organic

75: Kudos – Natural Disposable Diapers

In this episode, we talk with Amrita Saigal, founder of Kudos, natural disposable diapers – the only disposable diaper that has 100% cotton touching baby’s bum all day. Kudos is the only disposable diaper to have earned the cotton natural™ seal for being lined with 100% cotton instead of plastic. Kudos have also been certified to the strictest safety standard, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100. Designed by a team of MIT-trained engineers (and moms!), the patent-pending DoubleDry™ tech handles moisture and provides overnight-level reliability with two layers of protection instead of one. Amrita talks about her journey, setting up Sathi – a plant-based material maxi pads, to Google X, some sibling bonding time working at Thunkable, her brother’s startup, and finally landing to launch Kudos. It has been a journey where with hard work and perseverance Kudos had received 2.4 million in seed funding from investors like Foundation Capital, XFund, PJC, Precursor Ventures, Liquid 2 Ventures, SV Angel, Underscore VC, Alpha Bridge Ventures, April Underwood among others. Learn now in this episode.

Read More
Cover
Sustainable Materials
75: Kudos - Natural Disposable Diapers
Loading
/

59: Amazi Foods – Snack on Purpose

Renee Dunn, Founder of Amazi Foods, studied abroad and did her thesis research in Uganda. While living there, she was blown away by their organic tropical fruits, bursting with flavors unlike back at home in the US. But stand after stand, people traded fruits raw or looked for cheap ways of processing or exporting. She had heard stories about cocoa farmers never saw a chocolate bar. Those at the heart of the resources were completely separate from the opportunity and innovation that existed in the global market —resulting in high unemployment and food waste. This sums up a lot about our supply chains as a whole.

Meanwhile, back at home, consumers look for products that serve a higher purpose. She realized there was a huge opportunity missed not only for local industry and job creation but also to satisfy a growing need for US consumers. Amazi Foods source directly from farmers and keep production in-country by partnering with Ugandan businesses. By creating over 150 jobs and paying 2-3x the local wages, paying farmers up to 67% above market price, prioritizing women and smallholder farmers, and committing to contribute over $13 million to the Ugandan economy over the next 4 years, they bring 100% made-in-Uganda products to the US markets. Listen now only on Mindful Businesses podcast.

Read More
Cover
Africa
59: Amazi Foods - Snack on Purpose
Loading
/

55: Geoship – Regenerative Architecture

“Out beyond ideas of right angles and hard lines, there’s a bioceramic dome. A place where nature, community, and healing come full circle. We’ll meet you there.” – Morgan Bierschenk, founder and CEO of Geoship, a homebuilding cooperative, owned by the people. Bioceramic domes combine the geometry/math of Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller with the material science of Rustum (Rusty) Roy – Geoship’s Founding Fathers. Bucky was a legendary American polymath and future architect. He invented Synergetic Mathematics and introduced the geodesic dome into mass awareness. Rusty was a legendary professor of material science with a focus on crystal chemistry. Morgan is knowledgeable and visionary in how regenerative architecture can be used to build living environments that reconnect human communities with the natural world. Geoship domes are built with all-ceramic composite panels, struts, and hubs. The lightweight ceramic parts are fused together on-site with ceramic mortar. The dome is repaired and resurfaced with the same highly crystalline ceramic material. Learn more by listening to our episode.

Read More
Cover
Architecture
55: Geoship - Regenerative Architecture
Loading
/

54: Sproutworld – The Original Plantable Pencil

We talk to the CEO of Sproutworld – the original plantable pencils. All aspects of the Sprout pencil are sustainable and non-toxic – from the biodegradable seed capsule to the 100% natural clay and graphite core and sustainably harvested wood. Regardless, of whether you are an experienced gardener or a novice, you can choose Sprout pencils in color or in grey, and when it’s time to stop writing you can start planting, e. Start enjoying vibrant flowers, fragrant herbs, or fresh vegetables.

Read More
Cover
Design and Innovation
54: Sproutworld - The Original Plantable Pencil
Loading
/

53: The Grandad Company – Unisex Circular Street Clothing

Hand-made in The Grandad Company’s London home studio; The Grandad Company is a closed-loop streetwear brand whose mission is to breathe life into reclaimed vintage menswear for a new unisex generation. An upcycling brand, with being environmentally conscious at its core. “Wear your grandads’ clothes!” Don’t let your grandads’ clothes go in the bin!” – says Jess Grech, the founder of The Grandad Company. Hear about her sustainable passion to create an upcycled unisex street clothing brand – made one piece at a time.

Read More
Cover
Design and Innovation
53: The Grandad Company - Unisex Circular Street Clothing
Loading
/

52: Hungry Harvest – Eliminating Food Waste and Hunger

What started as a senior project in his dorm room at the University of Maryland, became his passion. “Everything we do is driven by the belief that every person has the right to eat healthy and every fruit and veggie grown deserves to be eaten. We won’t stop until that belief becomes reality.” – Evan Lutz, CEO, and co-founder of Hungry Harvest. Listen to his story.

Read More
Cover
Food
52: Hungry Harvest - Eliminating Food Waste and Hunger
Loading
/

51: Clean and Proud – Creating Sustainable Fashion from Plastic Waste

Clean & Proud kicks off in 2018, when two environment and ecology enthusiasts George Berthon and Beatrice Engström, living in Malawi sit together to once again talk about the problem of plastic waste littering the streets and the nature of this country they love so much. It was that evening that they decided to act against pollution. With a small amount of cash they had on hand and the help of a partially successful crowdfunding campaign, Beatrice and George set out to create machines to recycle all that plastic polluting Malawi. But they fail to operate these machines to their full potential. It was at this moment that they came across this simple and effective technique on the internet to heat-seal single-use plastic waste (such as packaging and plastic bags) together to create a durable and practical material. Since then, Clean & Proud has strived to create and produce wonderful eco-friendly and ethical products, handmade with always a little African touch to warm the hearts.

Learn more about their passion for bringing environmental change and their love for the East African nation, Malawi.

Read More
Cover
Africa
51: Clean and Proud - Creating Sustainable Fashion from Plastic Waste
Loading
/

42: Phool Co – Made From Temple Flowers

It was the day of Makara Sankranti, an ancient Indian festival marking the end of the winter solstice, celebrated by bathing in the sacred waters of the river Ganges. On that cold winter morning in 2015, Ankit Agarwal, founder of Phool Co took his friend Jakub, who was visiting him from the Czech Republic to see Ghats of the River Ganges. They watched as truckloads of temple flowers were being dumped in the river, and at that very moment, they saw sunlight hit the water and an oily chemical film float onto the surface of the water. Ankit struggled to explain to Jakub, why a river so revered was ignored and polluted and why he couldn’t do anything about it. Ankit visited the temples the next to assess and understand the magnitude of the problem. That day he decided to be the change to create a movement. He founded Phool Co and became the genesis of the ‘flowercycling’ technology. Through innovation, they began to offer products made from temple flowers.

Read More
Cover
Design and Innovation
42: Phool Co - Made From Temple Flowers
Loading
/

2: Art + Eden Organic Clothing for Kids

“Business best in the world” and “Business best FOR the world” – Susan Correa, Founder and CEO of Art and Eden talks to us from NYC, passionately about her desire to create sustainable organic and affordable children’s clothing. Art and Eden is mindful in their sustainability practices from the cotton seed to the final product. Listen to learn more.

Read More
Cover
Fashion and Beauty
2: Art + Eden Organic Clothing for Kids
Loading
/