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Here's what we've been writing about these days.

Discover original, relevant articles written by young voices exploring the topics of impact entrepreneurship and early-stage startups, as well as our three focus areas: health (mental and physical), environmental sustainability, and learning.

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Sustainability

Are Sea Vegetables the Unlikely Heroes of the Climate Crisis?

The hype surrounding the seaweed farming industry has exploded over the past decade, leading some to frame kelp as the solution to global warming and others to denounce it as…
November 14, 2022
Mental HealthSustainability

For the Love of Water Cycles and Mental Health, Don’t Ignore Your Eco-Anxiety

I’m grateful to have grown up alongside the mental health movement. I am happy that as I grew, the encouragement and assigned importance for having discussions about mental health grew…
October 12, 2022
Sustainability

Empowering Rural Women: How This Packaging Startup is Spearheading a Model for Effective Sustainable Impact

In the year 2022, in addition to a vast array of accomplishments, a multitude of global issues remain unresolved. And women in general continue to face difficulties within a society…
September 13, 2022
Physical HealthSustainability

Soy Isn’t the Bad Guy: How Soy can Contribute to Global Food Security

Growing up in a Korean household, soy took on a variety of forms in our kitchen and dining room: soy sauce, tofu, soybean sprouts, soybean paste, red pepper paste, soy…
August 11, 2022
Business & Entrepreneurship

How Accepting Crypto as Payment Can Help Entrepreneurs Make Positive Impact

It is hard to deny the rising popularity of cryptocurrencies in the modern world.  Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have recently shifted from something I considered distant, abstract, and largely inaccessible -…
July 14, 2022
Physical HealthSustainability

Why We Need Diverse Actors in the Battle Against Food Insecurity (from Big to Small… to Twitter)

I see Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs on my Twitter feed all the time. Or rather, I find my lips curling into a smile at badly edited images of the pyramid,…
June 16, 2022
Physical Health

What’s Period Poverty All About? + Two Ways to Tackle It

T he phrase “period poverty” is an odd and unexpected combination of words. What does period poverty actually mean? Are the struggles associated with menstruation really serious enough to earn…
May 12, 2022
Mental Health

Send a Letter—Your Friend (& Brain) Will Thank You

I never understood why we had to write letters in elementary school. We would sit down after recess, locate our favorite pencil, promptly break it, asking psssst does anyone have…
March 17, 2022
Business & EntrepreneurshipMaking Impact

What Does Impact Actually Mean? + 6 Business Buzzwords We Use All The Time

Introducing impact Words seem to lose their meaning the more you hear them. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the phrase “the new normal” over the past…
February 11, 2022
Physical HealthSustainability

Sustainable Alternatives to Your Plastic Toothbrush

The other morning, I learned that the American Dental Association suggests replacing your toothbrush every three to four months. Though that fact wasn’t necessarily surprising to me, it got me…
December 17, 2021
Sustainability

4 Ways I Freed Myself From the Grips of Fast Fashion

I was looking through my closet today and came to a surprising realization: almost everything I was looking at was either thrifted or received as a hand-me-down. It was a…
November 13, 2021
Physical HealthSustainability

How Plant-Based Seafood Became My Path Out of Existential Despair

About two months ago, I ran into a complicated moral dilemma. It was a rainy summer night, and I decided to cancel my plans to snuggle up on my couch…
October 16, 2021
Learning

Post with #Purpose: How Social Media has Developed Remarkably Alongside Social Movements

I find that one of the most difficult tasks is inspiring myself. I would love it if inspiration could show up at my door every day. However, that is not…
August 13, 2021
Mental HealthPhysical Health

How Kefir and Psychobiotics Gave Me More Energy and Better Focus

You know the feeling when there just doesn’t seem like you have any more to give? Despite all your best efforts to get a project going or paddle your life…
July 12, 2021
Business & EntrepreneurshipPhysical Health

Small Bites, Large Footprints: Exploring 2 Food-Related Projects for Peace

I had an epiphany while out on a date today. I arrived at the waterfront in Georgetown early. While waiting for my date, I laid on a grassy hill under…
June 18, 2021
Making Impact

Bicycles of Change: How I Selected the Right Vehicle for Impact

Publishers note: Saffanah, our newest writing intern, is a recent international security Master’s graduate who is Turkish and Saudi. She currently lives in Northern Virginia in the United States. “Why…
May 14, 2021
Making Impact

Democratizing Impact: This is why Stardust is feeling reflective in its 6th year

Stardust Startups turns six this year. Maybe it seems strange to picture a project as maturing, but it hasn’t just grown in size. Born from an intuitive fire that transformed…
April 16, 2021
Business & EntrepreneurshipMental Health

3 Tips from Mindkit, a New Mental Health Startup, for Crafting a Stress-Free, Self-Care Regime

Nobody needs any convincing that we live through challenging times that weigh heavy on our mental health. While many of us look for coping mechanisms to deal with looming lockdowns…
February 13, 2021
Mental HealthSustainability

Fungi & Fairies: How 3 Days of Foraging in Ireland Enlightened my Connection to Nature

An Irish Autumn is a closing curtain. Watching winter creep closer every day amidst evergreen horizontal rain, people search for time to soak up sunshine spots like they drop candy…
January 14, 2021
Business & Entrepreneurship

How Universities Can Foster Entrepreneurship for a More Creative, Innovative Future

Connecting on Zoom today are Constance Perez and Michaela Deneva (not pictured above), student associates of the Student Executive Team (SET) at McGill’s Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship. On top of…
December 16, 2020
Business & Entrepreneurship

What does it take to be a student entrepreneur? The answer with Ange Blécon and Nylan Raufaste, co-founders of Entrepotes

Being at university means that I am surrounded by talented people: those who have a gift for music, those who can solve complex mathematical problems, those who understand politics and…
December 16, 2020
Mental HealthSustainability

Composting to better mental health

When the darkness closed around me, I did what any one of us would do: solve a problem that was within my control. So, I set out to find a…
November 9, 2020
Business & Entrepreneurship

Third Culture Kids + Entrepreneurship = Winning Combination

At Stardust, we aspire to shape an innovative and creative community, where individuals and startups can make an impact and share their ideas with everyone. By supporting entrepreneurs from all…
October 13, 2020
Sustainability

I Eliminated Half My Plastic Waste in 5 Months: Here’s How

Last September, my roommate and I started an indoor worm compost. Seeing how easy it was to save so much organic waste, we wondered how we could further reduce our…
August 14, 2020
Mental Health

Let’s Start Prioritizing Well-Being over GDP

Mental and physical health are linked, not only to one another, but also to some crucial external factors. Readily available education, access to affordable healthcare, strong communities and interpersonal relationships,…
July 16, 2020
Sustainability

What Our Behavior During the Pandemic Could Mean For the Planet

We are facing two major global catastrophes in 2020, yet only one is being properly addressed. The coronavirus, as of the time of this writing, has killed over 400,000 individuals,…
June 16, 2020
LearningMental Health

How To Break Through Quarantine Boredom

Is it just me, or are we collectively sick of social distancing? It was cute for a while. A welcome break from our routines, perhaps, or a sudden stay-cation and…
May 16, 2020
Business & Entrepreneurship

Confidence: What It Means For a Small Social Impact Entrepreneur

Being a creative spirit is hard. First you need the inspiration, then the motivation, then the support. And when you think you have it all, you realise you need the…
May 16, 2020
Business & EntrepreneurshipMental Health

How Discovering Creative Entrepreneurship Set Two Friends on a Journey Towards Spreading Joy

“It is all a very happy accident.” - Betty Coppens, co-founder of JOSO To make the most of even the smallest opportunity is something that does not have any price-tag,…
May 8, 2020
Mental Health

4 Habits to Resist Fearful Narratives and Push Through to Personal Growth

This is not just another post in which I convince you that the Coronavirus is a tremendous threat or that to say home is a heroic mission. No, I don't…
April 14, 2020
Physical Health

Break the Taboo: Let’s Talk About Periods

“Aunt Flo is visiting”, “the English have landed”, “strawberry week”, “the monthly statement”... There are many ways in which women around the world avoid saying the words “menstruation” or “period”.…
March 14, 2020
Business & EntrepreneurshipSustainability

Appreciating Our Harvest

With Thanksgiving on the way, it’s the perfect time to show gratitude to the earth’s harvest. As climate change continues to threaten our natural resources, it’s essential to not just…
November 16, 2019
Sustainability

Political and Social Discourse Surrounding Straws

Another environmental cause with a lot of social complexity is the anti-straw movement. The idea that not using plastic straws to reduce ocean pollution has risen in popularity in the…
October 5, 2019
Learning

Living to Learn: Essential to Human Nature

Zhu Xi Even though I’m no longer in school, when September rolls around, I get the urge to buy notebooks and pencils, excited by the potential and fresh energy that…
October 1, 2019
Making Impact

Cast your vote for our co-creator Jean!

Our very own co-creator and Executive Director Laura Jean Palmer-Moloney has been nominated as a League of Women Voters candidate by the Beaufort Woman's Club in North Carolina! Help Jean…
July 29, 2019
Making Impact

Stardust in New York City

Find Your Way // Show The Way Event for Entrepreneurs Making a Difference Raise awareness Attract applicants Attract successful business-people Attract partners Our event had two venues—the first location at…
July 1, 2019
Business & Entrepreneurship

The Challenges of Doing Business in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a country that uses multiple currencies; it does not have its own. Because of this, people in Zimbabwe have lost confidence in the banking sector. They prefer not…
January 12, 2019
Sustainability

Technology of the Future: The First Ion-Powered Aircraft with an Onboard Power Supply

E than Krauss has a patented Self-Contained Ion Powered Aircraft (US 10,119,527). The device has no moving parts and is able to carry its power supply onboard. It is also…
November 26, 2018
Making Impact

Growing Our Entrepreneurial Network

Growing our entrepreneurial network At its very core, the mission of The Stardust-Startup Factory is to support emerging entrepreneurs and help their initiatives grow. This year we're proud to launch…
October 11, 2018
Business & Entrepreneurship

“Break the system and do what you love doing“: How women entrepreneurs can make the business world work for them

You could say that the business world was made for men. Statistics show that the odds are stacked against women rising in the business world, from the United States’ inadequate…
September 3, 2018
Business & Entrepreneurship

How Millenials Are Challenging Misconceptions

Entitled, antisocial, technology-dependent, and lazy – these are the common perceptions that Generation Y, or “millennials,” face when appearing in the new working environment. Often considered a generation of weakness,…
February 20, 2018
rehab detox opioid epidemic eastern north carolina carteret county women faith-based
Business & Entrepreneurship

How an Ex-Narcotics Officer is Helping North Carolina Women Struggling with Addiction Find New Paths

Through the superficial lens of the evening news, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, our society can seem overly materialistic and self-centered. Therefore, in this world that seems to be teeming with…
December 1, 2017
Making Impact

Celebrating our 2nd birthday!

It was our birthday on Sept. 28! 🎉🎈 We’ve spent the first two years 'calibrating our instruments' to find new ways of supporting emerging entrepreneurs. For our third year, we’ll be…
September 30, 2017
LearningMental Health

Why I Stepped Back from Grief

The transformation of grief to purpose is my life’s work. Maybe it always has been, but I know for sure that it’s been my life’s work since the September 27th,…
September 26, 2017
Sustainability

On the Search for Sustainability in Urban America: Interview with Lynette Widder

After wandering about Manhattan on my quest to educate myself to the world of sustainability in urban America and beyond, I have found myself lost in a swirl of conflicting…
February 5, 2016
Physical Health

A Reflection on Dis-ease: What Actually Influences our Health

W e are told that many diseases, childhood conditions, and most immuno-related diseases have a genetic basis, that we carry the genes that predispose us to develop certain maladies. Let's…
January 5, 2016
The Stardust-Startup Factory pottery diy learning
Learning

Formal education vs. self-taught: which leads to finding your passion?

M y cousin Angus was the epitome of a self-educator. The last time I was visiting with him, he was showing me all these different webinars that he had been…
December 5, 2015
The Stardust-Startup Factory new york city sustinability
Sustainability

Searching For The Big Green Apple

F irst of all, I must admit, I am a neophyte in the world of sustainability. Living in a city with eight and a half million other people around you…
November 17, 2015
The Stardust-Startup Factory
Mental Health

Why self-care is not self-indulgent

I worked as a Registered Nurse (RN) in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for several years.  Many days I was so busy with my critically ill patients that I didn’t…
November 13, 2015
LearningSustainability

How my fiancée and I built our tiny house for under $3k

I  first started seriously thinking about building a tiny house around February 2013 and Lily was really into the idea of building a tiny house on wheels. After looking at…
November 12, 2015
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