Sam Davidson, founder of CoolPeopleCare
Andrea Gomes
I recently had the opportunity to interview Sam Davidson, the co-founder of CoolPeopleCare. CoolPeopleCare is a website that gives people simple tips for quick, easy things they can do to help themselves, other people and the environment. Definitely a breath of fresh air!
What gave you and Stephen the idea for CoolPeopleCare?
Stephen and I met working in the nonprofit world in Nashville, TN when we were both running youth leadership programs. We struck up a friendship which led to a great working relationship. We began CPC because we heard from a lot of people that they wanted to make a difference, but they had 2 main excuses: 1) I don't know how; 2) I don't have enough time. We essentially set out to create a digital resource that eliminated those excuses in order to get more people involved in the social change conversation.
How hard was it to really get everything moving? What were some of the obstacles?
Luckily, our backgrounds and contacts came in handy when it came time to get everything launched. So, it was fairly easy to share the message, build the site and begin attracting an audience. When we started, we kept our day jobs, but soon enough, the demands of CPC began to increase, so we jumped into it fulltime. There are always obstacles, but they're ones that we know are worth trying to overcome. In fact, that's often where change happens most - when we climb the biggest mountain or trek through the deepest valley. The destination is always worth the journey.
Where do you get your tips for saving the world?
Our tips come from all over the place - our everyday lives, research online, from our readers. The world is full of them and we want to make sure we always have an open ear.
What is the most rewarding part of CPC for you?
I enjoy the success stories. We try not to get caught up in measuring our success in terms of data (revenue, site traffic, growth). Rather, we want to measure our success in terms of the depth of stories that emerge from our work. So, when someone tells us the change they made in their own life because of an idea we shared, that's what gets us excited.
What do you think the most important issue we are currently facing is?
I think we've got to take a long hard look at our behavior - both from an environmental and communal standpoint. We can't keep living like we do and expect the earth to not be any worse off. And we've got to begin to treat each other better as well. In both of these areas, the small steps can add up to big change. Driving one day less each week, taking reusable bags to the supermarket, smiling at people - all these things seem insignificant, but each goes a long way towards making this world a better place for everyone.
If you could fix one thing/situation on this planet, what would it be?
I'd love to see us move beyond our own polarization to begin to work together. I believe that a lot of us all want the same things - a great place to live, good schools for our kids, an ability to find meaningful work. But often times, politics or buzzwords drive wedges deeply in between us, so we never work together. We never find enough common ground to take even one step forward together. I'd love to see that change - for every person to enter every conversation with the thought, "What do we both want that we can find a point of commonality in order to make things better?" Stuff would get done if we all had that mindset.
Who do you look up to?
I've developed a lot of heroes, mentors and role models as I've begun this journey. Here are a few: I am inspired by what Robert Egger is doing to change the nonprofit sector. I am forever indebted to the love and support my wife Lynnette gives me. I hope to be the kind of parent Stephen Moseley is. I admire Seth Godin's creativity and willingness to question the status quo. And ultimately, our readers inspire me. I write articles every single day (and have been for the last two years) because I know that they're reading them, waiting for the idea to put into action. I am inspired by their stories and their work to save the world.
Tell me a little bit about New Day Revolution. Is it essentially the online articles all summed up in a book?
NDR has a lot of articles we've run on the site, but it has so much more. There are some quick tips that we've never published anywhere. We've also packed it with stats and data so you can do the math and see the impact your changed behavior will make. And, we've interviewed someone in each chapter, giving the reader a real-world example of someone who went above and beyond the call of duty to make a deeper impact. The whole book is designed as a tool for the change agent and revolutionary in you and will be useful as you seek to instigate small-scale change that has a large-scale impact.
What is the main focus of CPC? Environment? Human Interests? Overall badass-ness?
We focus on 10 different issue areas, but we talk about the environment about 2/3 of the time. This is due to the fact that it's an urgent issue, but also that so many things can be done in less than 5 minutes that positively impact our planet (and in most cases, our wallet). But we also cover education, poverty, justice, and even random acts of kindness. If something can be done to save the world, we'll talk about it.
Tell me a couple cool things I could do to help right now after reading this interview.
We get asked this question a lot. And since it's one of immediacy ("right now") I'll ask you a question: "What are you doing next?" Where are you going? To the coffee shop? Back to work? Home? To watch TV? The best thing to do is the next thing to do. So, depending upon where you're headed today, here's 5 quick ones:- Take your own mug to the coffee shop. Do this everyday for a year and you'll save a tree.
- Shower for one minute less than normal. You'll conserve over 1,000 gallons of water this year.
- Choose differently: pick fair trade coffee, an organic pasta sauce, or a sweat-shop free T shirt. Our consumer choice have BIG implications.
- Let one load of laundry air dry this month. You'll keep coal in the ground, which will conserve precious mountains.
- Tell your story. Share what you care about with a friend - on the phone, over coffee, in an email. By simply letting someone know what issue you care about, you're doubling the number of people who are aware of it. And awareness precedes action.
What's next for CPC?
Great question. We've seen a lot of potential with our brand lately. We never set out to be a merchandise company, but people have gravitated towards our brand and our logo. So, we're fine with selling T shirts and reusable coffee mugs. But there has to be a point to all of it. So, look for us to play more in the consumer goods space, but not just for consumption's sake. We want to use the power of our brand to raise money and awareness for the greatest causes, needs and organizations.
Where do you see CPC in 5 years? Yourself?
No idea. Absolutely no idea. We'd love to be at a place with the 5 Minute Revolution is continuing to impact more and more people and more and more communities. But, we're ready for anything, as long as it allows us to change the world.
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