ZERO WASTE: Cathy Shepardson plans a sustainable business class to help eco-conscious entrepreneurs launch their own small businesses.
The zero-waste industry is expanding as consumers and corporations become more aware of the environment and human health. So much so, big businesses such as General Motors, Microsoft, Sierra Nevada and more have committed to zero-waste initiatives.
Locally, Cathy Shepardson wants to help eco-conscious entrepreneurs jump on board by sharing secrets she learned while opening her own store, Conscious Space. Located at 16387 S. Tamiami Trail, Unit G, in Fort Myers, it’s billed as the area’s only zero-waste store and apothecary, sourcing two-thirds of its products directly from local makers. “I wanted to provide sustainable options all around, while mostly empowering the local economy and makers,” Shepardson says.
Conscious Space, which offers environmentally friendly alternatives to everyday items from kitchenware to body care, was a somewhat serendipitous venture for Shepardson. She fell into the zero-waste lifestyle while studying business at Florida Gulf Coast University and began selling handmade products out of her car through her first business, Mango Earth. Met with high demand, she opened Conscious Space in fall 2019 to provide more items made by like-minded community members, many of whom she met at college.
“There wasn’t resistance,” Shepardson says. “It was a blessing because I know of so many people trying to start businesses, and they don’t have an audience already. They have to build those pieces, whereas they just kind of appeared to me, and I had to work around it.”
Shepardson is planning a sustainable business class to make it easier for tomorrow’s small business owners to set up shop. Ideally, she said, she and a panel of entrepreneurs would discuss what they’ve learned about the zero-waste market. “There are so many barriers of entry in this kind of field because it’s just not common,” she says.
Shepardson broke down the wall of the unit she purchased next door to make space for events. However, as of May, workshop plans were still paused due to the pandemic. “I’m holding off to gather until the public seems ready,” she says. In the meantime, she’s found other ways to rally the community and educate the public on zero-waste options. She hosted her first farmers market May 2 in the parking lot of Conscious Space. Nearly 20 vendors provided shoppable goods, from fresh farmed produce to handmade jewelry. She’s now hosting them on the first Sunday of each month.
And with help from her regenerative gardening group, Gaia’s Gardeners, Shepardson aims to build a community garden from plastic bottles filled with waste (known as bottle bricking). Recently, Shepardson collected more than 700 trash-filled bottles people donated from near and far in response to an awareness campaign she posted on social media. The zero-waste concept may still be catching on, but Shepardson’s creative initiatives are planting the seeds in Southwest Florida.
“Community growing is kind of my thing,” Shepardson says. “People are so willing. They’re just looking for someone to guide them.”
