Jan 3, 2010
San Diego is on its way to becoming a leader in
the clean technology economy, and many of these companies are being started by
people under 35. Here are 35 green and clean eco- entrepreneurs identified by
SDNN.
Optimal Nutrition, Founded: 2006
Michelle
Weinstein, 30
Michelle Weinstein is founder of Optimal Nutrition Inc., a custom
meal plan service that specializes in preparing and delivering personalized
organic meals. Weinstein started her business after observing the strict
nutritional needs of her friend, a football player at the University of
Arizona. She developed the concept of a delivery service that would deliver
personalized pre-made meals made from high quality and nutritional ingredients.
Meals are made from 100 percent organic foods from local farms. All proteins
used in meals are free range. Nutrition makes up 70 to 80 percent of who you
are said Weinstein. If you dont pay for [healthy food and eating habits] now, youll
pay for it later.
Optimal Nutrition clients include former SDSU star Marshall Faulk, as well as
various players from the Padres, Chargers, Raiders, Jets, and Seahawks. Since
its startup in 2006, the company has grown significantly, from 13 employees in
2007 to its current team of 23. Optimal Nutritions 2009 year-end sales
revenues are estimated to hit $850,000.
Jiva Activewear, Founded: 2008
Vanessa
Lynch-Lilligren, 35
Vanessa Lynch-Lilligren is the founder of Jiva Activewear, a
sustainable active wear design and manufacturing company. Lynch-Lilligren saw a
need in the market for active and loungewear made from something other than the
frumpy, coarse fabrics most natural apparels were made from. Lynch-Lilligren
began creating comfortable, chic, and sustainable active wear composed of
refined and organically grown hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo.
Besides making a natural product with high quality fabrics, Lynch-Lilligren
also wanted to increase the accessibility to her natural products and create a
competitive price point. Each piece is designed so that those who buy Jiva feel
they are adding something special to their wardrobe, said Lynch-Lillegren.Jiva
has more than doubled its online retail business in 2009, the company
says.
Jivas three-year goal is to expand distribution to eco-spas worldwide, large
outdoor retailing stores and major department stores, and to further its
exposure in online shopping communities.
Bagonia & Birch, Founded: 2008
Nichole
MacDonald, 30
Nichole MacDonald started Bagonia, a collection of socially
responsible and eco-friendly handbags for women, and as well as a smaller line
of products for men under the Birch line. The luxury handbags are both swanky
and environmentally conscious. Bagonia creates eco-friendly handbags using
organic and reclaimed materials and vegan leather. Each handbag is equipped
with eco-fittings, which includes a secret compartment sewn into each bag for
storing and reusing plastic grocery bags.
MacDonald, with the help of two interns, designs the bags in San Diego, then
manufactures the bags in Los Angeles under fair practices and wages. Nicholes
brand made headway at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where she gifted show
guests with her bags. Bagonias newest handbag, the Cycle-Chic bag, complete
with bike handle attachments, was designed to promote bike riding as an
alternative to gas-powered automobiles.
Wanting to prove that the overall stereotype that being eco-friendly has a
certain look or applies to a type of person is just not true, MacDonald says shes
keeping busy with a series of fashion shows, tradeshows and international
promotions, in an effort to quadruple the presence of bags in boutiques by this
time next year.
PineMark,
Founded: 2009
Karmel Allison, 23, Joe Magee, 29, and Lauren De Los Santos,
26
Karmel Allison, Lauren De Los Santos, and Joe Magee are the founders of
PineMark, a green lifestyle certification system for individuals. The team
behind PineMark saw an opportunity for individuals, not just large-scale
companies and buildings, to earn a green certification, stressing that
commitment to improve the environment must be made on an individual level.
Certifications
are awarded based on ones PineMark score, which is calculated by measuring an individuals
energy consumption, method of transportation, water usage, and general
lifestyle choices. The PineMark score is on a scale from 1 to 100. Increasing
ones score can be done by simply adjusting everyday habits. There is no cost to
join PineMark; however, obtaining a certification requires an application fee
ranging from $39 to $49, depending on the size of ones household. Earning a
certification can lead to the reduction of energy and gas bills. Members gain
access to discounts on a variety of green products.
Cleanology, Founded: 2003
Christine
McDannel, 29
Cleanology,
a San Diego-based cleaning company, credits its success and consistent annual
growth to going green. Founder Christine McDannel initially started Cleanology
in December 2003 as a non-green business, since green cleaning products were
expensive and ineffective at the time.
When
environmentally friendly cleaning products matched the price and effectiveness
of their non-green cleaning competitors, McDannel decided to switch. The
conversion took six months, and Cleanology has been completely green for the
last three years. Whether it be banning Styrofoam cups from company parties or
requiring that all printing be done on both sides of the page, McDannel must
constantly keep up Cleanologys strictly green philosophy.
The
company started with a staff of three and now has 16 employees. McDannel says
the companys increase in sales revenue from $50,000 in 2004 to $490,000 in 2008
has given her reason to believe that green living has become a permanent way of
life for San Diego consumers.
This
new generation coming up is really interesting for that reason says McDannel,
on the green lifestyle practiced by San Diegos young, professional community.
McDannel forecasts that Cleanology annual revenues will reach $1 million by
2012.
Pulse Staging & Events, Founded: 2005
