Lucy Wilby has been on Earth for almost a quarter of a century and has worked in public relations for Peninsula Health, as a Facebook content specialist in the Australian Market in San Francisco, and since returning home to her beloved Mornington Peninsula has started up her own 100 per cent sustainable Charcoal Toothbrush business online. Busy much? Entrepreneurial much?

Just a tad.

This capable creative grew up in Mount Eliza, completed her schooling at Toorak College and now lives with her parents in Merricks. I’m interested to know what brings a girl back from a place where employees are ferried to work on shuttle buses and travel between three campuses underground in pods like those in the sci-fi film Tron. 

Lucy laughs. “Working for Facebook was great. It’s a surreal environment, but after being there for 12 months I found I missed my friends and family so much that I wanted to come home. There’s nowhere else like the Mornington Peninsula. I missed the sea, the people, the lifestyle. Maybe one day I’ll go back to Facebook – if they’ll have me – but for now I’m thrilled to be back and to be working on my own projects while working full-time in digital marketing.”

One of the projects close to her heart is The Charcoal Toothbrush, which came about after she was exposed to alternative ways of living in San Francisco. “People really care about the environment there and look for ways to contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. Change is easier when you start off with one thing. That’s why I chose toothbrushes. We use them every day and they are such a disposable item. If everyone in Australia used The Charcoal Toothbrush instead of a plastic toothbrush, we could avoid putting 30 million plastic toothbrushes into landfill each year.

“Most dentists recommend you replace your toothbrush at least every three months. A Charcoal Toothbrush has activated charcoal-infused bristles which are great for detoxifying and deodorising your mouth, plus it has a biodegradable bamboo handle which means it will break down.”

Big dreams for a girl from the local ‘hood. “I’m dedicated to making people aware that small changes can make big differences. I also work in collaboration with the Ethical Straw Co. You’ve got to start somewhere.”

 

THE CHARCOAL TOOTHBRUSH

W: thecharcoaltoothbrush.com