Podcast: Impact

9: Ehlers Estate – Sustainable Winemaking

May 31, 2023 aviyer2000 Agriculture & Farming, Impact, USA, Womenled 00:27:29 0 Comments

With summer fast approaching, sipping a glass of wine, we wondered about the practices of vineyards – a highly competitive and commercialized industry. Around the same time we were pitched by Ehlers Estate for an interview with their General Manager and Winemaker. In our conversation with several of the mindful business leaders, we sought insights into the economics of running a sustainable and profitable business. The strategies that they use to achieve sustainability goals and still be profitable.

In this episode we talk with Laura Diaz Munoz, Winemaker and GM of Ehlers Estate about her journey from a food scientist to a winemaker and a sustainable one at that. Ehlers Estate is one of the oldest wineries in North America established in 1886 by a German immigrant Bernard Ehlers. On July 1, 2008, after three years of verifiable organic farming, Ehlers Estate was awarded organic certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). But that was not enough – they went on to implement steps to include regenerative farming practices. Using nature to help solve nature’s problems with minimal or no intervention. Interventions whether it be in the yeast or sulphurs in their heritage wine, use of fungicide or pesticides. They employ innovative techniques to reduce water consumption during irrigation and reuse the water used in the wine making process. In addition, with the use of technology, such as sensors in the soil they can determine accurately how much to irrigate the vines, further conserving water, a scarce resource. In this enjoyable conversation with Laura Díaz Muñoz, her passion for saving the heritage vines and artistically creating wine blends that bring out the flavor and aroma of each fruit in the blend. But for me, the cherry on the top of this business is that this for – profit business is part of Leducq Charitable Trust – an international grant making organization to support research in cardiovascular disease and stroke. Learn more about this mindful business on this episode of Mindful Business.

#sustainablewines #sustainablefarming #wines #wineplague #delucqfoundation #delucq #mindfulbusinesses

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Agriculture & Farming
9: Ehlers Estate - Sustainable Winemaking
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124: Numi Organic Tea – Activating Purpose

March 28, 2023 aviyer2000 Agriculture & Farming, Impact, USA 00:26:48 0 Comments

As we sip our daily cup of tea, we may wonder how and where it was grown and its impact on our planet. Tea production impacts our planet and people on several layers. The farming practices employed, wages paid, living conditions of the workers and its overall impact on our planet. In 2006, Numi Organic Teas was one of the founding (amongst 30 businesses) to be certified as a B corp. They had been mindful of how and from whom they source their organic teas, procuring them from Fair Trade and Verified Labor farms, but they knew they had to do more.
The realization that there can be no tea without water – clean drinking water, made the brother and sister team, Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani, co-founders of Numi Organic Tea introspect the purpose of their company.They launched “Together For H2OPE” – a nonprofit program bringing clean, safe drinking water to tea farming communities around the world.

The journey from farm to cup requires raw materials, packaging, transportation and water for steeping. They established a “Climate Action Plan” with a detailed, measurable process to reduce and offset the impact of Numi Organic Teas on the planet. Climate action can’t wait. Numi is committed to giving you the tools to fight climate change, starting with their Carbon Footprint Label. In this episode we have Reem Hassani, who shares the vision and mission of Numi Organic Teas. Listen and learn.

https://numitea.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
#tea #tealover #floraltea #teas #fairtrade #sustainablefarming #mindfulnusinesses #numitea

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Agriculture & Farming
124: Numi Organic Tea - Activating Purpose
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123: Honnold Foundation – Expand Solar Energy Access to Marginalized Communities

March 15, 2023 aviyer2000 Energy, Impact, Womenled 00:33:20 0 Comments

The risk assessments that governments and corporations make to encourage marginalized communities and uplift them, have themselves become a hurdle to the assistance that they wish to provide. Honnold foundations wishes to fill that gap by partnering closely with nonprofits in a space where their needs are too small for governments and not profitable enough for businesses. The Honnold Foundation was founded by professional rock climber Alex Honnold in 2012. After a rock climbing expedition around the world, he decided to focus his giving on solar energy – as it was so tangible.

They engage and collaborate with these communities to expand equitable solar access. The Honnold Foundation is a proud partner with community-based organizations all over the world who are using solar energy to improve lives and reduce environmental impact. They partner with communities in Africa, Americas, Asia and in the Native American communities in North America. Native Renewables empowers Native American families to achieve energy independence by growing renewable energy capacity and affordable access to off-grid power. To learn more about this truly mindful and giving philanthropy listen to Emily Teitsworth, Executive Director of Honnold foundation, in our latest episode.

https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/
www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com

#solarenergy #marginalizedcommunities #mindfulbusinesses #honnoldfoundation

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Energy
123: Honnold Foundation - Expand Solar Energy Access to Marginalized Communities
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121: Ocean Recovery Alliance – Environmental Engagement

February 22, 2023 aviyer2000 Impact, Thought Leaders 00:45:35 0 Comments

We have this love-hate relationship with plastic. It is versatile, durable, light-weight and used in a multitude of applications. How do we recover and give this plastic a second life or third life?

Today we have with us Doug Woodring, Founder and Managing Director of the Ocean Recovery Alliance – Bringing Creative Surprise to Environmental Engagement. Ocean Recovery Alliance is focused on entrepreneuring programs to reduce plastic pollution, both on land and water, by creating strategic solutions for governments, industry and communities which lead to long-term, hands-on business practices that engage. They purposefully design programs to educate, build awareness and provide solutions which inspire positive societal change at the community, national and international levels. We learn more about their initiatives such as their global app that crowd sources and alerts authorities about trash on land along waterways. They have worked with cosmetic companies such as LUSH to help them look at their products and how they can reduce the plastic – for instance by eliminating glitter from all their products. Learn more of such efforts by the non-profit Ocean Recovery Project on this episode.

Mentions:

Ricron Panels

Lush Cosmetics
https://www.oceanrecov.org/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Impact
121: Ocean Recovery Alliance - Environmental Engagement
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120: The Barefoot College Tilonia – Grassroots Community Organization

January 24, 2023 aviyer2000 Impact, Thought Leaders 00:43:07 0 Comments

In the winter of 2012, I had the good fortune of visiting Barefoot College Tilonia – located in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that visit was indeed life-transforming. The Barefoot College founded by Mr. Bunker Roy in 1972, is a community-based grassroots organization working to make marginalized communities sustainable and self-sufficient. He believes in the Gandhian philosophy that knowledge, skills and wisdom found in the villages should be used for their own development.
Though he went to the prestigious Doon School and St. Stephens College, he realized the wealth of wisdom in rural India (Bharath) needs to be harnessed and showcased.. The Barefoot College’s one program in particular – Solar Mamas is filled with inspiring stories. Of women from around the globe who come to an unfamiliar country, where they don’t understand the language, culture or food. These women come to become solar engineers. They come as mothers and grandmothers, and return back as tigers electrifying their villages with solar lamps. How do these illiterate women who have never left their villages become solar engineers? Listen to learn more in our latest episode.
https://www.barefootcollegetilonia.org/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
#barefootcollegetilonia, #ruralpower, #culturalpreservation, #rajasthan, #tilonia, #Barefoot, #BarefootCollege, #barefootcollegetilonia,

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Impact
120: The Barefoot College Tilonia - Grassroots Community Organization
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107: FabScrap – Recycling and Reusing Textile Waste

May 17, 2022 aviyer2000 Fashion and Beauty, Impact, USA, Womenled 00:31:14 0 Comments

Majority of the conversation around fashion waste revolves around finished products that end up in the landfill. But around 12 % that is around 6.3 million tonnes per year is sent by brands to the landfill in the design and development stage. These would be sample booklets with swatches and unused fabric rolls and prior to Fabscrap they ended up in the landfill. We talk with Jessica Schreiber CEO and founder of FabScrap, a non-profit whose 80% of earned income comes from service fees and fabric sales. They receive service fees from brands to Fabscrap to pick up their textile waste, similar to when they pay for recycling or trash pickup. They do this with an army of volunteers, almost 100 unique ones per month and their staff in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Their staff take extra precautions to assure brands that their copyrighted materials are shredded and don’t reenter the market. Fabscrap also sells the fabrics to quilters, sewing enthusiasts, fashion students and assuring nothing that is picked up by Fabscrap goes to the landfill. With the long-term goal to influence habit and policy they create impact reports that they share back with their brands – how much and what fabric they picked and how was it sorted and if reused or not. Jessica believes that this makes the brands internalize the cost of their waste and may help them reevaluate and optimize their design and planning process. Learn more about this first of its kind initiative and organization on this episode of Mindful businesses.

#textilewaste
#mindfulbusinesses
#sustainablefashion
#fabricwaste
#fabscrap
#sustainablefashion

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Fashion and Beauty
107: FabScrap - Recycling and Reusing Textile Waste
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106: The Buy Nothing Project – Buy Nothing, Build Community

May 10, 2022 aviyer2000 Impact, USA, Womenled 00:39:42 0 Comments

Humans are inherently materialistic and seek happiness through objects, but what we get is enjoyment not happiness. Happiness tends to be more fulfilling and long term. Happiness often comes by connecting with your community, by sharing stories and creating trust. That is what The Buy Nothing Project does. We talk to the amazing Rebecca Rockerfeller, co-founder of The Buy Nothing Project, who started the movement with her friend Liesl Clark, as a way for community members to gift things that they don’t need any longer. But how are they different from donating, is the stories that they share with each other, that create bonds and communities. Spring is around the corner and if you are anything like me, I am overwhelmed with the clutter around me and making frequent trips to the donation sites. But maybe this Spring gift it through your neighborhood’s The Buy Nothing Project. Learn more from this amazing and truly authentic co-founder Rebecca Rockefeller on this episode of Mindful Businesses.

#Mindful Businesses
#TheBuyNothingProject
#sustainability
#eco-friendly
#communitybuilding
http://buynothingproject.org/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Impact
106: The Buy Nothing Project - Buy Nothing, Build Community
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102: Zoro Card – Build Credit With a Debit Card

April 12, 2022 aviyer2000 Economic Empowerment, Impact 00:30:34 0 Comments

It is really hard for a young person to their build credit. How does one navigate the complex and opaque credit rating system? We chat in this episode with Roger Morris, Co-Founder and COO of Zoro Card that hopes to help the 100 million Americans with subprime credit build credit with debit cards. Zoro Card began not as a company, but as a cause. Millions of Americans can’t access affordable credit, simply because they have never had credit in the past. Millions more are buried in debt and have no way out. Rather than help, many financial institutions profit off of people’s mistakes with hidden fees and unfair credit practices. Without good credit, everything becomes more expensive—cell phone contracts, loans, insurance rates, security deposits for utilities and rent—even job applications are affected by your credit score.
Their vision is simple, for college grads focused on building prosperous careers rather than paying off student loans, public school teachers and first responders able to afford homes, and soldiers healing from the wounds of war free from the shackles of debt – to offer a solution that’s available to everyone, regardless of their credit history. Roger was so committed to be part of this solution, that he decided to drop out of college to pursue his start-up. Learn more only on Mindful Businesses.
https://zorocard.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Economic Empowerment
102: Zoro Card - Build Credit With a Debit Card
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100: Earnin – Your Money When You Want It

March 29, 2022 aviyer2000 Economic Empowerment, Impact, USA 00:28:46 0 Comments

Financial insecurity can be expensive, living paycheck to paycheck and with overdraft fees, penalties, higher interest and mortgage rates. Seven out ten households in America live paycheck to paycheck. Ram Palaniappan , founder of Earnin, noticed that one of his employees had to get payday loans to pay her expenses. Though she had worked her hours she got paid only after two weeks and her bills were due now. He decided to advance her salary as soon as she put in the hours. Soon the word got around, and other employees and non-employees reached out to Ram to avail of their earned wage. He realized the inequalities in our society further accentuates the mismatch between when an employee earns and when they get paid. He started Earnin to break down the barriers of an outdated financial system, to build new solutions that work for everyone. Using the time attendance systems already in place, they are able to provide Earned Wage Access – where their users can access the money as they earn it. This helps the users synchronize their income and expenses. They offer these services without any mandatory fees. They charge a nominal $2.99, only in case of instant transfers – which is much lower than the $15 that payday loans charge. I ask Ram – how can such a business model be profitable? To hear his answer, tune in to this weeks episode.

Mentions: Prof. Ananth Iyer, Purdue University
https://www.earnin.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
#fintech, #financialsecurity, #earnedwage, #mindfulbusinesses, #paydayloans,

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Economic Empowerment
100: Earnin - Your Money When You Want It
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95: Center for Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics (CUWP) – Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics

February 22, 2022 aviyer2000 Design and Innovation, Impact, Sustainable Materials, USA 00:43:43 0 Comments

We talk with Dr. George Huber, Richard Antoine Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and the director of Center for Upcycling Waste Plastics (CUWP) about his research in recycling plastics. His technology offers a solution to filtrate the polymer from different plastics by applying solvents solvents. Though multi-layer plastics are more complicated his technology, solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP), is able to use thermodynamics and solvents to disintegrate them into their constituent resins. It’s a fascinating process – the key is to capture 99% of the polymer and make sure nothing is release into the atmosphere. With consumption of plastics showing no signs of abating, it is crucial to recycle efficiently to reduce the consumption of new plastics. CUWP consists of six universities, over ten industrial partners, one national laboratory, and one industry association. They also share with scientists, engineers, policy makers, business leaders, and the general public to help them make informed decisions about the costs and benefits of new technologies for plastic recycling. Learn all this and more from Dr. George Huber.

https://cuwp.org/
https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

Art by Xin Zou, University of Wisconsin-Madison for Hochan Chang, Min Soo Kim, George W Huber, James A Dumesic, Design of closed-loop recycling production of a Diels Alder polymer from a biomass-derived difuran as a functional additive for polyurethanes, Green Chemistry (2021) 23, 9479-9488.

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Design and Innovation
95: Center for Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics (CUWP) - Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics
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