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Turning a Passion for the Environment into a Thriving Social Enterprise
Founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman said, "You really can change the world if you care enough." And the people who have created a lasting change in the world because they cared deeply about the plight of the people and environment around them. They also took massive action to address the problem they saw in the world. And they did that with passion and commitment to a greater cause.
This month, as we reflected on passion, we look at how passionate people follow-through on inspired thought. A thought which said, “maybe YOU should pursue THIS course of action because you feel so passionately about it.” When someone pays attention to that call and aligns their intellectual curiosity with their emotional draw and intuitive gut reaction that that is the right direction to move in, doors open up into a new world that is infinitely more rewarding and purposeful unfolds.
In this episode, I talk to Danny Blue, the founder of One Million Acres, about following that passion and creating a life and business that has a positive impact on other people and communities. We talk about how Danny left a high-paying corporate job to pursue his passion for the environment, love for the outdoors, and affection for animals. We also talk about finding a fresh path after leaving a settled position and being okay with the uncertainty that inevitably follows. Danny also shares how he started his social enterprise, One Million Acres, whose mission is to protect one million acres of the endangered rainforest while empowering indigenous artisan communities to rise out of poverty through the sale of hand-crafted and entirely biodegradable hand bracelets.
What are your passions and how can you turn that into a commitment to making your life more purposeful, fulfilling, and impactful?
About Danny Blue
Danny took a trip to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador in the summer of 2018 where he stayed in one village of the Waorani tribe, a beautiful people that have been living in harmony with the land for hundreds of years.
On the drive into the jungle, it completely blew Danny away by the vast number of oil pipes lining the sides of the dirt roads. More shocking was the massive "oil block" (a fenced-in facility with a giant crab-like machine sucking oil out of the ground) located not even 100 yards away from the village where he was staying. After learning more about the plight facing these indigenous communities, and how their lack of economic opportunities was furthering the exploitation of their land, he knew he had to do something.
Danny founded OMA to harness the power of the collective good in people, to bring about large-scale change in the world and stand up to greedy corporations that care more about monetary gain than they do the future of our planet.
About One Mission Acres (OMA)
OMA is a social enterprise, a business that uses profits to support social impact causes. OMA makes bracelets entirely of sustainably sourced organic materials from the Amazon Rainforest, making it 100% biodegradable. The OMA bracelet is the only bracelet that has a zero-waste plantable packaging, meaning you can plant your packaging when you're done with it to cut down even more on unnecessary waste.
The heart and soul of OMA lie within our relationships with our indigenous artisan partners. OMA goes beyond selling bracelets to fund a cause. Instead, OMA is committed to creating new economies and opportunities for indigenous artisans in the same areas we are working to protect, thus increasing their ability to make a social impact.
Links
One Million Acres
Danny's Facebook Page
Danny's Linkedin Page
View all episodes
By Alina BoyteFounder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman said, "You really can change the world if you care enough." And the people who have created a lasting change in the world because they cared deeply about the plight of the people and environment around them. They also took massive action to address the problem they saw in the world. And they did that with passion and commitment to a greater cause.
This month, as we reflected on passion, we look at how passionate people follow-through on inspired thought. A thought which said, “maybe YOU should pursue THIS course of action because you feel so passionately about it.” When someone pays attention to that call and aligns their intellectual curiosity with their emotional draw and intuitive gut reaction that that is the right direction to move in, doors open up into a new world that is infinitely more rewarding and purposeful unfolds.
In this episode, I talk to Danny Blue, the founder of One Million Acres, about following that passion and creating a life and business that has a positive impact on other people and communities. We talk about how Danny left a high-paying corporate job to pursue his passion for the environment, love for the outdoors, and affection for animals. We also talk about finding a fresh path after leaving a settled position and being okay with the uncertainty that inevitably follows. Danny also shares how he started his social enterprise, One Million Acres, whose mission is to protect one million acres of the endangered rainforest while empowering indigenous artisan communities to rise out of poverty through the sale of hand-crafted and entirely biodegradable hand bracelets.
What are your passions and how can you turn that into a commitment to making your life more purposeful, fulfilling, and impactful?
About Danny Blue
Danny took a trip to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador in the summer of 2018 where he stayed in one village of the Waorani tribe, a beautiful people that have been living in harmony with the land for hundreds of years.
On the drive into the jungle, it completely blew Danny away by the vast number of oil pipes lining the sides of the dirt roads. More shocking was the massive "oil block" (a fenced-in facility with a giant crab-like machine sucking oil out of the ground) located not even 100 yards away from the village where he was staying. After learning more about the plight facing these indigenous communities, and how their lack of economic opportunities was furthering the exploitation of their land, he knew he had to do something.
Danny founded OMA to harness the power of the collective good in people, to bring about large-scale change in the world and stand up to greedy corporations that care more about monetary gain than they do the future of our planet.
About One Mission Acres (OMA)
OMA is a social enterprise, a business that uses profits to support social impact causes. OMA makes bracelets entirely of sustainably sourced organic materials from the Amazon Rainforest, making it 100% biodegradable. The OMA bracelet is the only bracelet that has a zero-waste plantable packaging, meaning you can plant your packaging when you're done with it to cut down even more on unnecessary waste.
The heart and soul of OMA lie within our relationships with our indigenous artisan partners. OMA goes beyond selling bracelets to fund a cause. Instead, OMA is committed to creating new economies and opportunities for indigenous artisans in the same areas we are working to protect, thus increasing their ability to make a social impact.
Links
One Million Acres
Danny's Facebook Page
Danny's Linkedin Page