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Dwell
At home in the modern world
www.dwell.comGood
A collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward
www.good.isideeli
a blog for fashion insiders- filled with shopping tips, humorous luxury items, and upcoming fashion trends.
blog.ideeli.com/GreenYour
Your go-to guide for whatever you want to "green"
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OZOcar is New York's first hybrid luxury car service that won't compromise your conscience because in an OZOcar luxury and responsibility co-exist.
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OZOlab believes that environmental challenges pose rich opportunity for radical innovation and value creation within capital markets
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Lea Simpson is one of the three founding partners of UnchainedGuide.com – a guide to the best independent shops in New York and London. A social entrepreneur and a big fan of trying to use the brilliance of sound business thinking to make a difference in the world, she spends her time consulting for businesses as a communications strategist and is part of a sustainability think tank called London United. She also has lofty ambitions to be as dedicated to yoga as she currently is to cheesecake.
What are your favorite sustainable elements of your home?
My sewing machine.
What has been your biggest lifestyle change?
The really big turning point came for me when I realized my day job didn’t fulfill my personal concerns and interests. So, I quit my high-paying job in marketing to use my skills in ways that made me personally proud.
What has been your smallest lifestyle change?
As a founder in Unchained, the smallest (and most enjoyable) change has been to actively avoid shopping at big chains. It hasn’t been a massive sacrifice and I feel more connected to my local area and have many new friends. I’m still stunned by the amount of times people suggest meeting me in Starbucks.
If you had five minutes in the Oval Office, what would you say?
I would ask him to encourage social enterprise and make environmental concerns part of the everyday agenda. Green consciousness should not be a separate concern but a natural part of how we live, work, and do business.
What is your favorite sustainable item in your closet?
My gorgeous Worn Again handbag. They upcycle virgin waste that would otherwise go into landfill into gorgeous arm candy.
Lea Simpson
Co-founder of Unchainedguide.com
"Green consciousness should not be a separate concern but a natural part of how we live, work, and do business."
What’s your recommended summer reading list?
I think we should all be reading our food labels. We have one rule when we go shopping – if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, you don’t eat it.
Who is your green superhero?
Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition Towns movement and author of The Transition Handbook.
What keeps you up at night?
Mindless consumerism. And that we’re living in a time where we have deeper relationships with our favorite brands than we do with our next door neighbors.
What’s your not-so-green guilty pleasure?
Electrical appliances. I’m a geek and foodie so my world is awash with gadgets and appliances.
What’s something you hope to pass down to your children (and children’s children)?
For all the children in the world’s leading cities, I hope to be part of a legacy that encourages the craft industry and shopkeepers of the future.
Which environmental groups and nonprofits get your stamp of approval?
I love the New Economics Foundation and I’m completely addicted to their remarkable white papers.
What’s on your wish list?
I’m really proud that what was once on my wishlist now exists thanks to the work my partners and I have done. The final phase of that wish is in development: an online shop selling the products from the best independent businesses in one place. Our site is about to be a store with concessions run by the amazing shopkeepers we work and hang out with every day.
If you could snap your fingers and create a green product or service that doesn’t exist yet, what would it be?
I’d like a teleportation device so that I can travel without denting my carbon footprint. Ambition is good?
What’s your little green secret?
My stepdaughter has a sticker chart that we fill for good behavior. One of the things she gets stickers for is remembering to turn off lights around the house - especially the one in her own bedroom.
