Efforts by social entrepreneurs to attack societal ills are heartening in tough times.
As Sasha and Jonathan Pestano describe it: “TOMbag is on a mission to rid the world of single-use garbage bags with our sustainable and reusable alternatives. We believe small changes by many is the true catalyst for changing the world - for good.”
No doubt, TOMbag has huge challenges ahead of it. On the personal level, reusing a garbage bag is a messy business and the upfront cost of buying a TOMbag is substantial Speaking of recycling, industrial designer Sasha Plotitsa has created a social enterprise that turns construction debris into furniture — and employs formerly incarcerated people to create it.reveals an array of handsome items such as chairs, side tables, shelves and candlesticks. Although the source materials may be cast-offs, Formr products are not inexpensive. Purchasing their products is an investment in the story of how they were created.
“We know that people released from incarceration need opportunities,” Formr explains.. “Many companies choose not to hire formerly incarcerated individuals,"The good" doesn't stop there. Over 500 million tons of construction debris is generated in the US annually If we can divert even a small percentage of waste from going into overflowing landfills, and use it to make"cool stuff", why not? We create relationships with contractors to get access to job sites.
Time will tell if any of these ventures will achieve sustainable financial success, but it’s encouraging to see that talented, creative people from all over the world diving head first into efforts to tackle some of the big problems afflicting our troubled planet. Goodness knows we need it.