Lauren Singer is an American environmental activist, entrepreneur, investor, and blogger in the zero waste movement.[1] She is most notable for collecting all of the waste she has created since 2012 in a 16-ounce mason jar.[2] Her blog, Trash Is for Tossers, documents her lifestyle. She is the founder of Package Free and The Simply Co.

Lauren Singer
Singer in 2017
Born (1991-05-04) May 4, 1991 (age 33)
EducationNew York University
University of Columbia
Occupations
Years active2012–present

Early life and education

edit

Singer was born in New York City and raised in Westchester County, New York. She is Jewish. She received an undergraduate at New York University and received degrees in environmental studies and politics in 2013 and her master's degree at Columbia University. She is a managing partner at Overview Capital, a venture fund investing in businesses addressing the mitigation of methane and other short-lived climate pollutants in their earliest stages. Singer previously worked as a sustainability manager for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection,[3] prior to founding The Simply Co. and Package Free.

Career and activism

edit

In 2012, Singer began collecting the waste she produced in a 16-ounce mason jar, detailing her zero waste life on her blog Trash Is for Tossers. She simultaneously made her own personal care products and changing her consumer behavior to divert waste from landfill and divest from industries that cause environmental pollution.

Singer left her full-time job in 2014 and launched The Simply Co., an organic laundry detergent company. Her product was sold via Kickstarter’s website and at wholesale locations across the United States.[4][original research?]

In 2017, Singer opened Package Free as a three-month pop-up shop in Williamsburg.[5] In 2023, Singer co-founded Overview Capital.

Lauren Singer cited Rachel Carson and Bea Johnson as the authors and activists who inspired her interest in environmental sustainability.[6]

Singer has been named a Business Insider "woman to watch",[7] one of InStyle’s "50 badass women changing the world",[8] and a Well+Good "2020 changemaker".[9]

References

edit
  1. ^ Mazzo, Lauren (November 14, 2019). "How Lauren Singer, Founder of Package Free, Is Leading the Waste-Reducing Revolution". Shape. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  2. ^ "Can a person really live trash-free? How this 27-year-old CEO makes it work". TODAY.com. April 25, 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  3. ^ Lauren Singer - Zero Waste - UW Carbon Challenge! - Green Seed Grant, retrieved 2022-09-21
  4. ^ "The Simply Co. - 3 Ingredient Organic Laundry Detergent!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  5. ^ "30 Under 30 2020: Social Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  6. ^ "Life Outside the Box: Lauren Singer". Experience Life.
  7. ^ Madell, Robin (November 14, 2019). "We asked top founders, CEOs, and executives to highlight the women 30 and under to watch". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  8. ^ "The Badass 50". InStyle. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  9. ^ "These are the 27 most influential people in wellness". Well+Good. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
edit