Meet the Sustain PHL Nominees: Business Innovation

This nominee is a for-profit company with a new and innovative product, solution or service.

In August, Philadelphia’s SustainPHL Awards will highlight and celebrate these community changemakers. Join us to honor them and announce the recipient at the SustainPHL Awards on August 16th at WHYY!

SUSTAINPHL BUSINESS INNOVATION NOMINEES 2018

• Hungry Harvest
• MIO Culture
• Philly Microgreens

HUNGRY HARVEST

Baltimore-based subscription service Hungry Harvest expanded to Philadelphia in February 2016. It delivers boxes of produce to your doorstep — but not just any produce. These are “rescued” fruits and vegetables (aka “ugly produce”) that would otherwise go uneaten, due to their unusual size, shape, color, or other quirks.

Hungry Harvest also donates a portion of this produce to Philabundance and other hunger-solving organizations across the country. It’s all part of a two-fold mission: to cut down on food waste while addressing food insecurity.

The company is currently reducing waste at a rate of 100,000 lbs per week, which translates to approximately 3,000,000 gallons of water saved.

MIO CULTURE

MIO specializes in making sustainable (and stylish) furniture in Philadelphia. And while similar brands sell their products at astronomical prices, MIO keeps its creations affordable, all by using recycled materials.  

Cardboard and paper, wool felt, and wood from pre-consumer waste are only some of the materials lovingly turned into light fixtures, shelving units, chairs, and more.  

MIO also provides consulting services to help other companies and projects pursue sustainable design and processes.

PHILLY MICROGREENS

Philly Microgreens is one of the city’s first indoor vertical farms — that means it operates under LED lights and in controlled climate conditions. This eliminates the need for pesticides and herbicides and requires 90% less water than conventional agriculture!

The farm specializes in organic microgreens, which are known to be better tasting and up to 40 times more nutritious than their “adult” counterparts.

Philly Microgreens offers complimentary delivery to residents and businesses in the city, as well as free educational workshops. Run by owner Casey Tabor, the classes instruct participants on how to grow their own microgreens. They also aim to inform as many people as possible about the world of vertical farming, in the hopes of promoting this innovative approach to agriculture.

Join us at SustainPHL on August 16th to find out who will become the 2018 Business Innovation recipient!