The “Other” Musk You May Never Have Heard Of
Photo Source: biggreen.org
You may have heard of a guy named Elon Musk. If you haven’t, you’ve likely been living in some remote, inaccessible corner of the world with no Internet access. But just to refresh your memory, he’s the Founder of SpaceX, The Boring Company and X.com (now known as PayPal); CEO of Tesla; Co-founder of Neuralink, OpenAI, and Zip2; and Chairman of SolarCity. That’s a résumé impressive enough for at least six people.
But you may not have heard of Elon’s brother, Kimbal Musk. He’s a man whose accomplishments are almost as deep as his more famous sibling’s. He was co-founder, with brother Elon, of Zip2 Corporation, and online city guide that provided content for the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune’s digital newspaper editions. After selling Zip2 in 1999, he invested in a number of software and technology companies, and was an early investor in Elon’s X.com, which merged with PayPal and was purchased by eBay in 2002.
As many of you know, I’ve been interested in getting healthy, nutritious foods to those who need it. I’ve worked with and supported Cul2vate, which seeks to feed the hungry by growing food and growing people in Nashville, TN.
Other than admiring successful entrepreneurs, my interest in Kimbal Musk is entirely in his current ventures. Those would be in service to feeding America. Pretty ambitious. My contributions to the cause are considerably smaller than his, but I’m proud of them nonetheless. As many of you know, I’ve been interested in getting healthy, nutritious foods to those who need it. I’ve worked with and supported Cul2vate, which seeks to feed the hungry by growing food and growing people in Nashville, Tennessee.
These individuals are called “Cul2vators” as they are cultivating a new life in the crops they nurture and within their own lives.
It is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, comprised of Middle Tennessee residents joining together to fight hunger. Their double mission is to grow and deliver fresh, nutritional local produce to those in need and who don’t have access to fresh vegetables; and growing people by embracing those in need of a second chance. These individuals are called “Cul2vators” as they are cultivating a new life in the crops they nurture and within their own lives.
South African-born Musk is not only a philanthropist, he’s also a chef and restauranteur whose mission is to give everyone in the nation access to what he calls real food. His efforts have been recognized by the World Economic Forum, which named him a Global Social Entrepreneur. He is the Co-Founder and Chairman of three real food companies that are rapidly deploying across the U.S.: Big Green, Square Roots, and The Kitchen Restaurant Group. Each has a different focus yet moves toward the same real food goal.
Big Green, a 501(c)3 non-profit, promotes youth wellness in schools by building a food culture that connects kids to real food though his network of Learning Gardens and food literacy programs. This is accomplished through his building of permanent outdoor Learning Garden classrooms in underserved schools across the country.
Photo Source: biggreen.org
Square Roots is an urban farming company. Based in Brooklyn, NY, its mission is to bring local, real food to people in cities around the world by empowering next-gen leaders in urban farming. Its scalable, year-round “farmer-first” technology platform grows hyper-local, fresh food while also training future generations of farmers.
By purchasing locally, The Kitchen Restaurant Group stimulates farm economies – so far in the range of millions of dollars per year.
The Kitchen Restaurant Group is a family of restaurant concepts including Next Door American Eatery, Hedge Row American Bistro, and The Kitchen American Bistro. These restaurants have locations across America and are committed to sourcing foods from American farmers and preparing real food. They serve at a variety of price points. By purchasing locally, The Kitchen Restaurant Group stimulates farm economies – so far in the range of millions of dollars per year.
All of The Kitchen restaurants donate a percentage of sales to help plant Learning Gardens in their local communities. In 2012, Big Green built 26 gardens in Colorado, 16 in Chicago, and 12 more around the U.S. In December 2012, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave Musk's nonprofit $1 million to install 80 Learning Gardens in Chicago city schools. In February 2015, The Kitchen Community celebrated its 200th Learning Garden build at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, a high school in Los Angeles, which also marked the District's first SEEDS Project.
“Real Food for Everyone” is the umbrella motto under which Kimbal Musk operates his endeavors. It’s a sentiment I believe all of us should encourage in any way possible, because first and foremost “Everyone” is us.