Charlotte Sedlock (known around the office as Char) is our Sustainability Manager, which means she finds ways for all of us at Apeel to make decisions as socially and environmentally responsible as possible.
A California-native, Char doubled-majored in Environmental Studies and Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and during that time, began interning at Apeel Sciences as an Operations Intern. After graduating, Char was hired on full time to continue her good work at Apeel. Get to know our Sustainability Manager by reading on!What do you do for Apeel Sciences?
I work on the Sustainability Team to continuously incorporate sustainability into all decision making at Apeel. Whether it is determining how we can lower the environmental impact of the Apeel product or of our offices, we interact with almost every team at Apeel. Sustainability is at the core of our DNA, and I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with some awesome team members to measure our efforts in making the world more sustainable.
What first interested you in environmental research and conservation?
I had no idea I was going to end up in the sustainability field. I grew up learning from my parents that the best thing you can do in life is to help others. With this mindset, I always thought I would go down the volunteering route (I was really interested in the Peace Corps). Then, the more I was exposed to environmental and social issues, I began to realize that through this path you are really aiding people by first helping the planet. So, my love of the outdoors (I consider myself a pretty big nature junkie) and my passion for helping others led me to fall into sustainability.
What are the most exciting parts of your job?
What’s really exciting is working with a product that can actually have a positive impact on the environment. There are not too many products on the market that are inherently sustainable like Apeel, and I love supporting other team members that can bring its benefits to life. My favorite moments are watching the rest of the team execute Apeel’s sustainability initiatives. Just because my team has “sustainability” in our titles does not mean we are the only ones executing work with a social and environmental mindset.
What is your favorite thing about working at Apeel Sciences?
There are way too many to choose from, but one of my favorite things is working at a mission-driven company. It is pretty phenomenal to work at a place where everyone is invested in the success of the company because we know that the success of our product could mean significant reductions in food waste. That impact alone could help the planet in monumental ways (World Resources Institute). Seeing how motivated everyone is about achieving this mission makes me want to perform my best every day. Together we can help solve this problem that is much greater than ourselves.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A few different mentors and colleagues have said this to me, but I think writer Cheryl Strayed summed it up pretty nicely in her book, Brave Enough, “bravery is acknowledging your fear and doing it anyway”.
Being in a field where you are trying to solve global systemic issues that needed to be solved yesterday from a desk isn’t graceful, and I often come across tasks and challenges that I have never faced before, which both scares me and brings out my competitive edge to see if I can find a solution. I have learned that rather than hesitating with the daunting task or dwelling on the fact that I might fail, if I lean into it, be brave, and give it my all, usually everything unfolds how it should.