Reducing the Impact of Food Waste on the Environment
Zikang at West Windsor, NJ
$2,640
Zikang proved himself to be a leader and true entrepreneur as he initiated and then grew his idea by leaps and bounds. The original plan was to address food waste and its climate impacts by finding a way to make composting more cost-efficient and thereby more readily adopted in his town. With the help of some fellow students knocking on doors, they signed up 40 households to participate in a free pick-up for 4 months. (Green Matters sent the grant money directly to One Compost Can to fund this pilot program.) The results have exceeded expectations, and they are using the momentum to grow the concept into an ever-widening market. As of early July 2024, they had 80 households on board resulting in a reduction of 9,000 lbs of CO2. Local newspapers have publicized the project, and the town council has met with the team and expressed interest in helping them grow the business. You can follow their progress at torusai.org. And we can say we knew them when…
Zikang was also recently accepted into the 2024-25 cohort of The Ripple Center Featured Cohort 2024-2025 | The Ripple Center, which Green Matters is a sponsor of again this year ($2,500). Their program gives young people a unique opportunity to learn how to craft successful business concepts that focus on the triple bottom line: Profit, Planet & People. At the end of the year, they have the chance to pitch their ideas to prospective investors.