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Daniel Velez

Daniel is building the future of reuse. His last venture, Growly Delivers, delivered local beer in returnable high-tech growlers. What will he do next?

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Punk Water

I went to the Hearts on Fire concert this past weekend to fill my soul with punk nostalgia. There was a lot of sweat, oddly shaped people wearing fishnet leggings, and loud but terrible sound quality. Or in other words, all the glory I imagined it would be. After Mayday

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Let's Not Go Camping

I've seen a lot of messaging about reuse and most of it is wrong. Maybe I'm just a stickler on this. I've seen companies say, "We support reuse," but it's just them encouraging their customers to bring their cups, bags,

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We Can't Let Reuse Be Co-Opted by the Bullshitters

When witnessing a bullshit argument, I tend to scrunch up my face. As if the words I've read smelled bad. In a conversation, one may say, "Excuse me?" which is the polite way to get someone to rethink the shit they said. Since it's

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Why do we keep falling for this?

In my undergrad at Florida International University, I took a class on US Environmental Policy. The professor summarized US policy in one sentence I'll never forget. He said, "If the policy isn't working, the US will do more of it." In this edition of

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Waste Has Become So Complicated We Don't Know WTF Is Happening

In all areas of society, we grow more complex in subtle and incremental ways. Waste is no exception.

Waste Has Become So Complicated We Don't Know WTF Is Happening
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My Physical Therapists Asks Me About Recycling At The Worst Possible Time

I went to physical therapy to get my ankles worked on. On the wall was a huge black flag with a skull and crossbones in the middle and the words, "Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves." I knew I was in for a painful one. As the trainer

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Linkedin Brouhaha Caused by Cup Washing Machine

I posted the video below on LinkedIn and it caused a virtual brouhaha. 0:00/1× People were up in arms because the device used lots of water. Many were concerned about its energy use. Others proposed a life cycle assessment. Some screamed, "Footprint!" Never invite an environmentalist

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The struggles of writing...

Five years ago, I decided to write a book about reuse, recycling, and the milkman model. Growly was in its early stages and I thought this model could transform the waste & recycling industry. I spent a lot of time working on waste and recycling and I felt like I

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BIG Plastic Had a Choice Between Glass, Aluminum, and Plastic. They Chose Gaslighting

The plastics industry continues to make the ridiculous argument that the best way to lower carbon emissions is to use MORE plastic. The only way to solve plastic pollution is for MORE recycling.

BIG Plastic Had a Choice Between Glass, Aluminum, and Plastic. They Chose Gaslighting
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What Reuse Means

Reuse vs refill vs milkman model - what’s the difference? A sustainability professional explains.

What Reuse Means