As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer.       The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal.     While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer.     The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal.     While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

Hosting a teen birthday party is often stressful but add a pandemic to the mix and it seems impossible. My teen daughter turned fourteen and I was determined to celebrate the date that I gave birthday to her. Unsurprisingly she had no interest in a party but I was able to pry a guest list out of her. With the stay-at-home orders in our area, we have been celebrating birthdays and graduations by driving by and beeping the horn. On a few occasions we got out the car to give elbow bumps. The sheer look of happiness on the faces of the recipients is how I knew I had to host something despite what my daughter stated. And I knew a scooter obstacle course would add to the fun.       How to Plan an Outdoor Birthday party?   Gone are the days where I could just hire a clown or a bubble machine for party entertainment. Teen birthday parties require a little more to keep the kids engaged before the mobile phones come out. It was important that those who just wanted to drive by and beep could participate along with the kids who got out of their cars. With great weather and creativity you can create a party to remember.    

Razor Scooter Obstacle Course

  We were gifted a Razor A5 DLX Kick Scooter, and we loved creating an obstacle course that lead to the backyard. The kids used the scooter to follow the course created on the driveway with chalk. Hula hoops were used to remind everyone of the 6 ft social distancing.       Once the kids maneuver they course they are invited to toss a dart in the ring to get points. Each successful toss equals one point. The person with the most points gets to decide where they will stand for the next activity.   Start of Razor Scooter Obstacle Course   If your yard doesn’t have a pool, a sprinkler provides lots of fun and entertainment, while helping you cool down during hot days. Everyone eyes widened when they realized the final piece was water balloons. There was a time that I hated water balloons because as the parent you have to blow them up. Bunch o Balloons take that stress away. Easy to prepare in under five minutes.     It was very easy to see that this party was just what the kids needed. There was no pressure to participate but everyone did gladly and it was obviously what they needed. They all made signs for her and no teen birthday party is complete without a game of “Just Dance”.  

Easy Supplies for the Ultimate Outdoor Party

  Washable sidewalk chalk– You can outline the obstacle course and use it to leave messages for the birthday teen. No need to worry about it staining clothing or hands.   Hoola Hoops– I would not recommend the ones we used as they are funny shaped and hard to use as intended. It did however make a great marker to remind the teenagers about social distancing at the birthday party. There are lots of other options that seem to work better, I especially like the weighted ones.   Darts with Rings– An easy game to show off you’re skills. It looks easier than it is. The rounded bottom doesn’t always go where it should.   Bunch O Balloons– These water balloons are self sealing and you can fill up 100 in under 60 seconds. No need to stress over the waste as the parts and packaging are 100% recyclable with TerraCycle. Just sign up to the TerraCycle program, collect all waste in an available box, download a free TerraCycle shipping label and send to TerraCycle for upcycling. These are going to part of our weekly summer camp. I hit a few for those days we need to let off some steam.   Razor DLX Kick Scooter– This super strong aluminum kick scooter with adjustable handles made navigating the obstacle course easy. The back break helped them stay on course and I love that is has a kickstand. Suitable for ages 8+ up to 220 pounds means that even I can take a spin on it.   Ready to create your own Razor scooter obstacle course? Simple leave a message telling us the first thing you will add to your course. (Winner will be randomly chosen and contacted on 6/30/2020)

Tailored™, a new direct-to-consumer, personalized dog food brand, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle^® to make the packaging for their pet food nationally recyclable throughout the United States. As an added incentive, for every shipment of Tailored packaging waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be donated to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   “At Tailored, we are focused on making it easy for pet parents to find the right food for their pup's unique needs and delivering personalized recipes fast, free and safely to their door. But we’re also passionate about feeding a happier, healthier Earth,” said Steve Joyce, CEO, Tailored. “That’s why we’ve partnered with TerraCycle - to lessen our environmental impact by ensuring our pet food packaging is able to be safely recycled.”   Through the Tailored Recycling Program, consumers can now send in their empty Tailored pet food packaging to be recycled for free. Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/tailored-pet-nutrition and mail in the packaging using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   “By participating in the Tailored Recycling Program, pet owners can nourish their pet and the planet by responsibly disposing of their pet food packaging,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. “Tailored is helping to drive awareness to the issue of waste and elicit change in the consumer by giving their customers the unique opportunity to divert waste from landfills.”   The Tailored Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.

Para deixar o planeta ainda mais limpo, a Scotch-Brite juntou-se à TerraCycle para criar um programa de reciclagem de esponjas de limpeza de uso doméstico. O programa irá proporcionar um destino mais nobre para as esponjas descartadas e a oportunidade de arrecadar dinheiro aos participantes. E a ONG MiAuJuda de Ibirubá, já faz parte deste projeto.

As we protect ourselves and others from the disastrous virus known as COVID-19, the same personal protective equipment we use as a guard to staying healthy is now surprisingly non-recyclable. That’s right, the numerous face masks and latex gloves that we equip ourselves with are being littered all over the grounds, as well as being thrown in recycling and trash bins only to build up waste, causing more destruction in the environment.   As an action item from World Environment Day om June 5th, the community has been assigned the task of halting the destruction of biodiversity in environments with wasteful products, and to rethink the relationship between humans and nature. Trenton-based TerraCycle, the world’s leader in innovative waste management, has come up with a big idea to encourage recycling, especially with materials that may be difficult to recycle.   TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Boxes is a great initiative and recycling solution for all types of single-use personal protective equipment that is not recyclable through traditional facilities. With the idea of placing these boxes in public places, such as grocery stores, and parks, TerraCycle believes that these waste boxes will motivate more individuals to safely and responsibly dispose of face masks, and other protective equipment, instead of sending them to the trash or tossing them on the floor.   “During this time of uncertainty, our Zero Waste Box program provides easy solutions for keeping waste out of landfills and paving the way for a greener future,” says Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “Our goal is for all consumers to engage with TerraCycle recycling programs in a safe manner.”   To recycle personal protective equipment, TerraCycle offers the following waste boxes:  

• Safety Equipment and Protective Gear Zero Waste Boxes – to recycle disposable safety gear including garments, gloves, masks, and safety glasses.
• Disposable Garments Zero Waste Box – to recycle chemical protection suits, flame resistant suits, and smocks.
• Disposable Gloves Zero Waste Box – to recycle vinyl, nitrile, and latex gloves.
• Disposable Masks Zero Waste Box – to recycle surgical and industrial face masks.

  For larger recycling options, TerraCycle offers Zero Waste Pallets as followed:  

• Safety Equipment and Protective Gear Zero Waste Pallet
• Disposable Garments Zero Waste Pallet
• Disposable Gloves Zero Waste Pallet

  Once boxes are full, they can be sent to TerraCycle where materials will be properly processed, and collected waste will be cleaned and remolded to make new products. A great way to encourage easy recycling habits, while keeping our environments healthy.   For more information, visit: www.terracycle.com.

by: Munashe Kwangwari III Posted: Jun 25, 2020 / 05:18 PM CDT / Updated: Jun 25, 2020 / 05:18 PM CDT   BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Bloomington city leaders say they plan to take the owner of Bell International to court for the “mountain of car seats” piled up on their property. City officials say the pile is causing code violations, and has led to a disturbing odor in the area.   Initially the seats were placed there for a nationwide recycling promotion put on by Walmart and TerraCycle. The two companies collected more than 40-thousand seats before bell international shutdown due to COVID-19.   It reopened on June 1st and city leaders say there’s been no attempt to get rid of the car seats. So they are taking the owner to court next Wednesday. if the judge rules the property is a public nuisance, the owner has two weeks to clear the area.

Copper River Salon and Spa in Princeton is helping the planet and the local community by reducing waste and keeping otherwise non-recyclable personal care and beauty products and packaging from being thrown away and sent to landfills.   Since 2012, the salon has collected 3,647 pounds of skin care, hair care and cosmetic packaging through the Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program in partnership with Garnier. The salon joined the recycling program to unite their passion for creative style and self care with the importance of caring for the environment and appreciating nature’s beauty, according to a statement provided by TerraCycle.   “Beauty is more than skin deep. Beauty comes from self care, care for your community, and care for the world around you,” Barbara Weigand, owner and master stylist at Copper River Salon, said in the statement. “Copper River Salon and Spa looks to emulate beauty in all forms, including doing our part to make beauty sustainable.”   By stationing collection points near the reception area inside the salon and outside at the front entrance of the salon, Copper River Salon and Spa makes it convenient and accessible for clients and community members to drop off their products and packaging for recycling at any time, according to the statement. They also educate and inform their clients on what items can be collected through the program.   The waste collected through the Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program would have otherwise been landfilled, incinerated, or may have even contributed to the pollution of marine habitats. The collected packaging will now be recycled into a variety of new products such as park benches, bike racks, shipping pallets and recycling bins, according to the statement.   “The opportunity to recycle through the Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program allows us to impact our community by providing valuable information on how to properly recycle materials that otherwise would negatively impact our environment and a reliable way to collect these items,” Weigand said in the statement. “By doing so, our community can make environmentally friendly choices to preserve nature’s beauty.”   In addition to their program with TerraCycle, Copper River Salon and Spa is a member of the National Association of Eco-Friendly Salon & Spas Organization and the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry.   For more information, visit copperriversalonandspa.com/. All collected materials from the Personal Care and Beauty Recycling Program are sent to TerraCycle for recycling, where they undergo a series of treatments before getting turned into new items. For more information on TerraCycle, please visit www.TerraCycle.com.

This is a question the MTU Sustainability Demonstration House is asking during its The Keweenaw’s First Waste Reduction Drive, this Saturday, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Michigan Tech’s Lot 24, on Sharon Avenue in Houghton, near the Gates Tennis Center and Sherman Field.   There are five items that will be collected, to be repurposed:  

• Foil-lined granola/energy bar wrappers
• Plastic bottle caps and rings
• Any plastic bag containing a recycling number
• Alkaline batteries
• Egg cartons (Styrofoam)

  Although these items can not be recycled curbside, that does not mean they can not be recycled or reused. The Sustainability team has found a unique recycle/reuse opportunity for these five items:  

• Foil-lined wrappers will be given to Terra Cycle to be converted into a hard plastic for manufacturing.
• Plastic bottle caps and rings will be sent to Preserve to be converted into kitchenware and toothbrushes.
• Plastic bags will be properly recycled.
• Alkaline batteries will be properly recycled.
• Egg cartons will be given to local chicken farmers for reuse.

  “We are excited to see the amount of waste we will be saving from the landfill as a community,” the release states. “In addition to reducing landfill waste, we are happy to be educating our community on the many recycle/reuse opportunities available for our waste.”   HOW TO PARTICIPATE   1. COLLECT the following 5 items at your home or office (ensure they are clean):  

• Styrofoam and cardboard egg cartons
• Any foil-lined granola/energy bar wrapper
• Plastic bottle caps and rings
• Any plastic bag containing a recycling #
• Batteries

  2. BRING your collected items to Fisher Hall on Saturday, June 27   WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR WASTE?  

• Egg cartons will be given to local farmers for reuse
• Foil-lined granola bar wrappers will be melted into a hard plastic by TerraCycle
• Bottle caps and rings will be converted to kitchenware by Preserve
• Batteries and plastic bags will be properly recycled

start today. We are running out of time. There will be a time that comes when everyone realizes their individual impact on the world, but by then, it will be too late. There are so many small changes we can make today that really do add up. Stop using plastics wherever you can. Research how to recycle. Plant trees. Save water. Look up all of the simple sustainability swaps you can do in the home. There are so many, and they are simple to do. Start step by step to avoid getting overwhelmed, but then enjoy knowing that the small changes you make today can have a major impact later on.   I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Simpson of Amethyst Skincare.   Nicole Simpson is a highly motivated entrepreneur and accomplished beauty veteran in the aesthetics industry. As founder of Amethyst Skincare, she proves her innovation in the beauty space with the first skin care line entirely dedicated to healing & protecting the skin from environmental toxins and skin stressors, as well as a brand that is environmentally responsible and sustainable. As the former AVP of Global Education and Business Development at SkinCeuticals, L’Oreal, Nicole was an aggressive world traveler — spending lots of time in Europe, Asia and South America — and as such, she observed firsthand the imbalance of the world. When she traveled to places with heavy pollution, like Beijing, her skin would have adverse reactions to the pollution and toxins. When developing Amethyst Skincare, she committed to creating a skincare line with a purpose — to heal the skin from environmental stressors and lead the charge to moving the beauty industry to being more environmentally conscious. Amethyst maintains a relationship with TerraCycle to ensure all of their glass bottles are 100% recyclable, aloe is used instead of water in most products and the brand has a waterless production, in order to preserve natural resources when possible, and they are also committed to supporting 4Ocean (for every 5 Amethyst Skincare products sold, 1 lb. of plastic is pulled out of the ocean). Finally, the brand aims to be carbon neutral by the end of 2021.   Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit how you grew up?   I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, with 3 siblings, where the majority of our time was spent outside on the beach. Things like clean water and environment were a big part of our culture. It’s funny- when we were little, things were super pristine, but it was notable that as the planet got warmer, our beaches were affected. Red tide lasted longer. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (an area of water that doesn’t support life due to the bioaccumulation of toxins), started off small, and got bigger and bigger each year. It defined us. So of course, sustainable business is a natural direction for all of my projects to go in. Also, from a very young age, I was obsessed with reading the labels of shampoo bottles, skincare products, and almost anything I could get my hands on. Fortunately, my parents saw it and cultivated a STEM environment for me and my siblings to learn in. That sparked an undeniable space for biology and chemistry. Mixed with an equally strong passion for skincare, the rest is history.   You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?   I have been in the beauty industry for more than 16 years, and with that has come a lot of international travel and the opportunity to see the world through a different lens. I worked for a short while as a chemist after graduating from university, but I hated it. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be in the skincare industry, so I followed my absolute passion and became an aesthetician. The rest is history! I was recruited by a major skincare company to teach skincare from a scientific perspective to other aestheticians, physicians, and nurses. From there I went on to become the AVP of Global Education and Business Development for SkinCeuticals/L’Oreal. I traveled to more than 37 countries, working with some of the most prominent physicians in the world to help them become successful with skincare in their practices.   It was during my travels that I started to see that in America, our reality is a bit different than the rest of the world. My time in China, India, and some European countries allowed me to see our future. The air is heavily polluted. The water is contaminated. There are places in the world where food doesn’t grow because the soil is too acidic from acid rain. The University of California Irvine published a study a few years ago that showed that all of the smog that blows over from China adds 5–8 extra days of smog to Southern California each year. While we are not alone, the beauty industry is a major contributor to this. I made the decision several years ago that when I would create my own skincare line, I would do it as a platform to have an impact on this situation. While we still don’t have all of the resources we need to be 100% sustainable, there are things we can do today to reduce our global impact on pollution, and improve sustainability, which I am committed to being a part of.   Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?   In addition to having an outdoor childhood, there was another remarkable moment when I was in Beijing in my hotel room trying to sleep, and I couldn’t. My body couldn’t stop sweating in an attempt to detox from all of the pollution. I have traveled to many places where the air pollution was severe, and I realized two things: the first was that the world needs help and is significantly impacted by the beauty industry, and the second is that our bodies aren’t meant to handle this level of exposure. If we don’t take action now, we are going to be too late.   Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?   People would always ask me when I would start my own skincare line. My response was always the same: “The world doesn’t need another skincare line”. There are so many of them! While I always knew I wanted to do it, I committed to myself that if I did, I would do it with a purpose. I created Amethyst Skincare to explore and innovate ways that the beauty industry overall can start to reduce our impact on the planet, as quickly as possible. Once I realized that the environment will get worse before it will get better, I knew that it was time and I had to start.   Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?   First things first. I know this sounds cliché, but it’s true: fail to plan, plan to fail. Research matters. At the end of the day, if you want to be successful selling a consumer product, you have to understand the consumer, and create something that a consumer loves — even goes deeper than that. Sometimes, it is not always about the product. It becomes about the mission and purpose. If people can connect to your mission and purpose, they will be with you the entire way. While we knew what our purpose and mission were, we spent a lot of time talking to our target consumer to make sure that we would execute our vision the right way.   Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?   The most interesting thing was seeing the alignment that started to happen from very early on. Once we started putting the word out there that we were starting an amazing brand with an amazing purpose, the right people showed up at exactly the right time. It’s an amazing thing to watch something greater than yourself materialize right in front of your face. We have a multi-cultural team with representation around the world that allows us to really amplify the voice behind our mission.   Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?   Early on, I was traveling in Europe to meet with potential distribution partners. I addressed some of their team in a foreign language which I am comfortable speaking, but was not my first language. The words I used were common to speaking the same language in another region, and were harmless. However, in Europe, the translation was different and literally translated to be a reference to female private parts. I didn’t know what happened until half of the room had a face of shock, and the other half was laughing uncontrollably. Thankfully, someone graciously explained the difference — I was mortified! We got through it, but lesson learned.   None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?   I have been super lucky to have a lot of mentors who have helped me along the way, however there is one who stands out. There is a woman who has been incredibly impactful to me and has always offered her support and wisdom. Her name is Katherine Fung. I met her early on in my career at L’Oreal. It was my first business trip to Hong Kong. Not only did we become very good friends, she became a mentor for me. She is a woman of incredible patience and wisdom. I appreciate her because she always gives me the best advice and takes the time to coach me through where I am today. She knows the right questions to ask me at the right time to challenge me outside of where I am. It’s like she can see what I can’t, and always helps guide me in the right direction.   Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?   There are much more than three, but here we go: The first is that society can look deeper and make simple updates, such as get educated on their local recycling systems and learn that most things that get thrown in the recycle bin don’t actually get recycled. Learning how to be impactful with simple sustainability swaps will also help our mission. Finally, bringing more awareness to the circular economy would make the most impact for us.   How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?   It’s a medium-to-long term game. It is proven that companies that best manage their sustainability practices can reduce operational costs over time. Studying the circular economy becomes very important when it comes to boosting profitability while achieving sustainability goals. When it comes to the beauty industry, some of the challenge can be that it is expensive to get started when choosing the right packaging and focusing on how to formulate in an eco-friendly way. A few of our formulas are not just waterless, but also are made via waterless production. That is expensive in the beginning, but over time, those costs improve. Our industry is at an impasse, because we don’t have a lot of options available to us yet. A lot of success can be had through strategic partnerships. So, if your budget can only sustain plastic packaging, go for it, but do the work on the back end to empower the maximum chances to ensure it is recycled via Terracycle or other recycling agencies. As a start-up company, it is usually never a good idea to have cash going out while sales are increasing, but being as environmentally friendly as possible was important to us. So we worked with financial experts to ensure our costing structure was appropriate so that we could support the causes that could accomplish what we aren’t yet able to do as an industry, such as taking plastics out of the ocean, or making sure they are completely recycled so that there is no chance any of our products or packaging ever go to landfill. I recommend planning up front so that the business can manage out the higher costs, but the P+L can be structured to see the cost savings for the long-term.   What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.  

• The world might hate you once you start your climb. Do it anyway. As I started becoming more visible, I was also exposed to more opinions. I wish I would have learned to tune out the noise much earlier.
• I came up in this very competitive industry assuming I couldn’t say no. I wish someone would have told me it is okay to stand my ground and say no. I said “yes” on far too many occasions that compromised my family time, quality of life, and even sometimes, my personal health.
• The work you do today in the beauty industry will absolutely impact the quality of life for the multitudes of women tomorrow. The beauty industry goes much deeper than what it seems on the surface. We create products that boost self-esteem, improve health, and quality of life.
• When women go together, they go further and stronger. I was not whole until I found my tribe of absolute superstar women that I could call at any time of day to speak to, learn from, bounce ideas, and have a compassionate voice of encouragement.
• Community over competition. Period. There is enough space here for everyone. We can create more impact on the things that matter when we go together. Strength in numbers.

  If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?   To start today. We are running out of time. There will be a time that comes when everyone realizes their individual impact on the world, but by then, it will be too late. There are so many small changes we can make today that really do add up. Stop using plastics wherever you can. Research how to recycle. Plant trees. Save water. Look up all of the simple sustainability swaps you can do in the home. There are so many, and they are simple to do. Start step by step to avoid getting overwhelmed, but then enjoy knowing that the small changes you make today can have a major impact later on.   Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?   “If there is a thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s to not be afraid of the responsibility that comes with caring for other people”. This will have a personal meaning to each person who reads it, but for me, it carries a lot of meaning. If we have no planet left, we have no life. All things beyond that will no longer matter.   Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.  Read More