The Indisposable Podcast®

This week's episode is all about standards – why they're needed to scale reusable packaging and infrastructure, and how they serve as a critical piece of the puzzle that enables businesses to operate and thrive in the growing circular economy.  Host Matt Prindiville sits down with Amy Larkin and Claudette Juska, Co-Founders of PR3 at RESOLVE, who have dug in hard on the infrastructure question. Th...

Across America, thousands of people are organizing in local communities to help build a better way than throw-away in their cities and towns. In this episode, we speak with organizers from three very different U.S. cities in different stages of the work and learn about their shared challenges and key elements of success in building coalitions for change. With Doug Calem (Columbus, OH), Dawn Rodrig...

We all agree that corporations need to have some skin in the game when it comes to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), green design and taking their packaging back for reuse or recycling – but the devil is truly in the details. There’s good EPR and bad EPR. Kirstie Pecci of the Conservation Law Foundation and Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics have been working intimately on EPR in several states...

In this episode, we celebrate Earth Day and this year’s official Earth Day theme – invest in our planet– by talking about how we can invest in reusable systems to help solve climate and environmental justice issues. With Upstream’s own policy analyst Marcel Howard and Rich Grousset of Re:Dish, we discuss what actions we can take and explore Upstream’s new Climate & Reuse Toolkit, which contains to...

With big brands signaling support for extended producer responsibility (EPR), deposit-return systems (DRS), and – most recently – reuse/refill, new opportunities have opened up to pass policy and create the infrastructure needed to transform how we consume products like food, beverages, personal care and cleaning products. Maine-based bottle redemption business CLYNK uses the same infrastructure f...

As fans return to sporting arenas and music lovers celebrate the return of concerts and festivals, sustainability issues at events and venues are coming back into focus – specifically, what to do about the ever-present disposable plastic cup. In partnership with the Green Sports Alliance, Upstream kicked off their new Indisposable Live™ series by discussing the experiences of entrepreneurs and ass...

Celebrating women’s history month and reuse entrepreneurs, in this episode we speak with Anukampa Freedom Gupta-Fonner, Reusies 2021 finalist for Activist of the Year – and founder of Design by Freedom, an invention company propelling the circular economy and working to make trash history. Freedom is fully devoting her attention to designing a  new way of getting groceries without all the waste: H...

Roger McClendon is the Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance (GSA), a trade organization that convenes stakeholders from around the sporting world to promote healthy, waste-free communities where we live and play. Learn about Roger’s journey from being a superstar college basketball player, to founding the Chief Sustainability Officer role at Yum Brands (parent company to KFC, Taco Bell,...

The podcast journeys down under to Australia! Brooking Gatewood sits down with early reuse Solutioneer, Abigail Forsyth, Founder/CEO of KeepCup – one of the top reusable cup companies in the world and voted #1 reusable cup by GQ in 2021.  Abigail talks about the early days of trying to normalize reuse in her community while owning/operating a Melbourne cafe in the late 90s. From designing their ow...

The problem of plastic pollution is not just a matter of waste – it is also a matter of justice. As Gulf Coast organizer John Beard notes, communities living in areas of petrochemical extraction are living in “sacrifice zones” and suffering the toxic consequences of our extractive economy without even receiving the benefits of industry jobs. And all across the country, these communities – all too...

This week, host Matt Prindiville chats with Miriam Gordon, Policy Director at Upstream, about the benefits of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging and the exciting brink we are on for passing these policies in the United States. Learn how EPR supports corporate brand accountability, source reduction and the circular economy – and why it’s important that we leverage the waste reduct...

In celebration of Black History Month, Upstream’s Policy Analyst & Coordinator, Marcel Howard, talks about the start of the environmental justice movement and its historical connection to environmental racism. Learn how Black and minority communities are still being disproportionately and unjustly impacted by climate change and pollution today – and the roles we can all play to advocate for fair,...

This week, host Matt Prindiville talks with Rachel Morier, the Director of Sustainability at The Beer Store & Brewers Distributor Ltd, one of the top beer sellers in Ontario, Canada. The Beer Store’s innovative returnable/reusable bottles undergo a comprehensive process of washing, sanitizing, refilling, labeling and reshelving – all within just 3 days. Tune in to learn how this visionary model is...

This week, host Matt Prindiville chats with Upstream’s two founders, Dr. Bill Sheehan and Helen Spiegelman – two advocates behind what is now known as the “reuse movement”. Learn how Bill and Helen began catalyzing conversations with business, government and nonprofit leaders to redesign the systems generating single-use waste – and how that helped drive today’s biggest cities and governments to s...

This week, we’re introducing you to the four newest members of Upstream’s Board of Directors: Linda Corrado, Ashley Craig, Rose Stephens-Booker and Daniel Velez! We asked each of them to tell us something we wouldn’t know from looking at their LinkedIn profile and what inspired them to join Upstream’s Board and the reuse movement. Plus, hear their top New Year “reuse-solutions” for starting down t...

This week, host Matt Prindiville chats with a new member of Upstream’s Board of Directors, entrepreneur Daniel Velez – Co-founder and CEO of Growly, an innovative online craft beer delivery service. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Growly uses the milkman model to deliver locally made craft beer, cold brew coffee, and kombucha in returnable growlers. Tune in to hear how Daniel is pioneering craft bevera...

This week, host Matt Prindiville joins Charles Bieler – Founder and CEO of Bieler Wines, winemaker, and innovator – to discuss reuse in wine and wine service. At the forefront of the industry for more than 20 years, Bieler has been named by Food & Wine Magazine and the Wine Enthusiast as one of the “40 Big Food Thinkers Under 40.” From wine on-tap in restaurants to a return-to-retail reusable/refi...

Rounding out our special series for The Reusies™, Matt Prindiville talks with Garr Punnett, Chief of Staff and Circular Economist at Rheaply – the National Reuse Awards 2021 Most Innovative Reuse Company award winner. Rheaply’s online resource management and exchange platform helps businesses around the world better manage their physical assets to improve supply chain issues and minimize resource...

This week, for another special episode in our series on The Reusies™, host Brooking Gatewood sits down with members of Reusable LA – the 2021 Most Impactful Community Leadership award winner at the National Reuse Awards. Alison Waliszewski with 5 Gyres, Melissa Aguayo with Break Free From Plastic, and Emily Parker with Heal the Bay share the history and victories of this powerful and inclusive coa...

This week, tune in for another special episode in our series for The Reusies™ as host Matt Prindiville sits down with Lindsey McCoy, CEO and Co-Founder of Plaine Products – the 2021 Fan Favorite Reuse Company award winner at the National Reuse Awards. Plaine Products delivers its personal care and beauty products directly to consumers in reusable aluminum containers, along with a prepaid mailer to...

This week, we’re bringing you reuse success stories from San Francisco as restaurant owners and reuse service providers share all the benefits they’ve experienced after switching to reusables for dine-in and take-out. This episode was adapted from our recent livestream, “Reusables Win in SF,” in partnership with the San Francisco Department of the Environment and the Golden Gate Restaurant Associa...

This week, we join The Reusies™ 2021 Activist of the Year award winner, Crystal Dreisbach, for another episode in our special series on the National Reuse Awards. Located in Durham, NC, Crystal founded the non-profit Don’t Waste Durham and the reusable to-go container service GreenToGo, using her activist platform to build awareness and drive action. Learn why Crystal saw the need to bring reuse t...

Our special episode series for The Reusies™ National Reuse Awards continues with the full panel discussion from the event on September 30. Moderated by science communicator and TV personality Danni Washington, panelists Matt Prindiville of Upstream; Bridget Croke of Closed Loop Partners; Liz Segran of Fast Company; and artist/activist Benjamin Von Wong discuss their vision for an #indisposable fut...

In another episode of our special series for The Reusies™, meet Danni Washington, moderator and host of the inaugural National Reuse Awards™. Danni is a world-renowned television personality, science communicator, and the first African-American woman to host her own science television series. Danni talks with Matt Prindiville about her mission-focused work educating youth about the importance of r...

The Reusies™ (aka the National Reuse Awards) special series continues with Benjamin Von Wong, an internationally recognized photographer and activist and a Reusies award show panelist. Benjamin’s recent work brings attention to plastic pollution, fast fashion, e-waste and other environmental issues. In this episode, Benjamin joins host Brooking Gatewood to talk about some of his recent projects an...