Burnout, The Fight for the Great Lakes, and my Uncle Jim

My 25th birthday is in 2 weeks. It’s astonishing to realize that I’ve spent over eight years building Oshki. This journey has profoundly reshaped my views, beliefs, and mindset over this time span. 

I have been fortunate to connect with innovative fabric manufacturers across the world, deeply passionate environmentalists who fuel my determination, non-profit leaders who sacrifice daily comforts to ensure that every dollar is making a difference, and community leaders tirelessly balancing what feels like four full-time jobs.

Yet, I have also met my fair share of venture capital focused profiteers who have made their intentions clear to me that there isn’t a single issue or topic that trumps their desire to make more money. These individuals often see the environmentalism movement as a marketing opportunity more than a necessary step for humanity to take. My tolerance for this type has drastically diminished, and my ability to sense a person’s true motives has strengthened.

A recent experience at a startup networking event illustrates this well. After sharing Oshki’s mission and product offerings with a startup lawyer invited to advise young founders, he initially expressed enthusiasm. He was impressed by Oshki’s progress and noted the uniqueness of our product compared to competitors. However, after discovering we were incorporated in Michigan rather than Delaware (a preferred incorporation state for many startups due to tax incentives and corporate flexibility), his demeanor immediately shifted. His warmth disappeared, replaced by disinterest. His parting remark encapsulated the sentiment “No one will take you seriously then - you might as well start from scratch”.

Encounters like this are disappointingly common and steadily erode my enthusiasm for such communities, despite their essential role in startup growth. Much of my work is done independently, making these face-to-face connections vital. However, the longer I am immersed in startup culture, the more I notice a gap between genuine collaborators and those consumed by a relentless pursuit of hollow success. 

What truly makes up the startup community? Is it driven by individuals genuinely seeking to change the world, or has it devolved into a cutthroat profit race marked by superlatives, materialistic ambitions, financial loopholes, and undermining competitors? I often wonder if environmentalism will ever escape being seen as secondary to something deemed “more important.” 

This reflection brings clarity to how much I've evolved since starting Oshki at 17. Back then, I was deeply idealistic, starting my company in reaction to budget cuts to Great Lakes funding by the then-new Trump administration, which actively promoted / promotes the idea that climate change is a hoax and environmental funding is wasteful. I gave successful figures the benefit of the doubt, even admiring Elon Musk for advancing electric vehicles when traditional car companies hesitated. Today, I openly acknowledge how mistaken I was and also see how much he has changed. 

While I’ve tried to remain apolitical as a business owner, recent events have profoundly shaken me--the dismantling of NOAA, the invasive lamprey program being cut without warning, and many essential government employees fired Succession style. Those who voted for this (deceived or non-deceived) have directly contributed towards the accelerated destruction of the Great Lakes and that is the reality of the situation. There isn’t another way I can look at it at this point.

This persistent negativity contrasts sharply with the optimism I’ve always carried. Lately, I’ve felt powerless and deeply burnt out - a sentiment undoubtedly shared by many in environmental work. Despite exploring exciting opportunities like transforming invasive species into fabric additives, innovation often requires large upfront investments. Grant opportunities, such as those that may have supported this type of work, have dried up post-election, creating uncertainty about the future of ideas that I truly believe in. 

Much of the progress made by environmental programs over the past 4 years has been erased almost overnight, including hundreds of lifelong National Park Service workers losing their livelihoods. However, one thing I have been trying to remind myself is just how important this work is in moments of peril like this. Actions meant to dismantle essential programs and degrade public lands aim to leave us feeling powerless. Thus, our greatest act of resistance is to speak up, to educate, inform, and inspire others - anything less is not an option. 

Currently, I’m drawing strength from “The Great Work” by Thomas Berry, a book gifted to me by my great uncle Jim Toczynski, who recently passed away after battling stage 4 lung cancer. In this book, Berry urges humanity to shift from being a disruptive force on Earth to becoming a benign presence—an idea he describes as 'The Great Work,' the most necessary and ennobling effort we will ever undertake.

A particular passage continues to put things in perspective and inspire me:

“My own understanding of The Great Work began when I was quite young. At the time I was eleven years old. It was an early afternoon in late May when I first wandered down the incline, crossed the creek, and looked out over the scene. The field was covered with white lilies rising above the thick grass. A magic moment, this experience gave to my life something that seems to explain my thinking at a more profound level than almost any other experience I can remember. It was not only the lilies. It was the singing of crickets and the woodlands in the distance and the clouds in a clear sky. It was not something conscious that happened just then. I went on about my life as any young person might do. Perhaps it was not simply this moment that made such a deep impression upon me. Perhaps it was a sensitivity developed throughout my childhood. Yet as the years pass this moment returns to me, and whenever I think about my basic life attitude and the whole trend of my mind and the causes to which I have given my efforts, I seem to come back to this moment and the impact it has had on my feeling for what is real and worthwhile in life.”

Unfortunately, my Uncle Jim passed not too long after gifting me this book, but he wrote a personal message on the inside cover that helps motivate me every day to do my part and inspire my own work. He was also one of the worlds biggest Oshki fans, proudly wearing one of our shirts until the moment he passed. 

My Uncle Jim is someone I could write an entire book on. He lived a modest life working for the state, yet his unwavering passion for environmentalism created a profound connection between us from the time I was very young. We also shared the same birthday, part of the reason I felt a tribute to him was appropriate as we approach March 25th.

I could go on endlessly about Jim’s character, but perhaps the best way to describe him is through what he did quietly, without expectation of praise - something increasingly rare today. A couple of months ago, while exploring a database of Great Lakes plastic cleanup logs, I noticed repeated entries marked by the initials “JT” along the northern shores of Lake Michigan. This name was by far the most common name I saw across six years of records. Curious, I clicked, and sure enough, those initials belonged to my Uncle Jim. We’d had countless conversations about politics, environmental issues, and our shared passion for the Great Lakes - not once did he mention these volunteer efforts.

That quiet dedication perfectly encapsulates who he was and offers a powerful lesson, particularly in today’s climate: the importance of walking the walk. Instead of becoming lost in provocative headlines or the overwhelming misinformation designed to incite anger, Jim showed how meaningful it is to simply act—no matter how small the action may seem. 99% of us will never lead a global corporation or achieve the financial leverage wielded by our political elite, but remaining silent isn’t an option. My Uncle Jim never achieved high status in fame or wealth, but his legacy of persistent action and awareness continues to inspire me to step forward each day.

Have a great spring and thank you for your continued support.

Jackson Riegler

Founder - Oshki