Pura Vida is an organization that sells carefully handcrafted bracelets made by artisans in Costa Rica. Each bracelet demonstrates the “pura vida” way of life with their color combinations and innovative styles. “Pura Vida” is Spanish for “pure life” and represents a Costa Rican philosophy that encourages choosing to live life to the fullest.

This idea began when Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman went on a college graduation trip to Costa Rica. While traveling throughout the country and taking in the breathtaking views they began to understand the simple lifestyle of the Costa Rican people. As they were walking around one day they ran into two bracelet peddlers named Jorge and Joaquin. These two peddlers where living in poverty and needed anything they could get. Griffin and Paul wanted to do something about it so they asked Jorge and Joaquin to make 400 bracelets that they could take home with them.

When Griffin and Paul returned home they put the bracelets in a bowl at a local boutique and within days they were sold out and people were asking for more of them. These bracelets began to symbolize the simple things in life and Griffin and Paul decided to spread the “pura vida” lifestyle by starting a partnership with Jorge and Joaquin. Not only were they able to help out these two peddlers living in poverty but Pura Vida Bracelets have given over 100 Costa Rican’s full-time jobs. Hundreds of bracelets are now sold and Pura Vida Bracelets even has a Charity Collection that gives back to different causes around the world.

This story is inspirational and shows how two college graduates can take a simple idea and change many lives of those they just met. To read more about Pura Vida Bracelets visit http://www.puravidabracelets.com/.

Have you ever wanted to travel and not want to have to worry about spending a lot of money on hotels? Airbnb is your solution. Founded in 2008 in San Francisco California, Airbnb is a marketplace to book unique accommodations around the world. Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences in more than 34,000 cities in 191 countries. One can find an apartment for a night, a castle for a week or a villa for a month. For people who travel a lot for business they can use Airbnb to feel at home when they are on the road.

Not only can you use Airbnb for a place to stay when traveling but you can also sign up to host travelers in your own home and make money from it. All you need to do is first fill out a description of your home, upload photos and set a price. Then you have to set the availability of your home and any rules for your listing. From there you wait for people to make a reservation to stay at your house and then when you are matched you can message them to get to know them or ask any further questions. If there are every any questions Airbnb has tools and resources for you as well as representatives to speak to.

Though it may seem like an unsafe thing to take part in, Airbnb states that trust is what makes it work. They created standards and expectations to help keep the community save and help everyone travel and host with more confidence. Situations might still occur it is a trustworthy business with 24/7 customer services if there is ever any issue.

The main idea behind Airbnb was to create a unique traveling experiences at an affordable price. Overall, this organization is revolutionary because they entered into the business of hospitality which already has so many others like it, differentiated themselves and have been very successful from it.

To find out more about Airbnb and to find a place near you visit https://www.airbnb.com/

LifeStraw is a straw ideal for hiking, backpacking, camping, and travel as well as your general emergency preparedness. LifeStraw lets you drink directly from streams and lakes by using its straw-style filter design to turn up to 1,00 liters of contaminated water into safe drinking water. The team at LifeStraw is redefining the idea of sustainable safe drinking water through technological innovation.

The company started in 1994 when the Carter Center approached LifeStraw’s parent company, Vestergaard, regarding contamination in drinking water. Carter Center wondered if there was a way to develop a filter that could remove Guinea worm larvae from the water it was contaminating. A cloth filter was designed and by 1999 it evolved into a more effective pipe form. Vestergaard, inspired by the success of this filter, began working to develop a product that could filter out virtually all the microbiological contaminates that makes water unsafe to drink. The result was LifeStraw which was created in 2005.

LifeStraw was originally designed for developing countries who do not have access to clean water but in 2008 the technology was adapted for in-home use. Today LifeStraw is used in 64 countries around the world. Vestergaard has continued to see the need for this type of product in developing countries so in 2014 they launched a program, LifeStraw Follow the Liters. Essentially this programs allows for each consumer purchase to provide one school child in a developing community with safe drinking water for an entire school year.

This product is revolutionary and allows people all around the world to have access to clean water which is something we take for granted and rarely think about not having access to.

To read more about LifeStraw and their world around the world visit http://lifestraw.com/.

Flora Stationery is a non-profit social business which sells stationery that supports scholarships to empower women to flourish. Their stationery products feature original artwork from students in Kosovo and offer a unique product that also helps make a difference. From every purchase, 25% of all proceeds from products go to the scholarship fund while 100% of donations go directly to the mission of Flora Stationery. The scholarship fund supports and pays an entire semester of college tuition at the University of Prishtina for young women.

Flora Stationery was started by Ashley VanBuskirk and Victoria VanBuskirk (GCC graduate) after Ashley took a study abroad trip to Kosovo. While in Kosovo she met an inspiring woman who, because of means out of her control, could not afford a college education. After talking with this young woman Ashley was determined to create a sustainable solution to funding access to higher education in developing countries. Flora Stationery uses education as an opportunity for young woman living in an area where 30% of the population live in poverty and 10% in extreme poverty living on less than one dollar per day. Their main goal can be found in their mission statement which states “Flora Stationery does not rescue women from poverty. Rather, we empower them with an education while enabling the consumer to be a part of this inspiring process of funding futures.”

If you are going to buy a journal why not buy one that can help change a young woman’s life? This organization took a product that is something that many people buy and differentiated themselves by adding a social enterprise to it. This story shows that God can use one interaction to change your life and use you and your talents to change others’ lives.

For more information and to purchase Flora Stationery visit http://www.florastationery.com/.

In 2010 Sarah Kauss launched a mission to rid the world of plastic bottles. With approximately 50 billion plastic bottles dumped in landfill sites each year and over 200 billion globally, Sarah saw a problem. Her solution was designing a water bottle that was beautifully crafted and keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours. And so S’well was born. S’well bottles are composed of non-leaching and non-toxic 18/8 stainless steel and come in a variety of colors and sizes. Not only did Sarah want to rid the world of plastic waste but she also saw the importance in being part of the solution which is why S’well partners with many other charity organizations. A few organizations S’well supports are American Forest, Drink Up, and UNICEF. Since 2015 S’well has donated $200,000 to UNICEF to help provide clean water to the world’s most vulnerable children. UNICEF is a wonderful organization for S’well to be partnering with because with just $1 UNICEF can provide one child with access to safe, clean water for a month. S’well is currently sold in 35 countries worldwide as they work towards bettering our environment and communities globally.

 .

Though S’well water bottles are more expensive than most what makes them different and worth the extra money is their effort to help change the world. They are not just water bottles but a way to make our world cleaner and help communities around the world have access to clean water among other things. Sarah’s story is inspiring as she saw the problem of plastic waste, saw a need for clean water and helping communities around the world, and found one solution that solved both the problem and the need.

 .

For more information and to purchase your S’well bottle today visit http://www.swellbottle.com/.

Henry Patterson has been an entrepreneur since age five when he started a venture of selling horse manure. From there he came up with many other types of ventures until he found that one that made him the most happy. When Henry was ten he wrote a book titled The Adventures of Sherb and Pip which was a story about an imaginary shop run by a mouse and an owl. This book sold thousands of copies and with the help of family and monetary grants Henry was able to bring the characters in the book to life through the shop “Not Before Tea.” Henry chose the name “Not Before Tea” because it was always his Grandma’s response when he would ask for sweets. There are over 40 “Not Before Tea” shops throughout Europe and they sell products such as bags, cushions, pencil cases and soft toys. This unique company is a fast growing children’s lifestyle brand that uses organic fabrics and avoids plastics to promote keeping our planet clean. Henry is very passionate about what he does and developed another passion for speaking about his company. He has spoken at numerous trade and business events. He wishes to help young people develop their entrepreneurial talents and said once, “Lots of children have great ideas for businesses, which they can work on in their spare time and grow when they finish their education.”

.

This story is inspiring showing that with an imagination and a little bit of money anything is possible. Our generation needs to encourage this kind of thinking to build the imagination of children who will be our future. The fact that a ten year old had the imagination to write a book and then the ambition to make his characters come alive within a company is amazing.

.

For more information about Henry visit http://www.notbeforetea.co.uk/