Who's Saving the Planet?

More than 294 million Americans used liquid hand soap in 2019. That soap typically comes in plastic packaging... and it ultimately pollutes our planet in landfills and oceans. But while everyone talks about the environmental damage caused by plastic straws and plastic bags, no one seems to be talking about the soap next to our sinks. "For Soapply, that's where we land," says CEO and founder Mera McGrew. In this episode of "Who's Saving The Planet?" get to know Mera — who she is and how she came to be the SOAPerhero we need, but not necessarily the one we deserve. Through an ingenious "modern milk man system," her startup delivers and replenishes your Soapply stock of all-natural lather in glass recycled bottles, reducing the number of plastic dispensers that would otherwise get piled onto trash islands. Lex and Tony also get drenched with some eye-burning facts: 1.4 million children still die from diseases that could be prevented through the simple act of hand washing. That's because many of us don't realize that access to soap is still a luxury that is out of reach for people in many corners of the world. The Soapply community is changing that. With every 8 ounces of Soapply sold, $1 is donated to help fund water, sanitation, and hygiene that makes hand washing with soap possible. It doesn't end there: Mera schools us on the dangers of using synthetic detergents, andhow they differ from actual soap. We also learn where the word 'soap' comes from, and how soap gets made (Tyler Durden was right). Lastly, Mera confirms whether scalding hot water is necessary for a thorough hand cleaning (hint: "You do you, Goldilocks!").

This is our first in a series of episodes that reflect how the events we are living through today will impact the struggle to save the planet for tomorrow. We’ll interview a host of professionals form academia, economics, venture capital, institutional investment, advocacy and activism to give context to where we stand in our efforts to combat climate change. We’re thrilled to kick off the series on Earth Day with Jackie Ostfeld, Director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All. In this episode Jackie and Lex talk about the advocacy work currently underway at the Sierra Club, particularly what they are doing to protect communities at risk and expand equal access to the outdoors. Right now we’re all living in a new, smaller world, but that won’t last forever. We talk about how our collective efforts to combat corona through social distancing has impact the work Sierra Club’s activism and what they’ve done to adapt. Briefly, we talk a walk back into a historical context, touching on the legacy left by Sierra Club founder John Muir, both positive and checkered. And finally, Jackie leaves us with a message of optimism for the future.

CEO and Founder Jonathan Cedar had his eureka moment a decade ago which led him to create a revolutionary way to cook meals and generate electricity. BioLite's signature product, the CampStove, uses thermoelectric technology to improve the efficiency of campfires by over 90% while providing electricity to power lights and charge phones. That would have been enough of an invention itself, but he's also tackling the challenge of how to create a sustainable and profitable business selling into some the poorest communities on the planet.  Join us as we talk with Jonathan about the moment he decided to dedicate his life to improving the wellbeing of others, the challenges of running a company with two distinct markets, how to make the most of an uncertain future, and what it means to live a purposeful life.

The dark side of coffee isn’t the roast. It’s the trash. Enter Muuse, the reusable coffee cup company that’s using technology to create a system of sustainable caffeination. Every year in the United States over 58 Billion single use coffee cups are thrown into landfills- that’s the entire footprint of of New York’s central park covered in coffee cups, stacked 100 feet high. To tackle the single use catastrophe Muuse has crafted an elegant reusable thermos and partnered with local coffee shops to afford the user the sophistication of a superior coffee cup with the convenience of not needing to worry about washing it in between uses. The aficionado brings their cup back to the store and swaps it out for a fresh one each time, getting a little discount in the process. In this episode we dig into the problem at hand, their intricate business model that leverages network effects to grow on a viral loop, and dig into how their COO Lizzie Horvitz got into the coffee game in the first place. Bottoms up!

Did you know that 40% (!!!) of all the food grown in the USA goes to waste? This week we interview Ben Deda, CEO of FoodMaven, a Colorado based start-up committed to cutting down on that waste while giving back to their community. Also we dig into how a start-up pivots on a dime when a quarter of their revenue dries up over night.

Liz Turrigiano and her co-founders are solving a problem every new parent is all too familiar with, what to do with the poop? They’ve created a sustainable diapering company that tackles the problem of how to reduce the over 30 BILLION diapers that end up in landfills every year. We dig into how Esembly Baby grew out of their first start up, what it’s like to raise money in this environment, how to balance life, family, and growing a business in the corona-verse, and more.

Meet Amanda Weeks. She's the genius behind Veles, a revolutionary all-purpose household cleaner composed of two things — water and organic food waste. Join Lex and Tony as they discover the science behind Amanda's remarkable method of taking organic chemical compounds derived from food scraps and transforming them into a product that actually disinfects and cleans. Let's face it: It's the perfect way to take preemptive action against coronavirus AND practice sustainability. In a quarantined world, Amanda is the entrepreneur you need to know. 

Lex is in Brooklyn. Tony is in Manhattan. Boroughs apart... but the show must go on! This week, the Planeteers wield Zoom to bring you a special edition of Who's Saving The Planet? to discuss two important topics. First — the brilliant guests they have on deck for upcoming episodes: Amanda Weeks, CEO of Ambrosia and creator of Veles; and Liz Turrigiano, co-founder and CEO at Esembly. Second — how the heck they're staying sane in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. Join them as they discuss social distancing, Simon's canine heritage, virtual happy hours with "quarantinis," Bill Murray's mid-90s elephant adventure, and the definitive action film that is most definitely a Christmas classic. Stream it now.  

In the most epic meet cute, Olivia met Kyle when he was running a diamond mine and she was polishing her diamond skills as a gemologist. What came later was the company they co-founded — The Clear Cut. The custom online jeweler was born and lives entirely in the digital arena. In this episode, Lex and Tony dig into how these two found each other and launched the start-up, along with the unique customer acquisition strategy that led them to build a consumer focused company with zero marketing budget. Olivia and Kyle also discuss why lab grown diamonds aren’t the planet saving alternative they claim to be, and how they’re ensuring that all the diamonds in their products are sourced from reputable sources with the minimum impact on the environment.

The indomitable Carly Bigi pulls back the curtain on the incredible waste — including literally setting clothes on fire — that is rampant in the fashion industry. The company she founded, Laws of Motion, is upending that status quo. Laws of Motion uses cutting edge (get it?) technology to right-size every dress, custom crafting them one at a time using next generation AI, reducing waste in the factory and creating a product consumers love. We go back to the first days of deciding to launch a company rather than return to a safe career in consulting, to the trials of growing a start-up in the hyper-competitive fashion industry, and that amazing feeling the first time a woman actually tried on one of their prototype dresses, and it was a perfect fit!