(Applause)
Good afternoon, thank you.
Thank you for the introduction.
As you just heard, we sell packaging
that is disposable, organic and environmentally friendly.
I don´t know who amongst you, either during your coffee break or lunch hour,
had the chance to use one of these cups.
Everyone. (Applause) I´m going to hand them over to you
so I can explain some of the material's characteristics
and so you can touch them and see
that they were Green Pack cups.
can you do me the favour of passing them around.
The disposable organic compounds that we sell
are substitutes for plastic
but with superior characteristics
If you have ever bought coffee in a styrofoam cup
or in a plastic one, you will have ingested more than 23 different toxins
which is not ideal for drinking coffee.
So, we are focused on developing new technology
to make a product that is 100% organic
which is what we are made of.
We use an inedible corn starch
which is not approved by the FDA - in case anyone wants to attack me
for making prices go up -
Because that's not the case. If we didn´t use this rejected corn
to make packaging, it would be burned.
So we use an inedible corn starch
and inedible tuber starch.
How does this work?
Well, in reality, thanks to the technology that we have developed
for packaging material, we have made a product that
has a microscopic porous texture, which enables micro-organisms
to degrade it
and that is what it really means to be "biodegradable",
it's the ability for a raw material
or a finished product to be degraded
by micro-organisms over a certain period of time.
Certain plastics have added substances - "OXO" is an example -
which enables the plastic to degrade
and to break down,
but it is never consumed by micro-organisms
so we're talking about something that is worse
because it's harder to collect
and only a small percentage
of these "OXO" products are compatible
with normal plastic recycling systems.
So, it's worse
but really,
I don't want to talk to you about how harmful plastic is
because I think that we are all aware
of how harmful plastic is to our ecosystems.
I took the liberty of including some slides
so that you can see the things
that happen every day but which we don't see
these are really alarming pictures.
In this one, it's not that the bags are
really well coordinated. (Laughter)
It's a photoshopped image alluding to what animals eat
because there are animals that eat jellyfish. There is a food chain
and it is sad to see animals eat plastic
and then end up dying.
Two million turtles die every year, solely due to the consumption of plastic
It's a truly alarming statistic
Can someone tell me what this is?
No, How about now?
60,000 plastic bags are eaten
every 5 seconds, that's astonishing!
Personally, ever since I was a boy
I thought it was incredible to be given something disposable
whose purpose is to be useful for a very short period of time
and then have to throw it away
and that this raw material takes some 600 to 800 years to bio-degrade.
To me something doesn't add up, I don't know about you...
I don't know if you remember before the iPod came out
what we used to use? Walkmans, Discmans...
The Walkman was huge.
If you went jogging with a Walkman, you would end up like Julio Martinez.
like this... because your shorts would be down here
(Laughter)
And if you were mugged you could hit the thief
with the Walkman and knock him out.
Steve Jobs had a phrase that I really liked,
when he introduced the ipod he said:
"I like to think that in our own small way
we are making the planet a better place", and that way of thinking
is what I'm so fond of.
This is the way we think every day at Green Pack.
We believe that we are making a change with the product we sell
and, actually, I don't know if you can tell
but I speak about this with great passion
and I love my product.
I'm actually going to change the subject briefly.
I think the last time I messed up an appointment,
I remember it was a few years ago,
was when we went to a hennery to develop a new egg box
and the manager told me: Look, your product is very good
but I need my eggs to be on display.
(Laughter)
We didn't have a good start right?
So, we obviously didn't fulfill this requirement
because our packaging isn't transparent.
There's a statistic here in Guatemala, that one in every two kids
under 5 years old suffers from chronic malnutrition.
That's alarming!
If you think about it, that's 50% of all kids
under 5 years old suffering from chronic malnutrition.
I think it's incredible.
A few years ago, thanks to my wife,
I got involved in an organisation called "Un techo para mi pais"
We went to Santa Rosa to help with construction, and since then I've continued
to be involved,
as of that moment my sense of social commitment was awakened.
that's why I decided to continue to be involved in this initiative.
and I started to experience first-hand
the level of malnutrition that really exists in these community
It's staggering!
The kids are skinny, not because they are from Zacapa
or because it's "cute", no, they're skinny
because they have a high level of malnutrition
and that is really alarming, really alarming.
So, after that I decided
I get in touch with my uncle
who has dedicated roughly 40 years to social service
I said I had to work with him; I had to meet him
to brainstorm some ideas at the very least
and see what came out.
And I he told me about a plant,
a plant that has 3 times more protein per 100 grams than eggs,
it has 4 times more calcium than milk,
7 times more vitamin C than oranges,
3 times more potassium than bananas,
and 2 times more iron than spinach.
How?
Incredible!
And besides this, he told me that
it's one of the fastest growing plants in the world;
it grows 3.5 meters every 9 months.
This is great!
Then he said "pay attention, this is very interesting"
if the seeds are cold pressed
- in other words put through a simple manual press -
oil can be obtained.
This oil has the same properties
as vegetable oil. What does this mean?
It means you can use it to cook. And what's so good about that?
The nutrients will be passed
from the oil to the food
this... this can't be. Well,
it's yet another excellent property of this plant.
Then he says "But that's not all,
after you press the seeds and obtain the oil
you'll be left with the skin, and in the middle of this skin
there's a thin layer that's very, very sticky
that brakes the skin when pressed
and becomes exposed."
He tells me that I can take a bucket of waste water,
river water, lake water, whatever is close to the community;
I can take the skin and put it in the bucket,
stir it for about ten minutes,
and this sticky substance makes the small particles of impurities,
14% of bacteria and the soil stick to it
so that when I remove the skin, all these impurities are removed with it
I won't get a bucket of drinking water,
but I will obtain a bucket of water suitable for washing containers,
for washing clothes, and for many other uses
that have developed in the community.
It's an incredible plant, it can't be true, and he tells me "that's not all".
(Laughter)
I'm basically drooling,
He tells me "This plant is used in many countries
it's native to India, but it's used in many countries
where it is interspersed with other seeds". What does this mean?
Well, needless to say
if I'm growing Pimiento Chilies, for example,
I can plant Moringa oleifera trees in between the Pimiento Chilies
and during the dry season their roots have such a capacity
that they can store enough water
to feed the crops during the dry season.
This means that not only is the plant good for eating
but it also helps other crops to grow.
Impressive, I thought this was impressive.
From there
we decided to start the project.
I said "I've got to do something with this plant, now!"
and so we implemented it in Green Pack.
And it has been a way to trade
whilst being socially responsible. Why?
Because people are interested in showing our product
because it is very innovative and low cost
and here's where I give you the key word: It's sustainable
This plant foliates year-round
it continues to grow and produce seeds
and the results in the community have been outstanding!
The 3.5 meters that grow every 9 months did even better,
we managed 4 meters in 7 months. This is incredible!
The soil in Guatemala is very fertile
and it's obviously suited to growing this plant.
We introduced it using a very simple method, as I'm telling you.
I repeat: it's sustainable, low cost,
and uses a small amount of resources, yet it's effective.
We take the plant....
we have more than 37 families currently enrolled in the
pilot scheme in San Basilio Suchitepéquez.
And this is just the beginning of what we intend to cover
across the entire region; it's a very, very simple system.
This is literally the first family
that we helped here in San Basilio
and, well, the clip that you see here is our film
it's biodegradable. So it's a social program
with no environmental impact, which is also very important
that's something we're very proud to be able to say.
We also produce a homemade fertilizer.
What does it include? It contains onions, garlic,
detergent for washing dishes, cigar tobacco.
A good use for tobacco, right?
Again, it's something that is very low cost
and it works. This is the first harvest
- we're already growing the plant here -
this is the first harvest that we were able to produce.
After approximately two months
we decided to implement a barrier...
because one of the problems we encountered
was that plagues of ants were eating the harvest Just like any other project,
there are always flaws in the beginning. But you have to correct them.
So we decided to introduce one of these biodegradable cups,
we cut it here and placed it around the stem
then filled it with fertilizer.
This means we can optimize the use of fertilizer
by only having it around the stem.
Water is also optimized because only a certain area needs watering
We use 8 ounce cups, which are watered with 8 ounces of water.
It is a really wonderful plant. Like I said,
this is the plant that, after 6 months,
had already reached a height greater than expected;
which meant that the project works.
So then, how is it used?
We teach workshops to the community on how to use the trees
and, well, the truth is they ended up giving me a workshop
on how to harvest
because obviously I'm not going to teach them how to harvest crops
when they have been doing this their entire lives.
So, it is a very simple process and everything is manual:
The plant is cut, and then left to dry for 4 days,
after exactly 4 days, it goes through a manual sieve
and it is sieved using a spoon. Simple.
This gives what is called
Moranga flour or Moringa flour.
This Moringa flour is what contains all the nutrients
that I told you about earlier
and this Moringa flour is used in meals typical to the community
such as tortillas, chicken soup,
and I'd like to tell you, it makes me very proud
to have reached the community,
and be greeted with chipilín and moringa tamales.
To see them using it and creating their own recipies
it was amazing, very amazing.
And, finally, the rationing of Moringa.
Why do we ration it? Because we have strategic partners,
and I'll take this opportunity to thank New Guatemala,
through these partner foundations
we want to bring the Moringa to communities
where it cannot be grown,
because chronic malnutrition is a problem
not only where this plant grows
but throughout the entire country.
So we ration it, using biodegradable packaging as always.
(Laughter)
And so that is the reason we ration.
It makes me sad, very sad.
When I arrived in San Basilio, I saw the Health Center looking like this...
it was desolate and abandoned, I don't know for how long
But, what happens to these health centers?
There's enough budget to buy Incaparina
for a period of 3 months, to buy protein,
to buy vitamin A and vitamin C
But, what happens after those 3 months?
Now there is no budget. And so it isn't followed up.
In my opinion there is a solution, if you'll forgive the repetition,
a sustainable and low cost solution that can continue feeding
the community of San Basilio. Not only that,
but it also generates a revenue for the community
The only way to get to San Basilio by car
requires over an hour's drive on a dirt track.
A very rough dirt track I might add, not just any path.
And so, no matter how much they harvest,
it is all used to feed themselves. They don't sell anything,
because no one goes all the way there to buy things.
And that's our work, channelling sales
to generate income for the community
and transport the Moringa to other malnourished communities.
And I hope this is only the beginning of a project
that will include many regions in Guatemala,
because it's an ambitious project.
For me, it's a pleasure to bring opportunity to the community of San Basilio.
You must get to know the people of San Basilio.
I urge the companies and individuals present here today
to pay special attention
to corporate social responsibility
because if every company took action,
Guatemala would be different.
(Applause) Thank you.
(Applause)