Campaigning for Change with Less Waste Laura
Can grassroots activism really create meaningful change? Absolutely!
On Tuesday 16th April, we welcomed a very special guest - Laura Young - who proved this theory true. Laura is the founder of the campaign to ban disposable vapes, which has prompted legislative change across the UK. She shared her campaign journey, top tips & key takeaways to our members at an exciting online talk. Read on to hear all about Laura & how you can elevate your own campaigns.
Who is Laura Young?
Laura is an award winning climate activist, environmental scientist & ethical influencer! Her passion for the environment has shone throughout her personal life, education & work but in 2018 she made a bold New Years’ resolution: to reduce her waste in 2019. From an Instagram account dedicated to documenting her progress on living a low waste life (@LessWasteLaura), she has grown a huge following, and now uses her platform to raise awareness & education around environmental issues.
Her impressive work has lead to her claiming many accolades - most recently she was awarded as Scottish Influencer of the Year! Between studying for her PhD, appearing at conferences & events, working with TedX Talks & the BBC, Laura also founded & lead the campaign to ban disposable vapes.
‘Be the change you wish to see’ is very much the kind of inspiration Laura uses for her campaign. She was motivated to push for change after seeing the exponentially rising rates that vapes were being thrown away at, and the disastrous consequences this was having on health & nature.
Throughout the campaign, Laura relied on using grassroots campaign strategies; reaching out to local councillors, organising litter picks, sharing statistics. And she was successful! Westminster has passed legislation banning disposable vape sales across the UK from 1st April 2025.
Laura’s Advice for Campaigning Success
Laura’s had some great advice for campaigners along with her tried & tested methods to ensure work is impactful. Read them here!
“Connect. A lot of this is me talking about me but as you’ve seen there is a team behind me. So connect with people, you do not need to be in the same room as them, connect online.”
Reaching New Audiences
Campaigning at it’s core is about raising awareness and bringing people on board with your philosophies. Campaigns are most successful when they encompass many different demographics and include their ideas in the overall campaign. In order to reach these new audiences you need to be proactive, and seek these people out - even those are who may not be traditional activists. Laura brought her ideas to the older generation by presenting at a Rotary Club, and her campaign resonated with these members of her community as they feared the impact of vapes on their younger family members. So stay open minded with those who may support you!
Utilising Local Councils
Laura vouches for the impact Local Councils can have in adding add value & credibility to campaigns. Reaching out to Councillors and having their support gives a clear stepping stone between your campaign & national governments. To build these relationships in meaningful ways, Laura highlighted the importance of ensuring all correspondence is informative & tailored to the specific council you wish to connect with. It’s also important to approach Councils with an open mind, and remember that the climate crisis transcends party lines. Laura has gained the support of 29/32 Local Councils across Scotland, and this resonated with Policy Makers.
Dealing with Greenwashing
Greenwashing is an all to familiar foe in the climate fight. Greenwashing occurs when a company promotes false solutions to the climate crisis that distract from credible action. Laura encountered a lot of this while campaigning against disposable vapes, but she successfully combatted it by reporting misleading marketing to the Advertising Campaigning Standards (ASA). After reporting an activity, the ASA will investigate and if necessary take action to remove the misleading advertisements and reprimand the company responsible.
Staying Positive
The Climate Crisis is very daunting, and often induces Climate Anxiety. By engaging more, it can intensify, and Laura knows this all too well. Her steps to prevent herself feeling overwhelmed is remembering it’s all about mindset. She’s actively changed her thinking to celebrate the small everyday wins, and see them as steps towards the big goal which creates a sense of progress. At the University of Dundee, designated vape bins were installed - within 1 day they were 25% full. Instead of viewing this as only a show of excessive consumption, Laura celebrated the steps taken to install the bins to allow correct disposal of vapes.
Confidence
It can be daunting stepping into the climate realm and being surrounded by scientists and large figures. Laura credits her family & friends for their support & help as she navigated growing her campaign. Her Dad recorded every interview she had, took newspaper cuttings and made media montages to showcase her journey. The power of a strong support network is crucial to managing your campaign well!
What’s next?
Laura’s advice offers some great tips for you to take on board for your current & future campaigns. A massive thank you to Laura for joining the Hub to give her fantastic insights! Follow her Instagram, X (Twitter) or Facebook to stay up to date with her campaigning.
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