Creating Better Cities & Places to Live: Irvans Augustin (Urban Impact Lab)

Creating Better Cities & Places to Live: Irvans Augustin (Urban Impact Lab)

Urban Impact Lab’s People-First Approach to Building Better Cities | Miami Climate Week + Community-Led Design Sneaker Impact News host sits down with Irvans Augustin, co-founder of Urban Impact Lab, after touring the Sneaker Impact facility to discuss people-first urban planning, creative placemaking, and moving cities from ideas to implementation. Augustin shares how he and his wife (with backgrounds in IT, marine biology, and urban planning) founded Urban Impact Lab 13 years ago with a non-traditional, community-centered approach, viewing cities as living networks shaped by residents’ needs. They discuss Miami challenges including affordability, transportation, waste, recycling, composting, design-driven behavior change, and the Doral incinerator disruption, plus examples like Southwest Ranches’ compost program and Miami’s recycling education efforts. Augustin highlights a North Miami flood-prone lot transformed into a community-designed “Good Neighbor Park” that absorbs water. He also promotes Miami Climate Week (March 14–21) led by Miami Climate 365, featuring countywide events and community activations. Stay Connected/Learn More https://www.urbanimpactlab.com/ [https://www.urbanimpactlab.com/] https://www.instagram.com/urbanimpactlab [https://www.instagram.com/urbanimpactlab]

Empowering Youth Through Running: Samantha Choy & Students Run Philly Style

Sneaker Impact News interviews Samantha Choy, marketing and communications manager at Students Run Philly Style (SRPS), a Philadelphia youth mentorship nonprofit pairing grades 6–12 students with volunteer running mentors to train for major races like the Broad Street Run and Philadelphia Marathon Weekend. Choy describes her role managing social media, partnerships, and the Mentoring Milestones newsletter, plus promoting SRPS’s charity runner program, including new Berlin and Dublin Marathon bibs. SRPS, founded in 2004, serves over 1,500 students annually across nearly 60 teams with 400+ mentors and a nine-person staff, using running to build confidence, goal-setting, coping strategies, and active-lifestyle skills. The episode highlights SRPS’s Sneaker Impact partnership via Philadelphia Runner, which since May 2024 collected 442 boxes and recycled 11,247 pairs, diverting about 14,740 pounds and saving an estimated 113.63 tons of CO2. The script also features SRPS’s MUP diversion program with the District Attorney’s Office, where youth complete race milestones (5K, 10-mile qualifier, and a half marathon) to have fees paid, charges dropped, and records expunged, with reported ~95% completion and sustained success. Please like and share to help educate and raise awareness!  Stay Connected/Learn More https://studentsrunphilly.org [https://studentsrunphilly.org] https://www.instagram.com/studentsrunphl [https://www.instagram.com/studentsrunphl] Support: https://studentsrunphilly.org/donate/ [https://studentsrunphilly.org/donate/] Run world major/international marathons with SRPS: https://studentsrunphilly.org/other-ways-to-help/ [https://studentsrunphilly.org/other-ways-to-help/]

Town of Southwest Ranches: South Florida’s Sustainability & Zero Waste Leaders

Sneaker Impact News visits the Town of Southwest Ranches council meeting with the Zero Waste Advisory Board, where chair Harold Gubnitsky, board members, and council leaders discuss making the town a sustainability leader while preserving its rural lifestyle. They highlight key initiatives and challenges including education to reduce recycling contamination, increased outreach via newsletters and social media, and a composting pilot with Filthy Organics using five-gallon buckets that has already diverted about 6,000 pounds of food waste and returns finished soil to residents. Officials describe efforts to oppose a nearby incinerator proposal, encourage equestrians to route horse manure to agricultural reuse, and explore diverting yard waste like palm fronds into mulch. They also discuss quarterly hazardous waste drop-offs, a proposed reuse/swap program, and a potential partnership with Sneaker Impact to collect and recycle footwear with diversion and carbon-savings reporting. Please like and share to help educate and raise awareness! Stay Connected/Learn More southwestranches.org/ [https://www.southwestranches.org/] Instagram @townofswr [https://www.instagram.com/townofswr] https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbW1URkFFOTc4WXJXQUNHUnIzSlJQc1p1Vi1Wd3xBQ3Jtc0tsTXdYMnBSMksxbGxDR3hsc2oycEFPUDBMbXRGdVhHb00yUklNSEJfY2xVc0FsckZQTFNBYXYteHQ4SHlIQ0NvdHFXclJzV3JvakZDUVgzd3M4UnA2WHVLM29MT3d0VGJpSnJSbENSdWhoLWFrUEtrOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Ftownofswr&v=2xUFSWJdUcM ♻️ Celebrate International Day of Zero Waste in Southwest Ranches! 🌍 Join us Sunday, March 29, 2026 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM at Southwest Ranches Sanctuary Park Pavilion, 16020 Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches, as we come together to promote sustainability and simple actions that make a big impact in our community. ✨ Event activities include: 👟 Sneaker donation drive ♻️ "Thing swap" 👜 Plastic bag exchange More About The Town of Southwest Ranches Zero Waste Board This Board provides input to the Town Council concerning environmental safety concerns and issues as they pertain to the health, safety, and well-being of the environment and the Town’s residents. The purpose of the Board is to chart a path towards zero waste by reducing the amount of waste disposed in landfills, promote waste prevention and reuse of materials. Meets: The 1st Tuesday of every month at 7:00PM at Town Hall, 13400 Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches, FL 33330. In Attendance: November 4, 2025 Board Meeting Harold Gubnitsky, Chairman of the Southwest Ranches’ Zero Waste Advisory Board; CEO of Clean Earth Innovations, LLC.   Rose Allbritton, board member of Town of Southwest Ranches Zero Waste Advisory Town of Southwest Ranches Vice Mayor Gary Joblonski Town of Southwest Ranches council members Bob Hartmann Jim Allbritton Debbie Green Council Liaison: Council Member David S. Kuczenski, Esq. Staff Liaison: Dan Stewart, Deputy Town Clerk

Turning Plastic Waste Into Products: Geared for Green’s Circular Economy Solutions with Jake Gordon

In this Sneaker Impact News episode, Bryan interviews Jake Gordon, Associate Director of Client Services at Geared for Green, a sustainability company that builds circular economy programs for organizations by collecting plastics and other recyclables and turning them into new products. Jake explains how they handle hard-to-recycle materials, partner with nationwide recyclers, and provide tracked, transparent reporting to prevent greenwashing. He highlights CIRQboard, a high-strength polymer sheet made from recycled films, bags, and wraps used for furniture, fixtures, flooring, and more, including takeback recycling at end of life. They discuss event recycling like major Florida boat shows that generate massive amounts of shrink wrap, plus sustainable apparel made from plastic bottles. Jake also shares Trace AI, a rewards app using QR-coded bins and image recognition to incentivize proper recycling, and Circular Express Box for shipping recyclables via FedEx. Please like and share to help educate and spread awareness! Stay Connected & Learn More Website: Gearedforgreen.com [https://www.gearedforgreen.com/] Instagram: @gearedforgreen [https://www.instagram.com/gearedforgreen/] and @apexsustainablefurnishings [https://www.instagram.com/apexsustainablefurnishings/] Circular Express Box [https://circularexpressbox.com/]  TraceAI App [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trace-ai-recycle-earn-reward/id6753976191] Geared For Green Catalog [http://g4gcatalog.com/] Geare For Green (YouTube Channel) [https://www.youtube.com/@gearedforgreen/videos] https://www.plasticsindustry.org/blog/from-private-equity-to-plastics-circularity-jake-gordon-at-geared-for-green/ [https://www.plasticsindustry.org/blog/from-private-equity-to-plastics-circularity-jake-gordon-at-geared-for-green/]

Andy Polk on Footwear Innovation, Sustainability, and Industry Insights

Join us in this engaging episode of Sneaker Impact News as we welcome Andy Polk, Senior Vice President at the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America (FDRA). Andy discusses his extensive role in shaping the future of the footwear industry, driving innovation, sustainability, and strategy. Learn about the FDRA's mission, the complexities of footwear tariffs, and the push towards circularity and sustainability in shoe design. Andy also shares insights from his career, the importance of thoughtful consumer practices, and the evolution of the footwear business in a changing global landscape. Don't miss out on this comprehensive look at the footwear industry and what lies ahead! Stay Connected & Learn More fdra.org [https://fdra.org/] Follow the FDRA on Instagram @fdra1944 [https://www.instagram.com/fdra1944/] FootwearInnovation.com [https://www.footwearinnovation.com/] ShoeSustainability.com [https://www.shoesustainability.com/] apolk@fdra.org