In her Greiner Talks interview, Elena Doms shares her remarkable journey from growing up in the Arctic to becoming an advocate for sustainable change through her startup, Earth Plus. Her unique childhood experiences witnessing the impact of climate change first-hand in the Arctic influenced her passion for sustainability.
Elena Doms is concerned for the environment and emphasizes the critical impact of climate change on the Arctic. There are many examples of drastic weather shifts that affect daily life: from disruptions in transportation due to changing ice patterns to unusual heat in summer impacting the region's boreal rainforests.
The Arctic is warming up four times faster than the rest of the planet, but it's connected with the rest of the planet. Looking at the concept of the tipping points in climate science, many of those tipping points are located in the Arctic or next to the Arctic region. A tipping point is a point where a small change can cause a big, sometimes unstoppable, effect.
Transitioning from her corporate role at Mastercard, Elena made a profound change and co-founded the startup Earth Plus. The startup's focus is on utilizing nature's power to restore polluted lands affected by forever chemicals and other contaminants. Forever chemicals are in our phones, in our laptops, in our cameras, sometimes in waterproof jackets, in paint, or in furniture. They surround us because they have very useful properties, but they are also toxic and stick around in nature and in our bodies. Earth Plus employs specialized plants to absorb pollutants, which are then harvested and processed into bio-based materials, contributing to the circular economy.
Elena Doms emphasizes the urgency for positive action in sustainability, encouraging young professionals to follow their passion and engage actively in the field: “Be proactive and listen to your heart. If that's really what you want to do, do it now.”
At the end of the interview, Elena leaves a powerful message to the world: "Positive action, now." Learn more about her story and her startup in this episode!