As part of the blog "Conscious People" by Venitz, we interview the actors of the green transition to find out more about the behind their commitments. Today, here is the story of Margot Arabadjieva.
Hello everyone, my name is Margot Arabadjieva and I am the creator and host of the podcast La Green Wave. It's a podcast born from my love for the ocean, and my desire to make my small contribution to its protection. After working around the world as a scuba diving instructor for a few years, I am now a marine biology student.
Today, I dedicate a large part of my daily life to the study of the marine world, as part of my studies. Everything I learn allows me to better understand the living world and to have keys to protect it. I am very often on the move to do interviews for La Green Wave, or just to meet up with the ocean or friends: I really like moving and traveling but it is also very challenging to maintain a responsible lifestyle when we are constantly away from home. It teaches me on a daily basis to be as minimalist as possible, and to always explore new solutions to have a lesser impact on the environment.
I owe my eco-responsible commitment to a trigger, an awareness: I did a dive in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef in 2017, it was dazzling. A few weeks later, I did the same dive again and the reef was in worse condition. I was struck by the speed of the impacts of climate change. During the same period, I saw the documentary Chasing Corals: I definitely became aware of the climate emergency, and the need to act. I decided to adopt a more responsible and local diet, then I embarked on studies a few years later, which will allow me, I hope, to be able to protect the ocean even more.
In this sense, I support the LemonSea association, of which I have been president since the end of 2020. It is an association raising awareness of ocean acidification, a still little-known consequence of climate change. I also created The Green Wave in February 2021, to promote scientific and citizen initiatives to protect the oceans: because, good news, there are a lot of them! Every two weeks I give the floor to those who work for the conservation of marine biodiversity.
The way I perceive the world around me and the way I interact with others has been strongly influenced by my numerous travels, and particularly by the year I spent in Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The culture of these islands is strongly linked to the oceans and the Earth, and has grown in me a great respect for living things and nature, of which we are an integral part.
Since we're focusing on Tahiti, let me tell you an anecdote: I had the chance to be a guide and accompany snorkeling trips with the whales. An encounter with these giants of the sea particularly struck me: I went into the water before the customers to check that the whales were indeed present in the area where we were. I swam for a few minutes before coming across a whale and its calf. I was alone with them, and it was simply extraordinary. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I looked down and discovered a third whale right below me. I was captivated by these majestic animals. When we enter the water, we are at their home: it is important to remember this, and to do everything to respect their place of life, and their tranquility. And once back on Earth, to do what is possible to have the least impact on them: because even outside the ocean, our actions have an impact there.
I like to think that the desire to support noble causes is contagious. So if I had to give advice to those who have not yet taken the plunge: go out, observe, go smell the trees, the flowers, the ocean, the sand, the Earth. If you have the opportunity, get in touch with life, nature and the outdoors. Observing it is enough to understand its fragility, its beauty, and the need to protect it. There are many solutions for adopting a more responsible lifestyle: but you still need to understand why it is important to do so. So if you can, run and reforest yourself, oceanize yourself!
However, adopting a more ethical and responsible lifestyle is not a linear process; I still travel by plane myself, even though the carbon footprint is disastrous. Even though I don't travel by plane as much as I used to, and my trips are always long, I still haven't managed to completely exclude it from my life. It will come, I'm sure! But everything in its time, and every little step counts!
To support Margot, here is the link to LaGreenWavePodcast !