The not-for-profit social enterprise was set up by Portia Hart, friend and founder of fellow B Corp Blue Apple Beach based on the island of Tierra Bomba, off the coast of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
The foundation has set up Green Apple studio, a safe place for local artisans to work, develop their practice, and sell their products, including upcycled glass bottle lamps, vases and more. Glass is one of the hardest materials to process and Green Apple is Cartegena’s only glass recycling centre, so earlier this year we donated funds to buy an oven to the Green Apple studio to upcycle glass and further support their efforts and the work of local artists.
We spoke to one of the directors at Green Apple, Jenny, who told us “The impact will be significant for the artisan’s projects, in that the oven will enable them to learn new techniques – glass ceramics specifically – so the women can make jewellery and glass plates and artworks, which they will be able to sell at a high price. We have an alliance with an organisation in Mexico who will come and teach the women ceramics techniques once the oven arrives. 70% of their sales goes directly to them and 30% stays with the foundation to pay for materials, classes, mentorship and so on.”
In addition to its studio, Green Apple creates jobs and opportunities for locals implementing recycling and waste management programs, as well as build long lasting sustainable practices in the hospitality and tourism sector of Cartagena. Their mission is to create a community of like-minded businesses in the area who can work together to be more sustainable. So far they have recycled over 150 tons of glass and food waste, and trained over 500 people. They offer advisory services for the hospitality industry to support them with reducing waste, improving recycling and making the most of natural resources in a sustainable way. You can find out more on the Green Apple Cartagena website.
