Archive for Sustainable – Page 3

The True Grove City College Entrepreneur

Posted by smithJG18

· Friday, November 2nd, 2018

· 1 Comment

With the Entrepreneurship program winning the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Model Emerging Program Award, Entrepreneurship is a hot topic on campus. Professor English, Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation (E+I) at Grove City College said, “The award has already generated greater awareness and interest in our Entrepreneurship program. I was mobbed after the gala with inquiries and requests from other schools and programs to see our center and collaborate with us. It’s an exciting time for Entrepreneurship at Grove City College.” It is truly an exciting time for Grove City College.

Grove City College students, and students from all over the nation now look to Grove City for its entrepreneurial expertise. With an excellent entrepreneurship program, many people see great ideas and creations in future generations. However, many people fail to recognize the greatest entrepreneur in Grove City’s history: Dr. Issac C. Ketler. Like most entrepreneurship students at Grove City, Ketler (who had no entrepreneurial training himself) was filled with excitement to create and maintain his own business. Contrary to GCC students, Ketler desired to start his own college, originally called Pine Grove Normal Academy, but most of us know it as Grove City College.

Fresh out of National Normal School, a college specifically for aspiring teachers, Ketler instituted Pine Grove Normal Academy (Grove City College) at 23 years old in 1876. The first year’s class was filled to the brim with 26 students, but when people heard about Pine Grove’s unique mission, attendance steadily began to rise. By the 1900’s, the attendance of Pine Grove skyrocketed to over 650 students. How did these numbers increase so quickly, one may ask? Well, Ketler did what any excellent entrepreneur would do: He came up with a unique selling proposition. His vision was to create a Christian, educational society that transcends all denominations and belief systems.

Without any type of degree or class on how to start a college, Isaac Ketler showed confidence and brilliance in instituting a now famous conservative college where students today can pursue their passions. Whether one is an education major or an electrical engineer major, Grove City College is a non-government controlled environment where students learn about Christianity in tandem to their classes of choice. Grove City College is truly a place “Where faith and freedom matter.”

1 Comment

Categories : Academia, Business, College, Education, Great Ideas, Social Entrepreneur, Sustainable, Youngest Entrepreneurs

Plastic Clothing?

Posted by GoseNP18

· Monday, October 22nd, 2018

· 5 Comments

Turning plastic into clothing came from a brother-sister duo at Colgate University. Growing up right by the beach, the brother and sister noticed a waste problem. They realized they wanted to do something about the problem and came up with a solution. The duo pitched an idea to turn plastic bottles into swimwear, earning them $20,000 at a mock Shark Tank. After winning, they raised nearly $25,000 more, and ended up launching the company, Fair Harbor Clothing. The concept is very neat and is quite simple, bottles are broken down into polyfibers which are then spun into yarn and sewn into clothing. The duo started selling by going to over 200 Trunk Shows. Today, the business has grown greatly, Fair Harbor worked with the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator to create board shorts and woman’s swimsuits using 11 plastic bottles and a little bit of cotton and spandex for shaping.

The plastic to clothing design is very innovative and is a great idea. I think this idea is a great way to help with global cleanliness and waste reduction, a large problem in the world today. They take and use 11 bottles for clothing and the company is continuing to grow their inventory and options which helps to use even more recycling. I think it would be cool if they took bottles and other plastics straight from the ocean and helped to clean the earth by recycling and actually cleaning the ocean. However, the company is a great idea and is great for the planet and society.

5 Comments

Categories : Business, Clean water, Creating, Engineering, Great Ideas, Manufacturing, Recycling, Shark Tank, Sustainable, Technology, Uncategorized, Upcycling

Package Free

Posted by kocurcm1

· Tuesday, October 9th, 2018

· 1 Comment

In 2012, businesswoman and environmental enthusiast, Lauren Singer, began “Trash is for Tossers”, a blog in which she documents her Zero Waste lifestyle. Her passion for sustainability and reducing waste has dominated and driven this blog, which holds numerous videos and information regarding the significance of her movement. Taking this passion to greater heights, Lauren Singer decided to create a company that shares this lifestyle with the world and educates those who are unaware of this movement. In her blog, Singer writes, “I created Package Free Shop because I believe that as consumers we all should have convenient access to products that help us reduce our environmental impact. I also started Package Free Shop to empower amazing mission driven entrepreneurs who are dedicating their lives to tackling plastic pollution and waste and help their businesses to grow in a way that was sustainable”. Ultimately, she identified the problem of finding waste-free products conveniently in one place and decided to solve it with a new business.

Singer’s company, Package Free Shop, was founded in 2018 and maintains a store location in New York City as well as an extensive online shop. The products that she sells promote a waste-free lifestyle and include beauty products, cleaning products, pet products, and office products. Thus far, Lauren Singer’s venture has been measured extremely successful. The Package Free Shop website writes, “Since opening, we’ve kept an estimated 4,025,600 plastic straws, 3,061,240 plastic bags, and 1,419,260 non-recyclable bottles and cups out of landfill”. It is incredibly inspiring to learn this story of Lauren Singer, how she was able to use her passion to identify a problem that she created a successful solution for. Singer was willing to take a risk in this industry and spread her passion in a way that impacts others. Hopefully, this company will continue to find success in a market that has strong potential.

1 Comment

Categories : Business, Great Ideas, Recycling, Sustainable, Women Entrepreneurs

Trash to Cash – Wonky Drinks by Karina Sudentye and Maciek Kacprzyk

Posted by crowleyjp18

· Sunday, September 16th, 2018

· 4 Comments

Karina Sudenyte, a 22 year-old BA studying for a BA in business management, and Maciek Kacprzyk, a 25 year-old with two masters degrees in law co-own an extremely environmentally conscious fresh juice business, Get Wonky. Their aim is to cut down on the astronomical number of fruit thrown away into the garbage. The fruit and vegetables used are not viable for the produce markets because they are “defective”. Get Wonky takes produce from the growers that would otherwise be unusable due to being misshapen or discolored and makes them into a desirable product. They do this by juicing and bottling the “defective” produce using Grandma’s recipe in 100% recyclable glass bottles and sustainable catering pack to reduce plastic waste.

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I really appreciate this young company because they center their business practice around environmental sustainability, which the marketplace is in desperate need of. Their mission is to “Give wonky fruit a chance”. More specifically, they aim to produce delicious drinks, support growers that can’t shift wonky produce, reinvest all profits into saving more fruit, and reduce food and packaging waste.

https://youtu.be/2qBRATOAib0

4 Comments

Categories : Food, Recycling, Sustainable, Uncategorized, Youngest Entrepreneurs

Fair Harbor Company, Helping Save The Oceans.

Posted by AyersJD1

· Thursday, September 13th, 2018

· 1 Comment

Fair Harbor Company is a clothing company that sells swimsuits, sounds normal right? The interesting thing is that this company makes swimsuits out of recycled bottles, they also make clothing through recycled polyester. The company idea was started by Jake Danehy. The company name comes from a summer spot, called Fair Harbor, that he and his family went to during the summers. Over time he and his sister Caroline developed a deep love for the ocean. Later while studying geography at Colgate University he was moved by how much damage was being dealt to the oceans. So entering Colgate’s version of Shark-Tank, along with his fashion minded sister Caroline, they debuted Fair Harbor company. They won a 20,000$ grant to start their company.

Even with this grant they have faced challenges and mistakes with starting and keeping the company going. But the duo are continuing onward and striving to always make a superior product. They intend to show how plastic can be used for so many other things. And how plastic is not just a one time use product, and their way of showing that is by making swimsuits out of plastic.

Company Website

http://www.fairharborclothing.com

More Info on the company

http://www.inc.com/maisie-devine/these-millennial-siblings-are-building-a-multi-million-dollar-fashion-company-from-ocean-pollution.html

1 Comment

Categories : Clean water, Clothing, Fashion, Sustainable

From One Thing To The Next

Posted by woullardcc1

· Monday, December 11th, 2017

· 9 Comments

Elon Musk is one of the most influential entrepreneurs of not only now, but of all time. He has been working on countless ways to make the world we win in a better place. Elon Musk doesn’t always just fix problems, but he also makes people realize how the world really should be. The first way he did that was through PayPal. PayPal was his innovative way to help people purchase products safely, securely, and quickly. This product has changed the way people are able to purchase what they want with confidence because of their ability to make sure the money only gets paid if the person paying, gets what they actually wanted.

Another innovative idea he developed was Tesla. Tesla is a car company focused on making cars that are run off batteries and from electric motors. This has changed the world of how cars work. The batteries used to make the cars have also changed the though of how powerful batteries can be and how useful they are. Mr. Musk wants to continue to work on making housing panels that allow ones house to be powered by solar energy, and make more clean, reusable energy for everyday use.

Another one of Elan’s innovations is his SpaceX company. This company is working with NASA to help get astronauts back into space. America is currently a country that cannot send astronauts into space, but Musk is working to change that. He has created new rockets that will allow up to seven astronauts to go into space. His design is based off the Apollo mission designs from when humans first went to the moon.

In the end, Elon Musk has truly changed the world by his ability to be an entrepreneur. He has made life better for humans, and will also continue to change the world by his future innovations.

9 Comments

Categories : Business, Cars, Sci Fi Inspiration, Solar Power, Sustainable, Technology, Transportation, Travel

Gabe Blanchet and Jamie Byron—Grove Ecosystem

Posted by raabeej1

· Friday, October 6th, 2017

· 1 Comment

the grove ecosystem launches a kickstarter for its indoor garden a27a4805

Gabe Blanchet and Jamie Byron were roommates and seniors at MIT. Both were concerned about one of the most threatening problems that we as humans face on this earth today; global food unsustainability. As this was frequently on his mind, Jamie decided to build a DIY aquaponics prototype in the room he shared with Gabe, capturing the attention of many visitors of their room. This prototype would eventually become the idea for a brand called Grove Labs. Grove Labs is a company that produces nearly self-sustaining indoor aquaponics gardens in your home. One such product is the Grove Ecosystem, capable of growing substantial yields of vegetables and herbs, frequently up to a salad per day. The entire fertilization, filtration, hydration, and feeding system is contained within the area of a single bookshelf, utilizing an aquarium of fish and LED lights to allow the plants to grow. Since its inception, Grove Ecosystem has raised nearly half a million on Kickstarter.

Gabe and Jamie’s story is interesting, because it shows how something unique can be created out of passion for a particular subject. In this case, they felt strongly about food sustainability, and brainstormed a product that can answer many of the problems in this subject by creating a self-sustaining home ecosystem. In addition, I appreciate their innovation with this product, as they have taken two concepts (the home and the garden) which are inherently separate and distinct, and merged them into something greater that they are passionate about.

References:

https://inhabitat.com/amazing-grove-aquaponic-ecosystem-can-grow-you-a-salad-every-day/

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/the-grove-ecosystem-launches-a-kickstarter-for-its-indoor-garden/

1 Comment

Categories : Food, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Recycling, Sustainable

Gardens for Health International

Posted by Rachel Smith

· Thursday, November 17th, 2016

· 2 Comments

First of all, I cannot even express how happy this organization makes me. Like, I can’t even.

Now that we’ve established my excitement, I can tell you about the actual organization. Julie Carney co-founded Gardens for Health in 2007 with her friend Emma Clippinger. The original idea was to work with people with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda to help them grow their own food for consumption and sale. However, after two years of living and working toward this goal in Rwanda, Julie realized that they were working on the wrong problem. Malnutrition was the bigger issue in Rwanda. So Gardens for Health developed accordingly. This is a fantastic example of reframing the problem and pivoting in your idea to address the problem more effectively and be more successful in your entrepreneurial endeavors.

Now Gardens for Health fights malnutrition in Rwanda by “partnering with local health centers to integrate agricultural support and comprehensive health education into the clinical treatment of malnutrition.” They work to include agriculture training for local families in the usual assistance provided by public health centers.

“Our agriculture team works to blend international innovations in sustainable agriculture with time-tested Rwandan farming practices in order to help every family with whom we work to make the most of their existing resources.

Through our work, we are changing the way that malnutrition is treated by moving away from short-term handouts and towards equipping families with the knowledge and resources to grow their own nutritious food and improve their health. We envision a future in which the key to lasting food and nutrient security for vulnerable families lies in their own backyards.”

Again, I LOVE the mission of this organization!!! This is innovation the world needs! Find out more about Gardens for Health at their website.

2 Comments

Categories : Agriculture, Food, Social Entrepreneur, Sustainable

New Seed for Guatemala

Posted by Rachel Smith

· Tuesday, November 8th, 2016

· 1 Comment

Curt Bowen grew up on a small organic farm in Idaho, so he knows a thing or two about agriculture and social engagement. His first service experience in Central America was building a house for a widowed family in Nicaragua as a teenager. During this trip he realized that it was impossible to help everyone in the same way, and that the root causes of poverty need to be examined rather than simply attempting to alleviate its symptoms.

So in 2006 he started his first project in Latin America with the goal of educating locals on biodiesel technology. While he was able to open three research and training centers, Curt didn’t think he was making a big enough impact. Knowing that the majority of the world’s poor are farmers, Curt decided to use his agricultural background to help the people of Guatemala.

Once he got to Guatemala, Curt and his partner Trinidad Recinos, who he had met during his biodiesel project, drove through the entire country to plant and harvest alongside local farmers in order to fully understand the problems and issues facing Guatemalan farmers. Then in 2010 Curt and Trinidad co-founded Semilla Nueva (New Seed) with the mission: “to develop locally-led farmer education programs that increase the income, rebuild the soils, and improve the food security of Guatemala’s rural poor.”

Semilla Nueva now develops and implements agricultural solutions through experimentation and collaboration with Guatemalan farmers. The organization’s research looks for ways to produce more food, generate more income, decrease agriculture’s negative effects, and increase nutrition for poor farmers.
A great example of the progress Semilla Nueva has made is pigeonpea. “Pigeonpea is a drought resistant bean bred to grow simultaneously with corn and other crops. It cuts fertilizer costs by fixing organic nitrogen, decreases soil compaction, provides high protein and nutrient rich food, and is open-pollinated, allowing farmers to save their own seed.” Simply giving farmers access to this seed can increase the health of the farmers’ soil, provide more nutritious food, and increase farmers’ incomes.

Although I found out about Semilla Nueva only recently, I love what this organization is doing. They are using sustainable agriculture and advances in agricultural technologies to lift the poor out of poverty and help them thrive. Semilla Nueva is one of only a handful of organizations focused on agricultural development. They are one-of-a-kind, and I love it!

1 Comment

Categories : Agriculture, Biofuel, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Social Entrepreneur, Sustainable

Revolutionizing Dinner Time – Blue Apron

Posted by Ari Carter

· Sunday, November 6th, 2016

· 2 Comments

It has been another long day in the office. It is the end of the week, your fridge is empty and you haven’t eaten since that blueberry muffin and cup of coffee at noon. You weigh the options. Order in again? Maybe Chinese or pizza, maybe you muster up some energy to go to the grocery store to make an actual meal or maybe you just dare to consume that microwave meal that has been sitting in your freezer for eternity in case of an emergency. All these options are less than enticing. After all you love to cook, but grocery shopping takes way too much time out of your week.

Amidst a sea of food services Blue Apron has differentiated in an incredibly unique way, developing a RECIPE 😉 for success for Americans who love to cook by offering them a meal kit – a big box of ingredients in exactly the right amounts and a recipe card with easy instructions on how to make the meal. All at a price of roughly $10. A gourmet meal at your fingertips for a very reasonable price.

Our mission is to make incredible home cooking accessible to everyone

And that is exactly what they do. They pick the freshest, most unique ingredients on the market within a sustainable food system. Blue Apron sets the standards high for ingredients sourcing from direct relationships with farmers. The company desires to build a community of home chefs, through providing recipes that encourage home chefs to try new ingredients and cooking techniques every week, customizing the meals to the skill level of the cook.

You can have all of these ingredients for one of these meals delivered directly to your door for just you or for your family.

Like many start-ups Blue Apron started in a with a problem that translated into an idea. In the summer of 2012, Matt Salzberg, Ilia Papas, and Matt Wadiak tested the first Blue Apron recipes in their tiny New York apartments. “The goal was to make the experience of cooking with quality produce and specialty ingredients accessible to everyone, no matter where they live or how busy they are.” The first test was to family and friends, when the three entrepreneurs hand-picked the first boxes themselves and delivered them to family and friends. It was hugely successful. Now the company sends over 8 million meals per month to home chefs nationwide, with thousands of employees working in the offices around the country.

Blue Apron is not only providing a high quality service but is bringing families together through these delivered meals. The recipes are easy for kids and parents to get involved in!

2 Comments

Categories : Food, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Sustainable