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Ackerman Center for Excellence in Sustainability Heart of Waraba Our stories
Kunal Desai with a local weaver in Kutch, Gujarat, India.

Rethinking Fashion, One Thread at a Time: The Philosophy Behind Umber and Ochre

In an industry obsessed with production speed and volume, Kunal Desai founded a brand based on the exact opposite: only make what you can sell, use materials that matter and preserve traditional art forms on the verge of disappearing.
Georgia Elliot-Smith smiling at camera

How Georgia Elliott-Smith Fights Dirty

"The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must." Georgia Elliott-Smith carries this line from Thucydides' Melian Dialogue as both warning and weapon.
2023 Sustainability Awards

Flex Gen and Green Heffa Farms Win

Earth Month ended with our 2023 UNC Sustainability Awards, a wonderful celebration of North Carolina businesses, alumni and students who all work to take i...
Wes Carter

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Turning Legacy into Leadership

Wes Carter spent his childhood in the waters of Wrightsville Beach, surfing the breaks and fishing the marshes that felt like a second home. The countless hours in the wilderness sculpted a reverence for the outdoors that would later shape his life’s work as president of Atlantic Packaging Corporation.
Good Bowls product image

Equiti Foods: Reimagining Health, One Good Bowl at a Time

How do we tackle the challenges of food insecurity without having to rely on temporary fixes? A solution to a problem as vast as food insecurity rarely arr...
Clarenda Stanley standing outside

Rooted to Rise: Clarenda Stanley on Building a Sustainable Brand

From Alabama roots to the rolling hills of Liberty, North Carolina, Clarenda Stanley—better known as Farmer Cee—is cultivating more than crops. Through G...
Kris Steele walking outside

Circular Roots: Regenerating Land, Culture and Community

From food scraps to producing food, Kris Steele and the Crown Town Team are building a circular food economy across Charlotte. Leading the next generatio...
Bonnie and her mother hugging on beach

A Question That Never Let Go: Bonnie Monteleone’s Lifelong Journey

A Question That Never Let Go: Bonnie Monteleone’s Lifelong Journey In the mid-1970s, 12-year-old Bonnie Monteleone watched from the kitchen as her mother ...
Aliyah Carrion

Aliyah Carrion on Style, Change and Student Activism

“When I was young – before I really cared about what other people thought of me — I would wear absolutely anything and everything,” says Aliyah Carrion, a...
Ajulo E. Othow standing outside

Powering Resilience: How EnerWealth is Reimagining Clean Energy Access

Imagine it’s a stormy day, sheltered in the comfort of your home, when suddenly the power goes out. In the city, electricity might return in a few hours. B...
Bama Bay Oyster Farm

Sustainable Aquaculture: Adapting to a Changing Climate

The Birth of Bama Bay: Jackie Wilson’s Journey to Oyster Farming Bama Bay Oyster Farm, located on the coast of Alabama, is Alabama’s first and only woman-o...
What is ropeless fishing?

Meet in the Middle

Having grown up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Chris Buchanan is familiar with the fishing industry. He remembers the little harbor down his street filled w...
Tiago Gomes, co-founder of the Latam Climate Turnaround Fund

A Jack of All Trades

Tiago Gomes, co-founder of the Latam Climate Turnaround Fund Tiago Gomes plays the role of a psychologist, a diplomat, a scientist  and an investor, but mo...
Seal the Seasons bags of fruit

Bridging the Gap between Farmer and Consumer

The Root of It All Alex Piaski Every entrepreneur’s journey starts somewhere; Alex Piaski’s began at the dining room table with his family in Philadelphia...
Glass jars of grain

Keep it Simple. Keep it Organik.

Connecting to the Source In life, most of us are on a journey to unveil what our true purpose is. Sometimes we envision the path as linear, but as we go t...