A Plastic-Free Mission with Sandra Ann Harris of ECOlunchbox

Jan 27

Today’s guest has a passion for protecting the oceans by reducing human dependence on plastics.

Concerned about the toxins commonly found in lunchbox containers, plastic pollution activist and environmental entrepreneur Sandra Ann Harris started by eliminating plastics from her kids’ lunchboxes, then founded ECO lunchbox, a California green-certified business focused on plastic pollution aversion, and most recently wrote the book, Say Goodbye to Plastic: A Survival Guide for Plastic-Free Living.

In this episode, listeners find out how Sandra has tried to make an impact and why she was inspired to start her own company to combat plastic pollution. Tune in today to find out more!

Key Points From This Episode:

Hear a bit more about Sandra’s career arc, from journalist to aid worker to entrepreneur.
How the stories she chose to write as a journalist reflected her desire to make an impact.
What it was about the plastic crisis that inspired Sandra to start ECOlunchbox.
Some challenges that Sandra encountered in launching and growing her company.
Sandra believes that, with curiosity and creativity, there is nowhere we can’t go and nothing we can’t achieve.
The benefits of crowdfunding versus sourcing investors or self-funding your ideas.
From personal health benefits to the benefit of the planet – how people came to recognize the negative impact of plastic.
The value of using positive messaging rather than using negativity and fear to inspire action.
We don’t need to know all the facts, we just need to be part of the change, however we can.
Sandra shares the inspiration for her book: why this book, and why now?
Pro tips for other thought leaders and entrepreneurs thinking about writing a book.
How Sandra keeps evolving personally by continually taking on new challenges.
Where to find Sandra’s book, Say Goodbye to Plastic: A Survival Guide for Plastic-Free Liv-ing.

Tweetables:

“Everything that I have done in my career has been, bottom-up, how can I make an impact through my work that affects peoples’ daily lives?” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:02:28]

“I noticed there wasn’t anything on the market that was plastic free and I saw a real opportunity to make some change, and help families reduce their dependence on plastics.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:03:26]

“With curiosity and creativity, there is nowhere you can’t go.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:16:08]

“Just teaching people to memorize equations and repeat correctly mathematical concepts isn’t going to help us solve climate change or tackle the big problems that are ahead of us, because there are no tried and true solutions. We have to make it up as we go along.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:16:55]

“You don’t have to know all the nitty gritty of the statistics. You can just understand, at a human level, that things must change and that we all have to be part of that however we can.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:29:18]

“As I was growing up, everyone always told me, Sandra you have ink in your blood.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:31:10]

“There’s no need for hopelessness. Let’s just roll up our selves and get to work eliminating absolutely as much plastic as we can from our lives.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:33:36]

“My hope with the book was to inspire people with our love of the oceans, educate them some, and then empower them to actually get some traction on reducing their dependence on plastic.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:32:46]

“I’m always taking on challenges. You know… I’ve never started a company so I start a company. I’ve never written a book so I write a book. I like to really, you know, push myself out of my comfort zone. I know that’s not for everyone, but that’s just kind of how I’ve always been.”— Sandra Ann Harris [0:38:40]

“A plumber needs a hammer, a plastic-free person needs an ECOlunchbox.” — Sandra Ann Harris [0:42:28]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: