Archive for Sustainable

TALA — Grace Beverley

Nobody likes wearing someone’s old athletic wear, especially if it’s leggings or undergarments. That’s just gross. Well, Grace Beverley thought the same thing. With a passion for sustainability, Beverley thrifted a lot and tried to buy from sustainable brands. She noticed that plenty of sustainable brands existed for most clothing. But not for athletic wear. And since nobody likes thrifting someone’s old, sweaty socks or leggings, Beverley decided to create a brand herself. Her company, TALA, creates styles made from plastic bottles and factory offcuts, making it sustainable and ethical, two things she feels very passionately about. 

Originally, Beverley was a music major at Oxford University. But when she realized she had a passion for sustainable clothing, she took to a different side of the creativity spectrum: Entrepreneurship. She wanted people, specifically young people, to have a sustainable option for their athletic clothes that wouldn’t also drain their bank accounts. And so, TALA was born in 2019. Beverley stuck to her passion and through TALA, she managed to recycle seventy-thousand water bottles in her first year alone.

But TALA isn’t Beverley’s only business. She has also started a fitness app called SHREDDY which offers her activewear customers (and anyone else) a place to set goals and track their fitness progress. And if that’s not enough, she is also the Sunday Times bestselling author of “Working Hard, Hardly Working,” a book that seeks to teach young entrepreneurs how to accomplish more under less stress. 

When asked about her “eureka” moment, Grace Beverley stated that she never had one, that it was more of a build-up of idea after idea. And I think this is the perfect example of the slow hunch, the idea that starts as a seed and grows. Grace Beverley and the invention of TALA started as a hunch and is now a multimillion dollar business that encourages people to stay fit and recycle.

 

https://balance.media/founder-focus-grace-beverley/#:~:text=Grace%20Beverley%20is%20the%20Founder,of%20just%2023%20years%20old.https://www.wearetala.com/en-us/pages/about-ushttps://thetab.com/uk/2022/02/09/grace-beverley-reveals-exactly-how-she-secured-her-5-7mil-recent-investment-in-tala-239535

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/442770/working-hard-hardly-working-by-beverley-grace/9781786332851

 

Maya Penn: Maya’s Ideas

Maya Penn is a 22 year old who started her business at just 8 years old with her passion for sustainability. Maya created her brand called Maya’s Ideas in 2008 as a slow fashion brand that creates sustainable accessories and clothing. The products are artisan made from organic, recycled, and vintage materials. Maya took her passion and turned it into a business where others can now share in her passion as well. Maya’s brand is also making people aware, who were not already, of sustainability through her mission and products. Today, Maya is an award-winning founder and CEO, keynote speaker, 3 time TED Speaker, artist, and author.

 

Maya is driven by being eco-friendly through sustainability. What is so outstanding to me about Maya is that she was ahead of her time with her passion and business model. It has not been until recently that people are becoming extremely cautious with the fast-fashion industry. Maya however, was ahead of the curve by starting a sustainable fashion and accessory business in 2008. Maya was not seeking out what the newest trend or social issue was going to be, she was just passionate about it herself. That is inspiring to me to think that just a passion of yours can become something so large. It is interesting to think that someone’s passion right now may become a hot topic in the future. Maya’s story is encouraging because she acted on her passion without considering what the future may hold. She just wanted to share with others. It is motivating to me to just do like Maya. She was passionate and created a business out of it. It encourages me that I do could act on my passion without hesitation and one day it may become the current social issue. I too want to be ahead of the curve simply because I am passionate, that to me is genuine.

Eve Kekeh, founder of Bundlee

If you have kids, you know how quickly they grow out of clothes in their first two years. Eve Kekeh recognized this problem and started her own company to help parents seeking a more sustainable and convenient way to access baby clothes. Her company, Bundlee, is the UK’s first sustainable baby clothing rental subscription.

Having two younger siblings, Eve Kekeh experienced first hand just how quickly babies will grow out of their clothing. She says, “Babies outgrow 7 clothing sizes in their first 2 years, and seeing the amount of waste this led to made me think there had to be a better way.” While spending a year studying abroad in the US, Kekeh discovered a designer womenswear rental service. She fell in love with this idea and soon realized that this same concept could be applied to baby clothing. Through careful research and receiving useful feedback from hundreds of parents, Kekeh developed Bundlee.

Bundlee is unique as it is tailored to fit the parents’ (and babies’) specific clothing needs. You simply choose a subscription plan that works best for your family, wear the clothes with no worries (thanks to the included rental insurance), and then conveniently swap clothing as your little one grows. All returned clothes are then thoroughly cleaned through their eco-friendly Ozone sanitization method and sent on to be loved by the next family.

In order to provide the very best quality, Eve Kekeh designs all collections that Bundlee offers herself. In addition, all pieces are made in the UK in a women run and owned factory, where Kekeh frequently visits to ensure that it meets her ethical standards. While designing pieces, it’s important to Kekeh that all fabrics used are suitable for babies’ sensitive skin. That is why all clothes are made with breathable cotton and free of any harmful chemicals.

Bundlee has continued to grow and flourish over the past few years. Eve Kekeh shows true innovation as she has built a company that helps so many, while helping the planet as well.

Sprout and Lentil: The business which expanded during the pandemic  

        Sprout and Lentil is the only mom-and-pop vegan cafe on Aquidneck Island. Founded in 2019 by the husband and wife team of Carmen Foy and Matt Sole, Sprout and Lentil has grown from being a booth at a farmers’ market to having its own independent retail business located in the center of Middletown, RI. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Foy – who was born in Spain – trained at the Cordon Bleu in France and then worked for twelve years as a chef aboard yachts. 

     Foy and Sole have stayed true to their business mantra of “Food with a Mission” by serving only plant-based foods. For instance, Foy ordered granola and then returned it to the producer it contained honey. She and her husband are dedicated to a purely vegan business. Additionally, the owners have created a special niche serving their community for people who are vegan, vegetarians, and kosher. Foy and Sole know their target customers very well and have seen that there is a high demand for quality vegan products. Some may ask, “Who would ever want to pay for a $16 burger?” or “Why isn’t the 50 cent spicy ketchup included with my fries?” Without doubt, the prices are high and sauces are not included with fries, burgers, nor cauliflower nuggets. A gourmet truffle oil dressing retails for eleven dollars. Perhaps it is hard to believe here in western Pennsylvania, but their local customers – hard core vegan regulars, and tourists – do buy and enjoy the expensive truffle oil dressing as well as the $16 burgers. The customers believe that the high prices are worth the money for what they receive. Foy and Sole have created a demand for specialty vegan food.

Please take a look at Sprout and Lentil’s website:

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Maya’s Idea – Sustainable Fashion

When Maya Penn was 8-years-old, she was a fun-loving, creative, nature-loving girl. She loved creating things and she had a passion for taking care of the environment. She always saw so much beauty in nature. So in 2008, when Maya found out that fashion companies use toxic dyes and toxic materials in their products she was devastated. She didn’t understand why designers and fast fashion companies had to put so much strain on the universe. It was then that she came up with the idea for Maya’s Idea.

Maya’s Idea is a sustainable fashion company. They use only vintage, recycle materials and natural dyes. These dyes can be anything from fruit and tea to other naturally occurring herbs. The materials are things such as bio-based organic materials and vintage fabrics. The style of these products is fashion-forward designs with a vintage flair. Everything that she makes is one of a kind and handmade. When you order something from Maya, you are getting something special and personal. This is she stands out and makes a change. Making clothes isn’t a revolutionary idea, but it is making it in a sustainable way that sets it apart. She focuses a lot on the importance of how everything we do affects the environment. It is companies like hers that put a spotlight on fast fashion brands that are so damaging to the environment.

Maya Penn is only 21 years old and has made a significant difference in the fashion industry. She has given three TED talks, has been recognized by notable people, such as former President Barack Obama, for all of her work, and has many different partnerships with different brands. It is inspiring to see that she took her passion for the environment and her creative eye to make something amazing. She has built a brand that is so influential and it is helping reinvent the whole fashion industry.

Tim Brown- Allbirds

Allbirds’ Story

Tim Brown is a New Zealand native who has long been involved in the merino wool industry. Brown was fascinated with this material due to its durability, sustainability, and comfortability. At one point, Brown realized that this material would be great for the shoe industry, and that’s when Allbirds was born. Tim Brown then teamed up with renewables expert Joey Zwillinger; together, they invented a whole new shoe that would forever change the footwear industry. Allbirds uses raw, all-natural materials comprised of four main elements trees, merino wool, sugar, and their patented Trino technology, a yarn-like material made from trees and wool. After much refining, Brown, and Zwillinger were ready to launch their first product, the Wool Runners. The Allbirds Wool Runners were designed to bring comfort to the DNA of an everyday shoe. The Wool Runner was a great success and is the primary reason that the startup is in the position that it is in today. Allbirds later produced all different kinds of shoes, disrupting the industry even further. They created running, weatherproof, and boat shoes all of which use their natural ingredients.

More About Materials

First, let’s talk about Allbirds most important material, Merino Wool. Allbirds has teamed up with ZQ Merino to ensure that the sheep used are well kept and healthy. Also, Allbirds has a shearing process that uses up to 60% less energy than typical synthetic shoes. The Tree material used in Allbirds comes from tree farms that are located in South Africa. These farms rely on rainfall to water their farms, not irrigation. This lowers the carbon footprint of Allbirds even lower, and not to mention the packaging, laces, and insoles are made from recycled cardboard, bottles, and castor bean oil. Tim Browns Allbirds had truly done something that had never been done before and, for that, tremendously succeeded. Together with Joey Zwillinger, Brown had truly made a great product that was sustainable, fashionable, and comfortable.

Sustainable Ocean Alliance

The Sustainable Ocean Alliance is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.  Their main goal is to accelerate solutions for ocean sustainability.  They are seeking to clean the oceans and help bring the importance of ocean health into the public eye.  Since its founding the SOA has raised over 3 million dollars for ocean startups around the world.  It is the type of startup that upon first glance looks like the brain child of a wealthy venture capitalist seeking to use his capital to impact positive change.  However, the SOA started in a much different way and was started by a much different person.

The founder of the SOA is a young lady named Daniela V. Fernandez.  She came up with the idea in her college dorm room while she was studying at Georgetown University.  Fernandez is passionate about the ocean and wanted to come up with a solution for its growing pollution problems.  Since the conception of the idea five years ago the SOA has experienced a large amount of growth.  They now support over 150 startups related to ocean health in 60 different countries.  Fernandez is the young leader of a highly successful social enterprise.

There are a few traits about Fernandez that make her unique and the perfect person for running an organization like the SOA.  The first entrepreneurial traits she possesses is no fear of taking risks.  Few college students sit in their dorm rooms and think they have what it takes to save the oceans.  Fernandez thought she could (and so far she is).  The second trait she possesses is selflessness.  She did not start the SOA because she thought it would make her rich and famous.  She started it because she saw a real need for action before it was too late. Fernandez did not have a desire to make a lot of money but she wanted to start a business that would help millions of people.  The SOA is creating real change in the world’s oceans and it would not be where it is today without Daniela Fernandez.

Uptown Cheapskate – A New Approach to Clothing Resale

Scott and Chelsea Sloan, son and daughter of Brent and Shauna Sloan (founders of Kid to Kid), grew up watching their parents’ children’s clothing resale enterprise grow and become successful. As young adults, they began to see the need for a similar enterprise for their own generation. This lead to the development of their own company – Uptown Cheapskate. Uptown Cheapskate represents a new approach to teen and young adult clothing resale. They wanted to provide a more cost effective clothing option while still appealing to current styles and a positive shopping experience. They did this by designing upscale, modern stores and creating a better system for buying used items for resale. When you walk into an Uptown Cheapskate, it doesn’t feel like you’re walking into a thrift store. It feels as though you’re walking into a mall, but without retail prices! Their buying process ensures that sellers receive fair payments for their gently used clothing while Uptown Cheapskate keeps their racks stocked with high value, in-style items at low prices. In addition to creating a better customer experience within the resale industry, Uptown Cheapskate also encourages support for the environment and sustainable fashion. They understand that the increased consumption of new clothing items creates large amounts of waste, and that most used clothing ends up in landfills. Selling used clothing to Uptown Cheapskates allows your clothes to have a new life instead of adding to pollution. In the same way, buying used clothing instead of new is a much more sustainable way to shop!

Misfit Veggies Might be the Next Best Thing

 

Do you like getting your vegetables shipped right to the door? Maybe you are a fan of how Amazon or other stores are shipping vegetables to homes around the nation. Are you passionate about helping the environment and limiting food waste? Well Abhi Ramesh is here to make that a reality. In 2018, Ramesh founded Misfits Market, becoming so successful he was featured on Forbe’s 30 under 30.

At many supermarkets and grocery stores around the United States, produce is wasted because it looks “weird” or due to overstock. These stores also give farmers guidelines for how produce should look, and if it does not line up, then the farmers toss it into a different pile, a pile of waste. Misfits Market fights the food waste problem by outsourcing produce that is extra or is a “misfit” veggie from local farmers. These misfit veggies are sometimes misshapen or discolored, however they taste just as good as a normal looking veggie from the grocery store.

Misfits is a subscription based service, you can choose how often you want veggies delivered and how much produce you want. Because farming is a seasonal occupation, at different times of the year, the boxes come with different veggies. There is a large variety of fruits and veggies that Misfits sends with each box.

Customers can put suggestions in for what they want or do not want, but for the most part, receiving the boxes are a fun mystery. With Misfits, my family has been able to try a lot of new fruits and veggies I had never heard of before. Some are great, and others are not. Misfits also provides some recipes for how to cook some of the more interesting and less common veggies.

Ramesh took a prevalent problem and made a great product. He identified the problem (food waste), and who the target customers were, and then created a service that provides vegetables at the click of a button.

https://www.misfitsmarket.com/

Sustainable Air Transportation

Wright Electric was founded by Jeffrey Mark Engler to solve the problem carbon emissions by airplanes.  Flying is an essential part of modern transportation, but it can triple a persons carbon footprint.  Wright Electric is working on developing an electric airplane that will have much lower carbon emissions than current passenger jets.  The Wright 1 airplane that is in development will be able to carry 186 passengers, and it will use batteries to power electric motors for propulsion.  Lower carbon emissions will be achieved by using electric power and a more aerodynamic design that reduces drag and makes the airplane more efficient.  Battery powered airplanes are becoming more realistic as a result of research by government agencies such as NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory that are making batteries more efficient and lighter.  An electric airplane has some additional benefits.  Electric motors are much quieter than traditional jet engines, and the decreased use of fuel will make electric airplanes cheaper to fly.  Wright electric is also designing their airplane so that batteries can be quickly swapped at an airport to allow for a faster turnaround time.

Wright Electric has partnered with experienced airlines such as EasyJet, Jetex, and VivaAerobus to get commercial, operational, and maintenance insight during the design process.  The Wright 1 will not have a very large range at first with 500km or 311mi flights from London to Paris, but it will be able to get up a 1,280km or 800mi range.  The Wright 1 will also have slower cruising speeds than similarly sized passenger jets, but Wright Electric expects this to be fine for the short flights that they will be starting with.  Wright Electric is planning to perform ground tests of its motors in 2021 and flight tests in 2023.  They are hoping to have the airplane on the market by 2030.