Alex Eaves
Ever since Alex Eaves was a child, he's been a solutions guy for problems he faced. He had an early love for math and jigsaw puzzles, but it was when he started skateboarding that he began implementing many reuse solutions for problems. Growing up in Massachusetts, Alex created an indoor skatepark out of miscellaneous obstacles and materials found in his basement.
While studying journalism and advertising at Northeastern University in the late 90s, Alex co-created a promotions company for bands and record labels with his college roommate. And it was during his decade long career in the music industry where Alex saw the problem that would change his careeer path and life: the waste in the T-Shirt industry.
In 2003, Alex created STAY VOCAL as a positive change themed skateboard and apparel brand. To raise the money for his first line of skateboards, Eaves cut costs by printing shirts on thrifted garments. The light bulb didn't go off for a few years, though. But in 2008, when faced with a struggling business and not understanding why people were so focused on recycling and not reusing, Alex reconfigured the brand to the now green-certified reuse apparel brand. Since then, Alex has also been leading a passionate “reuse life," as he couldn't sell shirts with a message on them and not be living that message.
In 2014, Alex became a certified Master Reuser by the Reuse Institute. He's also the director of the award winning documentaries, REUSE! Because You Can't Recycle The Planet. (2015) and The Box Truck Film: Building A Reuseful Home (2022). He's also the co-builder of The REUSE! Box Truck, a moving truck that was converted into a 98-square foot tiny house and mobile reuse education center.
Most recently, Alex realized that what he loves most is also what he's best at: being a connecter. He wanted to create an umbrella to connect all of his work and a hub of reuse solutions to help people reuse and avoid wasted resources, time, and money. And so, Escape The Waste was born.
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(Fun Fact: Alex drinks multiple coffees every day and he hasn't used a single disposable coffee cup since 2007!)
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Events
Alex is available for a variety of in-person and virtual events. Having toured around the world with rock bands for almost 10 years, he knows the importance of in-person interaction. Events vary from speaking engagements to a full day with The REUSE! Box Truck Tiny House. Learn more about our events here.
Gallery
Experience
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1997 - managed a street promotions company for the music industry and became involved in mass marketing of products around the United States
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2000 – began working for Anti-Racist Action; traveling around the country selling merchandise and making some of it
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2000-2007 - toured around the world selling merchandise for rock bands focused on positive change and activism
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2003 - started STAY VOCAL as a skateboard company, but the first fundraising items were reuse T-Shirts
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2008 - changed STAY VOCAL to a strictly reuse apparel brand and won a $20,000 best small business award for his idea
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2008 - began living "the reuse life"; finding reuse solutions for his needs and wants
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2013 - after a successful crowdfunding campaign, he traveled to all 48 contiguous states, filming people who reuse in different ways
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2015 – released his first film, REUSE! Because You Can’t Recycle The Planet.
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2016 - toured around the United States, screening his film and leading talks
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2017 – 2020 - co-built the REUSE! Box Truck tiny house and traveled to 25 states with it
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2020 - 2022 - cleaned out a 17-room house, finding reuse solutions for thousands of items
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2022 – released his second film, The Box Truck Film: Building A Reuseful Home
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2024 – launched Escape The Waste