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!
Archive for Sustainable – Page 2
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/
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.
As Americans, most of us can say we own one, if not multiple pairs of shoes. For Tim Brown, founder of Allbirds shoe company and former professional soccer player, an over-abundance of shoes prompted his desire for a change in the shoe industry. As Brown progressed in his soccer career, he realized that the numerous shoes he received from his sponsor were “completely unnecessary.” Due to Brown’s experience with an over-abundance of shoes as a soccer player, he let this drive his vision for the Allbirds shoe company. Brown envisioned a shoe that would innovate in reverse. Instead of choosing to add to already technical and detailed shoe designs, he chose to “strip back the shoe and create something simple and natural.” The foundation for Brown’s Allbirds company was one that innovated in reverse. Not only did Brown aim to create a minimalist shoe, but he furthered his efforts by committing to sustainability. Brown continued this vision of minimalism as he chose to use renewable, sustainable resources to build his shoes. For example, Brown and Zwillinger (engineer and renewables expert), crafted a shoe which incorporates eucalyptus fibers containing cooling properties. This creates a running shoe which naturally cools your sweaty feet. Below is a picture of these shoes made from eucalyptus trees.
“Allbirds: Tree Runners”
EVERY part of these shoes are comprised from renewable resources. The laces are crafted from consumer plastics, the insole of the shoe is made from castor bean oil which emits less carbon than petroleum based foam, the mid-sole is made of sugarcane from Brazil, and the upper is made from the eucalyptus tree fiber.
The royal crown of Allbirds consists of their use of marino wool shoe material. In continuing with their mantra of sustainability, Allbirds uses marino sheep wool as the majority of their shoe material. In New Zealand, where the company is based and Brown’s home, sheep outnumber humans 6:1. Using sheep wool reduces the use of energy by 60% compared to that of most shoes on the market.
One of the entrepreneurial traits that Brown exudes is passion. It was quite evident through my research of this company that Brown has a profound passion for protecting our earth yet providing style in a simple way. I love how he thought creatively about the simplifying of shoes rather than trying to add to an already very complex shoe industry. By stripping down the shoe to its basic function and fashion, Brown was able to create a product which people thoroughly enjoy due to its performance and contribution to our plant.
“Mother Nature is our muse. Building on her handiwork, we’re finding new uses for materials that exist right in front of us. Like wool from merino sheep, who have the best hair in nature.” – Tim Brown
Grace Beverley is a 23-year-old Oxford University graduate, as well as the founder and CEO of three fitness brands that emphasize sustainability and eco-friendliness: TALA, an athletic wear company, Shreddy, a fitness and workout planning app, and B_ND, a gym equipment shop.
As an 18-year-old heading to university, she was a fitness and lifestyle-type YouTube and Instagram personality, where she has since amassed 500k subscribers and 1 million followers (as of September 2020). During her second year of pursuing a degree in music at Oxford, she launched B_ND, and in the spring of 2019, TALA, with Shreddy to follow soon after. Now, her legitimacy as a young CEO is rising quickly beyond owning three brands that have received zero funding from external investors; she was named #1 in Forbes 30 Under 30: Europe 2020, with TALA earning £6M, or roughly $7.6M, in the first year of business. Despite her successes thus far, however, she has expressed struggles with her self-perception and validation due to her beginnings being while she was in school, her 
background in the “influencer, YouTuber area,” where it is difficult to be taken seriously, and also being a young, woman CEO in a competitive, crowded, and challenging industry. While some of her success can be attributed to her internet presence, she does not consider herself an influencer — a title she is trying to get away from — but a fitness entrepreneur who uses social media.
Beverley is passionate about and driven by her belief in a competitive business model that incorporates sustainability, and in her case, fitness inclusivity as well. She believes that in order to truly move towards a more sustainable world, venture capitalists, investors, and private equity firms must be encouraged to make money in the world of sustainability so that the future of the industry is able to “survive alongside traditional business.” With these innovative concepts in mind and her interest in fitness, she developed her brands.
B_ND sells vegan-friendly workout equipment and TALA boasts that 92% of products are made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles. TALA is unique in this aspect, as they are one of few brands to make eco-friendly and ethical athletic clothing that can be purchased for a similar, if not better price as other “fast-fashion activewear [pieces]” that are not eco-friendly. In terms of “fitness inclusivity,” TALA and Shreddy are very intentional about relaying to consumers their understanding of the various different body types and people they are selling to, and that they are not trying to overly promote transformations or weight loss. At the same time, Beverley does not like the idea of advertising and marketing with “body positivity” on the forefront; as she believes the fitness world wrongly invaded the movement and is in actuality “one of the most fatphobic and non-inclusive industries there is.”
Beverley’s successes in this new niche have been inspirational to many, as she often posts productivity advice and tips on her social media stories, and is set to release a book in April 2021 titled Working Hard, Hardly Working: Redefining Productivity in the Modern World. Overall, Beverley is making a meaningful impact in the fitness world by being able to create and sell ethical athletic wear and equipment for affordable prices — a demand and industry that had not yet been discovered as profitable or possible.
After a mission trip to Zambia, millennial entrepreneur, Dustin McBride, began brainstorming ways to meet a few critical needs that he experienced there: access to transportation as well as sustainable employment. This eventually lead to the formation of Zambikes, a company that builds and sells bikes in Lusaka, Zambia. This company meets the needs of many Zambians by providing job opportunities in an environment that encourages financial and personal development and by providing greater access to one of the most affordable and practical mode of transportation in Zambia.
McBride is driven by his love for God and his desire to serve Him by meeting the needs of others. This passion, along with the many entrepreneurial traits he displays, has allowed his company to be successful. McBride began by identifying a problem that Zambians were facing, and then addressing the problem in a way that appealed to the people’s needs. Then he took an idea that was already established and started innovating to develop new ideas. He noticed that the most common form of transportation among Zambians were bikes, because very few could afford cars. However, bikes were also in limited supply and many families did not have access to bikes. In addition, there was a great need for ways to transport goods to and from the market to sell, as well as ways to transport sick people to and from the medical center. With this in mind, McBride developed two bike attachments to meet these needs. One was a cart designed to haul goods and the other was a cart designed to carry people to and from the medical center. This is a great example of innovating a current product to better meet the needs of the people.
McBride is a unique example of an entrepreneur because he is not only in the business of improving a product, he is also in the business of improving lives. Zambikes improves the quality of life for Zambians by providing transportation that is less time consuming that walking, which allows them to be more productive with their time. It also allows for more direct access to health care by providing quick and safe transport. Most importantly, Zambikes provides vital employment opportunities to the community that go far beyond earning a respectable wage. The company empowers their employees by providing them with skills training, opportunities for advancement, an environment that encourages personal development as well as spiritual growth, and the ability to create sustainable businesses themselves. Zambikes is truly changing Africa one bike at a time!
Sources:
https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dustin-mcbride
https://www.facebook.com/zambikes/
Greta Thunberg is a 16-year-old from Sweden who, unlike the vast majority of millennial entrepreneurs, is an innovator within the social and political environments. She is a climate activist: informing people about the harmful effects of climate change, pushing governments and corporations to change their emissions policies, and changing the way the entire world views the climate crisis.
Every Friday since 2018, Thunberg has led “Fridays for Future”, a movement that encourages students to skip school and demand governmental action for climate change. On September 20th, 2019, she led the largest singular climate strike in history, with an estimated 4 million people from over 161 countries joining her in protest. Thunberg is driven by her passion for the environment, and vision to change governmental climate regulations. She has even been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the mass movement that she created, and ultimately, her contribution to global unity.
Thunberg has appeared on TED Talks, opened for the UN Climate Action Summit, and spoken to many influential political figures, such as Pope Francis, the UK Parliament, and former President Barack Obama. In addition to the impact that she is making on the political spectrum, Thunberg is also open about her battle with Asperger’s Syndrome. She is inspiring teenagers around the world to not only persevere through adversity, but to passionately thrive.
At the age of 16, how has Greta Thunberg gotten more attention and made more of an impact than any other climate activist? What makes her stand out from more experienced politicians? Her innovation and connectivity through activism are what has made Greta such a social phenomenon. Instead of focusing on structured political regimes, she resonates with the younger generation through movements and protests. Greta Thunberg has somehow found a way to unite young climate activists and political figures, in order to move forward toward social change. While Greta might not fit the stereotype of an entrepreneur, she is innovating and changing the way the world sees climate activism, one Friday at a time.
Jessica O. Matthews is the creator of Soccket — the soccer ball that develops power through kinetic energy. Jessica had a vision while traveling to visit family in Nigeria that she used to create what she calls her 
“Anti-Silicon Valley” startup named Uncharted Power. Using her intellectual property rights to kinetic energy products Matthews used her initial capital to expand her toy product line. But she realized something bigger could come of her inventions. After unveiling her new power-generating products, Matthews told Forbes that she has been in communication with Disney to develop full-scale energy production in “light poverty” areas.
Matthews also talks about her experience as a female CEO and her “Anti-Silicon Valley” Energy Company. She talks about strategic location. Matthews says that she originally had Uncharted Power’s headquarters located in downtown Manhattan, but considering relations with lower incoming areas she moved her headquarters uptown to Harlem. 
Matthews, interestingly, noted that not only people matter but you matter. She gives her experience, or lack thereof, in the energy sector following her re-brand to Uncharted Power. Matthews says that she tried and failed to bring in experts in the field, that even though experts say they are “experts,” for her they did not get what she wanted done. After an overhaul of management and taking the reign herself, she says that less is more. Currently employing 17 people and 17 serving as advisers, Uncharted Power is working to accomplish great things for those who do not have clean energy.
Read more about Jessica Matthews and Uncharted Power in the link:
Leigh-Kathryn Bonner is a 25 year old entrepreneur who loves bees. Yes, you read that correctly. Bees. She is a fourth generation beekeeper who grew up on a farm in North Carolina. While she was in college, she was unsure about whether she wanted to continue her family’s business or pursue a different career. However, one day while she was studying abroad, she read an article about the decline in bee populations. She was astonished that this was a problem that affected not only her own country, but the whole world as well. She realized that she wanted to be a part of a solution that saved bees all across the world, while continuing her family’s legacy.
Bonner was able to take her family’s beehive business to the next level by creating Bee Downtown. Bee Downtown is a company that installs beehives on the grounds of large corporate headquarters. Its mission is to help save honeybee populations which ultimately helps agriculture. For example, Burt’s Bees, Chick-Fil-A, and Delta are among the many companies that have already signed up to contribute to this mission. Each company that partners with Bee Downtown will host numerous beehives on the properties of their headquarters locations. They will host these hives without doing any of the hard work that normally comes with beekeeping. Instead, Bee Downtown will train each company’s employees to maintain the hives as part of a corporate perk. This corporate perk has not only shown to raise morale of employees, it also helps to foster an environment that promotes social impact within companies.
According to Bonner, surveys have shown that 85% of employees who work at companies that have partnered with Bee Downtown have said that the hives have caused them to feel proud of the companies they work for. Another 95% have said that beekeeping was their favorite employee engagement activity each year. Bonner has successfully found a way to make a profit while also providing a way for people to become involved with a sustainability initiative.
Leigh-Kathryn Bonner is an inspiring millennial entrepreneur. She incorporated her background, passion, and talents into a sustainable business that encouraged social impact. If other millennials looked to Bonner as an example of a successful entrepreneur, they would be inspired by her story and may even want to turn their own passions into a business. I believe that with Bonner’s ambition and work ethic, she will be able to expand Bee Downtown all across the globe.
This company was started by Chandler Sterling. Frustrated with the lack of a good beard oil for self grooming, Sterling set out to start his own company to fix that problem. Using very natural resources he came up with his product and from there started the California Beard Company. Over time his company has grown into a well recognized and respected company, that keep putting out new products all the time. And one big thing that drives Sterling is his love for green. For every product that his company sells, his company plants one tree. So as he takes away, he gives back. This is one of the big things that his company pushes for, keep our planet, and our beards, clean.
More information on Sterling:
Company:
https://www.californiabeardco.com/