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Mindful Businesses

Mindful Businesses

Author: Vidhya Iyer - Host

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In our podcast, we bring to you businesses that are mindful in their practices and processes. A mindful business adopts and employs sustainable social, economic, and environmental practices. Some of our past guests are Redecker, from Germany, MUDD Jeans from the Netherlands, Ricron Panels, Phool Co from India, Alabama Chanin, Reel Toilet Paper from the USA, Hinterland, Unscented Co from Canada, and Desserto from Mexico. We launched our first episode on July the 22nd., 2019 with a new episode every two weeks. Keep in touch with updates by subscribing to our newsletter at https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com
185 Episodes
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Africa with its rich arts and crafts have so much to offer to the world. We are excited to find online or in a nearby store a unique, one of a kind piece from a land far away. But we should pause to think as to how much of what we pay actually goes back to the artisans and their communities. Today we talk with Jenny Nuccio, Founder and CEO of Imani Collective - Global Social Enterprise Empowering Artisans, who wanted to not only promote the art from Kenya, but make sure that the artisans are paid two to three times the average wage and gain access for their art. She joins us from Mombasa, Kenya sharing her life's mission to provide a fair and living wage to the folks who work alongside her. Learn more in the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.
Natural gas used to heat our homes, cook our meals and sometimes even to move our cars comprises mainly of Methane - a know greenhouse gas. While we go on this journey to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and green house gasses, there needs to be a sustainable alternative to conventional natural gas. The anaerobic activities in landfills creates Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). RNG is a hundred percent match to conventional natural gas and can thus be piped and supplied using the existing natural gas distribution pipelines. We talk with Grant Gibson, co-founder and CDO of Synthica Energy - that does exactly that. Their anaerobic digestion facilities receive industrial food wastes, organic by-products, brewery washout and they use them to produce biogas for commercial power plants. Learn more about this exciting solution on this latest episode of Mindful Businesses.https://synthica.com/https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
We like to check in with some of our previous guests to see how their business has  changed, what goals were achieved and the ones that were not. How they may have pivoted or continued the path they had chosen. It is a pleasure to have Shameek Ghosh, CEO of Trustrace -Tracing for Fashion. He joins us once again from Stockholm, Sweden. We talk about fashion traceability and regulations on this industry in Europe and North America. How they have changed and the  impetus for these changes. Conversation about how a responsible and mindful brand can navigate the journey of traceability and abiding by the regulations smoothly. Trustrace offers a path and solution to these brands - from enterprise to mid-sized sustainable businesses. To learn more about their solution listen to the latest episode of Mindful Businesses. #Trsutrace#Mindfulbusinessespodcast#fashionindustry#sustainablefashion#traceability#supplychain#UFLPAhttps://trustrace.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
Cotton fiber and fabric is considered to be one of the most natural material. Given that, who would have thought that the process of manufacturing cotton fabric uses materials and techniques that cause environmental damage. Cotton needs to be cleaned and the “trash” removed for the cotton to become white and more absorbent to dyes. Alkaline and other harmful chemicals used to bleach in this process need to be washed out completely. The dyes in itself are harmful and their effluence further pollute our environment. Fibre 52 replaces these toxic chemicals with bio-products that do the job more sustainably and efficiently. Their patent - pending process reduces the processing time by up to 25%, up to 70% reduction in water consumption and up to 40% reduction in electricity without reducing the quality or dyeability of the cotton. Fibre 52 prepares cotton – knit, woven, non-wovens or raw fiber - for a perfect dye job without using harsh, toxic chemicals AND without stripping the unique properties that make everyday cotton resilient, naturally soft and breathable. It can be done using existing machinery and without additional capital investment. In this episode we chat with Graham Stewart, Executive Vice  President  of Fiber 52 who shares how their product helps the cotton mills consume less heat, energy, water and time. Learn more about this unique product on this episode of Mindful businesses.https://www.fibre52.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
As we open our kitchen faucets and fill a glass with drinking water, we probably don’t realize that around 2 billion people globally do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. Clean and safe potable water is such a basic necessity but is still inaccessible to one-fourth of the population in the world. For them, bottled water is not a luxury but a necessity for a healthy and disease-free living. In the United States, municipalities are equipped with water treatment plants and the water is tested regularly, but old and often crumbling pipes tend to leech contaminants into the water. The tragic case of Flint, Michigan comes to mind. Our mindful guests Jess Page and Nicole Doucet, Co - founders of Open Water set out to offer a product to exactly this segment of the population. They explored a variety of options and came up with a rather elegant solution. Firstly, bottle the water close to their customers, reducing the carbon footprint of transportation. Secondly, using aluminum cans as against plastic bottles. Aluminum recycling rates far exceed the plastic recycling rates (around 65%) and do not lose their integrity - that means aluminum can be recycled infinitely. In fact, 50% of all aluminum used is post-consumer recycled. We asked our guests why aluminum is superior to even cartoned water, does water have a taste, and what was their journey and motivation to start this venture. To learn the answers these and other questions listen to the latest episode of Mindful Businesses. #mindfulbusinessespodcast#potablewater#cleanwater#recycledaluminum#aluminum#Water#aluminumbottle https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/https://drinkopenwater.com/
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
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 
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.globalhttps://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/#recyclingplastics#recycling#mindfulbusinesses#CRDC#bagthatbuilds,#circulareconomy#co2emmisions#netzero#construction#sustainablecement
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 #environmenthttps://www.reuseaction.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
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/
Today we talk with Ryan McPherson, Chief Sustainability Officer at University of Buffalo. He heads the Climate Action Plan at the university. The University has the goal of climate neutrality by 2030. They plan to achieve this goal by having 10 strategies to achieve it. Strategies such as “Not all electricity is created equal”, “Waste not”, and “putting a price on pollution”. These goals were driven by the availability of sustainable solutions, policy changes and by students demanding immediate action. These are actions for other universities and corporations to emulate. Learn more about these goals will be achieved in our latest episode. https://www.buffalo.edu/climate-action.html https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/ #sustainableuniversity #solarfarms #reducefoodwaste #greenelectricity #electrifyingcommute
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#thetoollibraryhttps://thetoollibrary.org/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/  
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 
When Jodi Bakst and Cor Rademaker, co - founders of Circular Design Consultants had the opportunity to develop oa piece of land in North Carolina, they had the vision to make it North Carolina’s first net-zero neighborhood. They put this vision to pen and paper to create Array Sustainable Design and bring to market a twelve lot neighborhood on 60 acres, in picturesque Orange County, North Carolina. In this episode they share how their homes are energy efficient and the challenges that they faced in creating this project. They sell individual lots to buyers who can build custom homes abiding by the neighborhood’s covenants. They believe developments like their net-zero neighborhoods will be the neighborhood of the future and they are excited to be the first of its kind in North Carolina. Listen to this lively and passionate couple on this episode of Mindful Businesses.Mentions:Array Sustainable LivingGAF EnergyTimberline SolarEric Corey Freed#netzero, #mindfulbusinesses, #solar, #GAF, #sustainabledesign, #aaraylivinghttps://arraysustainableliving.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/
Receiving a gift makes people happy, incentivizes and motivates employees, and builds corporate morale. Businesses give gifts for various reasons - a promotion, to say thank you, reaching a milestone or even”just because”. The businesses try their level best to match the gift to the employees tastes. That can be a daunting task for the gifter. Loop and Tie aims at making corporate gifting intentional, sustainable and an opt-in gift experience. They have observed that with the opt-in gifting, the receiver can choose the gift of their liking. It helps businesses send unique, elevated gifts that help your brand stand out — and make a difference doing it. Loop and Tie are the first and only carbon regenerative gifting platform. For every gift shipped, through their land restoration and regenerative agriculture initiatives make a net positive carbon impact. Their gifts are thoughtfully sourced from independent creators, makers, and artisans. They even have a gift-it-forward capabilities that allow the receiver to support charities, non-profits, or causes that matter most to them. Learn more about giving sustainable from the Founder and CEO of Loop and Tie, Sara Rodell on the latest episode of Mindful Businesses.https://www.loopandtie.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/ #sustainablegifting, #mindfulbusinesses, #loopandtie, #Carbonpositive, #corporategifting, #gifting #employeemorale
The cement industry puts out 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions, but having said that, it is very durable and technically made with natural materials. As we go along this journey to build a sustainable home, we look into options to reduce the consumption of cement and therefore concrete in our home. We delve into the techniques to build a strong and dry foundation or basement that can withstand the upward ground water pressure and the thrust from the ground on the side walls with minimal cement consumption. A sustainable house begins with a good system to envelop the home to minimize heat loss and energy consumption. Besides insulation and construction techniques we look to windows and how they can help us in creating a tightly sealed home. A well-designed and thought-through window placement design can also help us with solar gain and create desired airflows in the home reducing costs of heating and cooling the home. What are the factors to consider when selecting a foundation or window technology? We learn more from our expert  Eric Corey Freed, LEED Fellow Principal, Director of Sustainability at Cannon Design on this episode of Mindful Businesses.https://www.cannondesign.com/people/eric-corey-freedhttps://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/#sustainablehome #oursustainablehome #mindfulbusinesses #U-Values #Rvalues #superiorwalls #triplepanewindows #tiltandturn #cementindustry #greenhome
Carbon cycle occurs naturally in nature during photosynthesis. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen and when animals consume the plants they release the carbon dioxide that is again absorbed by the plants. Human activities put out more carbon than nature can handle. We have to use every possible way to absorb this excess carbon from the atmosphere. Soil is an excellent source to capture and sequester carbon. In this episode we talk with the son of a generational farmer, Robin Saluoks of eAgronom, who uses technology to provide solutions that encourage farmers to operate smarter and sustainably. eAgronom helps farmers monitor and verify sustainable practices, generate carbon credits, increase agricultural efficiency, and gain better access to financing in the future. They use data and technology to inform the farmers about the soil conditions and help them get financing to adopt sustainable farming practices. They then help the farmers sell their carbon credits in the carbon market thus helping them off set some of the costs of changing to sustainable farming. Learn more about this win-win solution from the Founder and CEO of Eagronom Robin Salouks. https://www.eagronom.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/ #carboncapture#sustainablefarming#Carboncredit#humous#carbonfarming#Carbonsequestration#mindfulbusinessespodcast#eagronom
Rainforests are the earth’s lungs and forests are a huge part of the solution to climate change. But on the other hand, wood is considered a sustainable and renewable raw material. How is that so? We ask these questions to Jonathan Orpin, the Founder of Pioneer Millworks, a company truly focused on the triple bottom line. I visited their plant in Farmington, NY to see firsthand how they work as a team. In these tumultuous times of mass layoffs, we have to introspect as to what makes a business successful. Pioneer Millworks operates on a simple belief that people, planet, and profit work to ensure a better future - Pioneer Millworks operates on the triple bottom line. In terms of the products they carry - they reclaim wood from abandoned or structures about to be torn down and give them a new life by creating marketable products. On average we process 1,062,000 board feet of reclaimed wood yearly—by reclaiming and reusing, has been saved from ending up in landfills. The new wood is harvested sustainably with minimal impact on the forests and the local communities. Pioneer Millworks offers a variety of sustainable, fairly priced options for consumers seeking a sustainable wood source. One especially fascinating product is Shou Sugi Ban, that uses the Japanese age-old technique of scorching wood. This technique makes the wood resist rot and insects in a sustainable manner and most of the options last for decade without requiring refinishing.On the people front, Jonathan talks about how a well-thought-out succession plan is part of good corporate governance. With that in mind, they are currently a 30% employee-owned company (an ESOP) working toward being 100% employee-owned. Learn more in this episode of Mindful Business, about how a company can focus on people and the planet, and still be prosperous.#sustainableforests, #reclaimedwood, #ESOP, #minfulbusinesses, #pioneermillworks, #FSCcertfied, #Triplebottomline, #shousugiban, #reclaimedtimber https://pioneermillworks.com/https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/ www.instagram.com/mindful_businesses_podcastwww.facebook.com/Mindfulbusinesses
In this episode, we talk with Jackson Wyatt, CEO of CABN - sustainable net-zero homes. We are in an housing crisis where traditionally built homes are slow to built, costly and inefficient. CABN is net-zero housing for everyone to live anywhere, live sustainably, and live connected.  In an effort to making net-zero, sustainable homes available to all, CABN uses intelligent building design, fabrication, and assembly to build homes that cost the same as a home build with conventional methods. Using his expertise in manufacturing, shipping, and sustainability, Jackson founded CABN. Working with a team of industry experts, he developed a technology to offer affordable and sustainably-built off-grid housing that can be assembled anywhere, even in difficult-to-construct locations. CABN's patent-pending Energy Informed Design (EID) process is one of the elements that excite him the most. EID, plus integrated renewable energy, mechanical systems, innovative materials, and building techniques, create a home that is truly the means to rapid, attainable and sustainable housing for anyone, anywhere.In addition CABN Foundation, a non-profit organization, is committed accessible and affordable housing. It partners with municipalities and developers to bring affordable housing to to remote, low-income and indigenous communities.  Learn more about this passionate social entrepreneur in this episode.https://cabn.co/https://www.mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/#oursustainablehome, #mindfulkbusinesses, #sustainablebuilding, #netzerobuilding, #passivesolargain #affordablehousing #canada 
What is a passive house? Is it economically feasible? Today we ask those questions of Matt Bowers of Rochester Passive House Consulting, a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority(NYSERDA) certified Passive House consultant. He gives us lucid and in-depth insights into how to build a passive house or at least an aspirational passive house. He recommends to start with a very tight envelope around the house. This not only reduces energy consumption but it increases durability. Along with this tightly sealed home, it is important to have ventilation to prevent moisture buildup and mold. Passive house principles focus on overall comfort level of a building - home, office or retail space. One of the passive house principles is that there shouldn’t be more than 6 degrees fahrenheit difference between different surfaces. Not only should the temperature be comfortable, it also aspires to have a very quiet home and good indoor air quality. This seemingly complex subject is simplified by Matt in this episode of Mindful Businesses. Take a listen. #passivehouse, #mindfubusinesseses #oursustainablehome #ventilators #solarpanels #energyefficiency 
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