Six of the best environmentally-friendly Australian startups

At Ideas Hoist, we’ve noticed that startups with an environmental purpose are on the rise.

As the world grapples with the immensity of waste, climate and biodiversity challenges, these eco-friendly entrepreneurs are finding innovative and exciting ways to help meet these challenges, while improving the lives of future generations and preserving our natural environment.

MyGreenWorld

Natalie Kyriacou is the founding director of MyGreenWorld, which aims to inspire change, education and activism around wildlife conservation.

She recently designed and produced an app called ‘World of the Wild’, which allows the gamer to build their own wildlife sanctuary, and rescue, feed and provide medical care for a variety of animals, compete in educational pop quizzes, and meet some of the world’s most endangered species. It’s a fun way to discover and learn about animals and how they can be saved.

Natalie’s passion for the environment and wildlife welfare inspired her to launch her own idea to try to pass on her ideas on the importance of wildlife conservation.

Hive Haven

Ann and Jeff Ross are the founders of Hive Haven, another wildlife-inspired project. When Ann and Jeff found a beehive in their workshop, instead of calling the exterminator, they lured the bees into a box and made their own honey.

With the global shortage in honeybees, Ann and Jeff have found a way to tackle some of the most common problems of beekeeping, including temperature control, small hive beetle and spore-based disease, by designing environmentally friendly beehive boxes.

Not only are they making and selling great honey but they’re making a real difference in helping to save an industry and species in crisis.

Sustain Me

Stephen Halpi is a dedicated recycling machine and co-founder of Sustain Me, which is an innovative app that will help you recycle because if you were asked ‘is broken glass recyclable or not?’ What would be your answer? Most of us would um and ah before coming to the conclusion that it’s not eco-friendly.

However, you’re wrong – after Stephen’s investigations, he found that glass is still recyclable even when it’s broken. Sustain Me helps you recycle and encourages you to make the right decision when disposing of your rubbish.

NatureMapr

There are so many beautiful species of plants around Australia yet the average busy working person hardly has the time to explore their backyard and what’s growing in it.

You may hear of animal species becoming extinct, but did you know that many plants and trees might become extinct too? Aaron Clausen, founder of NatureMapr and an active bushwalker has developed an online platform that is available to everyone around the world to record and view endangered plants and animals that they come across.

The innovative idea was noticed by the ACT government conservation officers and shared around its colleagues.

Pollinate Energy

While India is ranked number 10 largest economy in the world by GDP, there are many people in the country without access to reliable energy for such essentials as cooking and lighting.

Alexie Seller, business developer at Pollinate Energy, aims to help, not just by supplying innovative clean-energy solutions but also by providing local people with opportunities to become energy entrepreneurs, benefiting both themselves and their communities.

EdgePledge

With almost 20% of Australia’s wildlife in the ‘threatened’ category, the founders of EdgePledge are using a new model to raise money through the idea of pledging.

People who wish to participate can sign up and have family and friends vote on three challenges and they must complete the most voted challenge to raise the funds. The money raised goes towards helping wildlife facing extinction. The pledges will start soon; you can sign up to their mailing list if you would like to be ‘on the edge’.

This article was first published on Ideas Hoist.

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