Going Green is excited to announce a new episode of our podcast is coming to you featuring GoSun CEO Patrick Sherwin. We first came across Patrick’s story when we learned about how his crowdfunding campaign blew past their goals in only two hours. When a product goes viral like that, there is typically a reason, and when we learned that GoSun creates sustainable products that are charged and run on solar energy, we were excited to connect.
Who Is GoSun?
Founded in a small suburban garage in Cincinnati, Ohio, GoSun grew quickly thanks to a community of committed customers and shareholders. GoSun creates innovative products that encourage fun, resilience and independence. Their products include ovens, coolers, chargers, and lighting systems, all completely charged from the sun. Imagine you are out camping with your friends, miles from civilization, and you can utilize solar power to provide enough energy to use an oven, a cooler, or your entire lighting system for wherever you are.
GoSun Giving Back
Around one billion people do not have access to electricity and over three billion people still cook on dangerous, polluting stoves that run on dirty fuels: wood, charcoal and petrochemical fires. The World Health Organization estimates over four million premature deaths occur annually due to respiratory diseases directly related to smoke inhalation.
GoSun has shipped products to over 70 countries throughout the world to all continents, and has donated over 1,000 units for the advancement of solar education. In addition to that, GoSun has provided over 2,500 units at substantial discount to NGO’s throughout the U.S and the World.
Knowing this, when we had the opportunity to invite Patrick onto the Going Green Podcast , we were enthralled by his story and excited to learn more.
Let’s Get To Know GoSun CEO Patrick Sherwin
After a long morning disassembling a solar water heating device, GoSun founder and solar energy expert, Patrick Sherwin, realized that the vacuum tubes sitting next to him might be able to reheat his lunch. When the food came out hot and roasted, it was an epiphany. Having lived extensively off the grid and working on solar energy projects around the world, he knew that he was on to something.
While volunteering with non-profits in Haiti and Latin America, Patrick experienced first-hand the vulnerability of energy poverty. Touched by the resilience and happiness of those living on just $2.00/day, he spent years facilitating technology, energy and social innovations in the developing world. These efforts, including many failures to introduce typical solar ovens, led to the realization that his solar hot dog cooker invention could be something more, serving a great need in emerging markets.
Why This Matters
There are countless ways that GoSun’s products can and will effect our lives. Being based in San Diego, we often enjoy our sunny days on the beach with friends, and the ability to have a solar powered cooler for our food and drinks sounds very enticing. We also like to go camping and exploring, so the idea of having an oven and cooler anywhere we go, no matter how off the grid we are, sounds great.
But let’s think bigger for a second.
Let’s say you live somewhere prone to natural disasters, and your power gets knocked out for a week, or you live in a country where the power grid can shut down at any time. This can cause major stresses and issues when it comes to how and where you will store your food properly, and how and when you cook it.
GoSun not only has the ability to make life more fun and enjoyable, it also has the power to help people around the world. They are the true definition of the entrepreneurial spirit, and we love someone who has built a million dollar company with the idea of sustainability and helping people.
Be sure to listen to Patrick’s full podcast episode, and support GoSun by visiting their website.