Interview with Nelly Gesare Oteki: Climate and Plastic Waste Storyteller, Founder of Greenthing Kenya, Sustainability Educator and Speaker

Can you share a bit about your journey to embrace a career in sustainability? Did you have a passion for the environment from a young age? Did you become aware of it as you grew?

My journey to sustainability wasn't traditional - it evolved through my passion for storytelling and education. I've always been vocal and drawn to the power of visual media to create change. Originally, I came to Nairobi to pursue journalism, and I've produced various content including YouTube videos and social media reels focused on sustainability.

What truly opened my eyes was discovering how environmental and climate change stories were often presented in an elitist manner, disconnected from everyday people. This realization inspired me to merge my business acumen with my storytelling skills to create Greenthing Kenya. Rather than just reporting on issues, I wanted to demonstrate practical solutions and make sustainability accessible to everyone.

When did you decide to create a career focused on the environment? How did you decide to move forward?

To be honest, I didn't intentionally create an environmental career from the beginning. I started by simply wanting my voice to be heard and to make a difference. As I created content around environmentalism, I began building a community interested in my creative products and educational approach. This organic growth gradually shifted my career toward environmentalism and slow living. My path wasn't planned—it evolved naturally through my desire to create meaningful change and the positive response from the community that formed around these values.

What roadblocks or resistance did you face at the beginning as you worked to educate your community and the world about sustainable practices?

As you can imagine, transitioning to sustainable production or education requires significant capital, both financial and social—including connections to experienced people in the field who can provide guidance. One of the biggest roadblocks has been funding—Greenthing has grown over the last six years purely through customer support, without external investment.

The second major challenge has been addressing the misconception that sustainability is only for a select few. Shifting people's attitudes isn't easy, but I'm happy to be here today, which demonstrates that I've successfully changed some perspectives on sustainability. Breaking down the elitist perception of environmental consciousness has been difficult but rewarding work.

Do you have a great highlight or memory or two from your career to date that you can share—ones that help you keep moving to create change?

One of my greatest highlights has been establishing Kenya's first woman-owned glass blowing studio and working directly with women waste pickers. Throughout my storytelling and sourcing journey, I've interacted with waste pickers in different contexts, as they provide crucial ingredients for my production processes.

Working directly with these women has been perhaps the most challenging yet impactful experience of my career. These women are the backbone of global recycling efforts, often unrecognized and undervalued. Being able to create direct impact with them through our glass studio has been profoundly meaningful and continually motivates me to push forward with our mission.

When and why did you decide to open a sustainable commercial business called Greenthing? What kind of products do you sell, and how do you find products that fit your criteria?

I decided to establish a commercial business because I recognized that how we consume directly determines how we create waste. To foster sustainable practices, we must examine our consumption patterns. Products became conversation starters—tools for me to educate on sustainable living while directly influencing purchasing decisions regarding both quantity and quality.

My journey began in 2012 when I gave birth to my beautiful boy. That moment brought clarity—I realized if we didn't take action, I had no idea what kind of future, food, education, and environment my son would experience. In 2014, I produced a television series on climate change and sustainability, but without funding for distribution, it never aired. I pivoted to YouTube videos in 2015, but sustainability wasn't yet a widely appealing topic, so my audience remained too small to create meaningful impact.

 
By 2019, I made a strategic decision to focus on everyday products that could provoke thought—making people question why they might choose an eco-friendly product over a conventional one. This thought provocation is what influences conscious consumerism through both products and education.

For a product to meet my criteria, it must first be genuinely needed by customers. I prioritize waste as the primary raw ingredient, or otherwise use biodegradable, compostable, or reusable materials.

What do you see as the biggest challenges in creating the most sustainable lifestyle, both in your country and on the global stage?

I believe attitude change represents the most significant challenge. There's a misconception that slow or green living is expensive or new, when in fact, sustainable practices have long been part of Kenyan culture out of necessity. You'll find many people repurposing ice cream containers for food storage—it's normal practice here.

On a larger scale, these same principles apply as we move toward decarbonizing economies across countries and continents. The first hurdle is shifting attitudes. Sustainable products aren't necessarily expensive when we truly calculate what constitutes a good product: fair wages, clean environments, zero waste, and consideration of social, economic, and planetary factors. It's not that eco-friendly products are overpriced—we're simply now accounting for the true cost of production.

Additional challenges include insufficient infrastructure for sustainable manufacturing, limited education and awareness about what truly sustainable living entails, and the need for intersectional approaches that recognize differences between the global north and south. Solutions must be inclusive and contextually appropriate—what works in one region may not translate directly to another.

Is there anything you'd like to share in closing?

Create the world you want to see. I initially wanted to be a journalist creating change, but I've been profoundly influenced by my family's example of business as a force for good. My father was a businessman and my mother a primary school teacher who also ran a substantial business in the afternoons. Witnessing the positive impact their enterprises had on our village community showed me how commerce could be a vehicle for social improvement.

I'm grateful that this early exposure to purpose-driven business provided a model I could adapt for today's environmental challenges. Greenthing Kenya represents the convergence of my storytelling abilities and business acumen, directed toward sustainable change. By combining education with practical solutions, we can make sustainability accessible, relevant, and transformative for communities everywhere.

Links -

• Website - www.greenthing.co.ke/
• Instagram - @gesare_nelly_
• Instagram - @greenthing_hotshop
• Facebook - www.facebook.com/greenthingkenya
• Youtube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwun-pyTYM0