Heart of Waraba

Climaider is an app to help people in Denmark take collective action on Climate Change.   Heart of Waraba Intern-Writer, Jordan Cabrol, conducts a fascinating interview with Climaider co-founder, Oskar Hansen.

The fique plant’s strong roots allow the fibrous plant to stand tall and stay connected to the world

around them. Like these plants’ roots, sustainable entrepreneurs Laura Goyez Fuentes and María

Fuentes stay connected to their culture by selling and promoting Colombian artistry that has been

admired around the world. With customers from Europe, to Japan, to the United States, they have

provided access to these traditional handmade woven designs, and in the process, supporting the

hardworking, skilled communities of the craftspeople from which they come.

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Rappaport. Our theme music was composed by Anu Frempong.

For entrepreneur Janneke Geven, the pandemic gave way for her incredible vision of a sustainable fitness brand to come to fruition. Having grown up all over the world, from the Netherlands to Syria to the U.S. to Scotland, Janneke realized her passion for travel. The many beautiful places she encountered impelled a deep appreciation for our planet within her. She realized how important it is to keep the earth as clean as can be, heavily contributing to her interest in sustainability.

In addition to her dedication to preserving the health of our planet, being a lifelong athlete and maintaining an active lifestyle herself, Janneke’s goal is to continue the mission of Terra Active – making healthy living synonymous with a healthy planet.

To check out Janneke’s brand, visit terra-active.com.

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Rappaport. Our theme music was composed by Anu Frempong.

Welcome back to Heart of Waraba where we support, uplift and inspire sustainable entrepreneurs from around the globe. We are so excited to be back for the 2021 season. We have a new group of interns who bring fresh ideas to the table and new entrepreneurs with compelling stories to share. We hope that by sharing the stories of these entrepreneurs you share their passion and dedication for making positive change in the world. Please visit our website, Heart of Waraba for more stories and information. Thank you for listening and joining the pride.

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Rappaport. Our theme music was composed by Anu Frempong.

Desserto is an alternative to animal leather, which not only kills cows but produces unimaginable amounts of waste,

Desserto has patented a technology that transforms mature cactus leaves into a soft multipurpose

material. The product is aimed towards brands of all sizes who are looking to transform their respective

industries by taking a stand against the normalized unsustainability of leather. 

Desserto is tackling the problems with traditional leather by offering a high-quality product to revolutionize the industry.

Using cactus just made sense. A native plant is known for its stability and resilience, it was abundant and

carried symbolism of the place and culture of Mexico. “It is even on our flag”, Adrian pointed out to me.

Having raised no capital, they used money from their savings and family loans to begin a two-year R and

D process to make their envisioned product a reality. “At the beginning, many people were skeptical

about the project and didn’t think it was going to be possible, but we stuck to it”, he explained.

Eventually, they settled upon a cactus species, technology, and production cycle.

This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Rappaport. Our theme music was composed by Anu Frempong.

If you visit Portugal, you’ll find many charming farms and small orchards. The countryside here is dotted with villages like this: quaint and welcoming, surrounded by European greenery and the warm wind blowing in from the coast. Tucked into this beautiful landscape is a small company that sells to consumers in over 100 countries around the world, all based out of just a single warehouse and office. This small store is freeze-drying fruit from local farms that would otherwise go bad, hence its name: The Rotten Fruit Box. Behind this nearly-solo startup, is Tony Fernandes. Healthy freeze-dried fruit snacks delivered to your door (or office). They use 100% fruit, nothing else added, sourced from small farmers. They focus on reducing food waste by using "ugly"​ fruit that would not otherwise find its way to supermarkets.

Amelia Shore talks with Ben Rappaport, Srilekhya Vennamaneni, and Michael Shore about waste management innovations across the world. 

Michael Shore is the founder of Heart of Waraba and previously served as the Recycling Coordinator for Chatham County, North Carolina. He gives insight on history and progress of recycling in the U.S. and the importance of companies like Recykal and Kay Blada. 

Srilekhya recently interviewed Abhishek Dishpande about his company Recykal in India.Dishpande's digital platform connects India to recycling resources. His team believed that waste management was one of the most pressing public health and environmental threats in their home country,  the need of the hour when he, along with Abhay Deshpande and Anirudha Jalan, co-founded Recykal in April 2017. More on Recykal at https://heartofwaraba.com/en/digital-revolution-changing-the-game-of-waste-management-in-india/. 

Ben recently talked with Blada Johnson, founder of Kay Blada Recycling in Haiti. His company employs locals to pick up plastic waste on the streets of his hometown of Hinche, Haiti. They also provide educational materials to local students. Kay Blada was born out of a desire to help the community by providing sustainability in the environment and employment. The initiative has struggled to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, so if you are able your donation to their fantastic community work is greatly appreciated. For more, please visit https://www.kayblada.com/donate.

Jo Hand is concerned about climate change and thinks we should make sustainable shopping choices. But in practice, that tends to be difficult. Hand’s company, Giki, is helping consumers in the United Kingdom shop in more eco-friendly ways. Fortunately, Jo Hand and her husband, James, love data. They are driven to help people make sense of the terabytes of data related to climate change and sustainability. They launched Giki Social Enterprise to guide people toward sustainable choices when shopping. Giki is an app that allows users to search for products and quickly learn if they meet certain characteristics, represented by badges. Some of the most popular badges are for carbon footprint, sustainable palm oil, and sustainable packaging, issues that are prominent in the media. The hero badge shows the highest performing products around sustainability and health issues. Hand said people like the hero badge because it is a clear indicator that a product is one of the most sustainable and healthy products on the market. The hero badge helps people feel confident about their purchases. Giki can also mitigate eco-anxiety by giving the public tangible ways to support sustainability. Clear information can make people feel less helpless despite the system that can make sustainable living hard, like the abundance of plastic used for products. What makes Giki so great is the feeling of wholeness to its current app. There are many badges that give people confidence when making sustainable choices. Hand’s commitment to using accurate data also builds integrity into the company. 

Check out more at https://heartofwaraba.com/en/blog/ and Giki's website https://giki.earth/

Egyptian entrepreneur Ahmed Yehia takes on ecotourism, and teaches us about trust, thinking resourcefully, and rebirth along the way. Persistence is what Ahmed answered as his greatest lesson so far. From navigating the public-private sector relationship to gaining the trust of the local community, Ahmed has practiced persistence all the way through. Moving into the tourism sector from his previous ventures was not easy, but after six years of working in this area, Ahmed can happily say he made the right decision. With that and persistence, Ahmed will be set up to handle whatever comes at him. The role of sustainable development in a fast-paced world is more crucial than ever. There are infinite possibilities before us, and looking back at our history can allow us to choose wisely. When Osiris died his wife Isis, goddess of life, healing, and magic, collected the fragments of him and brought him back to life for one night. Most of us don’t have Egyptian gods to resurrect us, but like Ahmed’s rebirth of Bigeh, individuals can still be a source of life and opportunity. Check out more from Ahmed at https://heartofwaraba.com/en/blog/. and Eco Nubia's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/econubia/. 

Thank you for joining us on this journey to create a more sustainable future through entrepreneurship. We hope you enjoy this podcast and find hope to tackle the environmental issues facing the world.