we just need to turn on our laptops to find that specific item.

Just like Rome, ecommerce wasn’t established and perfected in a day. As with anything, it had shaky beginnings and welcomed early adopters. As a result, however, ecommerce has become increasingly sophisticated. This allows consumers to shop a lot more safely and for businesses to sell more efficiently. It has allowed consumers to choose from a variety of options and become exposed to international trends, which helps to build an international community. Consider a popular TV show: People from several countries can buy merchandise online regarding the TV show and bond over said merchandise with fans across the globe. Shopping globally is also often stigmatized due to fears on unethical business practices. However, if the growing online community has taught us anything, it’s that the vast amounts of information online can often impose transparency on business.

Shopping globally can be sustainable and ethical if you make the effort to do your research. The same can be said of local shopping. However, global shopping adds the benefit of variety, choice, ease of use and the saving of time.

FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS | 8

Student Spotlight

NICOLE SANCHEZ Ruth Co-founder From a school project to a business.

Written By: Liezl Ubaldo | Designed By: Janet Dhanoa On the topic of sustainability, Lazy Faire had the opportunity to sit down with Nicole Sanchez, co-founder of Ruth and an alumna of the Alberta School of Business. Ruth offers sustainable pads that are 93% plant-based and biodegrade within a year. Its mission is to make sustainable periods easy. On top of sustainability, Ruth has a social mission to end period poverty, educate others about menstrual hygiene, and break down the stigma surrounding menstruation.

Tell us about yourself

What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability is a journey. I feel like a lot of people think that sustainability is either all or nothing. You don’t have to switch out everything within a day or a month. But if you’re doing something, even if it’s small, like using reusable bags for groceries, that in itself makes a huge difference. Doing those little things and making them a habit will take you towards that step. Doing something is better than not doing anything.

How does Ruth tackle issues regarding women's health in our community?

We are partnered with several organizations across Canada. In Edmonton, we’re partnered with YEG Cycle, a community that advocates for LGBTQA+ rights and I think that’s another important thing that not a lot of people discuss: not all women bleed, and not all who bleed are women. We have this other segment we started called “Ruthless Conversations''.

It talks about periods, the advocacy behind it, and period poverty. When we launched a company campaign in July, we partnered with seven organizations across Canada to donate menstrual products. These are for women’s shelters and homeless shelters that provide menstrual products to women in need. Ending period poverty is one of the things that we want to fight for.

I’m one of the co-founders of Ruth and I graduated from the U of A with a major in Business Economics and Law in 2020. The journey towards entrepreneurship was kind of weird for me. I didn’t really know anything about entrepreneurship – didn’t think I was going to be an entrepreneur – until I got involved with this project called Hempact at the U of A. I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact in the community so that’s what drove me to join Enactus. When I finished school in April 2020, the pandemic hit and I didn’t really know what I wanted. The corporate jobs that I was looking into weren't that appealing to me, so I told my co-founder [Anka Chan], “Hey, we should just do this”. We decided to go for it and I’ve been doing this full-time since then.

What was the inspiration behind Ruth?

My co-founder and I love the mission of making sustainable periods easy.

The more that we worked on it, the more we realized how important solving the problem was. We tried to look for a new solution and bring it to a whole new level from the one we were doing with Hempact while still trying to solve the problem of sustainability. The name Ruth is inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who did a lot for women’s rights. Ruth in the bible also means kind and giving and so we wanted to emulate that in our mission.

9 | FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS

END PERIOD POVERTY

Student Spotlight

In March, your company will be hosting an event called Ruthlessly Resilient. Can you share some insights about the event?

In March we want to celebrate International Women’s Day by hosting this event. The goal of this event is to give people some insight on how to be an advocate and how to use your voice as women, whether that’s in the workplace or as a student. We’re bringing together six panel members and we’re dividing the event into two parts. The first part is talking about periods and period poverty. A lot of the panelists from period care organizations are advocates for period poverty and we’re excited to get their insights. The other set of panelists are more business student type of panels. We want to empower women to do what it is they want to do – to chase after their dreams and use their voice to share with people things that they care about and put that into work.

How is your life as an entrepreneur?

Life as an entrepreneur is very interesting. I keep seeing this meme: “I didn’t want to work 9-5 so I chose to be an entrepreneur and now I work 24-7.” It’s so true. There’s no such thing as shutting it off. There’s no such thing as a vacation without checking your emails or thinking about the next step for the business. As an entrepreneur, you get to wear so many hats and learn a little bit about everything. You get to be your marketing person, your finance person, and you get to solve problems about the product even without having a technical background. We learned so much.

What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?

Connect with the community, build your own community, and ask for help. And also, just do it. It took us so long to get serious about this product because we were scared that it wasn’t going to work. We had all these expectations that we might not be able to achieve. But it’s worth it just for the experience and the lessons along the way.

Whatever you put into the business, you reap ten-fold. You learn so much and you grow both professionally and personally. It makes you resilient. If someone is reading this, and needs help with anything, connect with the community or feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help, if I can, or point you to the right people.

www.getruth.ca

What lessons did you learn along the way?

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned from being in Hempact to building a business is learning to reach out. When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to do everything and figure things out yourself. But asking for help when you need it is necessary. Build a community of your own and connect with like-minded people to talk about whatever the problem is, even if they can’t provide an answer to your problem. Just having people to talk to about similar experiences makes you feel valid.

Your problem isn’t unique. Even though it’s a different business, someone else has probably gone through what you’re going through and they can provide you valuable insight.

Other thoughts and insights?

Connect with the community, build your own community, and ask for help. And also, just do it. It took us so long to get serious about this product because we were scared that it wasn’t going to work. We had all these expectations that we might not be able to achieve. But it’s worth it just for the experience and the lessons along the way.

Whatever you put into the business, you reap ten-fold. You learn so much and you grow both professionally and personally. It makes you resilient. If someone is reading this, and needs help with anything, connect with the community or feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help, if I can, or point you to the right people.

FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS | 10

Lazy Chat

Lazy Chat with

Webb Dussome Written by Vaneeza Asif | Designed by Catherine Gorman

On the topic of sustainability, Lazy Faire sat with Webb Dussome to discuss the significance of marketing in regards to sustainability efforts. Prof. Webb is an executive professor of marketing under the department of Marketing, Business Economics and Law. He teaches MARK

455

(655)

-

a

course

with

a

focus

on

social/responsible marketing. Likewise, he is passionate about marketing and its impact on consumers. For this month, we spoke about Responsible and Social Marketing, its impact on consumer behaviors and recent trends in consumer concern regarding environmental sustainability.

This article is inspired by MARK 455 - Sustainability and Responsible Marketing.

Read on to learn more about how marketing can impact sustainability.

What does social marketing mean for the average consumer?

Tell us a bit about Responsible and Social Marketing, and similarly MARK 455.

People nowadays are a lot more cognizant of

I teach Mark 455 - or Mark 655 for graduate students -

mindful of their spending habits. Consumers now are

and it is essentially called Marketing in terms of

more aware of the truthfulness of sustainability claims

sustainability and responsibility. Primarily, its focus is

made by companies and there are a range of tools out

around using social marketing tools to influence positive

there that help reveal such information to the general

behavior changes when it comes to environmental

public. We are very aware of what we are buying, what

sustainability and climate change - since that is also a

our clothes are made out of and the conditions of the

part of the discussion. We typically begin the analysis by

factories that manufacture our products. But it’s not just

discussing the 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. If we

the consumers who are aware. The companies are

want behavior changes around sustainability, it falls

aware as well. And, as a result, it’s pretty hard to hide in

under the purview of those three things. By reducing our

today’s

consumption, we lessen our carbon footprint. By reusing

sustainable, the truth will soon become readily apparent

things, we lessen the amount going into our landfills.

as to the efficacy of their claims. Consider fast-fashion

You get the idea.

and H&M for example. H&M is aware of the problem of

sustainability and consumers have become more

world.

If

a

company

markets

itself

as

fast fashion and how it can impact their brand, so as a So then, the objective of social marketing is: how do we

result, they have created recycling bins in their store so

take traditional marketing tools and techniques and use

that consumers recycle rather than toss their old

them to change people’s behaviors?

clothes.

11 | FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS

Lazy Chat In Marketing, we refer to dishonest marketing as “cause-washing” - a more general term compared to the commonly used “green-washing.”

How does social marketing tackle consumer indifference in regards to sustainability?

market the accessibility of recycling. As consumer interest in recycling grew, organizations took notice through various initiatives. I’m sure you have seen the divided bins in SUB or HUB Mall that request trash be separated between landfill, organics, recycling and paper.

It takes time. We are on a continuum.

If marketing is so powerful, why not use it for social good?

- Webb Dussome

In the beginning, when the idea of sustainability was in its infancy, people didn’t know much about it. They did not take much action because they were ultimately unaware.

So, first and foremost, we have to raise awareness of

What do you think is the biggest challenge for social marketing for the Non-Profit Sector?

sustainability, what it is, what it means for them and so

Fewer resources. Non-profit organizations often have

on. Once they have this information, they will begin to

fewer resources to use in order to compete with large

consider their options: should they take action or not?

messaging from larger organizations. How does a nonprofit organization with a focus on fast fashion

At this stage, the role of social marketing is to help the

overcome the advertisements of a large clothing

consumer take action by marketing the benefits and

company? Additionally, there is also a lot of clutter out

the barriers to said action. We know that in marketing,

there, and if you don’t have the proper resources and

the benefits must outweigh the barriers. If taking

expertise, it can be challenging to navigate through

action for a cause is far too complex (i.e. has a lot of

that.

barriers), consumers will not take action. So marketers must market the benefits in order to be successful.

Secondly: in order to take action, consumers need to take action. It is not enough to just raise awareness. In

As mentioned before, we are on a continuum. It is not

marketing, we have an acronym, WIFM, which stands

enough to only action.

for “What’s in it for me?”, and marketers must always remember that marketing must revolve around the

These actions must be maintained and changes to the

consumer.

action must be marketed.

Trying to show consumers why they should care and During this action-taking phase, social marketing

take action is a glaring challenge that can take a lot of

continues to assist consumers in their awareness of

time and effort to demonstrate. Consider a consumer

any new benefits and barriers as well as newer or

who is very status conscious - changing their

more accessible methods by which they can take

behaviors can be challenging.

action towards the cause.

An example of this is recycling. For a while, people lacked awareness when it came to recycling. This was coupled with the fact that recycling was often not as accessible. We had to begin by informing people of the benefits and barriers to recycling. Next, we had to

Final Comments: The key here is that marketing is powerful. Consider how many of us buy things we don’t really need.

Social marketers say, “If marketing is so powerful, why not use it for social good?”

FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS | 12

Club's Corner

Can you please tell us a bit about Net Impact and CSR?

NET IMPACT An Interview with Amber Myles

I, myself, am an RN by trade - I’ve worked with the AHS for over 12 years. I started my full-time MBA in September of 2020 and participated as a student in the Net Impact Consulting Project. From there, I joined as an executive and I’m now the Chapter’s team lead.

Net Impact is a global organization that has 300 chapters across the globe, and over 100,000 members. Net Impact’s goal is to promote a more sustainable world by creating a discussion on the role of businesses in accomplishing sustainable change. The motto can be condensed into, “using the power of business to make sustainable change”.

Net Impact works with CCSR (Canadian Center for Corporate Social Responsibility) - a research-intensive organization with a focus on the social good of a community to enhance the quality of life.

Net Impact also provides a professor to its student members. The professor is associated with CCCSR and assists with funding for events such as the funding for the Net Impact Conference.

There is also an annual Net Impact conference to which select NI executives are given invites, however, due to COVID in recent years, more attendees have become possible.

13 | FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS

Club's Corner Can you tell us more about the Dragon's Den-style

On the other hand, we also look to further the

competition that NI holds?

sustainability discussion to long-term benefits to the

The Dragon's Den style event allows MBA students to

organization

learn

local

corporations. For example, when it comes to recycling

Nonprofits such as market research on affordable

PVC piping, a construction company ought to be

housing solutions, fundraising solutions or assist an

made aware of the long-term monetary benefits of

organization in obtaining B Corp certification. Students

recycling rather than immediately tossing it. A change

are then able to apply to be a part of a team and

in the thought processes is necessary.

about

specific

projects

to

support

and

encourage

sustainability

for

participate in a project which interests them. They assist the organization and work with a select sponsor

How do you believe we can help the average

from the organization in completing the project over a

consumer/individual to care about sustainability

6-month period. Students are given the opportunity to

efforts?

work with their selected Non-Profit and they are to

Create space for that discussion. By talking about

determine what they can do for that organization to

universal challenges to sustainability, we can help

reach its sustainability goal.

individuals become more informed and, as a result,

Recent examples of organizations which participated

help to make corporations more responsible.

in this year’s consulting projects include Buds N

More organizations now are getting on board with

Bloom, Edmonton Social Planning Council, Green

sustainability. However, unless we change our own

Violin and Waste Free Edmonton.

behaviors, change will stagnate.

Net Impact also works with KPMG to provide students

Consumers have the responsibility to do their own

with resources including consulting advice, resources

research and be more sustainable, and that will

and direction on the project, as well as a mid-point

incentivize corporations to be more responsible as

check-in with the teams.

well

This

competition

provides

the

students

with

In our personal lives, we can encourage friends and

consulting experience, knowledge about sustainability

family to get more into volunteering, recognize the

and non-profits and it is completely free of charge to

impact of incremental change and do their own

the organizations whose problems we help tackle.

research.

Can you tell us about a recent sustainability

How can students get involved with NI and

challenge that NI faced? What about universal

sustainability efforts in general?

challenges?

You must be an MBA to participate in NI competitions.

Due to COVID, it has become a challenge to ensure

I encourage students to go to NI events such as the

sufficient student engagement and sponsor support.

blood drive, sustainability trivia night, guest speaker

We work to be flexible and plan back-ups or hybrid

nights, our “walk ‘n’ snap” event and our farm to fork

models for events.

event.

We encourage students by providing them with information

regarding

universal

sustainability

challenges. These students are also encouraged to attend both NI events series and targeted programs that focus on harnessing the power of business as a force for good change.

and Interviewed y: Designed b if Vaneeza As

FOR BUSINESS STUDENTS, BY BUSINESS STUDENTS | 14

Opinion

Caring for your plants

The word “Plants” entails serenity and tranquility if you are a nature enthusiast.

Growing plants often begins as a hobby.

However, as we care for them via daily regimens, it becomes our habit. It’s a kind of habit this will give anyone a sense of peace.

Growing plants is one of the easiest things. I always prefer starting my plant journey with indoor plants which have few requirements and are easy to care for. Indoor plants can be a work of art and can go well with any interior design that brightens up any corner of the house.

The placement of the houseplant is of utmost importance. Most plants like bright airy spaces.

So, any corner beside a window is perfect. You are free to choose your aesthetics by placing them in a table or shelf or hanging them by the window.

Plants that have fewer light requirements are good for beginners as we often mess up with watering and sunlight. Some good examples are, Philodendron, ZZ plant, Pothos, Monstera, English Ivy and Peace Lily. These plants are easy to care for and they can grow with minimum light inside the house.

After choosing the plants it’s time to learn more about its required conditions. Most require well aerated soil with minimal fertilizer. Coco peat and perlite mixture with any organic compost

can be a good media. Loose media helps the rooting system and helps to get rid of excess water. The plant pot must have a drainage hole, so that excess water be strained.

Watering need to be moderate for house plants. Its recommended that dab your fingers in the soil before watering. If your finger comes out wet, then there is no need to water. You may also spray them with water. If you see any roots coming out from the bottom that means your plant has grown too much and it needs repotting. Simply size up the pot by one and the plant is good to go.

Always be wary of insects as they typically only attack plants when it is unhealthy. If you notice bugs, any systemic pesticide can be used but I recommend the following DIY. In a bottle of water add 1 spoon of liquid detergent. Then spray it on the bug affected plants. It can be done once a day until the bugs are gone. After one hour of the detergent spray, plain water will need to be sprayed so that the plant won’t die.

Its all about starting your new hobby. Get a plant, take care of it and love it. My suggestion is don’t overthink it as a new plant mommy or daddy. Most of the time your plants don’t demand much. It’s a matter of time before you become a pro and sometimes it becomes an obsession. Be green, support green and spread green.

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Written by: Saima Liza Designed by Vaneeza Asif

MARCH 2022 ISSUE

Back Cover Art by Kate Erhardt

ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS 2022