“Whoops, sorry, didn’t see you!”, I said in all earnest. It was a phrase uttered way too often as I navigated the tango dance floor in the huge dance hall of La Viruta. Most often the phrase escaped my lips just as I was wrapping up a complex series of steps. More precisely the moment coincided with me looking at me and my partner’s feet as I tried to make sure that my yet crude attempts at elegant and flawless dancing didn’t involve crushing toes and ripping out nails from toes and floor-boards alike.

It wasn’t a question of me not knowing the steps. Alongside my best friend, and future co-founder, Frederik, I had developed an intricate yet simple system of how feet moved in tango for both lead and follower. Nor was it a question of me not having the physical shape to keep up with the dance; I’d been doing around an hour’s worth of exercise everyday for the last 4 years and during my time in Argentina, I was swimming an hour daily and dancing 4-7 hours. Some might say, I was a fine physical specimen.

No, something else was missing. With the beginners, I was dancing with, I couldn’t quite figure out anything besides the mutually shared feeling of frustration. Just like years later, looking at the world and seeing the challenges for a liveable planet pile up, I couldn’t quite figure out anything, but a feeling of frustration: why couldn’t we just make it work?

Inviting one of the, stunningly beautiful, dance teachers to tango was always a nerve-wrecking task. Not only could beauty still frighten me worse than a dragon watching its hoard, I’d also be completely naked in terms of excuses for any faults during the dance. Daniela smiled after the first song had finished “You’ve gotten really good at the steps”. She smiled with a hint of something else after the second song: “Great balance and posture”. Then, at the start, she didn’t move. I didn’t understand it. I felt like, I was doing everything right, but somehow she seemingly stumbled on the spot on purpose. After the third flawed attempt at starting the dance, I was exasperated: “What’s going on?” “You don’t dance. WE dance. To lead, you have to listen”.

It takes two to tango. An adage-old expression; most of us think of it as being two people. Let me offer an alternative explanation: it takes two people to tango, and it takes two sides of you to tango. In tango, it becomes painfully obvious: you improvise every single step; every half a beat can include a twist or a turn not previously signalled. As you start a business, you’ll notice something similar; every new day, week or month can mean an unexpected turn, twist or change of balance. No matter, if you lead a team or follow mega-trends and shifts in the markets, your ability to listen defines your capacity to gracefully move forward.

Ready for the green twirl? This essential part is what brought me and Frederik away from the antagonistic idealism of our youth and into focusing on making green business good business. It doesn’t matter if we as individual entities make the right steps. We have to listen to lead; if we don’t listen to consumers, politicians, CEOs, investors and all our stakeholders, we can’t take the steps to a greener and richer future. On a dancefloor in Buenos Aires, I found out I had to listen to lead my dance partner; it also freed my eyes to look up and see where we are going. Today, I’m learning I have to listen to my teams and our business partners to lead our way forward. It also frees my eyes to listen to the future and see where we need to go.

The clouds are wrapping the mountain like a big fat woolen blanket. The air has that smell of right-before-thunder. The severely undersized engine on my Italika motorbike is complaining loudly as I’m steering haphazardly through the richness of mud, gravel, and potholes - the best rural Chiapas has to offer in terms of infrastructure.

I’m on my way to visit a camp in the mountains for my fieldwork in anthropology. They’re building a self-sustaining eco-village that will build bridges between the indigenous Mayan population and the global community of activists that care about the world, weed and Bob Marley. Eat the Rich and Viva la Revolucion is all these guys are about, the optimistic side of me is hanging on to a faint hope that these guys may hold the key to one of the big questions on my mind; how will we feed the world?

As the road changes from dirt road to heavily rocky foot passage i lock my bike and proceed on foot. The red clay soil is getting so greasy I’m making Bambi on ice look like a sure-footed heart-surgeon ready to operate. Modern-day full-body fitness regimens could learn a lot from balancing down muddy mountain sides in dressing shoes. As I approach two black starved out dogs bid me welcome with a series of loud barks and snarls that make me feel like I’m part of a species that’s been genetically modified to fear big animals. I fear big animals. Especially the loud aggressive ones.

An angel of a dirtbag fashion icon is my salvation, in a tongue that sounds half-dog, half-Castellano he calls the animals to a halt. Karl Lagerfeld will be sorry he didn’t live to imitate this guy, dressed all in olive-green he’s going barefoot in rubber boots with shorts falling apart in every single conceivable seem - how they stick together and stay on him is unfathomable. His shirt looks like someone repurposed a drying rack into a t-shirt, then used it to wipe chimneys and then halfway repurposed it back into being a drying rack, but stopped midway, at which instance Gabi jumped in and adopted this morphed piece of clothing as upper-body apparel.

The camp is a group of old scrambled tents adjacent to the “kitchen”; four large plastic sheets spread out over a small area with a fire pit as the center. The knee-high walls of the “room” are made from white 20kg rice bags filled with soil. Along one of the walls, there’s a make-shift shelf-system holding everything from salvaged vegetables from the market to pots, pans and donated baking goods. The place even has a sink with a drain reaching 15 centimeters out of the opposite side of the rice bag wall. The crown piece of this kitchen is the bicycle blender. Attached to an old bike frame, there’s a number of gears connecting the front wheel to the gears in the blender - when you bike the knives start spinning and you’re ready to blend.

The bike blender is a fun gadget - but using it, it becomes quite apparent why this innovation didn’t conquer the world, notwithstanding its sheer size and the amount of metal going into driving the engine. It’s just not practical to stop mid-cooking to fix the chain on a bike or repair a wheel - who would have thought?

LESSON I - IS THERE A MARKET PULL?

I spent 4 months with this group of ecotopian revolutionaries in Mexico, the experience taught me many lessons that I will share in this series of articles. The first lesson is probably the one I have to ask myself most often running GREEN INNOVATION GROUP A/S. As we’re working on making green business good business, we have to ask ourselves - are we actually seeing a market pull or are we desperately wishing there was one? Are we falling in love with this concept to a degree that is blinding us from seeing the lack of interest from potential clients?

One day I was standing on the mountainside. I’m covered in mud, head to toe, as we’re stomping mud to build a house out of clay. This vintage fashionable method of building can take the breath away from even the best of us. Not only do you get to do mud baths for a few days, you also get a material that is extremely sensitive to humidity, causing it to crack on the surfaces when packed too thick, too thin or too dry. As I hear that another one of the camp-dwellers is stricken with Diarrhea and therefore is unable to help out, I’m looking up and down my mud-clad exterior - that’s when the epiphany strikes me like a Mike Tyson driven hook to the body + uppercut.

I realized with awe-inspiring clarity, that what they were doing was never going to sound attractive to anyone without a weekly weed consumption on par with Snoop Dog’s.

No sane person used to the comforts of modern civilization will ever consent to live without running water, electricity or basic sanitary needs like sewage networks or medicine. Half of the camp-dwellers suffered from a serious parasite that would have never thrived with just basic hand sanitation and iodine allowed. After 1 year of existence, the camp produced a total of 2-4 eggs per day, housing up to 20 people at a time, calling it self-sustaining would be a stretch of unknown dimensions.

In my every day I see countless cases of brilliant founders with great ideas for how they can change the world for the better with technologies and businesses - the one problem? The majority simply haven’t found a feasible model for how to scale their business and scale their impact. The camp-dwellers had not identified any pull from “the market”, they made the common mistake of so many entrepreneurs of thinking that the way they see the world is the only way and the right way.

If there’s one sector that can make me cringe like the sound of nails on a blackboard - it’s the fashion industry. Not only is this one of the most polluting industries on the planet - it is also very unnecessary. At best, we’re talking about fast-paced consumerism masked as art, at the worst, well, don’t even get me started on the worst.

This article might come off as a darker note of the feel-good vibes of sustainable innovation - bear with me, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Writing this article, I made honesty a priority of mine. I know how many people love fashion, love trends, love shopping.

No matter how many of my peers continue to praise fashion and clothing choices, I just cannot get myself to parade a “smile and wave” attitude towards this industry. Damn, my closest female friend holds a long education and career in fashion. The industry is loved and adopted and accepted by almost every single human being on the planet - statistically speaking.

However; to me, fashion is just plain ugly.

The conventional fashion industry can be easily connected with concepts such as luxury, creativity and individual expressions of identity - but one might also connect it to pollution and unethicality. Child-labour, slave-like work environments, chemical injuries, and even toxic chemical dumpings have all been commonplace in this industry.

Since clothes are among the indispensable elements in our life, it is also one of the areas that most urgently need a radical innovative revolution if we want to continue reflecting our identities through our choices in attire.

Slowly but steadily, the industry is embracing the era of change. It has become an inevitable trend that mainstream brands are joining the campaign of being environmental-friendly and sustainability-conscious - or at least more and more join the masquerade.

At the end of the year 2018, Chanel has officially announced to stop using real animal fur and exotic animal skin from its production line. Even before that, Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood, Ralph Lauren, Topshop, Zara, H&M and many more others have banned using fur in their designs and products.

One could think that this seems like one of those small steps for a polluting industry but a huge step for - a huge step for what exactly? Given long enough to think about it, it gets increasingly harder for me to celebrate the banning of this practice in these industries, it seems to me, most of all, to be sound business decisions, a low-hanging fruit, and common human decency, more than the sacrifice it’s being portrayed as.

After all, Calvin Klein led the way by banning fur use already in 1994.

On a lighter note, we have seen a lot of promising developments in the innovation of this industry. The innovations we are about to introduce here are real game-changers, varying from ones providing high-end fashion products to everyday use and purchases. These companies are providing technologies and platforms for us to have a real option to make a difference for the global sustainable development.

GUILT-FREE AND PRETTY, THE NEW MATERIALS TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

Instead of not using fur and leather, how about manufacturing vegan leather? Clean consciousness and clean products could shape the future of fashion, but investment is direly needed to continue to development these new radical circular economical solutions.

THE APPLE GIRL and ECOPLASO have provided a feasible solution, to tackle the problem by up-cycling food waste at the same time. They have developed bio-technologies to make leather materials by using fruits or fruit peels. It does not only help reduce resource waste and lower the carbon footprint from animal leather production but also provides biodegradable products in the long run.

For instance, production for 1 kilo of animal leather uses 16,000 liters of water, while THE APPLE GIRL only consumes 1 liter of water to produce 1 meter of apple leather.

Aside from that, there are plenty of other startup companies from all over the world that produce wearable items from recycled waste or eco-friendly materials, such as BIONIC YARN (from USA) manufacturing threads from plastic bottles, INSECTA (from Brazil) making shoes from vintage clothing and recycled bottles, rubber, umbrellas and car seat-belts, and the list could go on and on.

SHARING ECONOMY BREAKING INTO THE FASHION SCENE

With the rising of sharing economy, the online platforms of shared clothing items are also emerging. For one that wants to expand the wardrobe more sustainable and affordable way, sharing closet is the answer. In 2017, GLAMCORNER, based in Sydney, has raised $4.2 million in a series A funding round led by AirTree Ventures. The platform offers affordable rentals of designer clothes for its users.

Today, one can easily find many a fashion-sharing platform such as ZADAA or VINTED, that enable the owners of the garment to sell or swap items online, based in various geographic locations. To help out the parents with baby clothes that are expensive and not exactly investment worthy in this scenario, the Danish company VIGGA has started a circular economy platform for organic maternity and baby wear, by offering a product-service-system enabling parents to save time, money and resources.

CREATING A NEW LIFETIME FOR YOUR BELOVED PIECES

Some businesses focus on regenerating new solutions, while others wish to give the old items a new life again. If you are just a sentimental person or quality-focused savvy buyer, startups like CLOTHES DOCTOR from London, REPAMERA from Sweden and TADAM from Belgium are providing digital platforms for clothe repairing.

REPAMERA does not only collect repairable items for individuals but also large volume batches for fashion company as well. ProOwnedCycling has made it their mission to upcycle discarded cycling apparel from professional teams, as the sponsorship agreements are outdated - to me, this is a great example of original ways of lapping holes in an extremely wasteful industry.

Every new attempt has its flaws, so are all the new ways for sustainability fashion mentioned above. For example, logistics and cleaning could be a huge criticizing point for fashion-sharing platforms on their potentially increasing carbon footprint. The new innovations of materials can be considered too restricted by the resource choices. One could always go on and on about the criticisms. However, I predict big changes coming up in the future of a giant industry that will have to adapt or die.

It is a start, and a good start for all individuals to gradually start including the concept of sustainability consciously into different aspects of our life. Try something different. Just a simple decision as which shirt to buy or not to buy could help change the world.

Life Lessons about Business

It was too late. My front wheel had left the bike path and was dumping down on the main road along with my then current life expectancy. I’ve only had glasses for a few weeks, so my eyes weren’t used to using the blurry peripheral vision outside of the glasses – considerations for later. In that moment, a car, a BMW, with a driver on the phone, was about to show me that size does matter and that I was not of a mattering size.

I remember jerking the bike, somehow hoping against hope to prevent the collision. I don’t remember flying through the air. Next memory, my vision is blurry again, and I look up at the rear end of a car, BMW logo beaming down on me. I can’t feel my left hand which is weird: I always thought having a car parked on top of it would be something you’d feel an awful lot. My nervous system probably shut down that intense amount of agony. My shoulder hurt a bit.

I hear people yelling, panic all around me. All traffic has screeched to a halt. My gym teacher, a math teacher and my little brother’s class teacher all run across the road. “Irresponsible”, I think, “they don’t even look before crossing”. Words I can’t discern, before the three of them combine and coordinate their strength to lift the rear end of the car long enough for me to pull my left hand out. It looks like a mix of spaghetti Bolognese and something I could have made myself in art class. The driver calls my mum. “She must be rich”, I thought. Back then, not a lot of people had mobiles.

“Hello. Is this Barbara? – I’m terribly sorry, I don’t know what to say. I’ve run your son over”. For my mum, time froze, and her world was about to fall apart; a small miracle she didn’t drop the phone. “He’s OK” (by the way, if you ever deliver that kind of news to a parent, start with the OK-part).

My shoulder was still hurting. My hand only gave off that kind of tingling you feel, when you’ve been playing with bare hands in freezing weather, run inside and splash them in hot water from the tap.

The ambulance arrived and the medics checked me for injury. They were perplexed. Apparently, I’ve done a perfect rolling fall, across the roof of car. If the driver hadn’t panicked and put the car in reverse (thinking I was in front of it), I’d have been able to go straight back to classes. I couldn’t confirm it myself, but my bruises could. As we drive to the hospital, they tell my mother that we’re very lucky. They had never seen anything like it. I mumble something. They ask me to speak up.

“It’s not just luck. Judo teaches you to fall first.” Quizzical looks are exchanged, “kid must’ve lost it”, they say.

“Before you learn how to throw down, you learn how to fall and get up, again and again and again.”

I still have the scars from the tire on the fingers of my left hand. They’re an eternal source of gratefulness for me, always reminding me that in some parallel universe, my life was cut short at the age of 9. – and as I write this, I remember that I’ve never thanked my childhood friend’s father enough for bringing our little gang of friends to judo classes. So, the business lesson? You want to succeed at doing something hard, maybe just life in general? Learn how to fall. - or as they call it in business lingo: fail fast.

So what does failing and falling share?

In both cases, you want the experience to be short, something you learn from and something that doesn’t cause you permanent harm.

In Judo, it means transferring the energy of the fall to the mat as you land, swallow your pride, get up and get going.

In business, it means transferring the energy of frustration to your drive, swallow your pride, get up and get going.

In Judo, learning how to fall, makes you less afraid which in turn means you’ll be less stiff as you collide with the (rapidly) approaching mat and hence you’re less damaged by the fall (by the way, it also shortens your time to learn how to skateboard, snowboard etc.)

In business, learning how to fall/fail, makes you less afraid of taking chances, which means you’ll take more of them, learn quicker and over time become more successful. You’ll also be less defensive about your failings which in turn means your reputation suffers less/not all when you fall.

In Judo, you learn it by falling many many times before you learn to throw.

In a startup, you learn it by failing many many times, before you get the idea/product/target market right.

I hope you enjoyed this read! If you did, please give me some feedback (I’m new at post-writing, so falling all over the place), tag a friend who’d enjoy this post or comment on whether or not, you’d like me to write about what surfing taught me about chasing opportunities or what tango taught me about leading next.

For a better and greener future,

Sincerely yours,

Martin

GREENTECH CHALLENGE is glad to share with you some tips that are part of our Company’s Culture!

Did you know that Eco-Friendly offices lead to happier, healthier and more efficient employees?

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

A Green Office boosts cognitive thinking by 26%, improving problem solving abilities, strategic thinking and better management and usage of information.

Employees tend to have more pride in their workplace, making them feel at home. This leads to more creativity and higher personal development.

HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER

The air quality of a workspace can be improved by plants, non-toxic cleaning products and natural light which will affect positively your work environment.

Flowers also bring some liveliness to the office as well as color and fresh aroma.

SAVINGS

Last but not least, every little step towards a greener office will help your company save a lot of money at the end of each month!

Let’s keep making Green Business, Good Business!

The effects of climate change are worsening as countries around the world experience more heat waves and unpredictable weather. The problem of global warming crosses geopolitical lines and boundaries, and thus must be addressed by humanity as a whole. While each country is doing its best to improve environmental efforts on a nationwide scale, it’s the sum of all these initiatives that will make a worldwide difference. In that light, let's take a look at how these five countries are acknowledging climate change, and what steps they are taking to reduce its impact. Sweden’s Pledge to be Carbon-Neutral Despite uncertainties in global leadership, Sweden promised to honour the Paris Agreement made by the United Nations and cut all its greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Around 70% of these should already be gone by the year 2030. The country's target is to achieve at least an 85% reduction, with the remaining 15% to be offset by planting trees and other sustainable investments. Under this ambitious initiative, a dedicated climate policy council is assessing government policies to determine whether they coincide with the country’s climate goals.

Meet one of our alumni startups Zemission, which has developed, tested, and patented a zero-emission solution for mobile use. Based on catalytic combustion, its technology runs on different fuels and scales from small to large.

Singapore to Regulate E-Waste Last year, Greentech Challenge reported that global electronic waste was set to grow by a worrying 33% in 2017. This translates to some 72 million tonnes (65 million metric tonnes) in dumpsites around the world, which remains a global problem in 2018 and beyond. Earlier this year, Singapore proposed regulation plans for e-waste reduction using the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach. The government essentially intends to hold manufacturers and retailers more responsible for disposing of and recycling their products. There are no solid polices in place yet, but the regulations may come in the form of a tax or incentive-based system.

One of our full applicants, Mein Recycling, is developing an effortless waste management solution at the touch of a button, in a from of a mobile application.

UK to Reduce Plastic Waste Plastic waste is a burning issue in the UK, as its recycling industry is largely affected by China’s new ban on foreign waste. Having relied on China to recycle most of its plastic waste, the UK now has to adapt and look for countries willing to take on the load. A long-term strategy in dealing with plastic waste would be to reduce the amount of plastic itself in the economy. The UK has already implemented a ban of plastic microbeads, which are often used in cosmetics and personal care products. All items with microbeads are to cease production and sales in the UK.

Our alumni Bluebenu is developing a lead technology that transforms the plastic pollution rescued from the oceans into eco-fuel.

India’s Plan to Promote Electric Cars The Indian government is preparing a new policy to promote the use of electric vehicles and lessen its fossil fuel consumption. The timelines are still being ironed out, but the initial roadmap is that one-third of India’s petrol and diesel vehicles will have shifted to electric by 2030. The government is already in talks with industry bodies regarding challenges and support for electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, establishing of charging infrastructure, and other key aspects of the initiative.

Our alumni Podbike offers an active, zero emission and sustainable transport solution. The first vehicle represents the next generation el-assisted vehicle that makes cycling attractive for more people, merging safety and comfort from cars with the benefits from cycling.

US Efforts to Improve Energy Efficiency The US has set energy programmes in place across all states to generate renewable energy. From 2015 to 2017, its efforts resulted in a reduction in energy being used per square foot of more than 7%. A Fortune report on the US’ renewable energy also reveals that 18% electricity in 2017 was produced by renewable sources, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric dams. This is a promising start to the renewable energy initiative of this global leader, and should be followed through in the coming years. Other initiatives being rolled out by the US government, are helping improve the country’s climate response, even if they weren’t solely devised for environmental purposes. For instance, the government has mandated the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) on all commercial vehicles for mainly road safety reasons. But Verizon Connect documents that these ELDs can also improve fuel efficiency by alerting drivers against fuel-wasting behaviors like aggressive driving or idling. These will not only help companies save on fuel costs, but will also slow down the depletion of non-renewable resources in general. This is especially crucial as the transportation sector remains the lifeblood of the American economy.

Lastly, another full applicant SMAP Energy, wants to transform the way energy providers and customers look at energy consumption. Using energy data collected via smart meters, they seek to analyse user behaviour to derive insights that can make the energy sector more efficient.

With environmental preservation initiatives like these currently gaining ground across the globe, it is our hope that these can inspire others to address the pressing problem of climate change as well. As mentioned before, collective action is needed to make a significant impact in saving the environment and ourselves. With everyone living on the same planet, it's only fair — and necessary — that we all do our part. For more on climate change and new technology, Greentech Challenge has more green-related news.

Lead Generation: Expand Your Network

Effective lead generation and new prospects lies at the base of any long term successful business development. It is the process of attracting people to your product or service before converting them into customers. Expanding your network is a key factor for growing companies in order to reach out to new customers.

Not enough resources to search for new business?

Business leads are not easy to find and mastering the skill takes time. Besides, you are constantly involved in current projects that consume all of your time, your human resources are not enough to manage the search for new business, and you might not have the proper understanding of how to get great deals! If you are still unsure about your lead generation, a clear understanding of the company's target is the first requirement to get new business leads. Other than this, what are the best lead generation strategies to grow your business? How can I get a high-quality lead?

Startups might be a great way to start!

Startups are the new companies that are shaping the future of business. They are no longer only technology-related, today's startups have the most varied purposes and are blossoming within every field. We are talking about growing businesses that need to constantly reach out to people who can help them develop and make a name for themselves. In the evolving startup world, green startups are the ones which specifically support the environment (Kaffe Bueno is a great example). It is about time these forward-thinking companies will take over and save our planet , so let's trust them and see where they take us. However, how can I find the best green startups for my business?

Get the best conversion rate with green startups, !

If you don't have enough resources to manage this process, becoming a Green Tech Challenge partner might be a great way to solve it. At Green Tech Challenge, we are connected to green startups from all areas of the globe to facilitate their growth and make green business good business. We organize events (challenges) around the world with carefully selected startups who want to change the world for the better. In the Green Tech Challenge our partners range from law firms, IPR, accounting, management consulting, PR agencies and banks. They will be the first ones to connect with these new future businesses, to get a list of successful leads and have access to all its potential network that will help you grow your business.

(Jessica, Left - Malena, Right)

Company Intro & Background

Dare to Eat is a company that wants to create a more healthy and sustainable food industry by introducing edible insects to the Western Food Culture. Founded by Jessica Buhl-Nielsen (26) and Malena Sigurgeirsdottir (27) in January 2017.

Malena Sigurgeirsdottir has devoted her efforts to investigating sustainable agriculture and food security for five years at Copenhagen and Cornell University. She spent a year in East Africa researching the nutritional benefits of eating insects and its impact on livelihoods. B.Sc. in Natural Resources and Environmental Economics and M.Sc. Agricultural Development.

Jessica Rose Buhl-Nielsen is passionate about addressing global issues through attractive business solutions. Previous co-founder of Carcel, an award-winning social start-up.

She has spent the past five years studying, volunteering and working for UN Women in Central and Latin America. B.Sc. Business, CBS and MA Gender and Development, University of Sussex.

- Why did you decide to start the company? How did the idea start to shape?

(Malena speaking)

We decided to start this company within 48 hours of meeting each other. It’s when two different people from two different fields merge – then they can accomplish magical things. We complement each other perfectly, which has given us the capability and faith in this company.

The idea was not strange to us, as Malena has been studying edible insects for many years. Jessica has experience in starting a business, so it was a perfect fit.

- How’s the process of starting a business been? What have you learnt from it?

It has been such a fun journey. It’s a mix of very hard work, fun and ups and downs. For us, so far – mostly ups. Everything has been going so fast and we have in only 11 months developed two great insect snacks. We’ve had a successful kickstarter and landed a deal with 63 Irma stores, Mad&Vin Magasin and several speciality stores.

And we have learnt, that if you have a great idea and a great passion for something – you can really get far.

- What have been the main challenges you’ve faced in the process of entrepreneurship?

For us specifically, the main challenge has been the food authorities in Denmark. It has been very difficult to get all the permissions for using insect flour in our snacks.

However, we have been very patient and in the end, it paid off.

(If you want to know how similar startups are going about this challenge, make sure to listen to Rootsfood’s Podcast)

- What is entrepreneurship for you and how do you merge this vision with your start-up?

Entrepreneurship for us is our little baby called Dare to Eat. It is when a passion and an idea comes to life, where you are able to make a change and a living from it.

- If you were to give one advice to future entrepreneurs, what would it be?

If you have a great idea or see something, which you believe you can do much better – then do it.

If you have an entrepreneur in your tummy and want to give it a try – then go for it. If you are ready to work hard, then the help and possibilities for a startup in Denmark are great.

There are many hubs and tools out there for free and if you are willing to learn – you can learn how to come through.

- Where do you see yourself/company in 10 years?

We see Dare to Eat all over Europe and USA as a successful food company, that managed to create a long line of products with insects that the Western world loves. Furthermore, Dare to Eat is a socio-economic business, that has established a collaboration with insect farmers in Mexico and Eastern Africa.

If you want to know a bit more about Malena and Jessica’s ideas and inspiration, make sure to check:

Kaffe Bueno: a case of successful entrepreneurship

Kaffe Bueno, is a novel coffee startup based in Copenhagen. It is the first coffee company in the world, with a circular business model. Selling and recycling coffee by using it in natural cosmetics.

The 3 founders are from Colombia. After living in London for 3 and a half years, Kaffe Bueno started to shape. Juan (right) has a Bachelor in International Business with a minor in Finance, Camilo (left) has a bachelor in International business with minor in finance and Alejandro (center) has bachelor in international business with a minor in management & marketing. Even though they had some side small businesses before, Kaffe Bueno is their first real entrepreneurial adventure.

Why did you decide to start the company? How did the idea start to shape?

(Juan Speaking) After living in London for four years we wanted a change in our lives. We didn’t see ourselves working in regular jobs in an office scenario full time. Turns out, some of our friends there came from Scandinavia and one of the things that brought us together was coffee, our common passion for it.

In our trips back to Colombia we started bringing them some coffee samples from people, families, farmers, and farms that we knew - they really liked the coffee we brought. Then, with my co-founders, we saw an opportunity there, to build something nice in London and by doing so, help families back in Colombia, hence Kaffe Bueno started. Based on the idea of giving back to the farmers in our country while also finding alternatives for coffee recycling and circular economy.

How’s the process of starting a business been? What have you learnt from it?

Complicated! Every day presents itself with a new challenge - normally very complicated to foresee before it happens. It’s almost impossible to prepare for the challenges that come when you start a business.

I’d say the only way you can learn about entrepreneurship is by experiencing it yourself – through trial and error. If it doesn’t work- change, adapt and keep on trying until you come up with a solid product.

What have been the main challenges you’ve faced in the process of entrepreneurship?

You start your business with an idea, but this idea needs to be developed until you have something tangible that investors & customers can see.

Then you can develop it further, but the hardest part is turning this idea into a reality; yet, by reality I mean something that works, something you can try out. That, for me, is the most difficult part about starting a business.

By turning your business plan into a product and introducing it to the market, you’re going to be able to see how people react to it.

One thing is what you think how people are going to react towards the product, and another completely different one is how they actually do react to it.

What were the main take-aways you got whilst attending Green Tech Challenge and how would they help you tackle future challenges?

The law consultancy was very interesting. To be able to get free consulting from high-level legal firms such as Horton is a treat we couldn’t have had otherwise – or at least not for now.

They gave us a very good ‘to do list’ of future steps to prepare in order to achieve our goals. That was really helpful.

Also, the Innovation Centre Denmark workshop opened our eyes on some opportunities we hadn’t thought about in other parts of the world, and hopefully we will develop these ideas soon.

A very important thing you need to take into consideration when doing business in Denmark is to think global, and the Danish Innovation Centre helped us do just that.

What is entrepreneurship for you and how do you merge this vision with your startup?

Entrepreneurship for me is doing what you want and the way you want to. But it is also being able to receive, handle and incorporate feedback into your business or whatever you’re doing.

If you’re not able to take and deal with criticism, you cannot move forward and improve. I can guarantee that the initial idea is never 100% accurate and you don’t have all the answers, thus you need to be able to accommodate new ideas and be open to embrace change.

One anecdote about running a startup in Denmark?

Paradoxically enough, the single most difficult thing about running a startup in Denmark has nothing to do with running a startup in Denmark.

As foreigners and newcomers, we didn’t have many contacts in the city and setting up ourselves as founders and registering our business here was very complicated.

This was, basically, because you need an address to set up almost anything here in Denmark (the infamous CPR), but finding a flat is a semi-impossible task.

Thus, we had to take whatever we could, leading us to life in a two-bedroom apartment for 3 people, which was nice enough, however, very small for the 3 of us.

That is a nice anecdote that we would always remember as part of Kaffe Bueno’s origins. Funny enough, we still live together…. but in a bigger flat.

If you were to give one advice to future entrepreneurs, what would it be?

Go for it! If you think you have a good idea: follow it! Testing an idea nowadays is easier than ever.

Not everything relies on the idea, the realization process is mainly where the real challenge would lie. The key for entrepreneurs is optimism.

If I were to go to my bed every day thinking that tomorrow I’m not going to make any money or have an impact on the world, then there wouldn’t be any motivation and energy to keep going.

True motivation comes with passion and looking beyond profits. If you do things “the good way”- helping society and the environment, karma usually would help you out. Either way, you will feel more fulfilled and satisfied by doing it the “Bueno” way.

Where do you see your company in 10 years?

Through our more holistic approach to coffee, we aim to become the new Starbucks (with better coffee;) for Millenials, in which we would change how people experience and consume their everyday coffee.

Instead of people seeing their coffee as a product, we would provide a coffee service that is circular and renewable, a service that people can feel good about. And yes, we would like to top that up with an IPO (Initial Public Offering) in the future.

Role model you follow (or a quote you find relevant)?

Steve Jobs. One of the things I like the most about him is that, even though he wasn’t a pure technical person, his creativity made him able to improve and simplify technical IT stuff and incorporate everything in his vision. He developed a very functional and likeable brand and product(s).

He said that “The greatest innovations in the XXI century would come from the intersection between biology and technology ”. That’s what Kaffe Bueno is all about and what we’re trying to do with our bio-refinery and circular model.

Flow loop makes sustainable showering simpler. After initiating the shower in the regular mode, all you need to do is step on the drain cover - which will automatically activate the circulation mode.

Instead of letting all the warm water go to waste down the drain, flow loop recovers it from the floor and passes it through the filtration system, before recirculating it to your shower head cleaner than before and with 50% higher flow - while adding just a little bit of warm water to keep the temperature adjusted.

I sat down with Simon from flow loop and talked about what flow loop is all about.

Flow loop is about making sustainability, acessible, affordable and attractive.

Accessibility

- How do you allow me to use the water again?

It’s easy to install and you don’t have to tear down you bathroom and relay the piping. We have developed a shower panel, that is retrofitted, so that means that you install it in your existing shower space. You don’t need to redo your bathroom. You have the shower panel that is then temporarily closing the drain, which allows you to settling the water go down the drain, let the water go back through the shower panel, be cleaned with the filters and the ultraviolet light and come out again virtually saver than the tap water that you have in your household, because you also eliminate the existing bacteria that could be in your water source.

Affordability

- Roughly how much money would I be able to save in Denmark and how much will the flow loop installment cost?

In Denmark it would be about 800 euros for an average 4 person household pr. year.

We want the system to ideally have payback time for an average household of 4 for about 4 years. That means if you save 800 euros pr. year in 4 years it would roughly be about 2500-3000 euros.

Attractiveness

- How have you gone about taking something really quite technical and pricy, and then going into making a business out of it?

We’re making something that people would otherwise want even though it wouldn’t be saving water, and now it’s saving water and energy at the same time. The thing is that you get a better flow than in a normal shower. A standard shower has about a flow of 9 L pr. minute. You also have water saving showers that reduce the flow to save water and then you have maybe 6 or 7 L pr. minute. But what happens when you reduce the flow is that you also reduce the comfort and that makes people want to take longer showers, because you feel less warmth and you have to have longer time to get shampoo out of your hair and so on. Our system is increasing the flow because we have a pump circulating the water so it’s not the normal water pressure, it’s a pressure that is about 50% higher than a normal shower. It’s not just doing something because it’s the right thing to do, but it’s the thing you want to do.

Savings

- Could you just go over again how much it is you’re saving?

It depends on what your starting point is, but let's just say you have a standard shower, 9 L pr. minute, we would be able to save about 85% water and 75% energy compared to a standard shower. If you think about your water and your heating bill, it would be about a quarter of your water bill and 20% of your heating bill that you will be able to save, so it’s a lot of money as well. In Denmark we have quite higher water and heating costs, so it will of course be more in some countries than others, but it’s quite a significant amount.

- How much water would an average household be saving pr. day, or just one guy?

I’m taking a shower, It’s a ten minute shower, which would be 9 L pr. minute. That would be 90 L for ten L shower. We would be using about twelve L for the same.

- Where do you see yourself/company in 10 years?

Hopefully in 10 years reusing water is something that you look back and think: “why didn’t you do that previously” and you can’t imagine how you 10 years previously would just waste the shower water.

Syngja (former Insekt KBH) founded in august 2016, is the world’s only provider of functional beverages – enriched with crickets.

Philip Price (26) and Jakob Rukov (39) met at an Insect Cocktail event in Nørrebro. With an interesting mix of backgrounds (Philip Brand- Development/sales and Jakob Ph.D. Molecular Biology), they’re on a quest to make edible insects mainstream.

Edible insects contain a lot of vitamins and minerals that do not exist within the category of fruits and vegetables - particularly B12-vitamin, which helps convert protein in the body.

By integrating this future food into well-known consumer products, Syngja’s vision is to turn edible insects mainstream.

- One anecdote about running a startup in Denmark?

I [Philip] met Jakob 18 months ago at an ‘insect/cocktail event’ at Nørrebro, which had been advertised in the MetroXpress newspaper. At the event there were 6 people – including my friend and myself... Luckily, this meant Jakob and I got to talk! A week later, I found myself in a basement in Nordvest, surrounded with boxes containing thousands of crickets at Jakob’s own urban cricket farm. The surrealism was real! Being in a startup exposes you to so many weird and great experiences, that you would never encounter otherwise, and this is very rewarding, getting out of your comfort zone.

- Why did you decide to start the company? How did the idea start to shape?

Because we want to have a positive impact on the world; when you first learn the arguments for consuming edible insects, they become hard to ignore. We have a vision for turning insects mainstream, and we truly believe we can do it.

From a strategic viewpoint, we see a large future market gap in the beverage category, which insect-enriched functional beverages can tap into.

- How has the process of starting a business been? What have you learnt from it?

Starting a business is exciting - and hard. You learn a lot – right from the basics to stuff you never imagined you would deal with. Neither Jakob, my co-founder, nor I have a background in the professional food industry or started a company before – so to become a beverage manufacturer equals a very steep learning curve!

- What have been the main challenges you’ve faced in the process of entrepreneurship?

Running a food company is difficult! Loads of rules to attend to - and learn. Telling the food authorities, that you want to add crickets into liquid products does not quite ease the bureaucracy surrounding your business either. From a personal sense, it is probably the challenge of being constantly available – being the face of your company 24/7. Luckily, we both like to talk about the subject matter.

- What were the main take-aways you got whilst attending Green Tech Challenge and how would they help you tackle future challenges?

We learned a lot of good “business basics”. The Green Tech Challenge really helped us clarify our business model and concept USPs, besides exposing us to interesting networks and capital. Basically, the challenge and mentors added a lot of tools to our professional toolbox.

- What is entrepreneurship for you and how do you merge this vision with your startup?

Entrepreneurship, in my view, is all about finding solutions - by grind or creativity. If Syngja wants to help save the world, we need to find a solution to make people eat edible insects. The challenge of winning over consumers – either when viewed from my [Philip] brand perspective or Jakob’s technical expertise – calls for both creativity and a lot of persistence; and it is a very exciting task to do.

- If you were to give one advice to future entrepreneurs, what would it be?

- Remember to keep carry that careless, bold attitude, which made you begin in the first place; enjoy the milestones; be faithful to your own idea and works – then the crazy will more likely turn sensible.

- Where do you see yourself/company in 10 years?

If all goes according to plan, Syngja’s products are available in major international markets – and selling well. More importantly, this would mean we have helped consumers overcome their cultural constraints of eating insects. The significance of becoming a major cultural game changer - and pioneer is the reason Syngja exists.

- Role model you follow (or a quote you find relevant)?

“Fail often so you can succeed sooner!” (or whichever version it comes in) In general, I have a very hard time with all these “startup wisdom quotes”. I must admit, however, that this particular sentence resonates very deeply in the way Jakob and I go about things. …And for most entrepreneurs, I imagine!

There’s an excellent chance that you purchase most of your fruits and vegetables from the local grocery store, particularly in the winter months. Although your supermarket may be a couple of blocks or miles from your home, the brightly coloured fruits and vegetables most likely came from a farm hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

The process of growing and transporting high-quality organic produce requires a high level of effort, and coordination and some luck. We’ll explore the entire process from planting to shipping so you can understand how groceries, fruits and vegetables stay fresh even days after you purchased them from the store.

Getting the Soil Ready

In organic farms, having the right type of soil that is nutrient-rich is a major step to growing high-quality produce. The soil needs to be rich in nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen potassium and other micronutrients. It also needs to be alive with microorganisms that will allow the nutrients to be usable by plants. To maintain the rich soil that is ideal for fresh produce, farmers use a variety of techniques, including planting cover crops on the farm in the off-season and tilling natural compost into the soil.

Planting

The process of planting crops in farms has some complex aspects to it and also requires some sophisticated technology. Technology like laser leveling is used to tilt beds in the farm to maximize drainage; GPS technology is also used to ensure that rows of seeds remain even while providing efficient placement of irrigation systems. A few weeks after the soil has been tilled, and the beds are ready for planting, machines plant seeds into the soil.

Nurturing the Crops

Once the seeds have been sowed, the growing cycle begins and lasts anywhere from three to six weeks (depending on the crop). During this time, the plants are nurtured and taken care of consistently. Even though soil preparation is an important part of the process, nurturing processes like irrigation are a crucial part of growing high-quality crops.

The well-cultivated baby greens are protected from pests and weeds either by using safe herbicides and pesticides, or utilizing cover crops and drip irrigation systems to keep weeds at bay. Depending on where the crops are grown and the season, as well as the effectiveness of the protection methods, the baby greens could take anywhere from 21 days to 45 days to grow to complete maturity.

Picking and Storage

When the planted crops are ready to be harvested, farmers consider both timing and temperature. Some vegetables need to be harvested before it gets too hot and their leaves become too soft to pick. Groups of people work with picking machinery, such as harvesters. They drive the machine and steer it, putting the mechanically picked greens into storage containers like plastic totes.

These baby greens are then stored under certain temperatures. Lettuce, for example, needs its leaves to stay in a 38ºF cold chain from the time of processing until they are bought at the stores by consumers. This is done to maximize the edible lifespan of the greens, which is approximately 21 days from harvest to degradation.

Processing and Packaging

Once trucks arrive from the field with picked leaves, a quality assurance specialist inspects the leaves in each of the totes to decide whether the produce is acceptable. If approved, the totes, filled with the vegetables, are sent to a processing facility where they are washed. Some large farms could process over 2 million baby greens on a weekly basis.

Employees who work at the beginning of wash lines sort through the recently arrived fresh veggies to identify for unwanted parts and impurities such as roots and leaf clumps. Then, the fresh produce is sent into to be washed in chlorinated water, cleaning them of impurities to help extend the shelf life.

The greens are then placed in plastic bags that have different permeability levels, depending on the needs of the particular leaves. Spinach, for example, requires plenty of oxygen. As a result, the spinach bags have more permeability when compared to bags utilized for other vegetables.

At regular time intervals, samples are inspected from processing lines by quality-control specialists. They take a good look at important characteristics, such as the temperature, quality of the product and the quantity of air in the bags. When they’ve been placed into packages, baby greens are transported to a storage area where they will eventually be picked up and transported to grocery stores.

Transportation to Stores

Carriers, who are contracted to drive their refrigerated trucks to the processing facility, handle a significant amount of the delivery of produce from farms. Farms usually have regulations in place to ensure that fresh produce is promptly picked up from the facility. If things don’t go as scheduled, and fresh produce is still sitting in the facility close to the end of its edible lifespan. When this occurs, the produce is either tilled into the ground or donated. Restaurants and grocery stores schedule pick up or delivery of produce from the distribution centers, usually within a day of its arrival.

Headed for Your Table

Once you’ve purchased your groceries at the store, how do you store them to ensure the freshness that farm employees worked hard to maintain? It’s recommended that you store the groceries in your refrigerator with the same bags they were purchased in. It's not necessary to wash them before being served, as the groceries have undergone thorough washing in the processing facility, but it is still recommended.

The colorful appearance of fresh groceries on your dinner table is the culmination of their long journey through both natural and technological environments, as well as the hard work of lots of farm workers. With all the processing and transportation over, these groceries are now ready to be enjoyed at the dinner table as they should be.

About the author: David Madden is an efficiency expert and blogger at Exchanger Hub. His passion and business is to save companies money through the use of used reusable and repurposed industrial packaging such as plastic and metal bulk containers, gaylord boxes, bulk bags, pallets, ibc totes, and industrial racks.

Making a big move doesn’t have to be damaging to the environment. Here are several ways you can make an eco-friendly move.

Whichever way you cut it, moving is a stressful process. From selling unwanted furniture and equipment, signing leases and other paperwork to last minute packing, not to mention coordinating the logistics of the move itself, moving is never easy.

With all these things on your mind, do you really need to be worrying about the environment as well? The answer is yes: you should consider environmental factors when you move. However, it is not as difficult as you might have imagined.

The reality is that moving all your belongings and possessions within a state or across the country can be pretty rough on the environment. The fuel used up by your vehicle, the unwanted items you throw away, and even the materials used for packing all adds up and can take a toll on the environment. Take a look at our tips and recommendations for an eco-friendly move and also how to kick off new energy efficient and green habits in your new home.

Donate or Sell Unwanted Items

Most see moving as the perfect opportunity to get rid of old clothes, books, furniture and even electronics by throwing them away. However, throwing all that stuff in the trash could put pressure on landfills. Furniture, particularly, gets thrown out at record levels.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), furniture makes up an estimated 9.8 million tons of landfill waste! Rather than throwing these items away, you can either try to get a little money back by selling them on sites like Craigslist and eBay, or apps such as LetGo.

Or you could also try donating them to charitable organizations such as The Salvation Army, Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity. These organizations are more than willing to travel to your home to pick up large donations. Either way, selling these items or donating them ensures that they reach individuals and organizations that need them the most.

Recycle

Contrary to what most believe, recycling is not solely just plastic items and cardboard boxes. However, there are quite a few items in a household that could be recycled, from old electronic gadgets to batteries. You shouldn’t throw these in a recycling bin. However, they should be taken to a specialized center where they would be properly recycled. Here are some of the most common household items that should be recycled.

Appliances

Your old household appliances, such as refrigerators, TV’s, microwaves and others often contain harmful substances like lead. You should try taking them to your local Best Buy, where they would be recycled regardless of where it was purchased.

Batteries

In case you were unaware, batteries contain toxic substances such as cadmium, lead and sulfuric acid which could potentially come in contact with nearby waterways. This could result in water pollution. Instead of throwing your batteries away, take them to places which usually have recycling centers for batteries, such as your local post office or library.

Electronics

Your old computers and mobile phones don’t need to end up in the trash where they aren’t useful to anyone. Electronics and electrical cords can be recycled at local resource recovery centers. They can also be accepted by charities that would accept donations for these kinds of goods.

Utilize the Right Boxes or Bins When Packing

Some boxes can be more environmentally friendly to use than others. Whether you decide to buy new moving boxes or use old ones, take some time to consider the environment and explore some greener alternatives. If you plan to purchase a new box, ensure that you are only buying what you need.

Alternatively, you can find boxes that have been used but are still in great condition. Look behind your local retail and grocery stores for discarded boxes. Using a reputable eco-friendly moving service could make it easy to make an eco-friendly move, as they are well experienced in that domain.

Corrugated boxes are also an ideal alternative, as they are easy to recycle as opposed to the bubble wrap and tapes. You could help the environment and keep your household items intact by investing in a set of durable and .

You could also ask your mover if they offer reusable bins made out of recycled plastic. Reusable bins also make fantastic storage containers once you are done moving! If you don’t want all that plastic sitting around your house when you’re done moving, you can use a returnable box service that would allow you to return your bins once you are finished with them.

Establish New Habits in Your New Home

Once you are settled in your new home, this is the perfect time to establish new habits that would conserve energy, generate less waste and recycle more. Use your relocation as an opportunity to get rid of excess clutter by donating them, selling them or recycling them.

Take more time to consider your purchases, instead of regularly making impulse buys. By doing that, there’d be much less clutter next time you’re moving, which hopefully isn’t occurring anytime soon.

More comprehensive energy conservation efforts could also save you money and keep your living space in order. For example, replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), or even better, utilize LED’s (light-emitting diodes). CFL’s do not require as much energy as incandescent light bulbs, but LED’s are more efficient than CFL’s and do not contain mercury. Also, ensure that appliances and electronics, such as phone chargers, are turned off when not in use.

About the author: David Madden is an efficiency expert and blogger at Exchanger Hub. His passion and business is to save companies money through the use of used reusable and repurposed industrial packaging such as plastic and metal bulk containers, gaylord boxes, bulk bags, pallets, ibc totes, and industrial racks.

The Stats Behind the Food Crisis

Around the world, people are suffering due to food shortages. We know that food waste is a large element within this problem. In North America, we waste a significant amount of food throughout the supply chain from farm to table. In this latest post, the team at UniPoint will look at the statistics behind this challenge.

800 Million People Going Hungry

Around the world, 800 million people go hungry every day. In countries around the globe, there are millions of families that lack access to clean water and healthy food. And this means that famine and related health issues are rampant.

20% Is All That’s Required

By simply cutting our food waste by as little as 20%, we can produce enough additional food within our supply chains to feed the 800 million people living in hunger around the world. Cutting 20% of waste can take place at all stages of the supply chain, from building the facilities to storing food more effectively to ensuring that food close to expiry is sent to those in need before it’s wasted.

Food Waste Leads to Large CO2 Emissions

CO2 emissions, which the world’s leading scientists believe is a contributing factor behind climate change, can also be cut by reducing our food waste. The latest data shows that food waste as an entity has the third highest CO2 emissions behind only China and the U.S. around the world. This highlights the importance of food waste, both in terms of protecting society’s most vulnerable and in safeguarding the environment.

The problems surrounding food waste are only going to be resolved when we work as a society to build more effective systems for both the distribution and the safe storage of food products. It’s a challenge that is now being addressed worldwide as we face a looming population and world hunger crises. To learn more on this important issue, review our newest infographic, here.

As modern society becomes dependent on technology, the amount of electronic waste will continue to increase. A global study revealed that the world’s e-Waste is expected to grow by 33% this year or reach 72 million tonnes (65 million metric tonnes). Established first world countries will contribute to the surge in digital trash, such as United Sates, China and various European countries. The data was gathered by the United Nations in partnership with non-government organisation ‘Solving the E-Waste Problem (StEP) Initiative’. They have developed an e-Waste map that gives magnitude to the issue on a national level to help policymakers learn about the problem and take action accordingly. While the US remains the top producer of e-Waste, more than China, EU nations also have trouble in recycling digital items. A separate report in 2015 said that only a third of Europe’s e-Waste is recycled. According to the report, often only small household appliances end up in waste paper bins, which makes up approximately 750,000 tonnes compared to the region’s 6.15 million tonnes of annual e-Waste output. The main culprit is said to be the high cost of disposing hazardous materials. But, EU law is now requiring members to inform the European Commission about the amount of electronics they recycle, collect, and export. Governments aren’t the only organisations looking to implement strategies to reduce e-Waste - tech companies are also trying to initiate change. Tech giants such as Apple and O2 have their own eco-friendly projects to combat the increasing problem of digital trash. Apple, who has 1 billion devices in active use around the world, have implemented many different strategies to reduce waste and improve their renewable energy infrastructure. Firstly, they introduced iPhone-recycling robot ‘Liam’ last year, which can deftly deconstruct a smartphone in order to repurpose its materials. Secondly, the company has started fostering wireless connectivity with the introduction of their new EarPods on the iPhone 7, which uses less plastic so it can be recycled easier. Lastly, Apple has their own ‘renew and recycling’ program that encourages people to surrender their old iOS devices to them and get paid in Apple gift cards. Telecommunications company O2 also has a similar program that promotes sustainability to mobile users. In fact, their ‘O2 Recycle’ program has recycled more than 2 million devices to date. They encourage their subscribers to recycle their own mobile devices and get credit when they want to upgrade to a new smartphone. The company has also been applauded for their effort to inform the public about the eco-rating of each device they sell. But, what makes this tech company special is their effort to introduce a new way on how to recycle old mobile phones. They have repurposed these devices and placed them in shoes, hats and gloves. It may sound like an item taken from a James Bond movie, but they were so successful that even designers like Sean Miles, Christia Louboutin and Nike agreed to design shoes with a mobile embedded into the sole (even before smartwatch and smart headsets became popular). Other companies soon followed suit in showing the same interest in promoting sustainability. However, despite continued efforts, there’s still a huge number of people (especially from the West) that send their devices to be recycled in India and China. “A huge amount of used electrical items and equipment are entering India and China from different developed countries. Those items are free from all type of associated duties as they are meant for charity purposes. But as they are all used items they soon add up to our e-waste,” said Sadhan K Ghosh, president of the International Society of Waste Management’s Kolkata chapter. In a study conducted by India, China and the UK, it was revealed that 80% of e-Waste from developed nations is shipped to Asia. By 2020, they predict the e-Waste in China to increase by 400% from 2007 and by 500% in India. However, recycling of digital waste is on the rise. Nations have established their own e-Waste recycling programs. European countries have successfully implemented their sustainable projects and have surpassed the US, but they still have a long way ahead to remedy this growing concern.

Exclusively written for Green Tech Challenge by TechnoloJen

Could you imagine living off-grid with no light when you had to read for school or work, cook or socialize? Not really, right? Today, 1.2 billion people live without access to electric energy. Primarily, they are centered in parts of Africa, parts of India, Pakistan and regions in Asia – and most of them are centered in rural areas. In Africa, for example, the national electrification rate is 45%. A lot of room for improvement and potential for growth.

Little Sun Original on the road. Photo: Nicky Angunwa, red.

Living in the developing world, it is easy to take electricity for granted, and forget the big part it plays in our daily lives. But access to electricity and light is vital for our human existence.

Without access to light, whole communities and their structure is affected. It is key for our development. Without light, working hours are limited to hours of the day when the sun is out and income is therefore reduced. This also applies to making homework for school which can be done only in the light of day. Medical care, such as delivering babies at night, becomes a more dangerous affair. The quality of socializing or cooking together is also limited without light.

Little Sun Original in Burundi. Photo: Aminata Nimaga, red.

Energy is the engine of development – it brings life transforming benefits. It is, however, also very dependent on the burning on fossil fuels, which contributes to global warming and carbon emissions.

Kids studying with Little Sun Original. Photo: Maddalena Valeri, red.

Carrying the sun with you

A sustainable solution to fighting both the lack of global electricity and fighting fossil fuels with a clean energy is a small, sun-shaped portable lamp with a solar panel on the back, called Little Sun.

Little Sun was founded in 2012 by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen.

Charging Little Sun creates up to 50 hours of soft light, and charging it for a minimum of five hours in the sun it enables 4,5 hours of bright light.

It started off with a project in Ethiopia but is now a global project. It has also helped create local jobs and generating local profits through local partnerships and a network of young, African entrepreneurs.

Little Sun has already been a success and the numbers from 2016 speak for themselves; 1.22,850 lives changed off-grid, 55.137,283 dollars saved on energy expenses in off-grid households and 99.995 tons of Co2 reduced.

Little Sun founders Frederik Ottesen and Olafur Eliasson. Photo: Little Sun, red.

Read more about Little Sun on their website http://littlesun.com/or read about their product here; http://littlesun.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/LS_FAQs.pdf

Air pollution is becoming a global threat as 90% of urban populations breaths polluted air. We have all seen the images of a smog-filled China city, people wearing masks and authorities banning people to go outside. In December 2016, the Chinese government reported the highest air pollution and the red alert was implemented in 23 cities in northern China. In 2016, World Energy Outlook made a study on air pollution as the fourth-largest threat to human health – but also to our environment.

According to the report, this problem causes up to 6,5 million deaths annually, not to mention the 1,6 trillion-dollar annual economic damage in EU, where governments are trying to treat air pollution.

With the increasing growth in mass production, industries expanding to low cost production sites in Asia, fuelling on coal and the pollution from transport, the problem continues to grow.

The team behind the CityTree, from left: Peter Sänger, Victor Splittgerber, Liang Wu and CEO Dénes Honus.

Photo: Green City Solutions, red.

Creating a solution to clean air

Green City Solutions tries to fight the problem of air pollution worldwide. They seek to solve it with a combination of Internet of Things (IoT) and plants, providing clean and cool air to hot urban cities.

Their solution is a four-meter-high CityTree installation, which is equivalent to 275 urban trees and has the ability to clean city air from harmful pollution. Examples of those harmful pollutants are nitrous oxides, ozone and particulate matter. Every CityTree reduces local air pollution in a proximity of up to 50 meters, up to 30%.

In comparison to 275 normal urban trees, a CityTree is 95% more cost effective, and requires 99% less space on ground, according to Green City Solutions. This is especially handy in urban cities, where free uninhabited space is a rare commodity.

The CityTree in action at the main station in Berlin. Photo: Green City Solutions, red.

Green City Solutions' approach is based on biotechnology, a moss culture, which has the ability to attract air pollutants from its surroundings and convert them into its own biomass. The moss, therefore, literally eats air pollution. Because of IoT technology, the reduction of air pollution is traceable, and the CityTree requires only a few hours of maintenance per year.

Previously, air pollution has been tackled indirectly, by shutting down factories or traffic, but treating air pollution this way causes a lot of economic damage.

The CityTree is a simpler solution to this issue and a better economic alternative to the previous methods.

Another CityTree in Jena, Germany. Photo: Green City Solutions, red.

Read more about Green City Solutions and what they do on their website; http://greencitysolutions.de/english/

Every year Maersk alone needs to get rid of 60.000 - 80.000 shipping containers that have become too worn out to safely function for shipping purposes. Discarding this amount of shipping containers, that are primarily made out of corten steel, is an enormous waste of resources. Iron is extrapolated by mining, which reduces local biodiversity and uses great amounts of water. From an environmental point of view the best thing to do is to re- or upcycle the shipping containers.

A mine in Germany. The ground iFoto: Sharangka Manokaran

Housing made of containers

CPH Containers does exactly this. They upcycle discarded shipping containers and transform them into beautiful and functional housing facilities. If you get associations to trailer parks when hearing the words shipping containers and housing in the same sentence, well then you are mistaken. CPH Containers sets an honour in providing high aesthetics, functionality and a good indoor climate. Finally, the look is very Scandinavian. Clean. Simple. Beautiful.

Student Housing

As many other cities Copenhagen struggles with accommodating the many students that starts University each year. The prices are often too spicy for the students and it is not unseen that the newcomers crash at friend's and family's place or even lives in a trailer until something affordable shows up. CPH Containers offers a solution to the student-housing problem by building compact quality homes that students can afford to live in.

Foto: CPH Containers

CPH Village

By setting up multiple container houses a whole village can be build, which is exactly what CPH Containers are planning to do. These will be called CPH Villages and will provide residency for students. CPH Villages can be moved when needed and opens up for the possibility to utilise vast empty areas that for different reasons are unused. When landowners need their land back, the village will simply be moved to a new location.

According to CPH Containers, CPH Village will offer a new way of living as a student. The vision entails unseen levels of communities through shared spaces such as rooftop farms and multi functional rooms for concerts, talks, big dinners, exercise etc. The inhabitants of the sustainable villages will also experience new ways of comfort by getting access to cheap food delivery, bike repair, car rental and favourable offers to nearby cultural and recreational spaces.

Changing the law

The idea that houses can be moved is new and unfortunately the present Danish zoning laws and planning practices doesn’t give room to temporary residencies. That is why CPH Containers has set out to change the law:

“All the parties (in Danish Parliament) has send a common partition to Troels Lund Poulsen the Minister of Business and Growth, that they support a change in the planning law”

Michael Deichmann Plesner, co-founder of CPH Containers

Fortunately there is a broad political and societal consensus that it would be beneficial for the municipalities to allow mobile student housing.

CPH Containers is awaiting a new law supporting the idea of mobile housing that hopefully comes into effect by December 2016.

Want to learn more about building with shipping containers?

Start here:

In Green Tech Challenge we love companies who want to make the world a better place. One of our participants sets out to do exactly this. They provide farmers in the Philippines a sustainable livelihood and the world with a super food to get healthier.

Meet Roots Food - founded by Jacqueline Hansen and Daniel Alonso Van Camp!

Foto: Mark Lau

Moringa - the superfood

Roots Food sells dried, organic Moringa leaves as powder and flakes. The powder and flakes can be added to all kinds of foods and boosts your health through the high amounts of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and antioxidants.

Economic sustainability

In 2013 the super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines. It affected 11 million people and destroyed 40 million coconut trees. The collapse of the trees released 100.000 tons of CO2, and demolished the basic source of income for the rural poor. Newly planted coconut trees take almost 8-10 years before yielding coconuts, which is a long time to wait if you don't have other sources of income.

This inspired the founders of ROOTS FOOD to look for an alternative crop and a sustainable solution for the farmers. The Moringa Tree only needs 9 months before the leaves are ready to be harvested. It is therefore suited for re-greening areas and providing a sustainable income for the farmers.

Summa summarum

Roots Food now works with Moringa farmers and sells nature's most nutritious leaf powder to the health oriented consumers in the North. The mission is to plant more Moringa trees in challenging areas.

“To fight poverty, one should make sure to focus on rural districts and ensure sustainable businesses there”

Jacqueline Hansen, Founder

The farmers get paid a fair price for their moringa and the trees are organic. We at GTC definitely love this startup and looks forward to follow their success!

Wanna try it?

Visit Roots Foods’ webpage to place an order or see which stores sell Roots Food moringa.

Foto: Mark Lau

This is definitely going to sound like an advertisement, but we are not sorry. Say hi to MATE bikes, participant in the GTC 2016!

If you want to cash in a whopping 70 % discount on their bikes: Hurry up!

The campaign ends at Sunday, the 9th of October.

Now that we got that settled, let’s talk about what exactly MATE Bikes are.

MATE bikes are founded by brother and sister Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrøm Carton from Copenhagen. They produce electric bikes that are based on the principle of being affordable, flexible, and cool.

The story starts a few years back, when Christian wanted to acquire an electrical bike, but could not find one he liked. The ones on the market were very expensive and looked like something your granny would use. So he decided to built them himself. This decision has resulted in 3 different models in 4 different colours that can be preordered on INDIEGOGO.

Over 3000 people has preordered their new MATE Bike at INDIEGOGO, which exceeds all expectations. MATE Bikes was “only” looking for 80.000 USD, but has so far collected over 2.900.000 USD!

“This means that we can produce the bikes without compromising the quality and functionality and it shows there is a demand for our bikes “ Julie Kronstrøm Carton

From a green perspective electrical bikes are a part of the solution of the transportation dilemma. People have to be transported and walking is not an option for most people. In Denmark a lot of people bike, but biking is not always an option in the rest of the world. Among other factors distance, personal shape and whether or not your bike is safe, when you leave it determines if biking is a good solution for you.

MATE Bikes makes it easier for people to switch transportation method from car to bike. The MATE bikes are cheaper than cars. You can travel long distances fast and with little effort. The bike can be folded and carried along, keeping it safe from bike thieves.

If people ditch their car and use an electric bike, there will be less pollution, less traffic noise and more space for real people in the cities. What’s not to like?

At Green Tech Challenge, we cross our fingers and do the same as founder Julie Kronstrøm Carton:

“We hope that MATE Bikes become a trend”

Want to learn more about MATE Bikes? Read this:

And here is a little something about why we need to go from cars to bikes:

We’re proud to announce that we have received over 70 applications for this year’s GTC. As you read this, we’re selecting the 20 participants for 2016. Some of the participants have already secured themselves a spot in the sprint, simply because their business concepts are brilliant and have the potential to grow and make an impact globally.

Meet “Too Good To Go”

One of these brilliant participants is Too Good To Go. There is a fair chance you already know them, since they have more than 600.000 registered users worldwide.

Too Good To Go reduces food waste by connecting a variety of food suppliers like restaurants and bakeries with customers who are willing to buy a meal for a reduced prize at the end of the business day. In this way leftovers from the buffets and bakeries will generate money for the owners and food is saved from the waste bin. A win-win situation.

Food waste – a global challenge

Food waste is a hot topic in environmental circles and for a good reason. Food production is responsible for between 17-32 % of the global greenhouse emissions. Food production is hence a major contributor to global warming. People have to eat, but the fact is that 1/3 of the produced food is wasted – a terrible waste of resources.

Additional to contributing to global warming, food production is connected to deforestation, peatlands being burned and water systems being affected by the fertilizers and pesticides that are used to produce the food. Fighting food waste is fighting for a greener world.

A Danish perspective

There has been a lot of focus on food waste and a string of initiatives has led to Denmark reducing the food waste with 25 %. That makes Denmark front runners in the global fight to reduce food waste.

Too Good To Go targets the food waste from the retail industry. They are not alone in that mission. There is a string of other initiatives such as the app YourLocal, the Supermarket WeFood that sells surplus food, supermarkets removing volume discounts and instead give reduced prices on products approaching the expiry date.

Reducing food waste is trendy in Denmark, and there is no sign of the Danish consumers losing interest for the subject any time soon. Quite on the contrary.

Need for more food suppliers

A consequence of the consumers’ openness towards reducing food waste is the ironic situation that, despite having almost a thousand food suppliers, Too Good To Go urgently needs more suppliers to sign up for the service.

“Our dilemma is that we have a huge demand. We almost don’t have enough supply. The shops sell out really fast. So there are many (customers) who can not buy in principle. ” Thomas Bjørn Momsen, COO, Too Good To Go

The demand is there. Now we just need more food suppliers to supply their soon to be wasted food.

In Green Tech Challenge, we are very excited to see, how far Too Good To Go will go.

We believe that they have the potential to make a great difference for a greener and brighter future.

Want to learn more about food waste? Read more here