Reusabowl and Techne arrive at The Atom—Te Kahu o Te Ao
We recently welcomed two new companies to The Atom—Te Kahu o Te Ao, Reusabowl and Techne, which are each tackling different, but equally important, issues.
Reusabowl
Reusabowl have developed a new bowl borrowing system that launched its first trial at some of Wellington’s most popular eateries in August 2020.
“In Aotearoa, 352 thousand tonnes of packaging go to landfill every year. When eating takeaway, consumers are left with no option but to create waste. Even compostable packaging often goes to landfill where it emits methane. We’re stopping waste at the source - with a reusable solution that people can feel good about choosing,” says the team behind Reusabowl.
Founders Bobby Lloyd, Sarah Booher, and Marine Bucher came together in 2019 after Climathon, an environmentally focused start-up weekend, and launched a successful crowdfunding campaign last year to start the business. Now they’re working to support the hospitality industry’s recovery from COVID, while helping eateries build resilience for their sustainability practices at the same time.
“Reusabowl aims to minimise waste at the start of the cycle, which is a much more honest and efficient approach to resource use,” says City Councillor and Waste Free Wellington Portfolio Leader, Laurie Foon. “I think Reusabowl will capture public imagination and support in the same way as reusable supermarket bags.”
Reusabowls are made from rice husk, a natural material and agricultural byproduct that would otherwise go to waste and can be composted at the end of the product life cycle. Each comes with a silicone lid.
“We believe Wellington has an opportunity to lead Aotearoa and become a truly circular city that will take us toward a low-carbon future,” says Reusabowl Founder, Bobby Lloyd. “Built on circular economy principles, Reusabowl gives everyone the opportunity to participate and have a taste of tomorrow. Now we need people to go try a bowl and show us they want that future too.”
Techne
Conor Doherty-Craig (LLB/BSc student) and Benji Pritchard (BA graduate) are two entrepreneurs who were faced with the realisation that society is becoming more digitally dependent every day. Both have come out of lockdown believing more New Zealanders need programming skills.
The two have founded ‘Techne’—an online platform that provides a flexible toolkit for learning programming within the school curriculum. It consists of a series of short videos, walkthrough PDFs, and interactive workspaces for students to learn, create, and design code.
Conor and Benji are currently finalists for the TSB Good Stuff Awards, including the People’s Choice category, which is won by popular vote.
Much like its Greek meaning (‘The principles or methods employed in making something or achieving an objective’), Techne will deliver its information through a small and simple structure for students and individuals across New Zealand. When pupils have graduated high school, they should be left with a better impression of how to access STEM pathways and should see STEM as less intimidating and more approachable.
Find out more about the other entrepreneurs based at The Atom.