Sustainability In Your Ear

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Earth911 Podcast: David Radlo On Building a Sustainable Business May 12, 2021

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Earth911 talks with author and business advisor David Radlo, an early and successful advocate for sustainable practices about building a sustainable business and connecting with customers who share your company's environmental values. He built premium organic egg brands at Born Free, Farmer’s Best, and Egg-Land’s Best and has lectured at Tufts University and New York University’s Stern School of Business. His new book, Principles of Cartel Disruption, explores how to break down the barriers to new forms of business. It’s a skill we need to master to break petrochemicals’ hold on the economy.
David shares his experience and provides ideas about how customers can lead the reinvention of the economy. His ideas are also useful for marketing people thinking about building a long, trusting relationship with customers. His Sustainable Leadership and Disruptive Growth podcast is a great resource for business leaders.
You can learn more about him and his new book at www.davidradlo.com.

Earth911 Podcast: Talking Sustainable Investing with Philippe Cousteau and Doug Heske May 10, 2021

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Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact Investing and Philippe Cousteau, founder of EarthEcho International, about the potential to accelerate the transition from the petrochemical economy by investing in sustainable businesses. They have partnered to expand financial literacy in the young and communities of color around the world. They discuss recent criticisms of investments that aim to change the environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices of companies and their experience backing and coaching companies. Together, their organizations collaborate with the SIFMA Foundation on sustainable investing knowledge delivered by the popular National Stock Market Game.
Newday Impact is an investment management company that provides investors app-based guidance that helps them set up an ESG portfolio. Newday offers, among many portfolios, investment strategies to support climate action, biodiversity protection, ocean health and very specific investments to protect wild tigers and end plastic straw pollution, as well as religious goals and socially responsible corporate practices. You can start your ESG investment portfolio with as little as $50 a month, and Newday contributes 5% of its fees to support NGOs including EarthEcho International.
EarthEcho provides programs and support for global youth action "to equip new generations of leaders and problem solvers to identify and tackle environmental challenges in their communities." It's EarthEcho Water Challenge connects more than 1.6 million young people in 146 countries to protect local waterways. Philippe Cousteau and his sister Alexandra founded EarthEcho International to honor their explorer father, Philippe Sr., and grandfather, the legendary Jacques Cousteau.
You won't want to miss this fascinating, inspiring episode. Learn more about Newday Impact Investing at https://www.newdayimpact.com/ and EarthEcho International at https://www.earthecho.org/.

Earth911 Podcast: tentree CEO Derrick Emsley On Sustainable Fashion And Reforestation May 03, 2021

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Earth911 talks with Derrick Emsley, CEO of tentree, a a clothing company making a difference. The company plants ten trees for every article of clothing they sell. Tentree has already planted 56.3 million trees and is working to reduce the environmental impact of its clothing production processes by using wood-based TENCEL fiber, hemp, organic cotton and recycled polyester in its clothing. They have audited their supply chain to offset CO2 emissions and reduce water usage compared to traditional clothing makers by as much as 75%; by 2023, tentree plans to eliminate all single-use plastic from packaging.
Emsley explains that tentree is really a tree-planting company that makes clothing, and suggests that the company could expand into other product categories to support its goal of planing one billion trees by 2030. He says that at tentree's current growth rate, they will hit the billion-tree target on time. We also discuss customers' willingness to pay a premium for clothing that offers convenient carbon offsets. In addition to its solid environmental record, Emsley shares how tree-planting projects in the mangrove-lined coast of Madagascar has lifted entire communities out of poverty and helped to restore local fisheries.
And we learn what new clothing Emsley particularly likes in the current summer line of clothing now out from tentree. Check out tentree.com, and be sure to see the line of clothes inspired by Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.

Earth911 Podcast: George Leonard, Chief Scientist at the Ocean Conservancy, on Ocean Plastic Pollution Apr 28, 2021

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Earth911 talks with George Leonard, chief scientist for the non-profit Ocean Conservancy about the state of the oceans, plastic pollution and particularly the impact of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) pollution. The organization recently completed its annual survey of beaches and waterways, during which it found 107,219 PPE items — masks, shields, and gloves among other items. We seem to treat the sea as our dumping ground, but the oceans are a source of food and much of the world’s oxygen, and according to the United Nations global fisheries could collapse by 2048.
Leonard describes the striking increase in PPE and its potential impact on aquatic life and human health, as microplastics spread throughout the food chain. We also discuss the recent documentary Seaspiracy and the Ocean Conservancy's work to develop sustainable fisheries around the world. The U.S. remains a leader due to strong regulation of its fishing industry but there are challenges around the world. We also talk through the basic steps each of us can take to reduce ocean plastic pollution, from eliminating single-use plastic in our life and learning about, supporting, and advocating for laws to strengthen environmental protection and enforce extended producer responsibility regulations.
Visit the Ocean Conservancy at https://oceanconservancy.org/ to learn more and support their work.

Earth911 Podcast: Dr. Oliver Peoples of Yield10 Bioscience on PHA bioplastics Apr 26, 2021

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Earth911 talks with Dr. Oliver Peoples, president and CEO of Yield10 Bioscience Inc., about the company's development of plant-based bioplastic made from flax (Camelina) seeds. Plastic is the most challenging modern material. It is ubiquitous and a major source of pollution, particularly in our oceans. But only about 8 percent of the 8.3 billion tons of plastics produced annually are recycled. By 2050, the world is expected to need more than 34 billion tons of plastic per year, but we cannot afford the environmental damage associated with petroleum-based plastics. Bioplastics, which are made from plant material and organic waste, can change our future, reducing our need to extract oil from the ground and making the resulting waste more environmentally friendly because bioplastic breaks down without leaving harmful “forever chemicals” in the ground and water. Yield10 Bioscience recently announced a successful field test to grow oilseeds that can be used to produce biodegradable PHA bioplastics that could help replace petroleum-based plastics.
Dr. People's discusses the benefits of Camelina as a rotation crop -- it produces usable oils and animal feed in addition to the PHA polymer to make bio-plastic -- and the low- to negative-carbon production process required to make it. The material can replace plastic films, rigid and flexible plastics such as bottles and caps. He also addresses the use of bio-engineering technology to increase the seeds' PHA polymer production. Take a few minutes to learn about this emerging alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Visit Yield10 Bioscience at https://www.yield10bio.com/ to learn more.

Earth911 Podcast: 3R Technology's Charles Brennick on Recycling Computers and Smartphones Apr 23, 2021

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Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Charles Brennick, director of Business Development and eCommerce at Seattle-based 3R Technology, an electronics recycling company that also refurbishes and resells PCs, laptops, phones and monitors. He explains the two major recycling standards, eStewards and R2, and how devices are handled after people send them. Brennick also outlines the valuable materials in old electronics and how R3 refurbishes and sells PCs, phones, monitors and mother boards, extending their useful life and reduce the need for raw materials. eWaste accounts for 53.6 million tons of waste annually as of 2019 and is expected to rise to 74 million tons by 2030 -- twice the amount discarded just seven years ago. Only 17.4 percent of the ewaste was recycled, so your decision to recycle old tech can contribute to changing the electronics industry for the better.
R3 Technology's SimplEcycle program provides a free mailing label and, if needed, a box to send multiple PCs or phones. The company has developed a discount program to help get PCs and phones to low-income kids and non-profit organizations. Take a few minutes to learn how to give your old computer or phone a second life -- if you have devices you'd like to recycle, request a free shipping label from 3R Technology and get started at https://store.3rtechnology.com/pages/simplecycle.

Earth911 Podcast: CleanWell's Stew Lawrence on Natural Home Cleaning Apr 21, 2021

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Stew Lawrence, CEO of CleanWell, a maker of botanical home cleaning products, joins Earth911 to talk about safe and natural Spring cleaning. We’ve been using several CleanWell products; read our review. The company uses a plant-based Thymol disinfectant in its products, which has been recognized to be an antiseptic for centuries. In laboratory tests, it killed 99.99% of germs and viruses, and the EPA certified it for use against the virus that causes COVID-19. CleanWell does not use alcohol, bleach, ammonia, phosphates or quarternary ammonium — all common ingredients in home cleaning products that range from being poisonous to a source of endocrine system disruption and water pollution.
Lawrence shares the story of CleanWell's founding and the turnaround he executed on joining as CEO in 2016. We also talk with Lawrence about CleanWell's plan to replace its single-use plastic packaging. The company is testing new packaging. We also get some ideas about how to do a complete Spring housecleaning without toxic chemicals.

Earth911 Podcast: Foam Cycle Founder Lou Troiano Says It's Time to Recycle #6 Foam Apr 19, 2021

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Expanded polystyrene has proven stubbornly uneconomical to recycle, but Augusta, N.J.-based Foam Cycle has an affordable solution that can be added at any municipal transfer station or community location. Earth911 talks with Foam Cycle founder and CEO Lou Troiano about the self-service foam collection and recycling system his company has installed in several communities around the country. Expanded polystyrene, also known as expanded plastic #6 or by the Dow Chemical trademark Styrofoam in its blue form, is 98% air, so it takes a lot of foam to produce a usable amount of the recycled resin. In traditional waste sorting facilities, it is impractical to sort and clean foam so almost all the 1,500 tons Americans produce each day goes into landfills.
The Foam Cycle system fits in a shipping container. Troiano says that people who drop off foam at the New Jersey and Florida locations where Foam Cycle has systems generally place clean packing and food service foam in the system. The $75,000 units are financed by municipal waste management systems and entrepreneurs -- Foam Cycle seeks public-private partnerships -- and will break even in four to five years based on typical usage. Troiano shares that religious organizations are expressing interest in the system to help their communities deal with an intractable recycling problem and to raise funds for their ministries. A ton of the processed resin sells for between $300 and $500. If you're interested in solve its foam recycling challenge, check out Foam Cycle at https://www.foamcycle.com/.

Earth911 Podcast: Foundation for Climate Restoration Youth Ambassador Ashley Meeky Apr 16, 2021

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Young people are stepping into leadership roles in the climate restoration movement. Earth911 talks with Ashley Meeky, the first youth ambassador on the board of the Foundation for Climate Restoration, a non-profit working to encourage global support for the development and deployment of carbon capture and sequestration technology. A student at Vanderbilt University, Ashley got involved with the organization in 2019 and participated in creating its 12-week leadership program that trains youth to speak and raise awareness about climate change and the 50 trillion tons of CO2 humanity has already put in the atmosphere. It's this existing excess that carbon capture technology can remove as we reduce CO2 emissions to zero over the next several decades.
The foundation argues that we can return the Earth's climate to what our grandparents knew later this century, but without carbon capture technology it may take centuries to remove. The technology produces CO2 that can be used to make concrete, fuels and industrial materials including plastic and carbon fiber.
Ashley shares her experiences with the Foundation for Climate Restoration and how she is shaping her goals for adulthood based on the realities of global warming. A young entrepreneur who runs a hair care business and her own Instagram accounts, Ashley believes that business must play a leading role in the end of the fossil fuel era and the prolonged cleanup the planet needs. And she explains her own daily steps to reduce her carbon footprint. The foundation and Ashley will be involved in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, this November with hopes of getting global support for carbon capture technology, which is already operational at ClimeWorks and Blue Planet, among other companies. She argues that the necessary efforts to reforest large parts of the planet must be augmented with an aggressive carbon capture program to reverse, not just stop climate change.
Learn more about the Foundation for Climate Restoration at https://foundationforclimaterestoration.org/.

Earth911 Podcast: Discover Biobased Plastic with UBQ's Tato Bigio Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

What would the world look like if we could turn post-consumer waste, including food scraps, paper, packaging and other materials into a bio-based plastic? Tato Bigio, cofounder and CEO of Tel Aviv-based UBQ Materials, which makes a low-carbon bioplastic using the waste headed for landfills. It's UBQ material can be used to make rigid plastic components for buildings, shipping palettes, and even food service trays at McDonald's restaurants. Bigio explains how each ton of UBQ bioplastic reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 15 tons, resulting in an almost carbon-neutral production process.
The company is beginning to roll out the technology globally. Bigio reports he is hearing from brands that environmental responsibility is increasingly important to their success and survival. UBQ is building facilities in The Netherlands and has created an early partnership with a Virginia recycling system -- they want to build close to waste sources and manufacturing locations that can use the recycled bioplastic to minimize transportation impacts. To learn more about UBQ, visit https://www.ubqmaterials.com/.

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