ON DUTY CITIZEN
EMILY PADAN
1) We recently chatted on your new podcast, Finding Your Wave and had an absolute blast! Now it’s our turn to introduce YOU to our community. Where are you from and where do you currently live?
It was such a pleasure chatting with you on the podcast! My name is Emily Padan and I was born and raised in Montreal. I am currently living here, but have always been an avid traveler, plus my husband and I have plans to move to Portugal next year for 2-3 years.
2) I love hearing about the moment people realized they were passionate about sustainability and the environment. What was this moment like for you?
It’s funny, it wasn’t really one moment for me. I’ve always had an inclination to nature and nurture the environment. As young as 16 years old, I was advocating for bettering our planet and conserving energy in an environmental club in high school. I think as the years went on, this passion has continued to grow, and the need to speak up about it has too.
3) Can you introduce Hinter and how you and your partner came up with this idea?
hinter is a boutique hotel company building design spaces in nature in collaboration with iconic architects. With the belief that high-end living is evolving and luxury is being redefined, we thoughtfully create spaces that provide a sense of comfort and tranquility, allowing guests to unwind and feel creative.
hinter is no traditional hotel, instead of rooms, we create spaces in unique destinations in which guests can find a deeper connection to themselves through architecture and nature. Inspired by Scandinavian and Japanese design cues, we select textiles and materials that mimic and compliment nature’s color palette and work alongside local artisans and creatives, seeking novelty items from cabinetry to furniture.
My husband went to Norway about 5 years ago, on a business trip for his old job, and fell in love with the architecture and structures in the area. He realized that this didn’t exist back in North America, and saw an opportunity. Not sure what he would do with this idea yet, he started by working with an architect to create hinterhouse. Meanwhile, he and I played with the idea of a rental property, which has now become so much more.
Wanting to set a new norm on sustainability by giving more than what we take, hinter plants 10 trees per booking and only works with companies that have the environment as their number one priority.
4) You used to be a teacher! What was that like and how have you taken what you’ve learned from your past job to translate what you’ve made with Bloom Class?
Yes! I was a teacher for 7 years, and it was a beautiful chapter. I absolutely love children and education, though, as I matured, I realized that the standard education system was not aligned with many of my values.
In creating Bloom Class, I took my expertise in teaching children and communicating with parents, but pivoted so that I could design an education system that holistically teaches the child. We cover the basics, but we take pride in our extracurriculars, like Debate Club, Coding Club and Dreaming Big, which teach skills like public speaking, healthy discussions about the environment, racism and gender as well as entrepreneurship, respectively.
As a little bonus, I was inspired by our work at hinter and thus Bloom Class plants 1 tree per class booked.
5) On your podcast, we chatted about what it’s like having supportive mothers who have let us both bloom [pun intended] into what we have become today. What are some key pieces of advice you’ve learned from your mum?
I have learned from my mom that we can wear many (figurative) hats. Well, for that matter, literal hats too, as she is quite fashionable! All jokes aside, my mom was actually a teacher too, for only 2 years, as there weren’t many jobs available at the time. She then worked in a company training people how to use a new telephone system and later transitioned into fashion. It was such a beautiful reminder to grow up seeing a mom change her path several times, paving a path for me to be whoever I wanted to be, and never feeling like I only had to limit myself to one single career or idea.
6) A hotel company, a virtual education platform, and now a podcast! Very inspiring to say the least. Tell us about Finding Your Wave and why you chose the podcast industry? I’d also love to hear about how you choose your guests and some amazing things you’ve learned from this experience?
It’s quite a handful, I know, but I have never felt more alive since I added the podcast into my repertoire.
I had never thought about having my own podcast until a friend of mine convinced me to do it. Once I started… was sold; I mean- talking for a living? Sign me up. I was the kid in school that got “talks too much in class” written in every comment section of her report card.
I love being able to have meaningful conversations with incredibly inspiring human beings and to top it all off, I get to share these discussions with other like minded people who are looking to grow and evolve, just as I am.
As Finding Your Wave is about navigating through it all: entrepreneurship, sustainability, and personal growth, I try to find people who are in these spaces and/or have overcome adversity in some way. This experience has reminded me that so many of us have our battles, often taking our pain and turning it into power. It’s so humbling and inspiring to know that we are all on a mission to live a life with impact, and the more we connect, the better chance we have in making this world the beautiful, safe, equal and clean place we dream of.
7) What are some of the ways in which you think we can make the hotel industry more environmentally conscious?
When it comes to the hotel industry, there is so much room for improvement. For starters, for any hotel still using those tiny little plastic shampoo bottles, please listen up… no one likes those! We all take them home, trying to be a little greener, but they stay in our cosmetic drawer forever, or end up in the trash. It’s such a small step, but using large, refillable containers makes so much more sense! We use The Unscented Company at hinter, and our guests love the refillable products, plus they are also biodegradable.
We understand that hotels often focus on luxury, but we feel that the word has been redefined. A high-end stay doesn’t need to be filled with 5 towels per person, and a simple note to only use what you need in hopes of helping our environment goes a long way. We love the notion of slow hotels, focusing on ideologies like lagom, (pronounced [ˈlɑ̂ːɡɔm]) - a Swedish and Norwegian word meaning "just the right amount", the idea that living a meaningful life can be achieved by moderation, and more is not always better. That, combined with the traditional Japanese world view of wabi-sabi, which is centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection, focusing on beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature.
If only hotels everywhere would embrace these ideologies, and help redefine luxury, we’d have a much greener travel industry. There are many eco hotels around the world, but I do hope we will see this soon become the mainstream.
8) What are you most optimistic about in terms of environmentalism?
Hands down, the future generation. I see it first hand, with my students in my Debate Club; these kids, as young as ten years old, are aware that we have 7 years until the effects of climate change are irreversible. This generation gives me hope. They are wise, they are savvy and they are proud. If only the rest of us could be as proactive as they are!
9) What are five things you do in your life to live more consciously and with the environment in mind?
Eliminate Food Waste: I try, as much as possible, to only buy food that I will end up eating. I’d rather buy too little and then have to go walk to the market midweek to purchase more, than for half my grocery run to go to waste.
Compost: When I do have to toss something, I compost. Before that though, I do my best to reuse food to the best I can, by making Bone Broth with chicken bones, a stir fry with wilted vegetables, or a pie with some fruit that’s not looking its best.
Shop Sustainable/Ethical: When I do shop for clothing, I try to support brands that have the environment in mind. I look on their websites to see what they are doing. Are they paying workers ethical wages? Are they using chemical free practices? Are their materials sustainable? If there’s no section on their website, it means they aren’t doing much!
Trade Clothing: Another thing I like to do is offer clothing that I might be tired of to a friend, and vice versa. Quite literally, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. However, I do try my best to keep the pieces I have for a long time first, which is easier when you shop timeless styles made out of quality materials.
Support Companies Who Care: In all aspects of my life, from the products I use, the places I vacation or the brands I collaborate with on my instagram, I have a one-track-mind: how sustainable and ethical are the companies I am supporting? I did a little makeover a few years ago, and I will never go back! We need to lead by example, within our family and friend group, and to any audience we may have. It’s simply the only way.
10) What advice do you have for someone who would like to start their own business?
Starting your own business is huge, but it’s also incredibly gratifying. If you have an idea, and you’re ready to work your butt off, then my advice is, just start! You will never know until you try. What if you fail? You might -- and that’s okay. Failure is healthy and it teaches us many lessons. Failure helps us get closer and closer to success.
