4 Organizations Killin’ it in Sustainability
When it comes to sustainable living, the possibilities are unlimited.
From the ways we get from here to there to the food we put in our bodies, there are many ways we can reduce our carbon footprint, conserve resources and reuse or recycle even the most unexpected materials.
At least that’s how the following organizations see it.
These organizations are tackling important environmental challenges, and they’re doing so in their own unique ways.
Preserve (Waltham, MA)
Eric Hudson wanted to bridge the gap between recycling and putting recycled materials to good use. He did just that in 1996 when he founded Preserve, which creates toothbrushes, razors, kitchenware and other household products out of 100 percent-recycled plastics.
Through its “Gimme 5” recycling program, Preserve makes all of its products out of #5 polypropylene plastic. Common #5 plastics include yogurt cups, hummus tubs and cottage cheese containers.
The company has placed “Gimme 5” bins at more than 250 locations across the country, where anyone can drop off #5 plastics.
MapleXO (Portland, OR)
Where others see a broken skateboard, Lindsay Jo Holmes sees unlimited possibilities.
Holmes is the founder of MapleXO, a Portland-based company that specializes in making jewelry and accessories out of recycled skateboards and industrial skateboard waste.
The inspiration behind MapleXO came simply from Holmes’ love for skateboarding. Saving skateboards from entering landfills was an extremely appealing idea.
Some of the products Holmes rolls out include earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, bottle openers and magnets.
Boulder Food Rescue (Boulder, CO)
While researching a paper for her environmental justice class, Hana Dansky was stunned to learn that an estimated 31 percent of food grown in the U.S. is wasted every year.
Less than a year after Dansky’s research, Boulder Food Rescue (BFR) was born.
BFR is a non-profit organization with a goal to create a more just and less wasteful food system.
Dansky co-founded BFR in 2011 with Caleb Phillips, Becky Higbee, Nora Lecesse and Helen Katich. Together with their team of volunteers, BFR saves unsold healthy food from local grocery stores. That food is then donated to shelters, food pantries and community centers.
As part of its sustainable practices, most of the organization’s food pickups are done on bikes.
Square Roots (Brooklyn, NY)
A farm inside a shipping container? The idea isn’t as farfetched as you think.
In fact, more and more people across the country are converting shipping containers into urban farms. That includes Square Roots.
Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk’s younger brother, launched the urban farming accelerator in 2016 on the premise of coaching people to grow real food, sell locally and build sustainable businesses.
Square Roots consists of 10 small farms that are built vertically in shipping containers, taking up less than 320 square feet. The farms are climate-controlled, allowing for year-round growing using 80 percent less water than a traditional outdoor farm.
Know of any more people doing awesome things in sustainability? Let us know in the comments below! For more eco-friendly resources, check out our blog’s Sustainability section.