Image courtesy of Josh Onysko/Pangea Organics
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He may have dropped out (of school) at age nine, but it wasn't long before Joshua Onysko tuned in. After years of wanderlust dragged him through Wyoming, the Yukon, Hong Kong, and beyond, Onysko had an epiphany: He would save the world with soap. Armed with homemade recipes and unbridled enthusiasm, he launched Pangea Organics in 2000; today the company remains committed to creating all natural skincare products that are organic, handcrafted, and cruelty-free. Plus, a portion of company's profits funds the Pangea Institute, an emerging non-profit organization dedicated to researching and teaching all aspects of sustainable living and business practices.
How did you get into this line of work?
When I was nine, I dropped out of school to pursue an acting career. I returned to school in sixth grade, and lasted three years. When I was 16, I bought a VW bus and started traveling. I moved to Vermont to be a ski bum, then to Block Island to be a beach bum, then out to Jackson Hole to be a better ski bum. Next, I moved down to Nicaragua and Costa Rica to collect green sea turtle eggs on the beach and raise them in incubators; otherwise poachers would steal them and sell them on the black market.
One day in 1999, I woke up and realized I wanted to move to India. I bought a ticket that afternoon. Before I left, I visited my parents. In their living room, I noticed a book about handmade soap. I decided it would be the perfect bonding project for me and my mom. We made what Pangea Organics now sells as Oatmeal and Italian Bergamot. I threw a few bars in my backpack, and off I went to India.
After six months in India, Nepal, and Tibet, I returned to Jackson Hole, made 500 bars of soap in a barn, and sold them all in three days in the parking lot of an Oregon country fair. With that money, I took a ferry to Alaska, where spent the summer hitchhiking. Then I decided to go work in Hong Kong.
In Angkor Watt, I woke up one morning and realized that corporations were inheriting the Earth, and that most non-profits were wasting their funds. I decided to start an institute to help existing corporations be more socially responsible and environmentally sound. My friend said, "You should start a soap factory to fund the project." Two days later, I was traveling back to the States. I made soap in my garage at night and sold it at farmers' markets and festivals. We out grew the garage in six months. Today, Pangea Organics is in a 9,000-square-foot factory-office and is the largest cold-processed organic soap manufacturer in the U.S. and the fastest-growing skincare brand in the world.
What was your "a-ha" moment?
See above.
Who is your green hero?
The informed consumer...buycott baby!
What is your ultimate green goal?
To live a life powered by intention.
What is your motivation?
My dog tags read, "If you are to find my body without its last breath, bury me in the earth without a stone and let the state of the world be my only epitaph."
What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?
Ecology.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Knowing that everybody is watching.
What is the most rewarding?
Knowing that everybody is watching.
Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?
Kids. Damn they're sharp.
What green thing do you do everyday?
Think.
What do you wish you could do?
Think more.
What is your biggest eco-sin?
My clothes. Eco-friendly clothing for men hasn't gotten very far.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would have people listen and do more and talk less.
What is your best green advice?
Educate yourself on where your dollars are going and what they are supporting; it will take that world to save the world.
Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here.
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