Paul Galvin is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SG Blocks, Inc., a leading innovator and designer of container-based structures. Founded in 2007, SG Blocks utilizes code-engineered cargo shipping containers to construct and provide safe, strong and green structures and environments.

Galvin oversees all aspects of SG Blocks, from container sourcing to business development. Since inception, Galvin has played a key role in the Company’s growth and expansion.

SG Blocks has grown in little more than a decade to count clients that are among the most recognized names in the country, such as Lacoste, Puma, Mini Cooper, Aman, Taco Bell, Marriott, Starbucks, Equinox and several branches of the US military, among other organizations and corporations.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

Why using recycled materials can lead to lower-cost, faster and greener constructions.

How the SG Blocks construction process works.

How clients and communities have responded to SG Blocks constructions.

How high you can build with shipping containers, and

A whole lot more!

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 SG Blocks

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This week we had the formidable Stephanie Devine on the show. Stephanie’s determination and grit is unparalleled. We explored her journey from experiencing breast cancer and not being able to find a soft, organic cotton bra with no underwine to a force to be reckoned with as she doggedly attempted to create the world’s first zero waste bra.

Yes that’s right, a zero waste bra. That means, once you’ve done with it, it can be entirely composted.

The Very Good Bra is still taking pre-orders until 16 July 2018 so get in quick!

In this episode you’ll learn:

– What inspired Stephanie to go on this challenging journey

– All the places in the world she had to turn up in person to get the job done

– All about Tencel and why it’s the only material the could be used

– How to run an ethical crowed sourcing campaign

– The strategies Stephanie used to smash her Kickstarter goal in 48 hours

– The problems Stephanie has run into

– How exactly the bra is zero waste

– What’s next in this dream for Stephanie

Links mentioned in this episode:

– The Very Good Bra https://theverygoodbra.com/

– Cradle to Cradle https://www.c2ccertified.org/

– In the Beginning PR (Ethical PR) https://www.inthebeginningpr.com

  Thanks for Listening!

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Michael P Vandenbergh is the David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law at Vanderbilt University. He is also Director of the Climate Change Research Network and Co-director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program.

Michael talks to us about his new book: Beyond Politics: The Private Governance Response to Climate Change.

Far from a rallying cry to Governments to act when they’ve spent years and decades ignoring the problem, Beyond Politics, as the title suggests, goes into how the private and household sectors can combine to make a huge impact in mitigating climate change.

If you have ever wondered how you, as in individual or a leader in your business, can become part of the solution to climate change, this book is full of inspiring knowledge for you.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

Why Governments have traditionally struggled to tackle this problem.

Why we can’t expect any meaningful change from politicians.

The magnitude of impact that small changes, at the household level can make to tackling the problem of climate change.

How businesses can (and are already) help much more than bureaucrats.

Why cleaning up your business practices can actually drive profitability,

And much more.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Michael Vandenbergh

Beyond Politics

 

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Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.

Jessica Kelly has spent the last few years cracking a major problem in the fashion industry – how to ensure your manufacturing is done ethically, while still maintaining your viability as a business.

This is an issue that has plagued us, as well as many of our guests in the past.

Jess identified this problem on her travels to the third world, and combined these experiences with her background in fashion to develop Thr3efold Ethical Fashion Brokers.

Thr3efold fills the gap between smaller-scale fashion brands and the factories, by working directly with manufacturers to ensure better standards of work, safety and welfare for factory employees. In this show, Ross picks her brain about how they do it.

 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

What inspired Jessica to start Thr3efold

How Thr3efold selects and audits its partners

What advantages companies have found by starting to produce more ethically

What are the major challenges facing the fashion industry

What benefits the workers have enjoyed as a result of their involvement with Thr3efold

And much more!

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Thr3efold

 

  Thanks for Listening!

Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.

 

This week, we are honoured to be joined on the podcast by Natasha Milne of My Home Planet.

Natasha is the author of 101 Reasons to Get out of Bed – an inspirational book comprising inspiring and uplifting tales from 101 amazing individuals, some of whom you know and some you don’t. The one thing they have in common is that they all have positive, uplifting stories to tell about why they get out of the bed every morning.

If you feel sluggish and that maybe the future isn’t as bright as it used to look, this is the episode for you.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

Why Natasha decided to write this book, and what it’s done for her outlook on life

How Natasha managed to get some super high-profile celebrities and global leaders to contribute

Why it is that little things can make a big difference to your outlook on life

How important it is to focus on what we can control, and how even this can make a big difference to the world.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

101 Reasons to Get Out of Bed

101 Reasons on Richard Branson’s Blog

My Home Planet Podcast

 

  Thanks for Listening!

Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.

 

Liza Mosseiva is a social business veteran and co-founder of GlobeIn, a Silicon Valley company revolutionising the subscription box industry with its mission to deliver joy by empowering and connecting remarkable, remote artisans to mindful customers.

GlobeIn was inspired by Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the ‘father’ of microfinance. Like Yunus, GlobeIn is a big proponent of the idea that businesses can – and should – exist not just for the purpose of making money but also for the purpose of solving social issues.

GlobeIn works to empower remarkable artisans in remote areas with the tools to build sustainable businesses. It does this by providing them a platform to sell their products at scale, while giving consumers a unique opportunity to access some truly amazing, one-of-a-kind small batch products.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

 All about Liza’s journey to the foundation of GlobeIn.

How the GlobeIn team source their products from small producers and artisans all over the world.

How GlobeIn assures the quality of its handmade products.

All about the challenges of dealing with production challenges.

How the subscription box model can support producers achieve long-term economic gain.

How GlobeIn keeps its products interesting and relevant, month after month.

What impact they have already been able to have on their suppliers’ lives.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

GlobeIn

Grameen Bank

 

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Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.

 

 

Christina Zipperlen is the founder and designer of the ethical jewelry & clothing brand Ananda Soul. Christina never considered herself a business woman but rather an artist and a yogi. When she moved to Bali in 2008, her intentions were to share her own encounters with spirituality, her insights on overcoming body image issues and the importance of living sustainably and in deep respect of the planet. Ananda Soul was born as the result of her expression of those values in form of wearable art.

Today, Ananda Soul ethically manufactures beautiful jewelry, clothing and accessories for sale in its store and to customers all over the world. Most impressively, Ananda Soul is a product of the set principles that have been in place ever since day one and which drive every business decision Christina takes.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

How Christina has managed to keep her business aligned with her principles and mission.Why Christina has chosen to partner with local community organisations to make her community better.

How Christina is using her business as a tool for social good.

What consumers can do to make the world a better place.

Why purpose-driven business is always better than profit-driven business.

How Christina created a novel way to get street kids into school.

 

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

www.anandasoul.com

  Thanks for Listening!

Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.

 

Mark Lefko has coached and mentored more than 100 CEOs and company presidents, bringing with him 35 years of real-world C-level business experience.

A thought leader in the fields of leadership and sustainability and Founder and CEO of Lefko Group, Mark serves on several advisory boards and is known for his high-energy, insightful speaking engagements.

“Global Sustainability,” Mark’s second book, aims to inspire executives to rally around the concept of doing well while doing good. In it, he interviews 21 world-leading CEOs including Sir Richard Branson, Marc Benioff (Salesforce.com) and Blake McCoskie (TOMS Shoes) as well as the leaders of global juggernaut companies including Cargill, Dow Chemical, Unilever and Tata.

Mark breaks down the approaches and philosophies of these titans into straightforward lessons that readers can implement into their daily lives.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

How Mark managed to access such an incredible group of CEOs for his book.

Why the world’s top CEOs are prioritising investing in the future.

How CEOs are managing the need to invest in sustainability against the imperative of short-term profit (and why it’s so hard).

What exciting initiatives leading companies are involved in already.

The the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are driving the next phase of global business.

Why companies may choose not to focus on all of the goals.

What is next for the world of global sustainability.

How you can learn from their experience and make your own life more sustainable.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

MarkLefko.com

UN Millennium Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Unilever – Sustainable Living

DSM

The Tata Trusts

COP21

Triple Bottom Line

Honest Tea

Seth Goldman

  Thanks for Listening!

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Danny Almagor is a modern-day Renaissance man. Along with his wife, Berry Liberman, Danny founded ‘Small Giants’ – Australia’s first B Corporation – to create, support, nurture and empower businesses and entrepreneurs that are shifting us to a more socially equitable and environmentally sustainable world.

Small Giants has founded and invested in a range of ethical businesses, including:

Tom Organic,

The School of Life,

Dumbo Feather Magazine,

The Cape Ecovillage,

Beyond,

STREAT, and many more.

Danny was also a founder of Engineers without Borders Australia. In addition to Danny’s numerous business achievements, he is the Founding Social Entrepreneur in Residence at RMIT and sits on the Advisory board for the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan.

In 2016 he was awarded the Order of Australia. He also set a Solar car record: for travelling from Darwin to Adelaide.

 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

How Danny manages to fit it all in (you may not like the answer).

What motivates him to work so hard.

Why Small Giants is structured as a B Corporation.

What Small Giants looks when making an ethical investment.

How to get started in ethical entrepreneurship.

How Danny got involved in the Bhutan Gross National Happiness project.

And much more.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Small Giants (http://www.smallgiants.com.au/)

The List of Small Giants Portfolio Companies (http://www.smallgiants.com.au/family-of-businesses/)

Gross National Happiness Centre, Bhutan (www.gnhcentrebhutan.org)

  Thanks for Listening!

Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.

Lorraine Sanders is the host of the popular ‘Spirit of 608’ Podcast, where she supports empowering women & building female thought leadership at the intersection of Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Science and Technology.

We talk with Lorraine about the ins and outs of building ethical businesses, how to get started in ethical business – whatever your industry – and how bootstrapping businesses can attract free PR to help them achieve fast growth.

 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– What it takes to build an ethical business today

– How to get started in ethical business

– What makes a good podcast guest

– How to attract free PR for the good work you’re doing

– The latest trends in sustainable and ethical business and consumerism

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

– Spirit of 608 Podcast

 

  Thanks for Listening!

Please subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher.