Tuesday, January 10, 2017

3 Sustainable Start-Ups to Watch

CGEE Student Voice
by Jenni Abere

Here are three innovative start-ups that I've been keeping my eye on for their work in waste reduction.

Imperfect Produce

Imperfect Produce is a Bay Area, California-based company with a simple business model. It buys "ugly" fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers, and sells them to consumers who subscribe to regular deliveries of boxes.

It seems like a true win-win. The farmers get paid for the perfectly edible ugly produce that would otherwise go to waste since grocery stores won't buy it. The consumers get much cheaper prices for food that is fresh, local, and healthy. The delivery model could also help in urban food deserts where people may not always have access to fresh food.

Small companies like this could have a huge impact in reducing food waste.

Imperfect began in San Francisco, and has just expanded to L.A.

Rozalia Project's microfiber catcher

Plastic microfiber pollution is one of the biggest threats to oceans today. Clothes with synthetic fibers (probably most of the clothes you own) get worn down in washing machines and these little bits of plastic wash down the drain and get into waterways.

Wastewater treatment plants do not have a way of dealing with microfibers at the moment, and plastic doesn't break down. In fact, it's far more harmful to marine life when it's tiny: small organisms eat the fibers, mistaking them for algae or plankton. Then it bioaccumulates in larger organisms, including fish that human eat.

It's a dire situation, without an easy solution since it's unlikely we'll stop making clothes out of plastic.

[Rozalia Project's website]

However, Rozalia Project is working on an invention that could prevent some plastic fibers from going down the drain. It's a microfiber catcher that you put in your home washing machine. It catches the plastic fibers, and then you can empty it into the trash. The plastic is far less harmful in a landfill than in the ocean.

The microfiber catcher should be available to purchase sometime this year!

Community Tool Libraries

Tool libraries exist all over the country, including one in Northeast Minneapolis and soon to be in St. Paul. They promote the motto "Access over ownership."

It works like this: You pay an annual membership fee (For NE Minneapolis, it's $55 per year) and you get access to tools that you can rent, workshop space, classes, and events. You can rent simple tools such as pliers and drills, to more advanced stuff like chain saws and woodchippers.

These tools come in handy every once in a while, but they aren't things that every person needs to own. The waste-reduction aspect is only one piece of the puzzle: The real value of tool libraries is that it empowers people to do projects on their own (and teaches them how with classes) without a huge upfront cost.

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