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Written by Tayla Christensen, Content Marketer at MentorPass.
Matt Sandy is a journalist and entrepreneur based in Brazil who is most passionate about how enduring connections between distant humans can make the world a better place. Named Young Journalist of the year in 2011 by the Press Awards, he has since covered stories from over 20 countries and given a voice to many global issues and events that need to be heard.
Seedlings is a startup inspired by Morning Brew and the Skimm, with the mission to “save the world… in 5 minutes”. The free email summarizes unmissable stories, profiles inspiring people, and curate’s media recommendations every Wednesday morning. Anyone interested can sign up here.
Seedlings is aimed at anyone who has ever wanted to create a better world but didn't know how to do it. Eco anxiety is a primary source of stress for a quarter of young people, but there are millions who are yet to engage with the eco world or its media offerings.
"Often we associate thinking about the environment with anxiety and guilt, which often leads to aversion," says Seedlings founder Matt Sandy. "Above all, we believe substituting anxiety for excitement has the power to change the world."
Matt was a strong-minded child who was driven by a desire to live harmoniously with the natural world, which is probably why he became a vegetarian at age 9. But it wasn’t until he moved to Brazil that he began connecting more with the complex impacts of humanity on our environment.
“Brazil is a super beautiful place, but it is definitely somewhere you really see human civilization and the natural world rub up against each other close.”
I think all that happened in journalism ultimately led us to where we are now. We not only got to engage with the questions of climate close up but also, we began to understand the audience for our work and to realize what their problems were and how they might be solved.
Being a reporter is also a lot about being highly adaptable and working out how to deliver, no matter what the obstacles. These are both key skills to have as an entrepreneur.
MentorPass has been a great help to Seedlings. Since we started thinking entrepreneurially a couple of years ago, I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of mentorship.
"MentorPass has really helped us take it to the next level with the quality and range of mentors that have been available to us. In particular, talking to Alex Lieberman of Morning Brew was incredibly useful. He built a great brand that is analogous to Seedlings in many ways. In our session, he was able to provide really detailed information and analysis that will likely prove invaluable to us.”
Seedlings will be a bridge for those inspired to become more eco-conscious in their lives and aims to create a positive impact by focusing relentlessly on making it easy for its users to become inspired, come together, and take action to save the planet.
The mission grew out of eight months' work by the team at Wide Avenues, Matt’s first business venture, whose environmental reporting has been showcased in TIME Magazine and The New York Times.
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