It all began with a cosmetic junkie, a radical Englishman, a harassed new mom and a baby. Gandang Kalikasan Inc was the brainchild of Gawad Kalinga volunteers Anna Meloto-Wilk, Dylan Wilk and Camille Meloto. All three were Gawad Kalinga volunteers who were exposed early on to the harsh realities of poverty in the Philippines and now burned with the desire to do more for the country. Anna’s passion for the environment blossomed with her first child in 2005. Together with her husband, Dylan, the successful British multi-millionaire who gave up his fast cars and wealthy lifestyle in England to work for the poor in the Philippines, the couple decided to use cloth diapers after reading that it takes 500 years for disposable diapers to biodegrade and that many of the chemicals in them are toxic. Anna struggled with the decision (especially when washing squishy nappies!) but initial reluctance became a conviction that their inconvenience was a small price to pay for their kids to know a world that is still intact and beautiful. 4 years and 2 kids later, they’re still using them! Their desire to live a more sustainable and ethical lifestyle extended to the products they used on their children and themselves, opting for fewer chemicals and less stuff in general, resulting in less waste and a smaller carbon footprint. Camille, on the other hand was already experimenting with cosmetics as early as elementary school! She eventually became a free lance make-up artist and then joined a cosmetics company after graduation. However, her longing to merge her passion for cosmetics and her conscience to help the country was still waiting to be fulfilled. Anna and Dylan spent a year in the US between July 2007 and June 2008, where Dylan was setting up a network of volunteers for Gawad Kalinga. Whilst in the US, Anna observed a growing trend of natural and ethical products penetrating the mainstream market making them more accessible to ordinary Americans instead of just being products for the wealthy and the elite. They were now present in supermarkets and drug stores at more affordable prices. She wondered whether this phenomenon could also be replicated in the Philippines. Are Americans the only people who have the privilege of having a healthier lifestyle and saving the environment? Camille joined the couple halfway through their US assignment and together with Anna, the sisters started doing more research work on how to bring natural and organic products to the Philippines. After coming back to the Philippines, they continued to look for resources to get their idea of bringing affordable, locally-made natural beauty products to Filipinos. Their persistence finally paid off and they collaborated with a natural formulator to come up with  .Human Nature was launched in November 2008 in Blue Leaf, Fort Bonifacio, Manila, to a group of friends, family and Gawad Kalinga partners. Today, Human Nature employs Gawad Kalinga residents as part of their full time staff and has started work on a Organic Farm in a Gawad Kalinga community in Bulacan. Guided by the principles of being PRO-PHILIPPINES, PRO-POOR and PRO-ENVIRONMENT, the company continues to strive for providing prosperity to the Philippines through successful and sustainable social enterprises and quality natural products for all Filipinos. |
Human Nature
HOTLINE: 888.U.LOVE.GK - 888.856.8345 - 714 948 4308