Africa with its rich arts and crafts have so much to offer to the world. We are excited to find online or in a nearby store a unique, one of a kind piece from a land far away. But we should pause to think as to how much of what we pay actually goes back to the artisans and their communities. Today we talk with Jenny Nuccio, Founder and CEO of Imani Collective – Global Social Enterprise Empowering Artisans, who wanted to not only promote the art from Kenya, but make sure that the artisans are paid two to three times the average wage and gain access for their art. She joins us from Mombasa, Kenya sharing her life’s mission to provide a fair and living wage to the folks who work alongside her. Learn more in the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
Natural gas used to heat our homes, cook our meals and sometimes even to move our cars comprises mainly of Methane – a know greenhouse gas. While we go on this journey to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and green house gasses, there needs to be a sustainable alternative to conventional natural gas. The anaerobic activities in landfills creates Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). RNG is a hundred percent match to conventional natural gas and can thus be piped and supplied using the existing natural gas distribution pipelines. We talk with Grant Gibson, co-founder and CDO of Synthica Energy – that does exactly that. Their anaerobic digestion facilities receive industrial food wastes, organic by-products, brewery washout and they use them to produce biogas for commercial power plants. Learn more about this exciting solution on this latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
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We like to check in with some of our previous guests to see how their business has changed, what goals were achieved and the ones that were not. How they may have pivoted or continued the path they had chosen. It is a pleasure to have Shameek Ghosh, CEO of Trustrace -Tracing for Fashion. He joins us once again from Stockholm, Sweden. We talk about fashion traceability and regulations on this industry in Europe and North America. How they have changed and the impetus for these changes. Conversation about how a responsible and mindful brand can navigate the journey of traceability and abiding by the regulations smoothly. Trustrace offers a path and solution to these brands – from enterprise to mid-sized sustainable businesses. To learn more about their solution listen to the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
Cotton fiber and fabric is considered to be one of the most natural material. Given that, who would have thought that the process of manufacturing cotton fabric uses materials and techniques that cause environmental damage. Cotton needs to be cleaned and the “trash” removed for the cotton to become white and more absorbent to dyes. Alkaline and other harmful chemicals used to bleach in this process need to be washed out completely. The dyes in itself are harmful and their effluence further pollute our environment. Fibre 52 replaces these toxic chemicals with bio-products that do the job more sustainably and efficiently. Their patent – pending process reduces the processing time by up to 25%, up to 70% reduction in water consumption and up to 40% reduction in electricity without reducing the quality or dyeability of the cotton. Fibre 52 prepares cotton – knit, woven, non-wovens or raw fiber – for a perfect dye job without using harsh, toxic chemicals AND without stripping the unique properties that make everyday cotton resilient, naturally soft and breathable. It can be done using existing machinery and without additional capital investment. In this episode we chat with Graham Stewart, Executive Vice President of Fiber 52 who shares how their product helps the cotton mills consume less heat, energy, water and time. Learn more about this unique product on this episode of Mindful businesses.
This episode was previously aired on April 23, 2023.
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Oil spills in our world where engines are omnipresent are almost inevitable. Larger accidental spills on land and water have catastrophic effects on the environment, plant and animal life. Ironically some of the industrial spill clean-up solutions often used may not always be eco-friendly. SaveSorb is a totally natural, sustainable plant material. Using sphagnum peat moss in a proprietary method, it is dried, sieved, blended and pH balanced to create the most effective absorbent of hydrocarbons (oil based compounds) and chemicals available.
SaveSorb absorbs almost all hydrocarbons, chemicals and their vapors. It encapsulates them within its molecular structure and will not leach contaminants into the environment, even under pressure. SaveSorb is very safe to handle. In its natural state it partially absorbs the fumes, making it useful for cleaning up small spills containing flammable liquids.
SaveSorb is available as a loose product in bags and in a variety of manufactured products from Spill Kits, absorbent mats and socks. Listen to the world renown jockey turned entrepreneur, Ronnie Ebanks who seized the opportunity when he was introduced to this “miracle-product”.
As we open our kitchen faucets and fill a glass with drinking water, we probably don’t realize that around 2 billion people globally do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. Clean and safe potable water is such a basic necessity but is still inaccessible to one-fourth of the population in the world. For them, bottled water is not a luxury but a necessity for a healthy and disease-free living. In the United States, municipalities are equipped with water treatment plants and the water is tested regularly, but old and often crumbling pipes tend to leech contaminants into the water. The tragic case of Flint, Michigan comes to mind. Our mindful guests Jess Page and Nicole Doucet, Co – founders of Open Water set out to offer a product to exactly this segment of the population. They explored a variety of options and came up with a rather elegant solution. Firstly, bottle the water close to their customers, reducing the carbon footprint of transportation. Secondly, using aluminum cans as against plastic bottles. Aluminum recycling rates far exceed the plastic recycling rates (around 65%) and do not lose their integrity – that means aluminum can be recycled infinitely. In fact, 50% of all aluminum used is post-consumer recycled. We asked our guests why aluminum is superior to even cartoned water, does water have a taste, and what was their journey and motivation to start this venture. To learn the answers these and other questions listen to the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
Friendship and support is what creates a community and a sense of belonging. That is exactly what our guest Priyasha Shah, Founder of Sakhya wanted to create amongst the women who love South Asian fashion and styles. She started the platform Sakhya where sellers could post their pre-loved saris, salwar kameez, lenghas to offer it to buyers who would love to own a piece of South Asian fashion. These outfits and saris woven with the memories, may it be a shopping trip with cousins in India or a special purchase for a wedding or Diwali – give the sellers a way to share that joy and warmth with the buyers in the Sakhya community. Sakhya’s mantra is “shop what you love, sell what you don’t – but always keep it in rotation” From guidance on how to photograph the item to pricing strategies – Priyasha and the Sakhya team has created a sustainable community around South Asian fashion. These fashion articles are exquisitely designed with embroidery, in vibrant colors and made with unique fabrics are given a new life and maybe …glam to the wearer. Sakhya is A South Asian Fashion Resale platform for truly sustainable and accessible South Asian clothing. A community where anyone can recreate their South Asian wardrobes with ease and trust. Learn more about this sustainable business on this episode of Mindful Businesses.
In this episode we chat with Ben Wan, Principal at RODE Architects about the roles architects can play in reducing the impact of climate change on our planet. Given that over 40% of all energy produced is used to run the buildings, how can architects reduce the energy consumption of these structures is the question we asked Ben. One of the goals is to use sustainable materials, may they be ones made out of recycled materials, easily recyclable, or far more durable than conventional products. We talked in detail about the Brucewood homes, a series of three single-family homes in West Roxbury, nestled into a rocky hillside overlooking the V.F.W. Parkway, – Boston’s first internationally certified Passive Houses and designed by RODE Architects. Massing, orientation and a compact design are the starting points of designing an energy efficient home. The Brucewood homes are airtight and have heavily-insulated shells with the facade R values of 40 with roof R Values of 60 – thus significantly reducing energy usage for heating and cooling all year round.
Fair and just transition is crucial. Sustainable solutions and in this context housing needs to be accessible. RODE Architects, a mission driven firm is now developing 106 units of family-oriented housing in their 52 New Street Project, that plans to be Passive House certified. Learn more in the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
Most consumers are aware of the numbering 1 to 7, embedded in the recycle symbol under plastic items and they diligently put them in recycling bins. The numbers denote the type of plastic so that they may be recycled appropriately. The truth of the matter is that only the number 1 and 2 are easily recyclable and rest end up in the landfills. We ask our guest Donald Thomson, Founder and CEO OF CRDC Global (Center for Regenerative Design Collaboration) what happens to the numbers 3 to 7 and how they can be successfully recycled. In this episode, Donald shares how CRDC started as a simple program “Bag that Builds” that encouraged school children to collect the plastics from their homes to a now patented technology that offers a global solution.
Their expertise lay in construction projects and the realization that the construction industry contributes around 38% of the CO2 emissions led them on the mission to reduce CO2 emissions of their projects. Their patented technology enables them to use the plastics number 3 to 7 to manufacture s lightweight yet durable aggregate to be added cement- that means they can utilize all kinds of plastics even multi – layer plastics.
CRDC is a mindful company that employs REAP (Recover – Enrich – Appreciate – Prosper) – an approach that is based on a collaborative net-zero circular economy model that views the plastic and construction industries as a connected system to create inter-relationships between these industries where the plastic industry waste stream becomes the raw material and value stream for the construction and building industry. Learn about this fascinating technology and their approach to the market to bring maximum impact to the problem of recycling plastics.
Urban flight in America in the 1960s resulted in downtowns having empty abandoned buildings and structures. The city governments had to eventually demolish these structures and their debris ended up in the landfills. Our guests Michael Gainer and Ian MacDonald of Reuse Action, who live in Buffalo, NY, started thinking about the millions of dollars the demolishings would cost the city and the taxpayers and its impact on the environment. They believed that methodical deconstruction of the structures can create employment and be an economically viable business. They perform deconstructions and salvage floors, windows, doors, trims, kitchen cabinets, light fixtures and any other parts that can be resold, refurbished or transformed. They sell these articles in their store located on the Eastside of Buffalo, NY. Running a financially viable repurposed and salvage business is challenging with regards to understanding what to salvage, the customers wants and how much they are willing to pay. Learn about this truly sustainable business determined to make a difference in their community and the environment.