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Nohbo-Ben Sterns environmentally friendly product

Posted by morrowrb23

· Saturday, November 25th, 2023

· 1 Comment

Ben Stern’s passion for nature and worries about the environment drove him to start Nohbo. This company creates technologies for consumer goods products that fully dissolve and leave no trace behind. Stern decided to target the issue of plastic pollution at the root by trying to eliminate plastics. He figured out how to encapsulate your favorite personal care products in a fully water-soluble film. For example, you can have your shampoo in a fully dissolvable film.

Ben founded Nohbo when he was a freshman in high school after he discovered the harm that was being caused by single-use plastics. He was later featured on Shark Tank where he was able to land a deal with Mark Cuban. His company also gained a lot of visibility because of all the viewers that tune into the show. Nohbo has grown quite a bit since the show and is currently based in Palm Bay, FL.

They sell 3 dissolvable products which include, Drops, Hydrofill, and slips. Nohbo has found a big market in the consumer-packaged goods industry and hospitality industry as well. New legislation has been a large factor in how they found out about Nohbo. The push towards being environmentally friendly and sustainable has been a positive for Stern’s company as his product can help serve those who believe in that.

Nohbo owns and operates another company, Sunrise Session. As you could guess, it is a single-use, plastic waste-free self-care innovation brand. Their single-use remedies free you from your plastic obsession and deliver the same quality as other brands.

I appreciate the true problem solver that Stern is. He wasn’t afraid to jump in and tackle a huge problem which has allowed him to create a huge impact with lots of potential for growth.

1 Comment

Categories : beauty products, Clean water, Enviornmental, Environment, Health, Ocean

Josh Cliffords – FreeWater

Posted by ChristmanAJ23

· Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

· 2 Comments

There are more than 800 million people who lack access to clean water worldwide. It is a major problem that has plagued society for generations, yet entrepreneur Josh Cliffords came up with a way to help solve this problem. Cliffords is the founder of FreeWater, the world’s first free beverage company. Based in Texas, FreeWater makes cartons of water with advertisements on them, allowing the company to give away free, clean drinking water. Advertisers can buy ad space on these water bottles (the cost of which is dependent on several factors of cost for the company) and present their product to customers in a non-aggressive way. Advertisers can also link QR codes to their advertisements, allowing people to receive coupons, order food, register to vote, and even download movies, music, and T.V. shows.

FreeWater strives to “make people happy by saving them money, saving lives and helping the environment,” according to PR Newswire, “Additionally, FreeWater advertisers get 10 times the impressions of direct mail; the company’s potential profit margins are also much higher than traditional food and beverage companies, being a media and e-commerce platform.” FreeWater also creates partnerships with non-profit organizations, such as church groups, sports programs, and schools. These organizations can buy advertising space and FreeWater will give them between 10 and 25 cents per beverage bought. The company intends to take this concept even further in the future, currently developing the world’s first free supermarket. According to the company’s website, they “have created a handful of processes that will enable the free and profitable distribution of nearly every type of product that can be purchased in COSTCO today.” You can read more about them on prnewswire.com or on their website, freewater.io.

2 Comments

Categories : Activism, Clean water

4Ocean – Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze

Posted by masonaj22

· Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022

· 3 Comments

While on a surfing trip to Bali, Indonesia Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze were struck by the amount of plastic waste filling the oceans. Having grown up in Florida themselves, they feel a deep connection to the sea and all it provides and protects. Cooper and Schulze discussed this issue with local fisherman to get an idea of the ramifications this has on their livelihoods. After their conversations they decided to start an organization that staffs full time crews to rid the ocean of this unwanted waste.

Wanting to have a product to make from the recovered plastic, Cooper and Schulze decided to create bracelets as a “wearable symbol of their mission that would spark conversations about plastic pollution and it would act as a physical reminder to people to make ocean-minded choices like refusing single-use plastics.”

4Ocean has recovered 26,326,650 pounds of trash since 2017. Their unique approach as one of the few organizations that solely targets ocean clean-up has made a huge impact in communities and the world as a whole. Working in twelve locations, with seventeen vessels, 4Ocean employs 185 crew members who clean our waters.

This image comes from 4Ocean’s Osbourne Reef Tire Cleanup, where they work to remove hundreds of thousands of tires that have found their way to the ocean floor.

https://www.4ocean.com/

3 Comments

Categories : Clean water, Entrepreneurship, Enviornmental, Ocean

Keiana Cavé: Chemical and Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurship

Posted by nuzumrk22

· Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

· 2 Comments

Keiana Cavé, a STEM-minded, 24-year-old, is truly brilliant. At the age of only fifteen, she began studying oil spills, specifically the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This research sparked two of her major inventions: a method that would detect oil spills in a body of water and later, a molecule that would help better disperse said oil and fight carcinogens created when the sun hits it. These two inventions have won her $1.2 million of research money from Chevron and have led her to begin a research startup, called Mare, which aims to counteract toxins and carcinogens in personal/home products.

Cavé attended the University of Michigan as a chemical engineering student but soon dropped out to continue growing her businesses. She has worked for Microsoft, Francensca’s, and Lululemon as a brand representative and website designer, not to mention Mare and her newest company, Sublima Pharmaceuticals. Cavé is the CEO and founder of Sublima Pharmaceuticals which is currently in the process of creating the first FDA-approved, non-hormonal birth control pill, a pretty groundbreaking concept.

I am not STEM-minded at all but nevertheless, Cavé’s story really inspired me. Especially after reading about how she never saw herself being where she is now. It really reminded me that life can go completely off track in the best of ways and that you can’t sell yourself short, because great things may be waiting.

Sources:

https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/student-of-the-year-keiana-cave/

https://thestrive.co/successful-young-entrepreneurs-stories/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiana_Cav%C3%A9

https://globalyouth.wharton.upenn.edu/articles/meet-some-of-the-brightest-young-entrepreneurs/

2 Comments

Categories : Entrepreneurship, Environment, Ocean, Pharmaceuticals, STEM, Uncategorized

Nohbo-Benjamin Stern

Posted by williamslg21

· Tuesday, October 4th, 2022

· 2 Comments

When he was 14, Benjamin Stern started creating eco-friendly products for an assignment for his 9^th biology class. He was frustrated by the problem of waste, specifically plastic, so created his own solution. His product, called Nohbo, was a plastic free way of packaging toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and shaving cream. It is, “the world’s first single use, water soluble Drop for personal care products.” The shampoo is surrounded by a biodegradable, water-soluble, polymer film, similar to tide pods. In 2016, Benjamin pitched his idea on Shark Tank and secured a deal with Mark Cuban for $3.4 million. Since then, his company has grown tremendously. He plans to expand his company to other fields and educate consumers on ways to reduce waste. Nohbo states that their goal is, “to combat plastic waste in hotel amenities, and create a superior line of eco-friendly personal care products. They also highlight the importance of educating their consumers about plastic waste in their mission statement which says, “With monodose packaging, there’s a consumer journey. We need to educate consumers about what the products are, how to use them and their benefits. Education is critical.” Nohbo note only presents an different perspective on personal care but also helps their consumers to understand why their alternative is so important.

Sources:

https://nohbo.com/pages/our-story

https://markcubancompanies.com/companies/nohbo/

2 Comments

Categories : Clean water, Enviornmental

Sustainable Ocean Alliance

Posted by flennikenjj18

· Sunday, November 29th, 2020

· 2 Comments

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.

2 Comments

Categories : Clean water, Enviornmental, Ocean, Social Entrepreneur, Sustainable

Jaden Smith – Just Water

Posted by nicolettice19

· Monday, November 2nd, 2020

· No Comments

Many of us have heard of Jaden Smith. Son to Will and Jada, he is best known for his roles in moves like The Pursuit of Happiness and The Karate Kid but many do not know that at a young age he became an entrepreneur. At the young age of 12 years old Jaden Smith came up with the idea for the company Just Water. As of September 2019, less than four years of the company being founded, it was valued at $100 million.

The idea for this multi million dollar company came to Jaden when he was just ten years old when he was out surfing and saw floating plastic water bottles bobbing up and down in the water. He later learned about the great garbage patch in the ocean and wanted to make a change. With the help of his parents Will and Jada they helped get their sons company off the ground. The brand is known for a couple of key features with their products. They are sure to source their water responsibly while also keeping the price down for the consumer. The packaging of the water bottles is 100% recyclable materials. The paper carton is made of responsibly sourced trees and a plastic mouth piece made of a “plastic” that is derived from sugar cane.

The company focusses on cutting down on their footprint on the earth not only do they focus on their products being made with responsible materials but even how the products are made. By creating the cartons on a flat roll they are able to ship as a 13 truck loads of plastic bottles in one truck, cutting down on emissions. Principles such as these is what makes the company so popular during this time where people are more conscience of the impact we have on the earth.

It is amazing to see that at such a young age Jaden was able to come up with the idea and the drive to create a product that would benefit the world and us who inhabit it. In less than four years he was able to hit $100 million dollars, I think it will be exciting to see where he and the company are another 5 years from now.

Check out their website! @justwater.com

No Comments

Categories : Beverages, Clean water, Water

4ocean: Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper

Posted by nicolettice19

· Sunday, September 13th, 2020

· No Comments

The idea for the company 4ocean started when entrepreneurs Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze took a trip to the country of Bali after they graduated college. The two planned to surf along the coast but were taken aback when they saw the amount of garbage that littered the coast. They wanted to find a way to make a change and hopefully inspire others to do the same. Andrew and Alex were inspired by multiple lifestyle brands that had a charity edge to them. In 2017 they launched the company and their great venture started.

Bracelets being their main product, are made of a simple woven string and recycled plastic beads making for a simple yet recognizable bracelet. Every time a bracelet is purchased the company uses part of the proceeds to pull one pound of trash out of the ocean and to also fund beach cleanups. As their following and sales increased so did their product line. They now offer various bracelets in different cord colors themed after different marine animals. 4ocean water bottles, drink ware, apparel and cleanup supplies are also sold by the company. A end of life program is also being worked on so that there is minimal waste when it comes to their products. Andrew and Alex are aiming to have a way to recycle their old products once consumers are done with them. The company has removed approximately 4.7 million pounds of trash as of 2019. They also provide jobs for the women of Bali who make the bracelets and provide jobs for people all around the world who help with the cleanups.

Andrew and Alex were able to grow their company large enough to be featured in Forbes, The Today Show and CNBC. Both entrepreneurs were listed in Forbes 30 under 30 in the 2019 edition and won the category of Social Entrepreneurship. With over 2 million Instagram followers the two were able to create quite the cult following with just a simple idea and a business plan.

Click the link below to explore 4ocean or to make a purchase.

https://www.4ocean.com/

No Comments

Categories : Ocean, Social Entrepreneur, Uncategorized

Pela Phone Case

Posted by Stu Rozendal

· Tuesday, November 19th, 2019

· 3 Comments

According to Pela Case’s website, they have a “big, hairy, audacious goal” where they want to create a future without waste, and it is that mission that informs their goals and business-practices. The founder of Pela, Jeremy Lang, says that he had the idea for the company when he was in Hawaii with his family and his son dug up a piece of plastic on the beach. This led Lang to think about the impact of plastic and waste on the environment, and from that the impact on human life and community.

Lang decided that he wanted to craft a company that combated this waste, while also raising awareness about it. This led him to found Pela Case, a company that produces eco-friendly recycled phone cases. The idea was to create something environmentally-focused and sound that you would hold in your hand every day. Their phone cases are durable and biodegradable.

The company is founded on and focused around four core values: community, creativity, consciousness, and courage. All of these are reflected in their business’ values and practices, but also in the culture they wish to inspire in their product.

This company interests me because I think it is an awesome example of an entrepreneur seeing a very specific need and finding a way to connect it with something tangible and very “human.” It’s a company that does not ask much of people–everyone needs a phone case, so why not get one that looks nice and also supports environmental causes? The company still seems like it’s pretty small, but I’ve seen a lot of ads for it on social media and I have begun to see more people with their product.

3 Comments

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Charity, Clean water, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Social Entrepreneur

4Ocean – Andrew Cooper & Alex Schulze

Posted by Laura Mosley

· Sunday, September 15th, 2019

· 1 Comment

(L to R) Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper owners of 4Ocean, a company that actively removes trash from the ocean. Photo by Tim Stepien.

I’m sure we’ve all seen ads from time to time about 4Ocean – the company that sells bracelets and puts money towards cleaning up our oceans. In the last few months, I’ve seen an increase in these ads before Youtube videos and I’ve wondered who it is that’s behind this endeavor.

As it turns out, there are two people: Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze. Recently, these two made it to the 2019 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 for their efforts. So how did it all start?

In 2015, Cooper and Schulze went on a surfing trip to Bali and were appalled by the amount of plastic they found in the ocean. As we are learning in class, they found trouble and sought to fix it. By 2017, they were selling the bracelets we all know of today as a way to fund the cleanup effort. According to the organization, the bracelets are made of recycled materials and each represents a pound of trash that will be removed. 4Ocean has since created more products to help fund the effort, but the bracelets remain the most widely known. According to an article in PR Newswire, “By creating jobs, utilizing the latest technology and raising awareness about the impact of trash in the ocean, the company is building the first economy for ocean plastic and creating a cleaner, more sustainable future for the ocean.”

Cooper and Schulze are excellent examples of entrepreneurs who used their passion to change how the world sees a problem. They are both surfers, fishermen, and divers. They spend much of their time around the water and were perfectly suited to see and frame the problem of plastic in the ocean in a way that many people around the world have not known. They did not just say that there was a problem, but they showed pictures and gave people a simple way that they could help – all with the easy purchase of a recycled bracelet. Every time a customer would look at the bracelet, they would be reminded of the ongoing problem and the fight to clean the world’s oceans. By presenting the problem in a way that gave people something easy to do and inspiring them with the need, they made the daunting task of cleaning up the oceans seem very possible and even exciting.

Sources:

https://4ocean.com/about/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4ocean-co-founders-andrew-cooper-and-alex-schulze-named-forbes-30-under-30-social-entrepreneurs-300750165.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/07/4oceans-cleaned-up-1-million-pounds-of-ocean-garbage.html

1 Comment

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Business, Clean water, Enviornmental, Great Ideas, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Ocean, Outdoors, Recycling