Digital Media in a Sustainable World

We are big supporters of using digital media and technology to spread awareness about living a more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle. We are excited to talk to Austin Kasso about his experience using digital media in a sustainable world.

Austin, thanks for being here. Tell us a little bit about you and your background: 

I moved to Indiana from New York, in 2009, when I was 18 and pursued an education in agriculture science at Ivy Tech. I didn’t finish a degree but I started my own business in 2014 helping people and restaurants start aeroponic gardens while raising money to start my own vertical aeroponic farm.

Around the same time, I also started a facebook group called Sustainable Living. It has grown from 3000 members to 47,000 members since January 2020 and continues to grow by 1000 new members a week. It has become extremely popular and inspires thousands of people from 99 different countries. Our online community is shared by many different cultures and viewpoints on sustainability and our members respect all the different views.

There’s no dominant force for any one ideology, but rather it’s an open-minded discussion group for anyone wanting to learn more about any subject related to sustainability, share their expertise, or feature their sustainable business to a niche audience. With my experience in digital marketing and design, I created a new platform called SStreamer (sstreamer.com) that serves to feature our members’ sustainable brands, blogs, channels, podcasts, etc. Our mission is to make Sustainability go Main-SStream!

What is a fun fact about you?

I was assistant coach of the Purdue Lacrosse team for a year.

What was your motivation to get into this industry?

At a young age, I was inspired to pursue urban agriculture and was overall passionate about sustainability. I believe in ending poverty and helping more people do what they love. I spent two summers during high school on a family farm in North Carolina. They had a little of everything; fish, cows, ducks, goats, chickens, and a half acre of fruits and vegetables. Working on their farm morning to night improved my quality of life which inspired my passion for farming and sustainability.

Why do you think climate change/sustainability is such an important topic today? 

I believe sustainability is important all the time and always has been. It is relevant to nearly everything in society, including our individual health, survival, and relationships. Climate change is particularly important today as the sense of urgency to address those issues is increasing. However other aspects of sustainability have been evolving along with the advancement of civilization and it’s important to discuss and educate the world about these changes and innovations in order to progress faster.

What can the average person do to make a difference? 

I believe in people being the change they want to see. Practice being conscientious about how your environment, relationships, and personal habits are affecting your quality of life. The more connected we feel towards everything else, the less we’ll tend to harm the world outside of us.

Thank you Austin for taking the time and diving deep into how digital media in a sustainable world.

Going Green interviews leading experts in cleantech, sustainability, media, finance, and real estate on the Going Green podcast. Tune in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify to listen to interviews with leading cleantech and sustainable experts. If you would like to to be featured on Going Green, fill out the interview form Here. If you are interested in writing for Going Green, click Here.