Today we welcome Steve Taylor of Taylor Made Chocolate based in Chesterfield, VA. Steve used to work at a the company I am at, Alfa Laval, and one day he told them that he was retiring.... to start a chocolate company with a mission to fight human trafficking. When I heard about this recently, I knew right away that I wanted to interview him for ReDOable Resources. Sustainability is also about creating conditions for human beings to thrive and survive, and this sounded like it was spot on.The chocolate industry has... a lot of issues. Just watch the episode of the Netflix series Rotten about chocolate and you'll see what I mean. Steve knew this and he made it a mission with his wife to create chocolate that was only used using sustainable sources. All profits from his company are used to fund human freedom projects.

His story is one that starts from a sad place of learning about the horrors of human trafficking, to one of hope where his company has made it their mission to do something about it.

The emotion I felt during this episode was deep and you won't want to miss it. Make sure to support his mission: www.tmchocolate.com

We wrap up the episode with a little story about scientists that have discovered bacteria that will make recycling some plastics a much more sustainable endeavor.

Today we meet with Matthew Markee, President of Aegis Environmental. They are a team of environmental specialists that work with organizations of all types to develop and execute on environmental strategies of all types. Their team consists of engineers, scientists, geologists, inspectors and auditors that have decades of experience in developing environmental solutions.

Matthew has a long history of not only leading, but also launching sustainability focused businesses. I first met him in 2006 when he came to my business school hiring talent to help him with a new renewable energy model that he was bringing to the market. His career since has been one of positive impact, and we talk about how it helps shape his vision and path.

Learn more at aegisenv.com

Lee ellis of Midnight Sun Brewing in Anchorage, Alaska is our guest today. We learn about how Lee started his brewing career and fell in love with the state that he now calls home. Sustainability in Alaska isn't just a good idea, it's critical to survival and success. Access to ingredients for the brewing process is challenging and when you can get them, they are expensive. This means that operators of breweries need to think about how they can optimize their processes, reduce waste, and maximize yield using what they have. They analyze every part of the process from the utilization of grains, to shipping losses for the CO2 required to carbonate their beer, to the accuracy of the filling of cans. Lee discusses his extensive experience in addressing these challenges and how they tackled some of these difficult challenges. By using a brewery centrifuge (purchased from Alfa Laval, full disclosure - this is the employer of the podcast host) he was able to significantly able to improve yield, saving waste and providing more beer to sell for profit.

We talk about the challenges of a difficult economy and how they deal with it. Diversifying of products and distribution will be how the breweries will survive these challenges and sustainable practices are going to be a critical part of this as well.

Learn more about Lee and Alaska beer at:  midnightbrewingcompany.com  or Brewersguildofalaska.org

We close the show with recognition of the importance of gender equality - one of the UN's sustainability pillars -  as March is women's history month and March 8th is International Women's day.

Greenswell Growers is a sustainable producer of salad greens in the Richmond, VA region.  Their advanced technology allows them to produce greens using dramatically lower chemicals, land, and water than traditional farming.  Yields are significant and because their techniques are less stressful to the plants, taste is enhanced and shelf life and be significantly longer.

We talk with Carl Gupton, President of Greenswell, on how he went from a packaging executive to someone leading an organization dedicated to sustainable farming.  We discuss how the organization is able to achieve such amazing results and the mission and vision behind the company. Carl shares how a goal of feeding more people in the Richmond area that had food insecurity with nutritious produce drove the efforts and how they have plans to continue to grow and reduce the impact these lettuce and greens products require to make it into our homes.

Please follow greenswellgrowers.com to learn more about the organization and where you can find their fantastic products. Follw and support Feed More in Richmond whose mission is to fight food insecurity.  

In our very first episode we introduce you to the podcast and our first guest - Paul Shapiro.  He is the CEO of The Better Meat Co., the author of the national bestseller Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, a four-time TEDx speaker, and the host of the Business for Good Podcast.

We have a fantastic conversation about his journey, what he aspires to achieve, and the ways he is making it happen. If you haven't read his book, I highly recommend it as it helped me kickstart my own journey in trying alternative proteins. 

You can find more about Paul and his endeavors at:

www.paul-shapiro.com

www.bettermeat.co. (there is no "m" at the end)

www.cleanmeat.com

If you'd like to reach me about this podcast, have an idea for a guest, or have any other ideas:

Connect with me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldonyoung/

email:  redoableresourcespodcast@gmail.com 

Welcome to the trailer for The ReDoable Resources Podcast. It doesn’t too long reading the news to realize that as a planet… we have some challenges…. And the more you read, the more worrisome it appears. There’s a lot of problems. Who the heck is working on them?

Well, I was curious… and luckily… the answer is “a lot of folks”.

The goal for this show is to introduce us to some great leaders in the world that are actively moving us towards a more sustainable future … oh and we also plan to have some fun along the way.

I am Sheldon young and I am just a very curious person with a microphone, with a passion for creating a society that cares about the future of this planet and preserving it for generations to come. The people I will be speaking with each month are from all types of backgrounds and experiences, but that all have one thing in common. They are out to make a difference in whatever field they are pursuing with their lives and sustainability is a part of their formula.

I created the name of this show because the people I am interviewing aren’t just talkers they are DOers - and that’s the only way stuff actually gets done. I’m excited about meeting these people and I hope you are too, so make sure to follow or subscribe and let’s save a planet.

Follow me on instagram:  @redoableresources

Follow or connect with me on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheldonyoung/