'Business was a way for me to cope with climate anxiety': how opening a zero-waste store helped a college student

Boston entrepreneur Maria Vasco on her steadily growing plastic- and packaging-free empireMaria Vasco knew from a young age that she was going to have a career fighting the climate crisis. She fulfilled her dream, but not the way she originally imagined.As a student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, working toward her goal of becoming an environmental lawyer, Vasco spent some time studying in Spain. It was there, in the summer of 2019, that she stumbled upon a shop specializing in environmentally sustainable goods such as bamboo toothbrushes and plastic-free shampoo refills. At the time, Boston didn't have any zero-waste stores - retailers that eliminate unsustainable packaging and only sell products that are plastic-free - and Vasco realized that she could fill an important gap in her hometown market. Continue reading...