Joshua Onysko, An Interviewfounder, Pangea Organics

Posted on 21. Oct, 2007 by Arnab in Design & Culture

Fans of distinctive, organic natural products have Joshua Onysko to thank in large part for making them as widely popular and available as they now are. Pangea Organics, the company he started in 2001, recently became the largest cold-pressed organic soap manufacturer in the U.S. and his unflappable insight and generosity have helped make Pangea Institute a leading non-profit teaching and researching principles of sustainable living and green business practices.

OG: What do you hope to gain from the Opportunity Green Conference?

Networking and inspiring people

What was the inspiration for starting Pangea Organics? How is your company different from others that feature organic products?
I started Pangea to serve as a role model for the rest of the world and to set an example for consumers of what they should be demanding of other brands they support, our company is constantly on the fringe that is predicting the future, we never let the struggles or our successes get in the way of our idealisms.

How do you account for Pangea’s tremendous success over such a short time period?

The world is thirsty for innovation and hope, in the end that is what we are creating, skin care is just an extension of our beliefs.

What comes next?

Eye cream…….think about it…….

What are some concrete steps our government and the rest of the world could take to begin addressing the impact of global climate change? What is the role of the business community in making that happen?

I think if we spent as much time money on therapy trying to fix our relationships on fixing our relationship with the world in which we live
we’d be in a pretty sweet spot. Start telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth………

What is the future of sustainable entrepreneurship?

Full transparency……no really.

What new business models or technologies do you see emerging within the next few decades?

We’re working on few that might create a few new icebergs……

Are you hopeful about the long-term viability of the sustainability movement?

As long as I remember to eat breakfast……its the most important meal of the day you know. Have you ever read about the potato famine in Ireland…..1845 and 1849, were very bad years……

What does a green L.A. mean to you?

Hollywood doing more than buying shiny Priuses; we live in a time where people emulate actors and actresses so it’s time Hollywood grew up a little.