The economic devastation wrought by COVID-19 has been disproportionately tough on small businesses. Consumers are making the majority of their purchases online, and despite rallying calls to support local businesses during these trying times, the impulse to buy from convenient retail giants such as Amazon is strong. Many small, once-thriving operations are now struggling to stay afloat. 

The pandemic has been particularly challenging for Cora Good, founder of The Big Green Initiative, both as a small business owner and an environmentally concerned citizen. In the wake of COVID-19, many people are returning to unsustainable habits they were just starting to kick. Takeout, and the single-use plastic associated with it, is on the rise. Suddenly reusable cups and shopping tote bags are suspect. For Good, who has dedicated much of her time to helping people live more sustainably, the backslide feels almost personal. 

Good founded The Big Green Initiative in 2019 after realizing that her home city of St. Augustine lacked plastic alternatives for eco-conscious consumers. In one particular instance, Good spent the better part of a day looking all over town for a bamboo toothbrush. She found only one overpriced option and ended up buying the toothbrush online instead. The experience prompted her to ask herself what it would take to bring sustainable options to her community.

St. Augustine is a coastal city in Northern Florida. It’s no shock to Good that she ended up there as she’s always been drawn to water and has lived near it her entire life. When Good realized that the city wasn’t exactly eco-friendly, she was surprised, but she didn’t renounce the residents as unconcerned with the natural beauty surrounding them. She knew that members of her community would shop sustainably if the choice were available to them. And if no one else was providing those options, she would just have to figure out a way to do it herself.

Having never started a business before, Good was eager for inspiration and guidance. She yearned to have conversations with people who shared her zeal. “I was just trying to feed this little fire,” says Good. “I had the fire but I didn’t have enough kindling.” Hoping to find some of this elusive fuel, Good took a weekend visit to see an entrepreneur cousin of hers. He helped her see the inherent value in what she was trying to do, even if all she had to go off of was a single bamboo toothbrush. Good realized she didn’t need all the answers, she just needed to start somewhere.

Soon after the toothbrush conversation with her cousin, Good began the process of figuring out where she could sell sustainable products in St. Augustine. She contacted local farmer’s markets and was told that vendors weren’t allowed to sell products they hadn’t produced themselves. After sending a slew of emails to local business owners, Good began doing pop-up shops in existing storefronts, selling sustainable products purchased from wholesale retailers. At these pop-ups, Good found the kindling she’d been craving. She had inspiring conversations and became more confident that the community needed her. During one such pop-up conversation, a customer emphasized the importance of consistent access, explaining that when people run out of shampoo, they can’t wait for a pop-up. If a sustainable option isn’t readily available, people will buy plastic. This resonated with Good. She knew she needed a more permanent foothold in the community.

Across from Good’s house is an artisan market called Coconut Barrel, a large warehouse that serves as home to more than 200 local vendors. Good set up her first micro-shop there in 2019, becoming a reliable purveyor of sustainable goods for the first time. Word spread quickly and pretty soon The Big Green Initiative had four micro-shops located throughout St. Augustine. Good knew early on that she wanted people on all sides of town to have easy access to her products. She’s not interested in forcing people to change, she wants to make it easy for them. 

“I’m not a very confrontational person,” says Good. “I don’t want to push my ideas on anyone.” Good finds that selling sustainable products is a great way to organically spark conversations about eco-responsibility. She doesn’t have to preach at people, she gets to provide a step in the right direction. “It’s pure action,” says Good. 

By their very nature, pandemics isolate us. Suddenly community, which normally gives us a sense of purpose and joy, becomes a source of fear. COVID-19 has forced Good to focus less on community engagement and more on her online shop. Online sales were never high on her priority list as shipping products via mail means a larger carbon footprint. The Big Green Initiative website started simply as a means to facilitate non-contact deliveries for St. Augustine residents. Six months into this new normal, online promotion has taken the place of in-person connection and Good is feeling the resulting social media burnout. She didn’t have a Facebook page prior to starting a business and it’s not something she enjoys. The pressure to post regularly on Instagram and keep her online shop updated feels degrading to Good. When she sends a package, she doesn’t get to meet the recipient or have those cherished life-affirming conversations with them. Good’s fire is still there, but there’s an acute shortage of kindling these days.

Like many of us, Good has been feeling the weight of the world these days, but she’s yearning to get back to basics and focus on serving her community rather than trying to be a huge online brand. The paradox of being eco-conscious is wanting to fix the entire world while knowing that one of the best ways to contribute is to focus on your community. You can’t control everything or everyone, but you can make a difference with ripple effects. Good still manages to find reminders that small businesses can make a big impact. The Big Green Initiative relies on about forty different wholesale accounts to keep the online store and micro-shops stocked. These wholesale retailers are small operations, mostly making products in their own homes. “99% of them are women-owned,” says Good. “That’s one of the biggest places I find hope.”

And on Good’s darkest days? Dancing helps. There are days when she and her two young sons will dance for an hour straight. “Spinning has to be involved,” says Good. “If I don’t aggressively move my arms, it doesn’t do anything.” Here’s hoping that Good keeps dancing and finding kindling in unlikely places. The world needs more people who recognize that change can start small, as small as a bamboo toothbrush.