The Marin School of Environmental Leadership (MSEL) is a magnet program within Terra Linda with a focus on environmental conservation, business, and leadership as a whole. Although students take part in a variety of opportunities throughout their high school experience, such as internships and volunteer work, one of the most notable is their College of Marin (COM) business partnership, which gives students the opportunity to create their own sustainable businesses. Every year, the students take an Introduction to Business COM class with Professor Tim Wat, and begin building their pitches halfway through the semester. They then pitch their businesses to a panel, and 8 of the 31 businesses get chosen, funded, and move forward to production. Next they transition to an Entrepreneurship course where they work on bringing their business to life. Each student whose business is chosen becomes a CEO, and “hires” the remaining students to become employees of their businesses, building a team that works together to run a successful company. This year, the businesses are creating products ranging from sustainable body butter to eco-friendly car air fresheners.
Sow Calm
The first business is Sow Calm, run by CEO Lilah Harrington ‘27. Harrington had the unique idea to make biodegradable surprise seed starter kits. She explained, “You pop it open, and it comes with soil and a mystery seed that you’ll grow.” The idea is inspired by the blind box industry, and how wasteful it’s become. Harrington says, “After you open a bling box toy, you don’t really do anything with it.” With Sow Calm, that’s not the case. Each unit takes them around 10 minutes to produce, and they plan on selling each one for around $10. Make sure to check out places like local nurseries, Scotties Market, Whole Foods, and more for their selling days. For more information, check out Sow Calm’s Instagram.
AloeHa
If you’re in the market for an all natural body butter, check out AloeHa, created by Anna Wallen. Each jar of body butter will set you back $12. Wallen shared, “it’s an all natural body butter that has locally sourced Aloe Vera in it and other ingredients.” When Wallen noticed how many skincare brands use poor ingredients which harm your skin and the environment, she knew she had to do something about it. Though the body butter formula is simple, it takes two days to process. She explained, “The first day, we melt all the oils together and harvest the Aloe. And the second day, after the ingredients have been refrigerated, everything gets whipped together with the arrowroot powder, and we put it into jars and label it.” If you’re interested, they will be selling at Scotty’s, Marinwood Market, and Big Rock. They hope to partner with local businesses like Prooflab and other surfshops/sustainable beauty stores to really get their product out there!
Honey Hold
Ame McCoy is CEO and founder of Honey Hold, a business that makes reusable sandwich/ziploc bags. They’re made of cotton, and infused with beeswax and coconut oil to make them waterproof. McCoy detailed her pricing: “$6 for small, $10 for medium, $15 for large, and $20 for an embroidered medium.” McCoy’s business was influenced by her personal experience of packing her lunch everyday. She says, “I pack a lunch every single day, as it’s a part of my [Japanese] culture to do so. I wanted to do something not only connected to my culture, but was something I had many possible customers already for, as my mom runs a Japanese preschool!” They already have their selling dates planned, so go on their Instagram to keep up with those. They’re hoping to sell 200 bags, with a goal to make at least $1,500 to $2,000.
FreshRide
The fourth business is FreshRide, an eco-friendly car air freshener produced by Rose Duncan. To eliminate all the harmful chemicals many other fresheners have, they use wood dipped in essential oils. Each one is being sold for $12. Duncan’s friend inspired the idea about a year ago, and this was her chance to make it a reality. The business uses limited materials such as, “wood essential oils, and string,” according to Duncan. She also shared, “the production takes around an hour and a half.” They hope to sell 25 units a month, and will be located at places such as Marinwood Market, Scotties, school/school events, and Hot Yoga Republic. Keep up with when and where they’re selling through their Instagram.
Tropic Glow
Do you need a way to relax after a stressful day at school? Take a peek at Tropic Glow, a clay face mask business created by Ariana Rivas. They all contain pink rose kaolin clay, and have other raw ingredients such as fruit, petal, or leaf powders. “I was inspired by my mom and the natural skincare practices she and my aunts used when they were younger in El Salvador,” Rivas explained. The product only takes about 10-15 minutes to manufacture. It took Rivas 2-3 months to think of her business as “[her] ideas were constantly shifting.” Their monthly goal is 20-40 units, giving them a profit of $400 monthly. Though they haven’t started selling yet, they’re preparing to start their sale days!
Pure
Pure is a sustainable hand sanitizer business developed by Evie Noyes. They have not just one scent, but three to choose from. Noyes said, “it has a 99.9% effectiveness, completely FDA approved, as well as being gentle on the planet while resonating with our customers values of protecting the planet.” Noyes works at Hot Yoga Republic, a pilates/yoga studio, which inspired her product. She elaborated, “their entire business is built around the idea of being super fun, clean, effective, and giving a high quality experience. I took some of these ideals into my business idea, working towards creating a luxurious high quality hand sanitizer.” The hand sanitizer is made using organic food grade ethanol, distilled water, vitamin E oils, and essential oils, as well as being packaged in completely sustainable glass bottles and tops. Not only is Pure promoting their business through social media, but they’re also having a launch day at Hot Yoga Republic!
Game Face
Sadie Messick created Game Face, a colored-zinc business. They’re sold in 1 ounce metal tins for $8 each. Messick’s business came from her love of sports and self expression. “I’ve played sports all my life, but also a way I express myself is through fashion and my personal style.” she shared. “When you have to wear the same jersey as everyone else, it limits your ability to be unique.” Game Face changes that. It gives you a way to express yourself, whether it’s in the pool or on the field. It’s made using sunflower oil, jojoba oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, zinc oxide powder, and different skin safe color powders. Not only are they promoting their business on their own Instagram, but they plan to reach out to different sports teams’ Instagrams to also promote it. They plan on selling at different sporting events, and are going to begin selling this week. Be on the lookout for Game Face!
Plumb Guard
The final business is Arya Dev’s Plumb Guard. It’s a quick lead testing spray, which can help homeowners detect lead on painted surfaces, metal surfaces, or any antique furniture. Dev explained how the product works, “it produces a bright green fluorescent response under UV light when it comes in contact within 500 ppm.” Each unit is $25, coming with two vials (10 mL), a brochure, and a flashlight. Dev’s inspiration came from his desire to have a research related experience, as he’s passionate about the principles of physical chemistry as well as sustainability. They’ve started selling, and after only two days of official sales, they’ve amassed $600. There are more sell days to come!
