Saving the planet is a business opportunity for some Black entrepreneurs

As a child growing up in Richmond, California, the future held one of two possibilities in Darrell Jobe’s young mind: play for the NFL or become a microbiologist. But at 13, everything changed when he became homeless, dropped out of school and joined a gang.

That he celebrates Earth Day on Friday as the owner of Vericool, which produces environmentally safe packaging products, speaks to his unpredictable journey. He says it also speaks to his never-wavering interest in protecting the earth, even after he’s served short stints in prison.

“I love animals and if you do, you care about the environment because that’s how they live,” Jobe, 42, said. “All the stuff that went on in my life, that respect for the earth never left me. To get beyond all that and to be able to do something to protect the environment is rewarding.”

He invented the world’s first recyclable or biodegradable ice chest cooler in 2017 and developed a compostable and recyclable thermal solution for shipping Covid-19 vaccines in place of environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam coolers.

“My thing was, if I could create solutions — products that were safe for the environment — eventually there will be bans on products that are not safe for the environment,” Jobe said. “I thought: How do I create a cooler that would eliminate harmful Styrofoam coolers? How do I create a product that eliminates plastic gel packs? The same with bulk manufacturing and petroleum-based packing. That mentality — being about protecting the earth — inspires me.”

Jobe is among many Black entrepreneurs who have created businesses that focus on products that preserve the earth. More than a billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day Friday, an annual opportunity to demonstrate support for environmental protection, and the emerging business owners are especially noted, longtime environmentalist Ibrahim Abdul-Matin said.

“They represent a movement of human beings that are concerned about how we live the best possible way on the planet Earth — and how we solve problems better than we’ve ever done before,” said Abdul-Matin, author of “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet.”

The stereotype of an environmental advocate had long been white and wealthy. But Abdul-Matin sees a shift, and identifies the modern environmental justice movement in America as originating in 1982 in North Carolina, where a predominantly Black community in Warren County protested the discarding of toxic soil into a nearby landfill. Since then, Black organizations and individuals have emerged more and more to address the environment, understanding their roles are critical to the safety of themselves and the planet.

“Our struggles are all connected because we’re all on the planet Earth together,” Abdul-Matin said. “And we should care because it’s absolutely essential. We’re human beings. The only home we’re going to have is the land beneath our feet. So, it’s encouraging to see Black people continuing to join the cause.”

While Jobe maintained an appreciation for the environment, it was not until he was 25, out of prison and working for a plastics company that he altered his reality. He said he eventually was introduced to a retiree named Gary Lantz, who schooled him on thermodynamics, the study of the relations between heat, work, temperature and energy.

He was fascinated by the work, “but I noticed that all the companies were choosing all detrimental, petroleum-based plastics, Styrofoam, single-use plastics,” he said. “All of the stuff that was just garbage, detrimental to the environment.”

Jobe expanded what he learned to create Vericool, based in Livermore, California, to  help revolutionize the packaging business. His rise is unique in that he had no formal education beyond the eighth grade. He also spent close to three years in prison for auto theft and possession of a stolen handgun. Those transgressions did not diminish his creative instincts.

He considers himself a self-taught inventor of technologies for which he holds 17 U.S. and five international patents. About 25 percent of his Vericool staff are formerly incarcerated people. “We have to reduce the recidivism rate,” he said. “They deserve a second chance. If anyone knows the value of that, it’s me.”

In 2021, Tanjuria Willis, a former electrical engineer at a nuclear facility, expanded her consignment shop, eKlozet, by creating the Atlanta Sustainable Fashion Week.