“We all share the responsibility of protecting our waterways and oceans.”
– Brian Linton and Mike Cangi, Co-founders of United By Blue
We might pride ourselves as a modern and progressive civilization. Most of use, however, have little realization of the heavy price we pay for our modern way of life. The price comes in the form of mindless exploitation of our planet’s resources. The comforts of our modern, material world is causing massive, probably irreparable, harm to Earth.
Amidst such a gloomy scenario, thankfully, there are some individuals who are trying to salvage the situation. Their sincere efforts are making a difference in saving the only home we have—our Earth. Brian Linton and Mike Cangi, co-founders of an eco-friendly apparel brand, United By Blue, truly shine in their mission to save Earth’s waterways and oceans. Learn how Brian and Mike are doing more than their bit to save mother Earth.
Protecting Water Bodies
Brian and Mike believe that every living thing on this planet is united by the blue of Earth’s waterways and oceans. They consider it our collective responsibility to protect these water bodies.
Their apparel company, which manufactures and sells apparel such as organic jewelry, bags, and T-shirts, removes one pound of waste from waterways and oceans for every item sold. The effort might seem doabale when the numbers are small, but when you sell more than a million items you realize it’s a mighty serious undertaking.
The duo’s pledge to take out one pound of waste means rallying their team members and like-minded volunteers to pick up abandoned trucks, appliances, plastic bottles, and tires from beaches, rivers, and other water bodies.
Brian and Mike organized their first clean-up the same week they sold their first T-shirt. So far, the pair has arranged 210 cleanups and taken out 1,059,981 pounds of waste across 27 states.
Cutting Down on the Use of Plastic
These guys aren’t just focused on cleaning up the waste; they discourage creation of such waste, especially plastic. Through these clean-ups, the pair noticed the huge amount of plastic that enters our environment. Therefore, among several other efforts, the duo has deliberately cut down on the use of plastic within the for-profit company. All their hang tags are created from elephant poop. Furthermore, the company wraps its garments in biodegradable banana fiber paper.
A Company That Cares
Brian and Mike are leaving no stone unturned to position United By Blue as a company that cares for the well-being of its customers and the environment.
They do the most good they possibly can by using the power of environmental action, education, and business. They link each business transaction with real environmental action. What’s more, Brian’s social-entrepreneurship strides have won many accolades from The Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, and Bloomberg.
Brian and Mike deserve a medal for their inspirational efforts and commitment to preserving Earth.
