After a few weeks of college education at the University of Michigan, some of my lectures have inspired me to seek a greater understanding of sustainability, the human experience, and what I have done with Oshki in its first year as a company. Research I have been doing on human GDP over time on Earth and our carbon footprint as a species has revealed to me a daunting truth about the future of this planet. Within my inquires, one sample of evidence seemed to catch my eye above all. Astronomer Carl Sargan’s “Cosmic Calendar” helps conceptualize human activity on Earth. In this calendar, 1 billion years is equivalent to 24 days, and 475 years is equivalent to 1 second. Using his model, the first humans appeared December 31st at 10:30 PM, and the Industrial Revolution occurred ½ second ago. The amount of time humans have walked this world in an economic landscape is so incredibly miniscule. This scale speaks volumes to me about our societies’ need for sustainability and laying a foundation for a better future.
Let me make one thing clear: I would have never launched Oshki without a greater motive/purpose of my work. I didn’t just want to launch an apparel company in a profit-only landscape. I believe that there must be greater purpose in “work” to live a satisfied and sustainable lifestyle. A way of life that makes you feel like you are making a difference every night when you go to bed - which is why I have pledged 5% of Oshki’s proceeds to organizations working to preserve the Great Lakes. There has to be some reason to wake up in the morning, and I have been able to identify from a young age that I want to spend the rest of my life making a positive change in the world around me.
Though I have been able to make my monthly donations to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, and the Michigami Crossing - I often feel this profound desire inside of me for a greater initiative with Oshki. I want to develop Oshki to a degree where I can produce fair-trade certified, sustainable, recycled clothing with a reduced carbon footprint. I have developed these ideas over the last few months in detail and I am excited at the opportunity for Oshki to become a remarkably sustainable brand with immense social impact. I am working with a few University of Michigan initiatives to ensure the cultivation of these idea and I cannot wait for what is to come. Thank you to my supportive customer base at Oshki for making this development possible in the first place and stay tuned to what we have planned.
With love,
Jackson Riegler
Founder - Oshki
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