For those who still don't know, “living smart” does not mean owning the latest cellphone or gaining shopping points. Instead, it means living with a real understanding of how our actions have an impact on the environment.

After journeying together for four weeks during May this year, our fantastic Smart Living Course candidates (known as “Smarties”) were given a month after the course to go out and not just talk the talk, but actually go and be the change by leading and guiding their families and communities in the process. In the videos that follow, three inspiring young people share their environmental-task experiences.

Danielle's school participated in a recycling competition and collected over 2 000kg of recycled goods, winning R140 000 for the school. Her inspiration for a wetland cleanup was to ensure a clean environment for the biodiversity that depended on wetland ecosystems.

Ahmed felt strongly about the impacts of waste and the importance of recycling. This led him to start by guiding his family to sort and recycle in their home.

Jamie's video shows how easy it is to get involved with our local nature reserves in our city, and participate in various activities. Jamie began volunteering at the age of 8 and regularly assists with the removal of Invasive alien (Port Jackson) trees. She concludes by encouraging everyone to join volunteer groups, remove invasive alien species and support our indigenous vegetation.