Revolution in a Bottle: How Terracycle Is Eliminating the Idea of Waste

Not since John A. Roebling made steel cables for the Brooklyn Bridge has Trenton, NJ fulfilled its motto: "Trenton Makes, The World Takes"... That is, until now. Enter Tom Szaky and his recently formed, rocking fantastic eco-products company, TerraCycle, charmingly chronicled in "Revolution In A Bottle--How TerraCycle Is Redefining Green Business." In 2002 as a drop-out from Princeton Szaky formed TerraCycle to make a liquid plant food derived from organic liquid waste and packaged in reclaimed plastic bottles. Now TerraCycle innovates dozens of new products each year: vinyl LP wall clocks, milk-jug flower pots, wine-barrel composters, juice-pouch pencil bags, food-wrapper shower curtains--all made from waste, all marketed through major big box channels like WalMart, Kroegers, and Home Depot, all making practical sense as alternatives for materialism's detritus otherwise headed for landfills. Nearly 100 years after Roebling spun the steel cables that turned Trenton into an industrial powerhouse, Szaky seeks nothing less from his own Trenton base to turn the world to a new era of green business. He might just succeed. I had the pleasure to serve as TerraCycle's first chairman. In avuncular roles as cheerleader, coach and curmudgeon, I was a first-hand witness to Szaky's uniquely captivating blend of creativity, chaos, charisma and commitment. This talented young business leader, more comfortable in T shirt and backward baseball cap, packs more savvy and sense than men in suits twenty years older. From shoveling you-know-what (literally) to rigging bottling machines to dumpster-diving for cast-off furniture to designing products to winning orders from WalMart, he does it all with a merry, impish charm that is infectious. Tom Szaky's young odyssey as eco-entrepreneur is a rollicking good tale. Among the several insights Szaky has learned along the way, I was struck by one in particular. A true eco-company must be "more like a tree, less like a fire". Though his own imagination blazes with brilliant energy, Szaky is also firmly rooted in common sense. Being "eco-friendly" alone is not enough. No business can succeed in Szaky's view unless it delivers the best product at the best price for the customer. Getting product on the shelves at WalMart is a great achievement. Getting products off the shelves at WalMart is an even greater one. Unfortunately Szaky doesn't let on whether TerraCycle itself is achieving such sustainability. But we all hope it does, for the sake of propelling this futuristic business leader to yet new horizons of need--and for the sake of a materialist culture crying out for the kinds of eco-innovations he and his company can conceive. With the authentically green endorsement by natural capitalist legend Paul Hawken, Revolution in a Bottle by Tom Szaky makes an inspiring read by a another natural capitalist in the making. Go TerraCycle!

I read Revolution in a Bottle in one-sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are a number of other books written by young entrepreneurs, and characteristics that make this one unique are: 1. Tom's company truly has the potential to redefine what a consumer product is and its impact on the environment. 2. Tom's story is an example that successful companies aren't built overnight. Tom spent years of his life ardently focusing on the growth of the company and seeing it through times of near-bankruptcy. This book really gives a clear picture of what it takes to start and grow a company. 3. Tom's story is very entertaining. From gun shots into his house, near bankruptcy, coming up with his business idea from a marijuana plant, etc., this book is definitely a page-turner.