All You Need to Know About GENCO

by Kendrick Hawkins and Charlotte Podeszwa

Generation Conscious is a sustainability initiative founded by Greg Genco. Genco grew up outside of Jamaica, New York, right across from a landfill sight. After developing asthma because of his proximity to the landfill, Genco explored ways to implement sustainability in our everyday lives, whether that be laundry, showering, or brushing our teeth.

GENCO creates zero waste and zero carbon. On college campuses across the US, you will find GENCO machines filled with detergent sheets that can be thrown into the wash. These machines serve as easy kiosks for students to collect environmentally-friendly sheets instead of using pods or liquid detergents that are unethical and harmful.

About 1% of the Company is run by students; student interns exist all over the country. We had the pleasure of interviewing one of them: Farah Najjari. Farah oversees the program here at Conn. “A lot of it [her role],” Farah says, “is based on students creating content for GENCO, i.e. photoshoots, TikToks, documentaries, zines, newsletters, blog posts, etc. The goal is to encourage people to use the product through accessible marketing. When people see that students are involved with and working for the company while also utilizing the products, they feel inclined to get involved themselves.”

GAM: “How did you get involved with GENCO?”

Farah: “A student from the Class of 2022, Milo Becker, connected me. Originally, I thought that the sheets were a scam. I am not going to lie. I take really good care of all my clothing. A lot of my clothing is very old, so I didn’t trust the product at first. But that’s a common misconception people have. They assume that because it’s a sustainable, atypical brand it is ineffective, low-quality, and harmful to your clothing. So for me, I had to unlearn the mindset claiming that something will not work just because it is a little better for the earth or better for us. So, after I started using the sheets, I volunteered and eventually became a hired intern. Even though the position was only meant to be a 6-week gig, I ended up sticking around and doing more for GENCO. Now, I help other people get involved.”

GAM: “Do you work with GENCO across college campuses? Do you work with other people involved in the company?”

Farah: “Yes, we have an assembly program where we meet on Zoom with students from all different schools. There is the fellowship assembly, the outreach assembly, and then there is the campus-based assembly. This gives us a chance to meet virtually with all the people who are a part of GENCO. We get feedback on our projects and give each other updates on what needs to be changed/reworked in the company. Our mentors are Greg and Cricket, the CEO and the ESG Manager for the company. It is very rewarding because aside from what we do to promote the product and the company, we get a lot out of it as students. It is a very good way to open up our creative interests, without having to work a regular shift handing out sheets.”

GAM: “What do you find the most gratifying?”

Farah: “Unfortunately, the machines on Conn’s campus are not working. But what I think is cool is that, here and there, I’ll get emails from people who let me know they are out of sheets and want more. I feel like when the machines are functional, it’s more transactional; people just grab their sheets and go. So, when people still reach out to replenish their supply of sheets, it makes me feel really good. It is also great to read/ hear the feedback on GENCO products. Even when people say they want to get involved with shoots and stuff, it’s really nice to see that people are interested in some thing that you wouldn’t necessarily be interested in. I think that is what is most rewarding, the community behind Generation Conscious, at Conn and beyond.”

GAM: “Do you know if students continue working for/with GENCO after they graduate? Or do they often move on to advertising/marketing?”

Farah: “Aside from the undergraduate students that work for Generation Conscious, we have Columbia and FIT graduates who are still doing creative work for GENCO. So, there is no limitation on what you can do for GENCO. It doesn’t matter if you’re an undergraduate student or graduate student, or if you’re 10 years out of college. If you have an idea and it works well, you have the freedom to do that, which is really cool. I know two or three alumni who left Conn and are still using the products and are involved with Generation Conscious. I think that it comes from the fact that it’s not a business, it’s a big family, and we support each other, and we want to continue to do that.”