What is Amis de la Terre? 

 

We are Chris and Jessica, newlyweds and soon-to-graduate Ph.D. students studying the impacts of humans on this Earth. With our primary focus being the ocean, we have seen first-hand the destructive powers plastic has on the creatures that call the sea their home. In our ocean samples, we have witnessed some of Earth's smallest organisms wrapped in plastic microfibers while carrying microplastic fragments in their guts. Beyond the destruction of the natural environment, plastic poses a danger to human health as well, like disrupting our hormones and causing cancer. We do our best to use less plastic and encourage others to do the same. It is, without a doubt, one of the best ways we can save ourselves and all Earth's creatures from harm. 

 

"Amis de la Terre" means "friends of the Earth" in French. Our zero-waste grocery store aims to make living a sustainable lifestyle attainable and desirable by providing an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-navigate setting. The zero-waste grocery stores inspire our market aesthetic Jessica discovered in Europe while pursuing her Master's degree in oceanography. Our store will consist of gravity bin dispensers for nuts, seeds, grains, and the like; scoop containers full of flours, powdered sweeteners, and snacks; and canister dispensers for oils and liquid sweeteners. 

 

Your contribution will make this dream possible. Having been a dedicated student her whole life, Jessica has remained focused on her studies and has had little opportunity to raise funding for this endeavor. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Marine biology and pursued a Master's degree in Oceanography -- the ocean and the earth have always been close to her heart. Chris' passion for helping people and the environment grew while serving nearly ten years in the Marine Corps upon finishing high school. After being honorably discharged, he immediately enrolled at a community college before obtaining his B.S. in Earth System Science at UC Irvine and continuing straight into a Ph.D. program, where he met Jessica. These two graduate students' dreams would come true if given the opportunity to apply their knowledge to something tangible and make a dent in the local plastic waste stream.

 

 

 

 

What We Need:

To open our store, we will need: 

 

70 gravity feeders (@ $15,000) for dispensable items 

These will be made of glass and stainless steel to ensure minimal plastic contact while remaining easy to keep clean.

 

60 1.5-gallon glass jars (@ $600) for scoopable items

These will be made of glass with air-tight metal lids to ensure freshness.

 

20 stainless steel canisters (@ $4,000) for liquids 

These need to be stainless steel because they will be kept at an elevated temperature to maintain proper viscosity for easy dispensing. 

 

6 months rent (@ $15,000) 

640 square foot at ~$4.10/ square foot, including utilities and property taxes.

 

Two scales for weighing out food (2x $400 = $800)

 

Zero VOC paint (@ 5x $64/gallon = $320)

Linoleum flooring (@ $1000)

 

Cabinetry to hold the glass jars and to store the 25-50lb bags of dry goods (@ $1000)

 

Initial inventory stock (@ $15,000)

 

= $52,720

 

 

 

What You Get

We'd love for your money to go a long way. In gratitude for your generous help in making our dream possible, we are offering the following as incentives for funding:

 

Donation of $20-$74: 

20% off of your first purchase.

 

Donation of $75-$199: 

10% off of all purchases for 6 months.

 

Donation of $200 - $499:

20% off of all purchases for 6 months.

 

Donation of $500 - $999: 

30% off of all purchases for 6 months.

 

Donations greater than $1000:

30% off of all purchases for 1 year! 

 

 

 

 

The Impact

Your generous donation will make it possible for us to open Orange County's first zero-waste market! Our grocery store will help to eliminate thousands of plastic packaging and single-use containers from the waste stream every month. This is invaluable, as only 9% of plastic ever made has ever been recycled, while the rest ends up being thrown away or burned once it reaches facilities. The best way to reduce your plastic footprint is to avoid it in the first place!

 

Recently, zero-waste markets have opened in adjacent counties: Ethikli and ReGrocer in LA County and The Mighty Bin in San Diego County are all very successful markets. We want to bring the same quality of store to serve residents of Orange county. 

 

 

 

 

Risks & Challenges

We take the health and safety of our customers very seriously. To ensure sanitary food conditions: 

 

 

Other Ways You Can Help

As graduate students on a shoestring budget, we understand that sometimes donations are not possible. We would love it if you could follow us on Instagram @AmisdelaTerreMarket and interact with our posts through likes, comments, and shares. We would also greatly appreciate if you could share our campaign with your friends and family on your social media platforms and via email. These small actions will really help us spread the word to reach our goal!