We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yadira Diaz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yadira below.

Yadira, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Growing up in Florida, I witnessed firsthand how climate change was making storms, heat, and flooding more frequent and intense. As a kid, I thought this was normal. That all changed in 2010, fresh out of college, when I watched the documentary “Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Garbage.” It opened my eyes to the global waste crisis, revealing the hidden impacts of waste piling up in third-world countries and the urgent landfill space crisis. I was shocked, especially since most of us have no idea what happens outside the walls of our homes, schools, and workplaces.

This revelation pushed me to explore more environmental challenges, including the issues affecting our oceans, global warming, the extinction of land mammals, and the scarcity of fresh water. Wanting to do my part, I began focusing on reducing waste, recycling properly, and minimizing my environmental footprint. I talked to friends, family, and colleagues about these issues to ensure everyone knew what was going on outside our immediate surroundings. Fast forward to 2024, and the situation is critically worse, especially in Miami, where I now live.

In my search for a community to join in Miami, I found The CLEO Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan organization exclusively dedicated to climate education, advocacy, and engagement. Through CLEO, I learned that Miami is facing a critical landfill crisis and is at the forefront of climate change impacts. I decided then that I needed to step up and be a part of making Miami a more resilient, sustainable, and efficient city.

I’m a Florida girl, and I can’t sit back and do nothing to protect the place that shaped who I am today.

Yadira, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Founding Gradible

When I moved to Miami, I saw an urgent need for action and a clear gap between innovative sustainable solutions and business leaders who didn’t know where to start. This led me to create Gradible, which stems from the word biodegradable. I originally wanted to grade businesses on their sustainability, but it became apparent from my visits that I would be seen as a bad cop. So, I decided to take a more solution-focused route. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel; I knew the solutions were out there, but they just needed a good dot connector like myself.

I started by reaching out to two local companies in Miami. They gave me the opportunity to help them expand their reach by offering their products and services to the businesses I engaged with. This success spurred me to wonder who else might give me an opportunity to represent them, so I started reaching out to companies worldwide. Within a year, I built a platform featuring over a hundred sustainable solutions. Our goal is to make it easy and accessible for organizations to find solutions designed to reduce waste, energy, and water usage.

Products and Services:

Gradible offers a platform with over a hundred sustainable solutions designed to help organizations reduce waste, energy, and water usage. Our services include:

-Waste Reduction: Innovative methods to minimize waste production and improve recycling practices.
-Energy Efficiency: Solutions to optimize energy use and transition to renewable energy sources.
-Water Conservation: Techniques and technologies to manage and reduce water consumption.
-Fractional Chief Impact Officer Service: We provide hands-on support for organizations lacking dedicated sustainability staff, offering expertise and guidance to implement effective sustainability strategies.
-Financial Incentives Marketplace: Currently in development, this marketplace will guide clients towards available subsidies, rebates, sponsorship, and other financial incentives, making it easier to transition to cost-saving and environmentally impactful solutions.

We solve critical environmental problems by providing turnkey solutions that are easy to implement, making sustainability accessible and achievable for businesses. What sets us apart is our comprehensive approach:

-Accessibility: A wide range of solutions in one marketplace, making it convenient for businesses to find what they need.
-Expertise: Collaboration with global companies ensures cutting-edge solutions.
-Customization: Tailored strategies to meet the specific needs of different industries.

Pride and Achievements:

We are thrilled to announce our most recent achievement: partnering with the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to support businesses in downtown Miami. Through this collaboration, we have secured a $1,000 rebate for 10 businesses that commit to implementing sustainable waste reduction practices. These practices include:

-Switching to Reusable Foodware: Replacing single-use items with durable, reusable alternatives.
-Composting Food Scraps: Diverting organic waste from landfills to composting facilities.
-Proper Recycling: Ensuring recyclables are correctly sorted and processed.
-Additional Initiatives: Further sustainability efforts to enhance environmental impact.

These initiatives will not only reduce waste but also significantly lower environmental impact and operational expenses for participating businesses. We are excited to support Miami’s downtown businesses in their sustainability journey, making it easier and more financially viable to adopt eco-friendly practices.

What You Should Know

Gradible is dedicated to making sustainability easy, convenient, and effective for businesses. Our mission is to provide accessible solutions that address environmental challenges head-on, ensuring a better future for our planet.

Join us in making a difference by integrating sustainable practices into your operations. We are industry-agnostic, offering solutions for everyone, and our platform is growing every day with more innovative options. Our vision is to become an Amazon-like marketplace for all things sustainable, helping businesses future-proof their operations.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

One of the most effective strategies for growing our clientele has been the formation of green teams within our clients’ organizations. These teams consist of executives and directors from each department, ensuring comprehensive engagement across the board.

For instance, at a hotel with 646 rooms in downtown Miami committed to going zero waste, we organized one-hour monthly meetings with the directors of each department. During these meetings, we collaboratively worked on various sustainability initiatives tailored to each department. This regular interaction allowed us to celebrate wins, set new goals, and maintain accountability, tracking our progress over time.

The green teams not only fostered a culture of doing good but also demonstrated that teamwork truly makes the dream work. This approach has been highly effective in gaining buy-in from organizations and instilling a culture centered on doing what’s right. By aligning business practices with environmental sustainability, we have shown that what’s good for business is also good for the environment.

Within seven months, we implemented nine different initiatives that saved money, reduced expenses, generated revenue, and most importantly, reduced environmental impact. We currently have another seven pending initiatives, which ultimately showcase the power of collaboration, teamwork, and the positive impact Gradible can have on businesses where everyone involved wins.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

One key factor that has helped build my reputation within the market is my unwavering commitment to showing up and never going away. Over time, I’ve learned the importance of perseverance, resilience, and passion. By consistently bringing energy and enthusiasm to our sustainability initiatives, I’ve demonstrated the exciting possibilities of these efforts.

Our approach emphasizes that the benefits of reducing waste, energy, and water extend beyond financial gains to include significant positive environmental impacts. By passionately advocating for these causes and showing genuine care for our mission, we have established a reputation as an organization driven by a purpose that goes beyond profit.

This dedication has resonated within our community, leading to increased recognition and conversations about our work. The innovation, consistency and passionate pursuit of our goals has truly set us apart in the market.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gradible.co
• Instagram: @gradible
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gradible