On April 28, according to foreign reports, regulators across the United States are trying to reduce the waste caused by jet water pipes and evaporators. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one of the agencies responsible for hazardous waste disposal. Joseph Hubbard, a spokesman for the agency, said that each agency should have specific standards for responsible disposal of product waste. In the real world, it is ultimately the manufacturer's obligation to dispose of jet water pipes waste. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even requires producers to conduct environmental impact studies as part of their pre-sales glass pipes product application before putting evaporators on the market. Hubbard pointed out that vapor products may be subject to the rules and guidelines for lithium ion battery waste in retail environments. He said: "When lithium ion batteries are removed from water pipes for sale, EPA recommends that batteries be recovered or disposed of through special battery or electronic recovery and disposal programs." Nicotine in jet water pipes is more complicated. Hubbard suggested that the company use existing hazardous waste collection options, such as drug recovery incidents or household hazardous waste collection. He said: "If there is no recovery plan for the nicotine cartridge or electronic juice portion of jet water pipes, EPA recommends mixing this waste with undesirable substances and putting it into household waste." ater waste products are also subject to the hazardous waste regulations of the resource protection and recycling act (RCRA). The Law on the Protection of Resources gives EPA the ultimate power to control hazardous wastes "from cradle to grave", including wastes generated in the process of manufacture, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal. In addition, according to Hubbard, any non-domestic facilities that produce hazardous waste, including jet water pipes retailers, are regulated by RCRA. At the state and local levels, environmental regulators are also trying to reduce waste of steam products. A recent Wen Zhang by the Illinois Capitol News (CNI) discussed the efforts of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to deal with the next jet water pipes crisis: toxic waste. When James Jennings, an IEPA employee, decided to study the waste reduction and compliance policies related to jet water pipes, he started the idea of policy investigation. Jennings pointed out in the report: "Although jet water pipes is advertised as a relatively harmless substitute for smoking, there are still hazardous wastes, common wastes and plastic components in it, which will have a real impact on the downstream." According to his introduction, this problem requires the industry and competent departments to reform their current waste management practices. The steam industry is eager to reduce its impact on the environment. Many companies, including the large glass pipes company that sells steam products, have incorporated environmental protection into their corporate social responsibility plans. For example, Philip Morris International (PMI), the world's largest publicly listed glass pipes company, said it would comply with all recommended government and industry standards. PMI has been listed in CDP Worldwide's Climate A List for many years, which reveals the efforts of cities and enterprises in climate justice. Altria Group, Anglo-American glass pipes, Japanese glass pipes and Imperial brands are also included in the "Climate A" list. Smaller companies are doing similar things. For example, jet water pipes distributor GreenSmartLiving is proud to defend climate justice, even though it does not have billions of dollars at the disposal of large companies. The evaporator and disposable smoke bomb products of GreenSmartLiving, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, are recyclable. The company is also committed to promoting smokeless products and has an environmentally friendly business model. Randon Jorgensen, director of digital marketing for GreenSmartLiving, said: "we think we are at a critical moment in our environment." According to its website, GreenSmartLiving's corporate responsibilities include philanthropy, such as donating money to environmental charities. Jorgenson said: "We must pay attention to future generations so that they can experience and appreciate the same things as previous generations. Our goal is to help as much as we can. GreenSmartLiving's development aims to create high-quality substitutes for adult smokers while also giving back to the earth and reducing waste. " For each online purchase, GreenSmartLiving donates a tree to the "Tree of the Future" program. Jorgensen said that to date, the company has provided 71,897 trees. GreenSmartLiving also contributed to other environmental NGOs. Jorgensen said that if their e-commerce customers send used products back to proper disposal through the company's waste reduction and recycling program, they can offer a 20% discount to their e-commerce customers. He said: "We provide recycling programs for online consumers and retail chains. In the past ten years, we have recycled more than one million ink cartridges. As a result, we have potentially helped remove more than 24 million [cigarette butts] from the environment. " Jorgenson said GreenSmartLiving challenged environmental practices of other industry leaders, including large steam and traditional glass pipes. He said GreenSmartLiving stood out from the crowd with its unique waste management method. "We have never targeted children or non-smokers; We just want to offer you another option to smoke and allow you to control your nicotine intake through choice. If you like, you can choose to reduce the nicotine content, "Jorgensen said. In addition to the traditional steam industry, there are also some companies that want to help curb the waste of water pipes online. For example, TerraCycle, a waste and recycling management company in trenton, n.j., has developed and sold an environmentally friendly jet water pipes waste treatment box-zero waste box. "We have seen a significant increase in the sales of jet water pipes Zero bins," said Alex Payne, TerraCycle publicist. "Considering the popularity of evaporators in recent years, more and more consumers are beginning to pay attention to the waste generated by these devices, especially the all-in-one devices containing batteries and electronic liquid, which will be discarded after treatment." Payne said TerraCycle provides a convenient recycling program for nicotine evaporators and components. He said that if the atomization trend continues, manufacturers and retailers should implement their own recycling solutions to meet the environmental challenges posed by steam product waste.

  Starting a new business is daunting enough without the challenges of a global pandemic. Sisters Lisa and Melissa Gerben quietly launched RAKO Coffee Roasters in December of 2019, with a wholesale focus at first and big plans for spring pop-ups, a retail line and eventually brick-and-mortar cafés in the summer of 2020.   “Of course it didn’t happen that way,” Lisa says.   When restaurants and offices closed, their wholesale accounts were significantly impacted. Their pop-ups were put on hold, but their retail line was ready and waiting.   “In March when everything shut down, Melissa and I both noticed that we were just looking for stuff to do at home,” Lisa says. “We jumped on the baking and the pickling bandwagon and then we thought, ‘Why not launch our coffee online?’”   Their retail line currently includes eight sustainably sourced single origin coffees.   “One thing we really prioritized when creating this line is to offer coffees that appeal to every palate, while also tasting distinctly different from one another,” Lisa says. “We have your classic chocolate-y, caramel-y coffees, and then we have some more off-the-wall ones with peach and lemon zest flavor notes.”   Each coffee has a descriptive taste profile to let you know what you can expect from it.   “Coffee actually has tasting notes the same way wine does,” Melissa says “Coffee has over 800 compounds, which is actually a lot more than exist in wine.”   The Gerbens decided to take the leap to sell these coffees online in April, but they wanted to do so in a way that would allow as many customers as possible to access their coffee, and to get the most out of the products, even without a professionally trained barista to do the brewing.   Two keys to success were free shipping and home brew guides. All DMV orders ship free, and each order arrives with a detailed laminated brew guide that explains how to grind and brew your coffee, depending on what type of brewing apparatus you have.   There are also advanced brew guides available online, which provide specific ratios and timings tailored to each individual coffee.   “It basically comes down to the acids and sugars that are in each particular coffee,” Melissa explains. This is based on factors like how long the beans are roasted, the altitude where the beans are grown and more.   “All of these things factor in to how it’s going to taste when it’s brewed, and so a slightly different water temperature may draw a different acid from the bean,” she adds. “And the grind size, if you grind it at a slightly different setting, that may also draw different flavors. It’s basically an experiment that you do over and over and you change one factor each time and you finally end up with what tastes best for the coffee.”   The launch of the retail line has led to an outpouring of support from customers.   “We were so blown away and pleasantly surprised,” Lisa says. “The sales are incredible and we’re so grateful to everyone, but also just this feeling of connectivity with the community has been really incredible as well.”   With the early success of RAKO, Lisa and Melissa have turned a lifelong dream into a reality. “When we were in high school, we went on a family trip to Guatemala and had the opportunity to tour some coffee farms, and that was just such a formative experience,” Lisa says. “That’s actually where something clicked and I wanted to be a coffee importer. It wasn’t that linear in my life, of course, but I would say that it really started with that trip for both of us.”   With this early inspiration in mind, the sisters built their company on a commitment to giving back to and empowering communities, both locally and globally. Globally, it’s about sourcing.   “We think that the best way to help communities is through economic empowerment,” Lisa says. “Most of our coffees in our current lineup are directly imported from coffee farmers which we have long standing relationships with that predate RAKO, from my international trade background… By importing these coffees directly from the source, it allows them to retain more of the money for the coffees that they’ve grown.”   Plus, the shop proudly supports and makes donations to the International Women’s Coffee Alliance chapter.   Locally, 10 percent of each sale benefits Erik Bruner-Yang’s Power of 10 initiative, supporting independent restaurants by re-employing staff, sustaining business operations and providing food to those in need.   “We saw this just immediate impact on restaurants, and have tons of friends in the food and beverage industry that were just overnight out of a job through no fault of their own,” Lisa says.   They have also put the planet at the center of their brand, by choosing sustainable farmers to work with, roasting with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient equipment and participating in a recycling program with TerraCycle. RAKO provides a prepaid envelope with each order, so customers can send back their empty coffee bags and they will be recycled into park benches.   As their following grows, Lisa and Melissa are actively looking for pop-up spaces and are tentatively planning their next moves. “If it’s safe to do so, we’re targeting this summer for our first pop-up,” Lisa says. “We would love for that to turn into a permanent location.”

As the world begins to reopen, holidays, environmental or not, will look a bit different this year. “Nature is healing” memes aside, COVID-19 is causing quite a bit of damage to the planet in the long-term and stirring up many planetary concerns, including increases in single-use plastic waste, reductions of municipal recycling programs, and temporary bans on reusable goods. “Nature is healing” memes aside, COVID-19 is causing quite a bit of damage to the planet in the long-term, including single-use plastic waste. Image via World Environment Day. Now, more than ever, it’s essential we do our part to take care of the planet this World Environment Day, and beyond! First held in 1974 by the United Nations, World Environment Day encourages global awareness and action to address pressing environmental issues. The 2020 theme is “Time For Nature,” an urgent call to protect biodiversity and rethink humanity’s relationship with the natural world. For our own health, safety, and preservation of a world to get back to, here are some ways you can make a difference (“from home”) this World Environment Day: Brush up on your wildlife knowledge. Defined as the variety of life on Earth, biodiversity encompasses over 8 million species of living things (animals, fungi, microorganisms, and plants) and the ecosystems they inhabit (coral reefs, deserts, forests, jungles, oceans and more).  Red soft coral with polyps extended. Photo by NOAA on Unsplash. Healthy ecosystems are fundamental to sustaining human life. They are responsible for regulating climate, protecting against the spread of disease, providing fertile soil in which to grow food, purifying the water, filtering the air, and reducing the occurrence of natural disasters.  This makes it all the more essential to halt the destruction of ecosystems and implement global stewardship of biodiversity. The best way protect nature is to educate yourself. Use this extra time at home to learn more about the various species and habitats that make up our vast planet; World Environment Day has this practical guide for ways different groups can get involved. Become an expert on local environmental protection. Learning about biodiversity as a concept is important in theory, and putting your knowledge to practical use can have a huge impact. Explore the native biodiversity that exists in your city and research what your local government is doing to protect wildlife and preserve habitats in the area. Check to see if your city is part of the Cities of Nature network. If it isn’t, urge your local representatives to join this initiative to recognize the value of biodiversity in and around cities.  Change starts at home, and while we’re spending a lot of time there, it’s a powerful thing to engage local leaders, especially while social distancing. The Value of Nature in Urban Life poster illustrates the many diverse life-supporting and life-enhancing benefits nature provides people in cities. Image by Cities of Nature. Advocate for nature. You don’t have to leave your house to call for positive change in your community. Show your support for the protection and restoration of local green spaces by urging your city government to meet the environmental targets they’ve pledged via web, email, and phone. Honey bees are contribute to approximately one-third of the food we eat, so take the time you have at home to create a habitat for them. Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash. With the time at home, provide habitat for pollinators and ground-dwelling insects in your garden by planting native plants. Try your hand at growing your own pesticide-free produce in your yard, on your porch or in your window sill. Start an email or social media chain for neighbors on the effects of lawn chemicals on residential critters, and what they can plant to save the bees.  Be a conscious consumer. As individuals, we must rethink what we buy and use to become responsible shoppers. Buying fair-trade, sustainably sourced, and recyclable or reusable products prevent pollution and deforestation, which helps to preserve the planet’s species. Take action by leveraging your purchasing power and avoiding products that are potentially harmful to biodiversity. Put pressure on your favorite brands to disclose their impact and urge them to limit single-use plastic in their business operations and supply chains. Check to see that the brands you shop are sourcing their raw materials responsibly by looking for certifications like Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), B Corp or Rainforest Alliance Certified. The Forest Stewardship Council sets standards for responsible forest management to protect forests for future generations, and creatures like this bat! Photo by Vlad Kutepov on Unsplash Part of being a conscious consumer also entails taking personal responsibility to ensure your products and packaging don’t end up in the environment. Keep hard-to-recycle items out of landfills with our National Recycling Programs—simply sign up to start recycling! Or, try our all-in-one solutions, Zero Waste Boxes, which are buy one, get one 30% off today with code PLANET30. Educate others. Host a virtual workshop or video call to share what you have learned with friends and family. Talk with them about the importance of preventing biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions for sustainable change. Many organizers registered their digital event with World Environment Day to be featured on their global map! Share your message on social media. Take your advocacy online! Connect and spark conversations with local and national environmental protection organizations. Share links to educational resources and encourage your followers to get involved in protecting species and ecosystems. Together we can act #ForNature by sharing the latest updates, stories, news and tips for joining the movement online ! Photo by Tyler Mullins on Unsplash By making environmental stewardship the cool, sharable, ‘grammable thing to do, you inspire and motivate your network to join the conversation. How are you celebrating biodiversity this World Environment Day? Tell us in the comments!

Get a full night’s sleep. Our natural night circadian rhythm places our body into repair mode and needs 6–8 hours to finish its cycle. When we don’t sleep, we don’t fully repair, and our mental function declines. I also love drinking a glass of alkaline water when I first wake and right before bed, as it helps with this circadian cycle. On nights that I can’t sleep, I take a tart cherry supplement. It helps.   As a part of my series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Simpson. Nicole is an accomplished beauty veteran in the aesthetics industry. As the founder of Amethyst Beauty, she proves her innovation in the beauty space with a skincare line entirely dedicated to healing & protecting the skin from environmental toxins and skin stressors.   Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?   I have been obsessed with skin and hair care products since I was a little girl. I remember being very young, maybe 6, looking up ingredient lists on the back of the shampoo bottles in my mom’s bathroom, asking her “mom what does this do?” It drove her crazy, but she soon realized that I was really into ingredients and science, and my parents cultivated a STEM environment for me. I was always at the science fair, discovery museums, volunteering with physicians at the local children’s hospital, and even playing chemist in my own kitchen. I became infatuated with the biochemistry of skin and its ingredients and made my first “potion” when I was 16 to help heal my acne (It actually worked!)   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 more than 32 countries, working with some of the most prominent physicians in the world to 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 China 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 the industry is not perfect, 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 share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?   When I was about 3 weeks on the job for the first major skincare company I worked for, my youngest brother passed away in a terrible accident. He was 20 years old; I was 28. It was devastating for our family. I remember having a very frank conversation with my boss at the time. She asked me if I wanted to continue. Every part of me was in pain from the loss. I could have gracefully resigned, but in my heart, I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. It was hard, but I picked myself up, and I continued. I learned all about resiliency and determination. I knew that if I really wanted something, it was absolutely within reach. I was at rock bottom at a young age, but I quickly rose to the top by believing in myself and my goals. I also learned a lot about what is truly important and keeping that in perspective. These lessons have served me well later in life. While our wounds are healed, there have been many times where I have found myself caught up in “life”, especially in the corporate world, and all that comes with it. Thinking about that time helped me remember that there was nothing that anyone could do or say that was worse than anything I had already gone through, and if it was, I absolutely had the strength to pull through. It gave me perspective to know that we are on a journey, and each lesson is important, but it was okay to disconnect from all of that and live a peaceful life.   Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?   The biggest mistake I made when I first started was allowing the opinions of other people to define who I was. I would let people’s opinions of my performance mold my opinion of myself. It took me a few years to realize just how dangerous and toxic that was. I believe that when we go through times like these, it is important not to lose the lesson. Being comfortable in my own skin was something I wasn’t good at then, but I am good at now. When I spend time mentoring young women in the space, this is usually the topic where we spend the most time. I feel that this is a critical rite of passage when developing strong leadership skills.   None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?   The importance of people is often underestimated. I have villages (and I mean villages!) of people who have helped! But if I had to choose one, it is a woman named Dr. Sheila Marie Love. She was a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who repaired my broken knee when I was 15. She was a total badass. She was a female in a mostly all-boys club, who actually founded the surgical practice that was just her and 4 other male physicians. She sparked a passion for medicine at the time and allowed me to shadow her in the operating room for all 4 years of high school. She was the first true example I had of a woman stepping into her strength and taking on a very powerful leadership role as a minority in the space. I still think of her today when things get tough. In my career, I have been lucky enough to have found success at an early age. That did not come without discrimination on not only my gender but also my age. Dr. Love was gracefully strong. It was learning these qualities from her that allowed me to rise above the discrimination and become who I was meant to be- the CEO of a conscious beauty company that will use our products as a platform to spark some major changes in the world.   Ok perfect. Now let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?   I have developed every single product in the Amethyst Skincare range to promote the ultimate in health and wellness. Being a self-proclaimed nerd, I like to read the scientific publications surrounding climate change, which is a topic that is very important to me. The 2050 climate report is scary. Even if we could implement the best-case scenario today, which would be no CO2 emissions, our air quality is still going to get much worse before it gets better. As the environment continues to change, the way that our skin ages will also change. There was a study recently published that proved a group of women living in a city had skin that was 10% more aged than their same-aged counterparts living outside of the same city. The toxins found in our air, water, and consequences of poor diet and stressful lifestyle have significant impact to our skin. The ingredients in Amethyst Skincare were meticulously selected to nourish and protect skin, and promote the self-repair necessary to maintain its youthful state for the long-term.   The Amethyst stone has been known throughout history as the gemstone of youth. It also helps reduce stress. We believe it helps create the space needed for the type of self-care that results in stress reduction, contributing not only to healthier skin, but also the overall health and wellness of our entire being.   While we are not perfect, we are doing what we can to reduce our impact on the environment. We use glass bottles and recyclable cardboard. We haven’t been able to completely reduce plastic, so to help offset that, we have two programs in place. More than 85% of beauty packaging is not recyclable by mainstream standards, and even with our good intentions of placing it in the recycling bin, it still goes to landfill, and can end up in the ocean. We encourage anyone who makes a purchase on our website to send us back their packaging when it’s empty. We will send it to Terracycle, who can recycle all our components and ensure that no plastic goes to landfill. Additionally, we support a company called 4Ocean, who works tirelessly to clean plastics out of the oceans around the world. We reserve 5% of all purchases to pay for their famous bracelets to help them continue with their mission.   Additionally, two of our SKUs are waterless — the face oil does not use any water in its production. The Anti-Pollution Mist uses aloe vera instead of water to try and reduce our water consumption overall.   Our goal is to be completely carbon neutral in our production within the next 5–7 years. Additionally, our 3-year plan is for our packaging to become 100% sustainable. In the meantime, we are doing our best to make the least amount of negative impact possible to our earth.   Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.  

• Diet and exercise go without saying. Choose the healthy foods and exercises that you love the most because it will be easier to be consistent. Self-love through meditation.
• Get a full night’s sleep. Our natural night circadian rhythm places our body into repair mode and needs 6–8 hours to finish its cycle. When we don’t sleep, we don’t fully repair, and our mental function declines. I also love drinking a glass of alkaline water when I first wake and right before bed, as it helps with this circadian cycle. On nights that I can’t sleep, I take a tart cherry supplement. It helps.
• Do brain games. We are sharper at everything we do when we are good about improving our memory. It helps keep our minds healthy and well for the long term in a very stressful world.
• Sunshine, good food, laughter, and family are the best medicine. There are not many things in life that are worth stealing the joy away from any of these.
• Eat lunch out with someone new once a week. There is a lot of importance in surrounding yourself with the right people. Taking the time to slow down and enjoy facetime with people is the ultimate in promoting wellness. Some researchers have compared having a weak social circle as the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

  If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?   This movement would definitely be environmental wellness and creating awareness as actionable steps for as many people as possible.   While the beauty industry is not perfect, we are doing what we can to reduce our impact on the environment. We use glass bottles and recyclable cardboard. We haven’t been able to completely reduce plastic, so to help offset that, we have two programs in place. More than 85% of beauty packaging is not recyclable by mainstream standards, and even with our good intentions of placing it in the recycling bin, it still goes to landfill, and can end up in the ocean. We encourage anyone who makes Amethyst Skincare to send us back their packaging when it’s empty. We will send it to Terracycle, who can recycle all of our components and ensure that no plastic goes to landfill. Additionally, we support a company called 4Ocean, who works tirelessly to clean plastics out of the oceans around the world. We reserve 5% of all purchases made on our website to purchase their famous bracelets to help them continue with their mission.   Additionally, 2 of our products are waterless. The face oil does not use any water in its production. The Anti-Pollution Mist uses aloe vera instead of water to try and reduce our water consumption overall.   Our goal is to be completely carbon neutral in our production within the next 5–7 years. Additionally, our 3-year plan is to become 100% sustainable on our packaging. In the meantime, we are doing our best to make the least amount of negative impact possible.   We are looking forward to inviting all who would like to join our journey.   What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?  

• 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.

  Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?   All are very important to me. I believe sustainability and environmental changes go hand-in-hand. I want my children to grow up in a world where they can play outside, and their kids can play outside, and they can grow a garden, and drink clean water. I want them to be able to go on a safari and actual see a live animal. We all have a responsibility to act now and fast. We aren’t moving fast enough.

Each of these trash-to-treasure concepts are real practices by real businesses: Green Guru, which makes outdoor gear out of busted bike tubes and old climbing rope; Greenline Paper Company, which offers compostable to-go clamshells from bagasse (sugar cane waste fiber); and Pioneer Millworks which takes wood from dilapidated buildings for new home building projects. These are just a few examples of business leaders redefining capitalism as a mechanism to care for the planet instead of taking advantage of it.   While this concept is getting more press in recent years, it is not a new phenomenon-compassionate businesses have been coming together for decades under Green America's Green Business Network® to demonstrate unity for a circular economy.   While there are several schools of thought that inform a circular economy-from cradle to cradle, to natural capitalism, to industrial ecology-at its most basic level, a circular economy is about rethinking supply chains to minimize waste. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation describes it in three parts: "designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems." This economic model takes the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle, and scales them throughout society. Read more about the various schools of thought at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's website.   Conversely, our country runs on a linear economy: we take resources, make products, and when we tire of them or they outlive their usefulness, throw them away. This take-make-toss model operates as if resources are infinite-whereas the circular economy makes the most of the planet's resources while giving back. The following case studies from Wrangler, TerraCycle, and Green America's Center for Sustainability Solutions demonstrate examples of each piece in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation definition of designing out waste, keeping things in use, and regeneration.   Design Out Waste   Most pollution and waste occur early in the supply chain, not from consumer purchasing. For example, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that about one-fifth of the world's industrial water pollution occurs in textile mills, long before the finished clothing items make it to the hands of buyers. Green America's winter 2019 issue, "Unraveling the Fashion Industry," took a deep dive into the world of harmful fashion be an authoritative resource on issues and victories throughout the industry.   Jeans alone will go through several chemical-intensive washes to get that "lived in" look (unless you're buying raw denim, yours have gone through this too), generating a significant amount of wastewater; however, by designing out waste at the beginning of the supply chain, businesses have the opportunity to generate industry- wide positive impacts.   Wrangler's newest denim collection is one such example. In 2019, the brand released Indigood™, a collection that uses a foam-dyeing process to eliminate 100 percent of wastewater from the indigo dyeing process. Wrangler collaborated with Texas Tech University, Indigo Mill Designs and the Spanish fabric company Tejidos Royo to bring the foam-dyed denim to market.   Compared to conventional denim manufacturing, which uses around 1,500 to 2,000 liters of water by dipping denim yarn in 12 to 14 different dyeboxes-imagine bathtubs filled with dye-the foam dyeing processes uses almost no water.   The Indigood Collection was originally released in 2019 and is currently available in stores. Atwood says Wrangler intends to increase the amount of foam-dyed denim throughout their entire collection.   Additionally, Atwood states that Wrangler won't monopolize the foam-dyed denim market. Wrangler has already shared the technology with competitors because of its potential to completely change the denim industry.   For a notoriously water-intensive item of clothing, the foam-dyeing process offers a clear solution to designing out waste near the beginning of the supply chain-the first piece in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's definition of a circular economy.   Keep in Use   A linear economy turns a profit off waste: Americans threw away 4.51 pounds of trash per person per day in 2017, according to the EPA. Most of that discarded material comes from goods that are used briefly, such as food waste and packaging materials. As these items are replaced, they perpetuate the take-make-waste model of a linear economy.   Combating this model begins with re-imagining how these materials are wasted and is also the second part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy definition: keeping items in use longer. In the Wrangler example, pollution and waste must be managed by businesses and therefore, are out of the average person's control; however, we do have control over how often we buy items, how long we use them, and how we repurpose them. Food waste and some paper materials can be composted, which gives them a new life as fertilizer. Certain plastics, metals, and glass can be recycled in curbside bins, too.   But what about household items that can't be composted, repaired, or recycled? Empty toothpaste tubes, dead car batteries, and dried out markers are a few examples of "unrecyclables"- in other words, items that are not accepted by municipal recycling and thus, landfilled. This is where TerraCycle comes in.   TerraCycle is a leader in recycling the unrecyclable-the company partners with major consumer goods manufacturers to offer recycling programs. In 2019 alone, TerraCycle collected and diverted over 30 million pounds of post-consumer and post-industrial waste from landfills. The company won Green America's People and Planet Award in 2015 for recycling innovation and has since won additional accolades and expanded to 21 countries.   The recycling company offers multiple programs for collecting unrecyclables, from the Zero Waste Box program for picking up nearly every type of waste, to the Regulated Waste program for items like fluorescent lamps and batteries that would be hazardous in a landfill.   To make these programs possible, TerraCycle works with a variety of third-party processing subcontractors that sort and reprocess the waste into usable raw materials for new product manufacturing. Whenever possible, these processing locations are located near where the collections take place.   TerraCycle's newest project, Loop, follows the "milkman model"-like when the milkman came to the doorstep with a fresh delivery and picked up used containers. Loop expands on this concept with familiar consumer brands by delivering reusable and recyclable packaging of everyday products instead of single-use packaging.   Regenerate Natural Systems   In nature, waste does not exist. When a leaf falls, it becomes food for microorganisms, then becomes part of the soil to feed the tree. While there are multiple schools of thought educating circular economy theory, the concept of 'waste as food' is an underlying theme. Thus, the third foundational pillar of a circular economy is regenerating natural systems; not only does this principle close the loop of a circular economy, it has the potential to protect and improve the environment by returning nutrients to ecosystems.   Vermicomposting (composting using live worms) is an example: in a household vermicompost system, earthworms are fed kitchen waste, from eggshells to orange peels. Their eliminated waste can be used as a nutrient-dense fertilizer. Now imagine that process on a much larger scale, considering increased biodiversity, soil health, and surrounding ecosystems. This is the idea of regenerative agriculture.   Mary Johnson, the Carbon Farming Innovation Network director at Green America, explains that regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that mimics nature to create a healthy and symbiotic ecosystem.   "Over the last hundred years, conventional and tillage-based farming systems have not reflected how important living organisms are," says Johnson. "Regenerative agriculture uses knowledge of how nature works on a deep, complex systems level to farm in harmony with those systems, rather than dumbing them down to the most reductionist, controlled approach that relies heavily on applications of toxic chemicals and sterilized soils."   Regenerative agriculture also has the capacity to capture carbon and store it in the ground, reducing the effects of the climate crisis and sequestering global carbon emissions. Read more in "Planting Seeds of Climate Hope."   With this in mind, regenerative agriculture has the potential to not only protect natural ecosystems but improve deteriorated conditions caused by conventional agriculture. Project Drawdown ranks regenerative agriculture as its 11th highest-impact solution to climate change.   The practices of farming regeneratively are applicable to both small, worker-owned or family farms as well as large corporations are looking to incorporate regenerative methods in their supply chains. In 2018, Green America announced its collaboration with DanoneWave-a maker of dairy and plant-based products such as coffee creamer and yogurt-to implement regenerative agriculture practices in its supply chain, as well as to develop a certification for regenerative farms. If regenerative agriculture becomes widely adopted, it has the potential to drastically alter our economic relationship with food, the land, and the climate.   Closing the Loop   Collectively, each of these case studies offer a glimpse at what is possible in a circular economy. The shift would require all facets of society to participate-from government and business, to cities and individuals-but the momentum is already growing. Climate change has never mattered more to American voters. Businesses across the nation are increasingly taking the initiative to be greener. A circular economy is the only economic model that can support humanity on planet Earth-and it is more important than ever.

Each of these trash-to-treasure concepts are real practices by real businesses: Green Guru, which makes outdoor gear out of busted bike tubes and old climbing rope; Greenline Paper Company, which offers compostable to-go clamshells from bagasse (sugar cane waste fiber); and Pioneer Millworks which takes wood from dilapidated buildings for new home building projects. These are just a few examples of business leaders redefining capitalism as a mechanism to care for the planet instead of taking advantage of it.   While this concept is getting more press in recent years, it is not a new phenomenon-compassionate businesses have been coming together for decades under Green America's Green Business Network® to demonstrate unity for a circular economy.   While there are several schools of thought that inform a circular economy-from cradle to cradle, to natural capitalism, to industrial ecology-at its most basic level, a circular economy is about rethinking supply chains to minimize waste. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation describes it in three parts: "designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems." This economic model takes the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle, and scales them throughout society. Read more about the various schools of thought at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's website.   Conversely, our country runs on a linear economy: we take resources, make products, and when we tire of them or they outlive their usefulness, throw them away. This take-make-toss model operates as if resources are infinite-whereas the circular economy makes the most of the planet's resources while giving back. The following case studies from Wrangler, TerraCycle, and Green America's Center for Sustainability Solutions demonstrate examples of each piece in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation definition of designing out waste, keeping things in use, and regeneration.   Design Out Waste   Most pollution and waste occur early in the supply chain, not from consumer purchasing. For example, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) states that about one-fifth of the world's industrial water pollution occurs in textile mills, long before the finished clothing items make it to the hands of buyers. Green America's winter 2019 issue, "Unraveling the Fashion Industry," took a deep dive into the world of harmful fashion be an authoritative resource on issues and victories throughout the industry.   Jeans alone will go through several chemical-intensive washes to get that "lived in" look (unless you're buying raw denim, yours have gone through this too), generating a significant amount of wastewater; however, by designing out waste at the beginning of the supply chain, businesses have the opportunity to generate industry- wide positive impacts.   Wrangler's newest denim collection is one such example. In 2019, the brand released Indigood™, a collection that uses a foam-dyeing process to eliminate 100 percent of wastewater from the indigo dyeing process. Wrangler collaborated with Texas Tech University, Indigo Mill Designs and the Spanish fabric company Tejidos Royo to bring the foam-dyed denim to market.   Compared to conventional denim manufacturing, which uses around 1,500 to 2,000 liters of water by dipping denim yarn in 12 to 14 different dyeboxes-imagine bathtubs filled with dye-the foam dyeing processes uses almost no water.   The Indigood Collection was originally released in 2019 and is currently available in stores. Atwood says Wrangler intends to increase the amount of foam-dyed denim throughout their entire collection.   Additionally, Atwood states that Wrangler won't monopolize the foam-dyed denim market. Wrangler has already shared the technology with competitors because of its potential to completely change the denim industry.   For a notoriously water-intensive item of clothing, the foam-dyeing process offers a clear solution to designing out waste near the beginning of the supply chain-the first piece in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's definition of a circular economy.   Keep in Use   A linear economy turns a profit off waste: Americans threw away 4.51 pounds of trash per person per day in 2017, according to the EPA. Most of that discarded material comes from goods that are used briefly, such as food waste and packaging materials. As these items are replaced, they perpetuate the take-make-waste model of a linear economy.   Combating this model begins with re-imagining how these materials are wasted and is also the second part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy definition: keeping items in use longer. In the Wrangler example, pollution and waste must be managed by businesses and therefore, are out of the average person's control; however, we do have control over how often we buy items, how long we use them, and how we repurpose them. Food waste and some paper materials can be composted, which gives them a new life as fertilizer. Certain plastics, metals, and glass can be recycled in curbside bins, too.   But what about household items that can't be composted, repaired, or recycled? Empty toothpaste tubes, dead car batteries, and dried out markers are a few examples of "unrecyclables"- in other words, items that are not accepted by municipal recycling and thus, landfilled. This is where TerraCycle comes in.   TerraCycle is a leader in recycling the unrecyclable-the company partners with major consumer goods manufacturers to offer recycling programs. In 2019 alone, TerraCycle collected and diverted over 30 million pounds of post-consumer and post-industrial waste from landfills. The company won Green America's People and Planet Award in 2015 for recycling innovation and has since won additional accolades and expanded to 21 countries.   The recycling company offers multiple programs for collecting unrecyclables, from the Zero Waste Box program for picking up nearly every type of waste, to the Regulated Waste program for items like fluorescent lamps and batteries that would be hazardous in a landfill.   To make these programs possible, TerraCycle works with a variety of third-party processing subcontractors that sort and reprocess the waste into usable raw materials for new product manufacturing. Whenever possible, these processing locations are located near where the collections take place.   TerraCycle's newest project, Loop, follows the "milkman model"-like when the milkman came to the doorstep with a fresh delivery and picked up used containers. Loop expands on this concept with familiar consumer brands by delivering reusable and recyclable packaging of everyday products instead of single-use packaging.   Regenerate Natural Systems   In nature, waste does not exist. When a leaf falls, it becomes food for microorganisms, then becomes part of the soil to feed the tree. While there are multiple schools of thought educating circular economy theory, the concept of 'waste as food' is an underlying theme. Thus, the third foundational pillar of a circular economy is regenerating natural systems; not only does this principle close the loop of a circular economy, it has the potential to protect and improve the environment by returning nutrients to ecosystems.   Vermicomposting (composting using live worms) is an example: in a household vermicompost system, earthworms are fed kitchen waste, from eggshells to orange peels. Their eliminated waste can be used as a nutrient-dense fertilizer. Now imagine that process on a much larger scale, considering increased biodiversity, soil health, and surrounding ecosystems. This is the idea of regenerative agriculture.   Mary Johnson, the Carbon Farming Innovation Network director at Green America, explains that regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that mimics nature to create a healthy and symbiotic ecosystem.   "Over the last hundred years, conventional and tillage-based farming systems have not reflected how important living organisms are," says Johnson. "Regenerative agriculture uses knowledge of how nature works on a deep, complex systems level to farm in harmony with those systems, rather than dumbing them down to the most reductionist, controlled approach that relies heavily on applications of toxic chemicals and sterilized soils."   Regenerative agriculture also has the capacity to capture carbon and store it in the ground, reducing the effects of the climate crisis and sequestering global carbon emissions. Read more in "Planting Seeds of Climate Hope."   With this in mind, regenerative agriculture has the potential to not only protect natural ecosystems but improve deteriorated conditions caused by conventional agriculture. Project Drawdown ranks regenerative agriculture as its 11th highest-impact solution to climate change.   The practices of farming regeneratively are applicable to both small, worker-owned or family farms as well as large corporations are looking to incorporate regenerative methods in their supply chains. In 2018, Green America announced its collaboration with DanoneWave-a maker of dairy and plant-based products such as coffee creamer and yogurt-to implement regenerative agriculture practices in its supply chain, as well as to develop a certification for regenerative farms. If regenerative agriculture becomes widely adopted, it has the potential to drastically alter our economic relationship with food, the land, and the climate.   Closing the Loop   Collectively, each of these case studies offer a glimpse at what is possible in a circular economy. The shift would require all facets of society to participate-from government and business, to cities and individuals-but the momentum is already growing. Climate change has never mattered more to American voters. Businesses across the nation are increasingly taking the initiative to be greener. A circular economy is the only economic model that can support humanity on planet Earth-and it is more important than ever.

Good Bottle Refill Shop, New Jersey’s first refill shop, has teamed up with TerraCycle to recycle plastic packaging waste through the Zero Waste Box program. By placing the Candy and Snack Wrappers Zero Waste Box in the shop, Good Bottle Refill Shop offers customers a convenient way to reduce single-use plastic waste. The team goes one step farther by using the Plastic Packaging Zero Waste Box to uphold their company commitment to recycle all plastic items and materials that come into the store. This conventionally unrecyclable waste 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. TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, created the Zero Waste Box program to provide solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste that cannot be recycled through TerraCycle’s brand-sponsored, national recycling programs or via standard municipal recycling. “We have the mindset that just recycling is not the answer,” says Deanna Taylor, founder of Good Bottle Refill Shop. “Lowering our waste in total is the key.” More information regarding Good Bottle Refill Shop can be found by visiting their website, www.goodbottlerefillshop.com. All collected materials from the Zero Waste Box 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. TerraCycle offers Zero Waste Boxes for nearly every category of waste. By purchasing Zero Waste Boxes, companies and consumers save trash from landfills and help reach TerraCycle’s goal of creating a waste-free world.

The sky is clearer these days, as mountain views come into full focus. Air traffic has dropped significantly, production of some industries has ceased and people around the world have been sticking close to home. With that, global greenhouse gas emissions fell as much as 17% by April, according to new research published in the journal Nature Climate Change. While that’s good news in many regards, the coronavirus pandemic has also increased household and plastic waste, and disrupted the recycling industry.   “The pandemic has given way to a curious phenomenon. With some industries pausing activities and fewer cars clogging roads, we’ve seen a drop in greenhouse gas emissions and a subsequent improvement in air quality,” writes Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, a national sustainability company that focuses on recycling difficult-to-recycle packaging and products, in an email. “But even as the environment heals, we’ll be waking up to a waste crisis that’s worse than where we left it.”   There’s been an influx of single-use plastics and disposable plastic bags going to landfills, Szaky says, as reusables have been banned over health concerns. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves, many of which contain plastic, have also significantly increased, adding significantly to the waste stream.   Before the start of the pandemic, approximately 40% of U.S. household waste was packaging and paper products such as plastic containers, aluminum cans, glass bottles and jars, newspaper and cardboard, according to the Product Stewardship Institute. Since the start of the pandemic, however, there’s 20-30% more trash and recycling coming out of households nationally, says Kate Bailey, policy and research director at Eco-Cycle based in Boulder.   At Eco-Cycle, the amount of single-use plastics such as take-out containers and bags hasn’t changed significantly, Bailey says. Although, there has been a larger-than-normal uptick in single-use beverage containers as summer approaches. Plus, smaller cardboard boxes associated with at-home delivery have increased as well.   TerraCycle, Szaky says, has seen a spike in both Zero Waste Boxes, which allow folks to mail in hard-to-recycle items (including PPE), and use of the company’s Loop e-commerce site, which sells packaged goods in durable, sanitized and reused containers.   While household recycling may be increasing, plastic and glass from businesses have significantly decreased, causing potential disruptions in the supply chains across the country.   “We have a lot of manufacturing companies in this country that make toilet paper, that make cardboard boxes, that make glass bottles that depend on recycling,” Bailey says. “So we’re seeing this call from manufacturers to say, ‘We need you to please keep recycling because we need these raw materials.’”   And the industry has had to shift gears toward more household pick-up to keep up with demand, as some commercial recycling companies have had to close.   “Since this increase in collections has been largely limited to residential locations as most businesses remain closed, many recycling haulers who exclusively operate in the commercial waste market have been forced to layoff employees,” Szaky says.   The pandemic comes at a time when the recycling industry was already struggling with historically low virgin plastic prices, made worse by the significant drop in oil and gas prices, and stymied international trading markets, as China banned recycling imports in 2018. There have been policy setbacks as well.   In Colorado, two separate bills banning single-use plastics like straws, bags and coffee stirrers and polystyrene (Styrofoam) take-out packaging by 2022 were making their way (successfully) through the state legislature before the pandemic hit. Now, neither one is expected to move forward this year.   “This feels a lot like getting kicked while you’re down,” Bailey says.   But, Bailey says, the pandemic has also presented an opportunity to rebuild recycling programs and make them more resilient, and she expects the global momentum around reducing plastics and waste to continue beyond this pandemic.   “The short of it is the problems with plastic production — the fossil fuel consumption, the climate emissions, and then the problems with plastics waste in the ocean, in our bodies — those are not going away,” Bailey says. “We don’t see this as a long-term victory for plastic. I see this as a short-term trend and then an adjustment period for all of us.”   Szaky isn’t quite so optimistic, however, saying it’s hard to project the long-term impacts of the present challenges.   “This perfect storm of issues has been brewing for a while and the COVID-19 crisis seems to have tipped the industry over the edge,” he writes. “While only time will tell if the industry can bounce back, it will certainly not be returning to ‘business as usual’ as soon as lockdowns are lifted.”

In this digital world, if your brand doesn’t know how to utilize technology to communicate important messaging, you may be left behind. PRNEWS judged a stellar group of candidates for this year’s Digital PR Awards. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are finding comfort as well as necessity in a digital environment. Digital execution is more important than ever before.   Entries ran the gamut in categories that included everything from best viral and social listening campaigns to best use of TikTok and online communities. In digital, PR can innovate into all sorts of new forms. We noticed some trends among the winners.  

For the Consumer

  Much of digital PR looks to put power in the hands of the consumer through interactive messaging and the creation of digital tools.   Y&R PR’s myglaucoma.com, which won several awards including best content marketing, digital marketing campaign and digital PR campaign, showcased an integrated, multichannel unbranded disease education program to help empower those with glaucoma, and their caregivers, to feel comfortable speaking with their doctors about a treatment regimen.   Terracycle’s winning media relations campaign focused on the Zero Waste Box Program. The boxes offer consumers a solution that can be utilized to combat the global waste crisis from their own homes or businesses, reinforcing the importance of recycling and individual impact.   And MAXIMUS Digital Solutions worked with the New York State of Health Marketplace, developing a mobile upload app that allowed users to take pictures of, and securely upload, the documentation needed for their healthcare eligibility determination.  

A Positive Light

  Several winners focused campaigns on happiness and positive messaging through digital channels.   CerconeBrown Company worked with apparel and lifestyle brand Life is Good to create a podcast to celebrate its 25th anniversary that championed optimism, as well as reached a younger audience. Through a format of custom questions, listeners gained a glimpse into how positivity plays a role in the minds and hearts of guests. Each guest answered the question “tell me #SomethingGood” to tie back to the overall campaign.   Blohm & Associates, Inc. teamed up with LG and Discovery Education to reflect on the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness in a social listening campaign. As part of the LG Experience Happiness platform, Discover Your Happy provided science-based tools for educators, students and parents to show how happiness can be achieved through learnable skills and practices. And of course the conversation moved to social media, creating meaningful dialogue on the importance of happiness.  

Beauty Brands Set Standard

  And when you look at the winners overall, it seems beauty and health brands really know how to set the digital standard. Campaigns from Irish Spring (BCW), Nivea (SITEMEDIA LTD.), Revance (Y&R PR), Neutrogena (CCOM GROUP, INC) and CVS Beauty (Kaplow Communications) all racked up awards in categories of social viral campaigns, online communities and game changer campaigns, site design, product launches, and of course, influencer campaigns. When people talk about the new standards of beauty, they should look at the work being done on the digital level.   PRNEWS congratulates all of our Digital PR Award winners on the creative work they’ve dreamed up behind the screen. Click here for the full list of winners and finalists.

With so many people now wearing disposable latex and vinyl gloves to protect their hands, you might wonder: Are the gloves reusable or recyclable? First, they are not reusable. They are designed for single-use wear and can actually spread germs if improperly handled or reused. Second, they are recyclable, but with a catch. The company TerraCycle offers a collection box you can purchase and fill up with gloves for recycling. The box is shipped to TerraCycle, where the gloves are sorted to be made into new products.