Browsing: Alejandro Velez

The scourge of cancer, the threat of a damaged environment, poverty and joblessness are some of the problems which endanger our world. However, instead of tales of gloom and despair, we share with you three wonderful stories of hope for our small planet.

Meet young entrepreneurs, all from California, who have come up with creative solutions to problems with their bold out-of-the-box thinking.

Imagine growing gourmet oyster mushrooms from discarded coffee grounds!

Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez , both students at UC Berkeley, were headed toward careers in investment banking and consultancy when they heard a professor talk about this little known fact. Intrigued they decided to put it to the test.

“The whole idea seemed so improbable – it’s really been a blast!,” says Nikhil. The gambit has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, resulting in the reuse of 1 million pounds of used coffee grounds which would have been dumped in landfills. They have been invited to the White House as agents of change.