Week ten
July 1st through the 7th
OPE
Another pop culture icon for The Portrait Project.
Jaden Smith may be most well known because of his father, but he started making a name for himself in the ways of philanthropy and sustainability at a very young age.
“The only way to change something is to shock it. If you want your muscles to grow, you have to shock them. If you want society to change, you have to shock them.”
Inspired and disgusted by a plastic water bottle floating in the sea as he was learning to surf, Jaden co-founded JUST water, his answer to many water-related problems. The company sources its product from mountain watersheds to ensure a highly sustainable origin. They package the water in a box instead of a bottle, which is made of 88% plant-based material. And, the company pays six times more for this water than the next highest-paying water user in the area, ensuring that the vital resource is compensated as though our lives depend on it.
“We want to create a society that is working for us and with us – and we’re working for society, not against it.”
Aside from water, Jaden often partners with brands to create sustainable products and help bring light to sustainable campaigns. He partnered with New Balance to create a shoe made of surplus materials and Levi’s as the founder of 501cTHREE, a nonprofit focused on driving positive social and environmental impact in everyday items while catering to awareness around energy, food, and water. Oh, and he feeds the homeless with his I Love You food truck and plans to open a brick-and-mortar.
You may not like him for his Gen-Z-ness but you have to admit, Jaden Smith is making some serious impact on our world.