Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia English.
Hi Olivia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always cared for the planet through gardening while having a heart for the trash problems. I use to run a regenerative landscaping company for many years and half my job was usually picking up trash so I began researching better ways to use waste. There’s a hidden history of using waste into road infrastructure so I began talking with experts in this arena. As I learned the history of roads and waste being used in them, I connected with folks at the city and asked if we could try it ourselves. With the right experts, science, and team, we paved roads with trash. I call it the Trash to Roads project- we take plastic, tire rubber, and both and paved three roads to show innovative mixes that use waste while improving road performance. I still do gardening and landscaping projects as that’s where my strength is. It does feel good to see solutions being tried and tested. Scale is hard in selling recycled material over virgin oil based products. Innovation is an anomaly against red tape and old systems. Pushing to try new things can ironically come as a risk meanwhile the current state of solid waste and road performance is failing terribly. I’d say doing more of the same is the bigger risk. If more cities adopt performance based road mixes over “prescriptive” we could see an influx of recycling facilities taking on our trash and roads that will perform better with these ingredients. Public pressure is important because current paving contractors go to lengths to keep the broken system the same. We hope to pave more roads with trash throughout the USA and plant some gardens while we do it!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s not been a smooth road. Elon Musk once said “entrepreneurship is like eating glass and staring into the abyss” – whenever things don’t go well my friends and family say “just get a job” – people don’t always understand that being an entrepreneur is almost God given. I’m meant to serve the higher good that comes from within. And I do hustle between the feast/famine life of entrepreneurship. I’ve never had a safety net and I’ve bet it all on systems that haven’t worked. I recommend everyone take time to support the small businesses and the products that are local but maybe cost a bit more. Believe in new things and someone’s crazy idea.
As you know, we’re big fans of LiveGreenUSA. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
LiveGreenUSA specializes in circular solutions for innovations in solid waste and infrastructure. We audit problems, search for existing solutions, and we hand hold from pilot tests to full scale implementation. We love gardening and doing landscape design while turning trash into new materials. We have done it all.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My family and adventure makes me happy. My family keeps me grounded and adventures keep me informed and expose me to new worlds.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://LiveGreenUSA.com
