This article was published for the Sun Sailor Newspaper.

Local Celebrity Makes A Mark on the Green Movement

Michelle Mitch Hedlund of Wayzata is gaining national recognition for her efforts to simplify the green movement, including her breakthrough idea of a standardized label to improve recycling nationwide. Known by many as the previous owner and operator of The Bean, now 318 Music Caf in Excelsior, Hedlund has recently become a local celebrity as the founder of Recycle Across America and Eco-Profiles. We have launched two global award-winning environmental solutions to finally remove the confusion around green and to remove the confusion surrounding recycling, said Hedlund. Recycling has become a major economic, political and social concern in the last generation, and Hedlund believes the solution could be as easy as going back to the bin and providing consistent and effective instructions on recycling bins. What the public does at the recycling bin is the most critical action in the entire efficacy and economic model of recycling, Hedlund said. But this green movement has become so complex, the general public cant even act on it. Today there are millions of varieties of recycling labels on bins, causing unnecessary confusion and apathy from the general public. This confusion is keeping recycling rates at stagnant levels and causing significant amounts of contamination to enter the recycling stream. Its so dysfunctional, Hedlund said. Trash keeps going in the recycling bin and recycling keeps going in the trash bin. For the first time in history, Recycle Across America has introduced a national standardized labeling system to address this problem. Many notable companies including NBC, Proctor & Gamble, 3M and Disney have adapted use of the labels in their own facilities. National recognition Last year, Ashoka, a global organization that identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs, recognized Hedlund for her efforts to expedite environmental and economic progress by removing the confusion around green and recycling, an honor bestowed on only one in 10 million individuals. It was incredibly humbling to be nominated and then elected to the Ashoka Fellowship, Hedlund said. Last February, Hedlund was also granted a patent for Eco-Profiles with the help of William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota, who did the legal work free. Eco-Profiles is a web-based method that allows individuals, companies and organizations the opportunity to share the positive environmental actions they are taking. This is huge, Hedlund said. This means we can now get funding to really finish developing the idea, and market it on a national or global level. In 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invited six law schools in the U.S. to provide patenting services to clients as part of a pilot program. Eco-Profiles was one of the first patent clients served by a law school in the United States. A local celebrity

Cosmetic firm LOreal-Kiehls also recognized Hedlunds accomplishments this past spring with an unexpected $100,000 donation without solicitation to Recycle Across America. The money will provide 150,000 standardized recycling labels to approximately 1,000 public schools across the country. Each year, Kiehls looks for a non-profit organization that they believe has a specific ability to expedite progress in their four pillars; environment, AIDS, art and children.

Michelle Mitch Hedlund, right, and Rosario Dawson is just one of the celebrities to get onboard with the new recycling movement. (Submitted Photo) During Earth Week 2012, LOreal-Kiehls launched a celebrity campaign for Recycle Across America to help promote the standardized labels. Hedlund had the chance to meet Florence Welch, Mark Ruffalo, Rosario Dawson and Spike Lee at the photo shoot with celebrity photographer Timothy White, who also donated his time for the campaign. The next step Hedlund believes Recycle Across America will reach a new level of success in the near future after a global company recently approached her about partnering together. The companys name has not yet been released. This is a huge game-changer for us, Hedlund said. It gives that company a chance to be a corporate hero and they have the ability to literally change the world.