Today we have on our show the passionate and even maybe maverick Jonathan Lundgren, director and founder of Blue Acre Farms and Ecdysis foundation. The word ecdysis means the process of shedding the old skin and that is what Blue Dasher farms wants to do by operating regenerative farm and scientific research hub designed to help foster a revolution in our food system. Blue Dasher Farm combines cutting edge science with hands on experience to remove barriers to the adoption of regenerative agriculture.

​They believe in a food system that promotes soil health, farm biodiversity, and nutrient dense food - all while benefiting the farmers who grow it. As a researcher who was honored by President Obama, in 2015 as one of the recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, Jonathan talks about his time at the USDA and how going against the grain is not easy. But he felt change was urgent and left his job at the USDA to start Ecdysis foundation and Blue Dasher Farms along with several of his research fellows. ​Blue Dasher Farm relies heavily on their ability to show that they can support. They want to take the wind out of the argument "that may work on a research farm, but it would not work on my place." They are transparent and willing to compare their profitability to other more conventional operations. Although Blue Dasher is a for-profit enterprise, their mission is to help promote the regenerative agriculture movement and strive to be financially solvent while farming in a sustainable way.

https://www.bluedasher.farm/

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Most US elementary school students learn about photosynthesis in their science class. The process is very simple - chlorophyll in the leaves and green stems absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. It is nature's elegant way of capturing carbon dioxide. Carbon cycle is where humans and human activities put out carbon dioxide and processes such as photosynthesis absorb it. But when the NET carbon dioxide into the atmosphere exceeds what is absorbed - that to the extent of 30 - 50 gigatons of carbon dioxide, then we have a problem on our hands. Observing and learning from nature our guests Beth McDaniel, President and Dr. Steve McDaniel, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of Reactive Surfaces try to replicate the carbon capture process in nature in their solution. They have created coatings that can be applied to surfaces to capture carbon - just like nature does it with leaves and stems. Using polymeric materials thinly spread on a surface, adhere to the surface and then cured. These surfaces when exposed to sunlight, will photosynthesise, capturing and fixing carbon, using the photosynthetic process to carbohydrate. To learn more about this truly fascinating solution listen to our latest episode of Mindful Businesses.

Mentions:

Embassy Row Project - Envirotech Pre - accelerator

Xprize

Musk Foundation

#climatechange #carboncapture #carbonsequestration #mindfulbusinesses #reactivesurfaces #photosythesis #learnfromnature #sustainablematerials

https://reactivesurfaces.com/

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When Jodi Bakst and Cor Rademaker, co - founders of Circular Design Consultants had the opportunity to develop oa piece of land in North Carolina, they had the vision to make it North Carolina’s first net-zero neighborhood. They put this vision to pen and paper to create Array Sustainable Design and bring to market a twelve lot neighborhood on 60 acres, in picturesque Orange County, North Carolina. In this episode they share how their homes are energy efficient and the challenges that they faced in creating this project. They sell individual lots to buyers who can build custom homes abiding by the neighborhood’s covenants. They believe developments like their net-zero neighborhoods will be the neighborhood of the future and they are excited to be the first of its kind in North Carolina. Listen to this lively and passionate couple on this episode of Mindful Businesses.

Mentions:

Array Sustainable Living

GAF Energy

Timberline Solar

Eric Corey Freed

#netzero, #mindfulbusinesses, #solar, #GAF, #sustainabledesign, #aarayliving

https://arraysustainableliving.com/

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The practice of manufacturing for planned obsolescence seems to be what most manufacturers in the present time follow. This means to make an item that will break down sooner than their earlier versions, lack of how-to-fix information or tutorials and even make it impossible to be repaired. The direct impact of such a philosophy increases the bottom line of the business at the cost of increasing e-waste and its impact on our planet. There needs to be a movement from a linear economy in which we take, make and waste to a circular economy. Complete circularity may be hard to achieve in all instances, repairing an item is an alternative that can reduce what ends up in the landfills. “Repair is such a low hanging fruit” says our guest Darren Cotton, Executive Director of The Tool Library.

The Tool Library is an all-volunteer nonprofit tool-lending library based on the mantra that cost shouldn’t be a barrier to fix up one’s home, grow food, or improve the community. Tools can range anywhere from hammers, screwdrivers, and shovels to power drills, circular saws, and sanders. Individuals and businesses can donate tools to the program which will then be circulated throughout the neighborhood for a small annual membership fee.Thus, people looking for an alternative to buying expensive tools that get little use now have this resource at their disposal. In addition, The Tool Library collaborates with the City of Buffalo to host once a month Repair Cafe, where volunteers help individuals repair an item that would have otherwise ended in the landfill. Learn more about this impactful non - profit organization in this episode.

#circulareconimy

#lineareconomy

#mindfulbusinesses

#repairability

#repaircafe

#righttorepair

#thetoollibrary

https://thetoollibrary.org/

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In this episode we talk with Greg Johnson, co-founder and CEO of AquiPor. AquiPor's unique permeable concrete material in conjunction with proprietary engineering technology can transform traditional hard surfaces into stormwater infiltration corridors.The technology utilizes inherently low carbon “cement” and upcycled industrial minerals. This new concrete technology eliminates the need for CO2 emitting cement plants.

AquiPor’s permeable concrete technology not only manages stormwater naturally, but our material utilizes an inherently low-carbon cement that requires a fraction of the energy and emits a fraction of the CO2 than that of traditional concrete. By developing solutions such as these, AquiPor is not only addressing climate change, but making our communities more resilient, but also bringing better economics to our physical infrastructure systems. Learn more in this episode of Mindful Businesses.

https://aquipor.com/

https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

Today we talk on our show with Dr. Teresa Pruzner and Nick Langan, co-founders of Cerebelly who as parents of infants wanted to make sure that their kids get the best possible nutrition not only for their physical but also for brain development. They were surprised to learn when they flipped over a packet or bottle of baby food the mismatch between the actual stated ingredients and the nutrients in the baby food. Teresa knew that the baby brain, as complex as it is, develops in stages and each stage requires different nutrients for its optimal development. The brother and sister duo started experiment with baby foods with your own children and wanted to bring the art and science of baby food to other babies. Teresa and Nick teamed up with world-class pediatricians, nutritionists, and food scientists. Together, they created Cerebelly—delicious, farm-fresh, organic baby food that provides real nutrition for a growing brain and body. Cerebelly unites neuroscience, nutrition, and organic, farm-fresh food to give them the very best from the very start. Learn more about their attention to details and passion in this episode of Mindful Businesses.

https://cerebelly.com/about-cerebelly

https://mindfulbusinessespodcast.com/

#eatcerebelly #babyfood #mindfulbusinessespodcast #

In the United States, 90% of the lettuce is produced and shipped from California to the rest of the country. When we combine the impact of this long journey on the environment, cost and 30% loss in farm produce - makes vertical farms close to consumption a viable alternative. In this episode, we learn from Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green Technology about Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) where plants are grown hydroponically, in greenhouses, and by using all kinds of methodologies to control the growing environment. Eden Green Technology has successfully grown 100 different types of produce in a vertical farm using hydroponics - in a greenhouse. They rely on sunlight that comes through the greenhouse panes as against other vertical farms that need to be artificially lit with LED or other types of light fixtures. This fascinating technology seeks to revolutionize the grocery retail industry by growing what the stores need nearby, thus reducing costs, waste and at the same time delivering fresh produce to the consumer at a reasonable price. By designing sustainable and scalable vertical greenhouse technology, deployable almost anywhere in the world, their vertical farming technology is helping the world sustainably grow large amounts of food to create a healthier and happier existence for all.

https://www.edengreen.com/

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We talk with Ashay Bhave, founder of Thaely, who as a middle-schooler dreamt of becoming a sneaker designer. His journey begins at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, where disenchanted within the first year, he returned back to Dubai to pursue a degree in business at Amity University. As a designer Ashay wanted to solve problems - the problem of plastic grocery bag waste - we consume 3 trillion of them annually. After some near fires in his kitchen, he developed a product Thaely Tex. Thaely is made with 100% recycled raw materials. Each sneaker uses ThaelyTex that’s made using 10 upcycled waste plastic bags. ThaelyTex is made in collaboration with TrioTap Technologies in Gurugram, India. The waste plastic bags are collected from housing complexes, offices, and stores in and around Gurugram, India. The lining is made with rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate is a fabric made from recycling waste PET Plastic Bottles) using 12 Recycled waste plastic bottles. With their partnership with The Shoe Laundry, the sneakers are either refurbished or recycled. Each pair is also packaged in a reusable rPET. Every component of the shoe and its process is looked into great detail to achieve Thaely's sustainability goals. Come along and learn more in this episode.

https://thaely.com/

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