Earlier this term, as part of their Extended Learning Programme (ELP), the Year 12 cohort were the lucky recipients of an inspiring and highly thought-proving talk by OF, Joe Lipman.
Joe, who left the College in 2019, talked to the pupils about how to overcome adversity and how an unsuccessful Oxbridge application enabled him to pursue an unexpected, but not unwelcomed, goal of becoming both an entrepreneur and sustainability change maker.
He described his journey as a keen environmental champion starting after his partner at the time bet him, whilst still at the College, that he could not become a vegetarian for a week. The bet was one he successfully won and a habit he has continued since. He told pupils how this has led him to really consider why going vegetarian was an environmental choice and how his single behaviours could impact the environmental crisis the planet is currently facing.
As a result, Joe’s passion for supporting a more eco-conscious generation has led him to actively research how he could also encourage his generational peers consider the sustainability of their social media and shopping habits.
Through extensive research with university students, Joe has uncovered some worrying statistics on Gen Z’s social media habits, including that 82% of the university population have what could be described as a scrolling addiction, with many of those individuals scrolling on average 914 metres per day, the equivalent of three stacked Eiffel Towers.
A highly engaged audience heard Joe talk about how a combination of this research and his passion has led Joe, and an ever-growing team, to develop sustainability app ‘Name’, aimed to encourage what he defines as ‘mindful scrolling’ whilst also encouraging more sustainable shopping habits amongst a digitally addicted generation.
Through the app, users can watch short videos, shop, and earn, but all with a focus on social and environmental sustainability. Joe said: “We hope Name will be a step in the right direction to embed sustainability in our everyday lives. We’re looking to make scrolling more purposeful and meaningful. All the products and brands on Name are verified and rated in accordance with their sustainability credentials.
“Lots of people dig around the subject but we believe the access and ease of engagement is a key factor missing from the current market. With the type of progress we’ve made with Name, we can see a future in which sustainability isn’t just an industry, it’s part of our culture.”
Talking about how they landed on ‘Name’ for the app he added: “Your name is a personal identifier for you, but every person in the world has one. It tied into our concept so well – sustainability is about your personal choices and it will start to make a difference when everybody comes together.”
