mindfulbusinesses Archives - Mindful Businesses

125: Savesorb – Save Time, Money and the Environment

October 17, 2023 aviyer2000 00:31:13 0 Comments

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”.

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

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

Mindful Businesses

125: Savesorb - Save Time, Money and the Environment

00:00 / 00:31:13

7: Sakhya – South Asian Fashion Resale

September 26, 2023 aviyer2000 00:30:09 0 Comments

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.

https://shopsakhya.com/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

#sustainablefashion #desifashion #desis #saris #lengha #prelovedfashion #diwali #mindfulbusinesses #sakhya #southasian

Mindful Businesses

7: Sakhya - South Asian Fashion Resale

00:00 / 00:30:09

6: RODE Architects – Transformative Design Through Collaboration

September 12, 2023 aviyer2000 00:32:17 0 Comments

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.

https://www.rodearchitects.com/

https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

#rodearchitects,

#mindfulbusinesses

#justtransition

#netzerohousing

#passivehouse

#sustainablehousing

#thermalvalue

#passivhaus

Architecture

6: RODE Architects - Transformative Design Through Collaboration

00:00 / 00:32:17

5: CRDC Global – Building a Better World

September 5, 2023 aviyer2000 00:34:55 0 Comments

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

Sustainable Materials

5: CRDC Global - Building a Better World

00:00 / 00:34:55

4: Reuse Action – Reclaimed and Surplus Building Materials

August 15, 2023 aviyer2000 00:50:19 0 Comments

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/

Our Sustainable Home

4: Reuse Action - Reclaimed and Surplus Building Materials

00:00 / 00:50:19

3: Spot Detergent – Eco-Friendly On a Budget

August 9, 2023 aviyer2000 00:35:22 0 Comments

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/

Sustainable Materials

3: Spot Detergent - Eco-Friendly On a Budget

00:00 / 00:35:22

1: Palm Straw – Biodegradable Plant Based Straws

July 5, 2023 aviyer2000 00:22:18 0 Comments

The firsts in our lives have a special place in our life experience. May it be the first job, first business venture, first car and even your first podcast episode. Today we wanted to re-air on the 4 year anniversary, our first episode Palm Straw. It was a startup in 2019 which my mentor at that time Dora Lutz I suggest that I reach out to. This startup with such a simple sustainable idea and product did not make it through the pandemic, but nevertheless valuable sustainable lessons were learnt and shared in this early episode.

This episode was previously aired July 22, 2019
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The environmentally conscious you doesn’t want to use plastic straws, but paper straws dissolve in your drinks. Here is the answer for you: Palm Straws! In this episode we talk to Palm Straw co-founder Dave Mash about their bio-degradable plant-based straws.

Mindful Businesses

1: Palm Straw - Biodegradable Plant Based Straws

00:00 / 00:22:18

10: The Tool Library – Borrow Tools. Build Community

June 20, 2023 aviyer2000 00:32:38 0 Comments

The practice of manufacturing for planned obsolescence seems to be what most manufacturers in the present time follow. This means to make an item that will break down sooner than their earlier versions, lack of how-to-fix information or tutorials and even make it impossible to be repaired. The direct impact of such a philosophy increases the bottom line of the business at the cost of increasing e-waste and its impact on our planet. There needs to be a movement from a linear economy in which we take, make and waste to a circular economy. Complete circularity may be hard to achieve in all instances, repairing an item is an alternative that can reduce what ends up in the landfills. “Repair is such a low hanging fruit” says our guest Darren Cotton, Executive Director of The Tool Library.

The Tool Library is an all-volunteer nonprofit tool-lending library based on the mantra that cost shouldn’t be a barrier to fix up one’s home, grow food, or improve the community. Tools can range anywhere from hammers, screwdrivers, and shovels to power drills, circular saws, and sanders. Individuals and businesses can donate tools to the program which will then be circulated throughout the neighborhood for a small annual membership fee.Thus, people looking for an alternative to buying expensive tools that get little use now have this resource at their disposal. In addition, The Tool Library collaborates with the City of Buffalo to host once a month Repair Cafe, where volunteers help individuals repair an item that would have otherwise ended in the landfill. Learn more about this impactful non – profit organization in this episode.

#circulareconimy
#lineareconomy
#mindfulbusinesses
#repairability
#repaircafe
#righttorepair
#thetoollibrary

https://thetoollibrary.org/
https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

Repairability

10: The Tool Library - Borrow Tools. Build Community

00:00 / 00:32:38

85: Sagent – Know What Your Network Knows

June 13, 2023 aviyer2000 00:27:39 0 Comments

Repairing an item is an achievable and straightforward path to achieve sustainability goals. This “concept” is becoming more and more apparent with Right to Repair legislations being passed as laws in some states in the US and countries worldwide. In January 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Digital Fair Repair Act, a law that will increase the consumers ability to repair some electronics and reduce the e-wastes that end up in the landfills. In this context, we wanted to share an episode that we had aired earlier to showcase this business that in their CEO Gordon Smith’s words “we don’t manufacture – we re-manufacture.” Learn more in this episode.
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We talked with Sagent’s CEO Gordon Smith about how Sagent works to reduce the environmental impact by lowering emissions, pollution, and energy investment. They do it a) by repairing and refurbishing networks they extend the useful equipment life with telecom repair services b) by maintaining an industry-leading network test, repair, and maintenance facility. They have expert technicians who perform network repair services, system-level testing and component-level repairs and extend the life of telecom equipment. They repair more than 850,000 devices annually, across 100,000 SKUs, from over 100 manufacturers – all with a 96% yield rate and standard repair cycle time of two weeks.

They deliver equipment repair services that give insight into your network to help reduce avoidable repairs. For each repair, they capture and report on the root cause of each failure and can pinpoint the means to avoid it in the future. Their software developed specifically for network operators tracks failure data at both macro and micro levels. It monitors data failure trends by geography, site location, technician responsibility, OEM platform and specific part numbers to deliver actionable data to help prevent future incidents. Rather than recycle network assets, Sagent Insights can develop a systematic program to reuse network assets and delay additions to the e-waste stream, by recycling and disposing of components only after they have achieved maximum service life. Learn more in this episode of Mindful Businesses. This episode is a re-air from December 7, 2021.

https://sagent.net/
https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

#digitalfairrepairact #ewaste #landfill #mindfulbusinesses #repairability #righttorepair #sagent

Mindful Businesses

85: Sagent - Know What Your Network Knows

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9: Ehlers Estate – Sustainable Winemaking

May 31, 2023 aviyer2000 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

Agriculture & Farming

9: Ehlers Estate - Sustainable Winemaking

00:00 / 00:27:29

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