Nuggets:

• Pursuing socially responsible business ideas can be quite lucrative - A Good Company is doing over $220k/month in revenue
• When you want to change someone’s behavior, positive reinforcement is much more effective than chiding them

Action Steps:

1. Investigate how waste is currently processed
2. Find out what value is involved and to whom value is added or extracted in the waste management process (e.g. are governments financially incentivised to minimize the amount of waste they have to process.
3. Research the value of raw materials present in common e-waste items
4. Research human behavior and how positive reinforcement may play a role in modifying consumer behavior.
5. Research Best Buy’s e-waste recycling program
   1. Why are they doing it?
   2. Are they making money?
6. Are there creative ways to manage this process, like adding rfid chips to electronics for identification during disposal. Can you fine or reward consumers to incentivise proper disposal?
7. Research similarities to CO2 cap and trade proposals and map how a similar system could work for e-waste
8. Speak out against companies who are making it difficult to recycle and/or reuse their electronics

Follow through on these action steps and email us your results at update@runwithit.fm. You'll get exclusive access to a private Facebook group of action takers and one listener will earn a free mentorship call with our guest, and potentially, a business partnership.

Links:

• A Good Company
• Starter Story interview
• Citizens Climate Lobby

Anders Ankarlid is CEO of A Good Company, a serial e-commerce entrepreneur, and a father of three. He has worked in e-commerce for more than a decade and he’s an activist against mindless consumption.