Meet This Gen Z CEO Leading The Future of Climate Change Solutions

SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

ESTELLA STRUCK: My name is Estella and I'm 21 years old. I currently live in New York City attending NYU and studying at Gallatin, so I get to build my own major. I'm taking a lot of classes like climate solutions, social innovation, social entrepreneurship, global business, human rights and sustainable investing. 

As far as my background goes, I'm half black, half white. I grew up in Garrison, New York and I've always been really interested in science and helping people. So when I first realized that I have to have a career path in the fourth grade, I wanted to be a doctor because I was like, oh, doctors help a lot of people and that's what I want to do. I want my job to have an impact. 

Then I found out about climate change, and it scared me. And I figured out that we as individuals have a lot of power to create change in the world regarding climate change. So now I’m working on a sustainable product marketing agency called Viviene New York where we work with climate solutions brands and creators in order to bring their message and products and way of being into the mainstream.

SHEER: How exactly did you discover your passion for climate change? Did anything in your upbringing lead to that?

ES: I grew up in Webster, NY and my elementary school had this thing called Eco Kids where we got to go into the woods and learn about the forest. I've always been really involved with the environment, but didn't consider myself an advocate for the environment until the past two and a half years. My science teacher would talk about climate change, or I've just heard about it inadvertently and wasn’t really able to conceptualize it until I was in quarantine and had a lot of time to look into it. TikTok’s visual aids really helped solidify that this is a really huge issue. Also as someone with anxiety, I needed to do something because it came to a point where it was debilitating and I was crying all the time because I felt so powerless. But instead of feeling super powerless, I can have power in this situation.

SHEER: To better understand climate change and sustainable practices, what would you say are some myths about climate change that you wish to debunk?

ES: I really wanted to debunk the fact that individual actions don't matter. Because with an individual movement like what I'm doing with my company, imagine that 10,000 more individuals were also going to start a movement for climate change or ban certain brands from their repertoire.

SHEER: That was actually one of my next questions about balancing corporate versus individual responsibility. 

ES: People always think that it's all up to corporations. Corporations are serving their shareholders and the people that are profiting from the institution, but they're also serving the everyday individual. And that's me, you, your brother, sister, best friend, etc. And we need to change what we expect from these corporations. I feel like we have, but not to a degree that will create change on a larger scale. My idea is changing the flow of capital and the brands we support in order to really make a statement for the greater good, humanity, and future generations.

SHEER: That's a really interesting perspective and a helpful way to break it down for people. Speaking of corporations and fast fashion, for example, I’m curious to know your opinion on fast fashion brands that also have sustainable lines? Do you feel like it's contradictory?

ES: Sustainable lines are cash grabs trying to capitalize on the trend of consumers wanting more sustainable options. So it's not genuine which is why we tend to not work with brands like that. But I like for example, with H&M, I would never shop there just because they still use low quality materials and exploitative labor in order to produce those sustainable lines. It would take them 12 years to recycle what they produce in two days using a recycling program. I feel like those are sustainability scams vs. supporting a brand like For Days that are building a circular system and a way to keep garments out of the landfill. There are so many other options that you can go to that are actually started by people who really care and have a really strong mission than giving more money to a corporation where 99% of their business model is destroying the planet.

SHEER: Now that's really great to know and very shocking, specifically the numbers about H&M.

ES: Yeah they have factory workers that like, literally get murdered by their supervisors. 

SHEER: Wow. 

ES: And then are like yay, sustainability!

SHEER: Yikes. Yeah, not good. That's very good to know. And thank you again for putting that out there and not being afraid to speak truth to power and let people know that sustainability and climate change is urgent. There are things we can do today and practices to put in motion in our daily lives to make a difference. 

ES: Yes, no problem. That's literally my job and my passion to show people how to get more involved.

SHEER: So tell us a little bit more about your company Viviene New York and what it was like launching it?

ES: Viviene New York is the world's first sustainable product marketing agency. We work with sustainable brands and content creators to utilize the power of social media and its reach and influence in order to have a positive impact on the planet and sustain climate change. I got into this in 2020 when I started an online fashion brand by the same name and it blew up on social media. I realized social media can really be used as a driver for education and consumer behavior change. So I thought, why don't I team up with other brands that have scalable ventures in order to change the flow of capital. 

It took a long time to build all the moving parts, such as getting brand partnerships, signing content creators, and just establishing credibility in the field. It was a really long and sometimes grueling process. I had to have a really positive and uplifting mindset because if I was going to go into a place where I would start doubting myself, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. Which is something that I feel people don't talk about. Because of the climate anxiety and fear aspect in the back of my mind, it was a lot easier to keep going.

SHEER: Well just know that you're doing amazing. You kind of touched on the challenges a little bit so to dig deeper into that, what would you say were some of those specific challenges that you faced?

ES: I think the fact that with agencies, age equals more credibility is BS. I don't consider myself to have lack of credibility when it comes to marketing despite the fact that when I started this I was 20 years old. In the marketing scene, you have a bunch of older people trying to figure out how to blow brands up on social media, whereas young people who grew up in the social media age personally and intuitively know how to create content for brands that will convert their lead Gen Z audience. 

I found that a lot of my challenges were being the youngest person in the room at climate event space and those brands being like, “Oh my gosh, thank goodness, you brought your friends. You're the only Gen Z people here.” But then they’re not willing to collaborate with me. There's a disconnect in them wanting a Gen Z audience but not trusting a Gen Z agency to bring that Gen Z audience. 

There's also the lack of funding aspect. I’m 20 and paying for school and my life and I'm just trying to make it all happen. With bootstrapping a company, I don't have any investors and it's all coming from the money I made from my gap year through applicants. That has been one of my biggest challenges, but we persevere. Make it happen anyway.

SHEER: Of course. And I love that I really admire that perseverance because it's not easy. 

ES: You hear about Jeff Bezos when he started Amazon and got $250,000 seed fund investment from his parents. All these people have rich parents and I don't so sometimes I would compare myself to all these people who have that financial backing to see how they were able to get successful so fast. But then I remember we're not starting on an equal playing field. I'm just as talented and if I don't remind myself it's easy to forget.

SHEER: Oh 1,000%. And speaking of funding, where are you with that? What are some recent projects you've worked on or anyone that you've signed that you're excited about?

ES: The original six creators that we signed, I signed myself through meetings, like content creator events. Now we're starting to get to a place where we’re seen as more credible, so I have a team of people who are reaching out to creators and signing creators for me, which is so exciting!

When I was working with content creators during my gap year in 2020 I was like, whoa, they're so cool. I love their messaging. And now they're signed exclusively to my agency. So it's really just coming together. Like these are topic theaters that are like in the fashion sphere that are dressing that are working with celebrity stylists. Now, so we're like, a lot more established and further along than I sometimes give myself credit for. We’re also working with larger brands such as eos and Tinder, Cash App, & Poshmark.

SHEER: That's amazing.

ES: Yeah, thank you. It’s just so crazy for me to be able to say those brands are in my repertoire. For now we have to work on getting more long term contracts with these brands because a lot of the time we’re working on shorter one-off brand deals, or one or two videos, whereas I want to get them on a month long retainer. That's the next step in our growth strategy.

SHEER: Nice. What are you doing with Poshmark?

ES: They’re working with our creators to launch their newest products. I don't know if you've heard of the brand, Whatnot. It's a live streaming app where you can sell secondhand clothing or products and it really took off in China and it's kind of picking up in the US right now. Poshmark is trying this new thing called Posh Shows where the creators can sell items in their closet online through the Poshmark app. For example they had a Secondhand Saturday, instead of Black Friday that we were part of.

SHEER: Very cool.

ES: Poshmark has a global presence and is able to pick up on these trends faster, and implement newer strategies but we also want to work with brands that are based in the U.S.that are sustainable because I feel like sustainable brands typically are behind the curve when it comes to marketing innovations. Through my observations, I’m someone who picks up on trends very easily because my brain just works that way. So it's the perfect job for me.  I know that sustainable brands are behind in the social media scene, which is not good for an entire industry that should be leading the social scene.

SHEER: And what do you think might be causing that?

ES: I think their teams are overwhelmed. And also a little bit on the older side, so they’re  not able to like paying as much attention to the trends on social media I've literally grown up watching since I was a kid. I got my first phone when I was in third grade and my Instagram account when I was 10. 

SHEER: Yeah, that's definitely a great point. Outside of Viviene,  how do you incorporate sustainable practices in your personal day to day life? What are some tips or advice you have for someone who's just starting out?

ES: I've made a conscious effort to incorporate sustainable practices into my daily routine. I prioritize buying from sustainable brands for my skincare, shoes, phone cases, and backpacks and approximately 90% of my clothes and apartment furnishings are secondhand. I also make my own coffee at home and bring a reusable water bottle with me wherever I go.

Living in New York, I prefer walking everywhere which helps me get to around 10,000 to 15,000 steps per day and also constantly seeking knowledge and learning about sustainability, which is evident in the classes I take like Capitalism Theory, Global Business and Human Rights, etc. However, I recognize that sustainability looks different for everyone. I believe that small steps can make a big difference and I'm committed to exploring how everyone can make a positive impact.

SHEER: As a content creator. What would you say is your favorite platform? How do you balance being a content creator and your mental health?

ES: For me, it's an outlet when I'm anxious. Content creation is an outlet for my frustrations with the sustainability community, or climate change and to communicate to my viewers about headlines that are pissing me off or talking about New York initiatives. It's like very much integrated into my daily life. And when you look at my screen time, my screen time is actually less than a lot of my friends who don't have jobs in social media. I'm actually like averaging only like four to six hours per day because I'm super strategic about what I do. 

But with mental health, I'm handling a lot. I'm taking 18 credits in school, and I'm managing a company so I’m definitely always looking for signs of burnout in myself to make sure that I don't reach that point. Whether that’s adding an extra hour of sleep to my schedule or telling myself not to get on social media for a few days and things like that. I'm very cognizant of my mental health because my whole life will implode. Health is wealth, you know, and I want to be wealthy. 

SHEER: Amen.That is definitely the goal. What would you say is bringing you joy right now? 

ES: Whenever my company progresses I get really happy. And then my birthday was yesterday.

SHEER: Oh, happy birthday!

ES: Thank you! Having support from my family is really nice too. Just a good support system brings me joy. I like art. I like the city. I like my classes. I'm excited for spring break because I get to take a break from school and just focus on the company.

SHEER: What are some action items you have for everyday people that want to make a difference and preserve the planet?

ES: Number one actually, is following me on Instagram because I post about this all the time. And my new partnership coming up is a carbon accounting service that's free. It’s a bank that's free to sign up with and they literally show you how your money is fighting climate change. If you're someone who doesn't want to get super involved or change your entire lifestyle but want to be educated on finding little ways to help sustainability industry, you can follow and support Viviene New York for more resources online. 

SHEER: What do you envision for the future of Viviene New York, whether it's the rest of this year, or even thinking five years from now? What do you hope for?

ES: I definitely want to be the go-to Gen Z contact for issues pertaining to climate change and sustainability. I feel like I have a really unique perspective that is missing in the environmentalist space. I really tried to build my platform and my space in the world as not just an influencer but a public figure in regards to the fight against climate change and getting my generation involved.

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