Podcast: Sustainable Materials

5: CRDC Global – Building a Better World

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.

https://crdc.global
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
#recyclingplastics
#recycling
#mindfulbusinesses
#CRDC
#bagthatbuilds,
#circulareconomy
#co2emmisions
#netzero
#construction
#sustainablecement

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Sustainable Materials
5: CRDC Global - Building a Better World
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4: Reuse Action – Reclaimed and Surplus Building Materials

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.

#reuse #salvage #mindfulbusinesses #recycle #environment
https://www.reuseaction.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Our Sustainable Home
4: Reuse Action - Reclaimed and Surplus Building Materials
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3: Spot Detergent – Eco-Friendly On a Budget

Sustainable products are priced out of reach of most Americans. They cost the consumers more due to a variety of reasons – higher costs of inputs and innovation, demand is higher than supply and sometimes…just because.. people are willing to pay more. If we are on this global journey to make our world sustainable we need each and everyone on board. Our guest on this episode Reid Edgar, Owner of Spot Detergent is committed to making his sustainable products accessible to everyone. His #ecofriendly laundry detergent sheets cost 12.5 cents per load and are comparable with conventional laundry detergents and clean just as well. Spot detergent sheets are made in Sweden with a plant-based formula that is paraben, phosphate and 1-dioxane free. The product has plastic free packaging and since the detergent sheets weigh around 90% less than liquid detergent it reduces their transportation carbon footprint substantially. Their sheets are environmentally-friendly but without the traditional “eco” price markup. With Spot’s unique entry to market strategy by targeting Dollar Stores and large discount stores like TJMaxx and Marshalls their green product will reach consumers who are often left out by sustainable brands. Learn more in the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
#ecofriendly #sustainability #zerowaste #gogreen #climatechange #spotdetrgent #mindfulbusinesses #sustainableliving #sustainableliving #ecofriendlydetergent

https://spotdetergent.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Sustainable Materials
3: Spot Detergent - Eco-Friendly On a Budget
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125: Savesorb – Save Time, Money and the Environment

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”.

https://savesorb.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

#oilspill #sustainablesolutions #ecofriiendly #ecofriiendlycleanup #sphagnumpeatmoss #mindfulbusinesses #savesorb

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Sustainable Materials
125: Savesorb - Save Time, Money and the Environment
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122: Reactive Surfaces – Bringing Surfaces To Life

Most US elementary school students learn about photosynthesis in their science class. The process is very simple – chlorophyll in the leaves and green stems absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. It is nature’s elegant way of capturing carbon dioxide. Carbon cycle is where humans and human activities put out carbon dioxide and processes such as photosynthesis absorb it. But when the NET carbon dioxide into the atmosphere exceeds what is absorbed – that to the extent of 30 – 50 gigatons of carbon dioxide, then we have a problem on our hands. Observing and learning from nature our guests Beth McDaniel, President and Dr. Steve McDaniel, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of Reactive Surfaces try to replicate the carbon capture process in nature in their solution. They have created coatings that can be applied to surfaces to capture carbon – just like nature does it with leaves and stems. Using polymeric materials thinly spread on a surface, adhere to the surface and then cured. These surfaces when exposed to sunlight, will photosynthesise, capturing and fixing carbon, using the photosynthetic process to carbohydrate. To learn more about this truly fascinating solution listen to our latest episode of Mindful Businesses.

Mentions:
Embassy Row Project – Envirotech Pre – accelerator
Xprize
Musk Foundation

#climatechange #carboncapture #carbonsequestration #mindfulbusinesses #reactivesurfaces #photosythesis #learnfromnature #sustainablematerials
https://reactivesurfaces.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Sustainable Materials
122: Reactive Surfaces - Bringing Surfaces To Life
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4: Pioneer Millworks – Reclaimed and Eco-Friendly Wood

Rainforests are the earth’s lungs and forests are a huge part of the solution to climate change. But on the other hand, wood is considered a sustainable and renewable raw material. How is that so? We ask these questions to Jonathan Orpin, the Founder of Pioneer Millworks, a company truly focused on the triple bottom line. I visited their plant in Farmington, NY to see firsthand how they work as a team.

In these tumultuous times of mass layoffs, we have to introspect as to what makes a business successful. Pioneer Millworks operates on a simple belief that people, planet, and profit work to ensure a better future – Pioneer Millworks operates on the triple bottom line. In terms of the products they carry – they reclaim wood from abandoned or structures about to be torn down and give them a new life by creating marketable products. On average we process 1,062,000 board feet of reclaimed wood yearly—by reclaiming and reusing, has been saved from ending up in landfills. The new wood is harvested sustainably with minimal impact on the forests and the local communities. Pioneer Millworks offers a variety of sustainable, fairly priced options for consumers seeking a sustainable wood source. One especially fascinating product is Shou Sugi Ban, that uses the Japanese age-old technique of scorching wood. This technique makes the wood resist rot and insects in a sustainable manner and most of the options last for decade without requiring refinishing.

On the people front, Jonathan talks about how a well-thought-out succession plan is part of good corporate governance. With that in mind, they are currently a 30% employee-owned company (an ESOP) working toward being 100% employee-owned. Learn more in this episode of Mindful Business, about how a company can focus on people and the planet, and still be prosperous.

#sustainableforests, #reclaimedwood, #ESOP, #minfulbusinesses, #pioneermillworks, #FSCcertfied, #Triplebottomline, #shousugiban, #reclaimedtimber
https://pioneermillworks.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

www.instagram.com/mindful_businesses_podcast

www.facebook.com/Mindfulbusinesses

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Architecture
4: Pioneer Millworks - Reclaimed and Eco-Friendly Wood
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118: Aquipor – Permeable Sustainable Concrete

In this episode we talk with Greg Johnson, co-founder and CEO of AquiPor. AquiPor’s unique permeable concrete material in conjunction with proprietary engineering technology can transform traditional hard surfaces into stormwater infiltration corridors.The technology utilizes inherently low carbon “cement” and upcycled industrial minerals. This new concrete technology eliminates the need for CO2 emitting cement plants.

AquiPor’s permeable concrete technology not only manages stormwater naturally, but our material utilizes an inherently low-carbon cement that requires a fraction of the energy and emits a fraction of the CO2 than that of traditional concrete. By developing solutions such as these, AquiPor is not only addressing climate change, but making our communities more resilient, but also bringing better economics to our physical infrastructure systems. Learn more in this episode of Mindful Businesses.

https://aquipor.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Architecture
118: Aquipor - Permeable Sustainable Concrete
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115: Moonlight Technologies – Power of Nature for a Sustainable World

Nature is the best teacher. Imagine we use the power power of nature to create a more sustainable, safer, and healthier world. Imagine there existed a fabric that repels bugs, dirt, viruses, eliminates bad odors, self-cleans, and repels stains naturally. That is what Moonlight Technologies strives to create. 100% natural, sustainable, and carbon negative technologies for fabrics, surfaces, and hardgoods that protect and enhance people’s lives worldwide. In this episode we talk with Allie Sutton, CEO and Dr. Phyllis Levine, Global Medical Director of Moonlight Technologies who share their vision and passion of using plant extracts to improve lives by empowering humans to live more freely using nature’s innate abilities, Moonlight Technologies consists of an experienced team of doctors, scientists and entrepreneurs focused on providing sustainable innovation to the world. Together they have created:
1) EcoArmor – kills 99% of all bacteria, viruses, mold and fungus
2) Inspectproof – 100% plant based insect and pest repellent technology that repel mosquitos, fleas, ants, ticks, and mites
3) Ordorsafe – plant based odor eliminating and antimicrobial technology that permanently destroys all types of bad odors on fabrics
4) Mindfully Clean – self-cleaning technology that keeps the treated articles fresh and regardless of use
5) Natural and organic dyes – naturally derived, sustainable color-fast natural dyes.
Learn more about this fascinating invention and how it may change our lives forever.
https://www.moonlighttech.co/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Sustainable Materials
115: Moonlight Technologies - Power of Nature for a Sustainable World
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110: Junobie -Eco-friendly Reusable Breast Milk Storage Bags

As formula companies’ productions are limping back to normal, after the recall, a question some people ask is why can’t mother “just” switch to breastfeeding their infants. As most mothers know that it is not that easy to make that switch. Breastfeeding a baby can be hard – it needs support from the family, spouse, pediatrician and most importantly the medical community. Breast milk can be stored up to four days in the refrigerator giving the mothers some flexibility to return to work or even sometimes even share some of their milk with other mothers. This breast milk needs to be stored in a safe, convenient, and long-use product. Our guest in this episode, Nickey Ramsey, Founder & CEO of Junobie does just that, empowering women with a convenient pouch made of silicon. Learn more in this episode of Mindful Businesses.

https://www.junobie.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

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Sustainable Materials
110: Junobie -Eco-friendly Reusable Breast Milk Storage Bags
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105: AIRCARBON – From Greenhouse Gas to Regenerative Materials

Our planet needs greenhouse gases (GHGs) that help trap the heat and keep our planet warm and without which, the earth would be a very cold place. There are four major components of greenhouse gases (GHGs) – Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and fluorinated gasses. But why are GHGs a problem? As the GHGs increases it heats up the planet – even 1.5 degrees C increase is enough to cause significant climate change. What if we take the problem (GHGs) and use it in our solution? That is what exactly AIRCARBON does. We talk with Mark Herrema, the CEO and co-founder of Newlight Technologies, who invented a process that by feeding greenhouse gasses to microorganisms found in the ocean, is able to extract the AirCarbon and use it to replace plastic, leather, acetate and other fibers.When made with renewable power, the production of AIRCARBON is a carbon-negative process, capturing or destroying more CO2e than was emitted to make it. Unlike synthetic materials, the AIRCARBON molecule is a molecule made throughout nature, and can be re-consumed by natural microorganisms like leaves or twigs, enabling life to restore itself.Learn more about this fascinating process on this episode of Mindful Businesses.
https://www.newlight.com/aircarbon
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
#biomaterial #GHGs #sustainablematerial #compostable

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Carbon Capture
105: AIRCARBON - From Greenhouse Gas to Regenerative Materials
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