Statement on Recent Events and Social Injustice
To say that it has been a difficult three weeks here in Minneapolis would be an understatement. We are saddened and angered by the murder of George Floyd in our city, as well as the countless other deaths of Black Americans around the country before and since then.
Earth Day: Food sovereignty in rural Haiti
As we have shared throughout this Earth Day blog series, human activities and environmental impacts are deeply linked -- especially in food production and distribution. While it is important to ensure that all people in developing countries have access to nutritious...
Earth Day: Clean water access in developing countries
Around the world, environmental and community health is intertwined with access to clean water. Ecosystems, animals, and people rely on water for basic functions of life, and cannot thrive without it. In developing countries like Haiti, water contamination is directly...
Earth Day: Tree Planting in Rural Haiti
A common Earth Day activity around the world is tree planting -- and for good reason: according to U.S. Forest Service, reforestation “represents unique opportunities to address emerging issues associated with climate change by conserving and managing genetic...
Earth Day 2020
Today we come together as a global community to recognize the challenges we collectively face and the ways we can solve them together. Education is the first step for all of us; it is important to learn about ecosystems around the world and in our own backyards, to...
COVID-19 Update: March 26
Dear friends, family, and others in our community, We want to take time to share how the Vetiver Solutions team is working during the novel coronavirus pandemic that is currently spreading around the world. Based in Minnesota, we are all following CDC recommendations...
Vetiver Solutions 2019 Year-End Update
We are so grateful for all of your support in 2019! Click on the newsletter cover to learn about our collaboration with farmers in Moreau, Haiti over the past year. Feel free to reach out with comments and questions. Happy New Year!
Vetiver Solutions 2018 Year-End Update
We are excited to share our end of year update with you all. Thanks to your support, over the past year and a half we have done some incredible work in Haiti. Please see the link below to learn more about what Vetiver Solutions has been up to in 2018 and do not...
University of Minnesota Carlson School of Managment: Leaving Her Mark in Haiti
"Changing the world for the better was always top of mind for Becca Desens. Less than a year after joining a small start-up company with a mission of developing sustainable agricultural practices, she found herself in Haiti for her Carlson School...
University of Minnesota Legacy: Homespun from Haiti
“Vetiver, a perennial grass, has roots that go down 20 to 30 feet. When farmers plant it alongside their crops, it can reduce soil erosion. The plant’s shoots are a waste product. I worked in Haiti as an EMT and saw children die of poverty and malnutrition. I...
Tony Loyd: Fueled by Prize Money, These Social Entrepreneurs Are Striking at the Root of Poverty, with Leeore Levinstein and Jesse Abelson, Vetiver Solutions
Vetiver Solutions is a for-profit social business that works to alleviate poverty and malnutrition for subsistence farmers in rural Haiti. Listen to the full Social Entrepreneur podcast to learn about how we partner with the Farmers' Association in Moreau, Haiti to...
PBS Rewire: Vetiver Solutions Makes a Social Impact and Wins Big
"A team of college students from the University of Minnesota combined their talents and passion for social change to form the company Vetiver Solutions—and won big in the largest undergraduate national business pitch competition." To continue reading, click...
Vetiver Solutions Sponsors Colorado Middle School Project
Recently we had some students from Deer Creek Middle School in CO reach out wanting to showcase our company for their school's fundraiser for Haiti. They even made mini-golf holes for donations! Awesome to see young people taking initiative and getting involved, glad...
UMN IonE: Vetiver Solutions: Addressing a root cause of poverty in Haiti
Could a tropical grass, Chrysopogon zizanioides, help alleviate poverty and malnutrition in Haiti? A team of University Minnesota students and Acara program alums believe that the plant, more commonly known as vetiver, can do just that – and more. Vetiver Solutions is...
Vetiver Solutions wins Social Impact Award at e-fest®
At the recent Schulze Entrepreneurship Competition (e-fest®), Vetiver Solutions was one of 25 teams from around the country to compete for over $250,000 overall. After making it to the top five, Vetiver Solutions placed fourth overall in the competition. Additionally,...
University of Minnesota Grand Challenge Curriculum: A company striving to decrease malnutrition and poverty in Haiti using one little plant.
Our recent interview with the University of Minnesota Grand Challenge Curriculum has been featured on their website. To read the interview, click here. " I think that as university students, we are always told that we are ‘leaders of tomorrow,’ or future leaders. But...
Our 2017 Reflections
Written by: Jesse Abelson, Chief Executive Officer As the end of 2017 has come and gone, we figured it would be appropriate to look back and reflect on the past year of Vetiver Solutions. It has been a busy year full of successes and failures, but we are incredibly...
College of Biological Sciences: Putting Down Roots
We have been featured on the University of Minnesota College of Biological Science's website. Below is a snippet of the article. To view the full article: click here. "Abelson, also, has been working tirelessly as Vetiver Solutions prepares to launch in early 2018....
Our Experience at CGI U
A few weeks ago we had the honor to travel to Boston for the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative University Conference. It was an incredible honor to be chosen to both attend this conference and present a poster during the expo session regarding our pilot this past...
Land O’ Lakes: Where are they now: Partnering with Haitian farmers
Excerpt about current Vetiver Solutions CSO and former Land O' Lakes Global Food Challenge emerging leaders: "Months later, I was riding on the back of a motorcycle over rocky roads and rivers in the mountains of rural Haiti, heading to the village of Moreau where our...