Preserving The Planet

Meet 3 Women

THE CHALLENGE

Growing up near coal-fired power plants in China and suffering severe sinus issues, Charlotte Wang felt the threat of air pollution—which caused 1.42 million deaths in China in 2019—personally. As global emissions continued to rise and Wang became a mother, she felt the need to act.

THE SOLUTION

After exploring solutions for China’s energy-intensive power grid as an MIT researcher, in 2014 Wang founded EQuota, which works like a fitness tracker app, but for large energy consumers. The easy-to-use platform gathers data from users’ existing monitoring systems, like smart meters, and leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze usage patterns and optimize energy use.

THE IMPACT

To date, EQuota has reduced carbon emissions by more than 82,000 tons, conserved nearly 390,000 megawatt hours of energy and saved customers more than $7 million. EQuota also helped close five coal-fired power plants, and in 2021 it became the only private company to serve China’s grid on its carbon management platform.

THE CHALLENGE

The streams in rural Kenya where Lorna Rutto swam as a child have run dry due to deforestation; Kenya’s tree cover decreased by 11% between 2000 and 2020. Rutto, leveraging her background in accounting, had an idea that could address this and two other key issues her country struggles with: poverty and rampant plastic pollution.

THE SOLUTION

Rutto cofounded EcoPost in 2010 to manufacture building products, like lumber and fencing, out of recycled plastic. In addition to diverting plastic from landfills, EcoPost provides job opportunities and fosters entrepreneurship in Kenya. Women who gather waste plastic from dumpsites for EcoPost receive business startup support, including physical and digital tools to grow their operations.

THE IMPACT

EcoPost has recycled over 6 million pounds of plastic waste while generating thousands of direct and indirect income opportunities for marginalized workers in Kenya. Rutto’s products have saved more than 850 acres of forests and mitigated more than 160,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.

THE CHALLENGE

When she was working with a large meal-kit company in 2015, Joanne Howarth was shocked by the sheer amount of polystyrene it used daily—forklift trucks full of it. The hazardous material often ends up in oceans, harming marine life and human health. And in landfills, it takes more than 500 years to degrade while also releasing methane.

THE SOLUTION

To fight the global plastic waste crisis, Howarth founded Planet Protector Packaging, which manufactures Woolpack, a sustainable, compostable polystyrene substitute made from sheep wool. The Australia-based company diverts non-textile-grade wool from landfills and turns it into reusable, high-quality packaging that outperforms all other alternatives and doesn’t use harsh chemicals.

THE IMPACT

Since 2016, Planet Protector Packaging has eliminated more than 7 million polystyrene boxes from supply chains, helped sheep farmers generate $7 million in new revenue and diverted over 3,500 tons of waste wool from landfills. Next, Howarth plans to expand into Southeast Asia and hopes her company will soon achieve global reach.