Rowley entrepreneur hosts Market on a Mission this weekend
Aug. 22—NEWBURY — A vision of a sustainable future dedicated to zero-waste products will be on display when the Market on a Mission comes to the Spencer-Peirce-Little-Farm this Saturday.
The free market is expected to feature over 25 vintage and sustainable vendors featuring zero-waste products such as Green House Goods, Uvida, Be Sustainably Well and Not so Flatware, as well as food trucks, a clothing swap and live music from Pat Carroll and Bird Friend.
It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the historic Littles Lane farm in Newbury.
Sarah Ganzenmuller, who organized the event, is the founder of Ripplfect, which makes reusable, stainless steel coffee tumblers that people refill in coffee shops all over the country.
"We have people using this in California, which is super cool. So we have them being used everywhere," she said.
The 25-year-old Rowley resident conceived her company's logo while a student at Triton Regional Middle School and started her coffee club out of her home by working with local coffee shops such as Plum Island Coffee in Newburyport, Beverly's Beantrust Coffee Bar and the Groundswell Surf Cafe in Salisbury after earning a marketing degree from UMass-Amherst two years ago.
The Ripplfect app rewards customers for keeping up sustainable habits and is about to hit 2,000 single-use cups saved, according to Ganzenmuller, who recently partnered with shoe company Allbirds to offer free socks in exchange for points for different, sustainable actions.
Ganzenmuller also made sure this spring that Ripplfect tumblers and stickers will be accepted at any coffee shop that takes personal cups in the United States.
"You could go to Starbucks, you could go to Dunkin' Donuts and you could get points for bringing in a refillable cup and have those redeemed toward our sustainable partner brands. That way, you can use your points to get free socks at Allbirds, or you can go to Green House Goods and get a free refill (after a certain amount of visits)," she said.
Ganzenmuller said Market on a Mission is designed to give people "an intersection" of vintage and sustainable products and show them the small changes they can make in their everyday life to promote a cleaner environment.
"Whether it is toxic-free shampoo that you buy at the market or it is something that you buy, second-hand vintage, it is these small changes that make a big difference," she said.
Saturday's Market with a Mission should prove to be "an inspiring day" for many, according to Ganzenmuller.
"I think a lot of the time, climate change and sustainability is looked at as something negative and has a doomsday approach. But it doesn't have to be like that. We can have fun taking different steps, so we are trying to make a fun and inspiring day of it," she said.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.
