About Us

Our Story

In 2007, a group of travellers were packed like sardines into a small car en route to Montreal from Toronto. As they bounced down the highway, they bounced around ideas for businesses that would help to improve the world. The rest is history; two and a half years later, an idea that started small has grown in to a fully-functioning online ethical marketplace. Our six team members come from various backgrounds, but have come together under a common belief: that trade and ethics need not be separate; rather, the future of commerce will require the integration of ethics. It will be consumers who demand these type of products and services, and the businesses who combine economic and ethical motivations will flourish.

Our Values

At the core of Ethical Ocean is a belief that individuals have incredible power to shape the world through their purchasing habits. We believe that people generally would like to choose the most ethical product available, but we also recognize that both finding ethical products, and obtaining information about the products we buy is very difficult in today’s marketplace. We would like to help change the way people shop, by streamlining the availibility of ethical product information and by consolidating quality sellers who offer great ethical products. We look forward to working with you to make the world a better, more ethical place.

Our People

Lena Lam (Dir. of Marketing Strategy) comes from a background in marketing and strategy; her main interests are in research, social marketing, and ethical consumerism. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management and a Masters of Science in Marketing and Consumer Studies. Ethical Passion Lena became interested in this type of work as she became increasingly dismayed with the realities of modern day capitalism and its effects on people, society, and the planet. She was extremely happy to stumble upon a relatively new, but growing movement in which marketing techniques are used to promote social good. Lena’s past work has focused on the social behaviour spectrum, from pro-environmental behaviour and ethical consumerism, to civic engagement and volunteerism, to ethical product development and corporate social responsibility. She presented some of her work at the Social Marketing Advances in Research and Theory Conference (2006), the Association for Non-Profit and Social Economy Research Conference (2007) and the World Social Marketing Conference (2008). Street Cred When she is not busy with Ethical Ocean or her career as a Research Consultant, Lena can be found enjoying the outdoors, playing sports, meditating, reading, writing, dancing, playing music, singing (albeit, terribly), enjoying great conversations with good company, reflecting, and philosophizing. I’d like to have dinner with: The Dalai Lama. To me he embodies peace, compassion, universal responsibility for ourselves and each other and so much more. Recent Lifestyle Change: Changing the way I think and live. Changing my automaticity of "meaningless" consumption. It's an ongoing change and I have a long way to go, but I feel I have successfully become more cognizant of the way I live and consume. Unethical Confession: I love to travel. And I would rather fly to other continents than swim or row there - I am not a strong swimmer and my endurance for rowing great distances is rather weak! My favorite ethical product: Balsam Dress $98.00

Davin Trent Lengyel (Executive Producer) holds degrees in Education, Engineering Physics, and Mathematics from the University of Saskatchewan. He moved to the Toronto to study Law at the University of Toronto and was later called to the Bar. Ethical Passion Davin became interested in volunteering for social causes while studying Engineering. In his first year, he was appointed the Social Issues Commissioner for the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES), where he championed a variety of charitable activities, including a national version of the "Pi Throw" - a fundraising event he managed back in Saskatchewan. He later chaired the Federation's annual conference and was elected CFES President, where he continued to advocate a platform of cultural exchange and student activism. For his work with the CFES, Davin was awarded the Walter Murray Memorial Leadership Award which is awarded to "leaders that go far beyond what we think one is capable of achieving". Street Cred During school, Davin worked as a producer for an Internet series that was a pioneer in marketing to an online audience. On a road trip with Chad several years ago, they exchanged ideas for entrepreneurial opportunities to effect social change. Fusing these ideas with his online marketing experience, Davin became convinced that the Internet could be used as a tool to support ethical consumerism, by providing global access to an ethical goods marketplace. When not working on Ethical Ocean, Davin continues his work as a television and new media producer. I’d like to have dinner with: Nigella Lawson. At least that way I could be sure that the food would be incredible! Recent Lifestyle Change: Respecting the organics bin - although I still argue with my roommates about the proximity of the bin to the kitchen. Unethical Confession: "Meat Lovers" is my pizza style of choice. My favorite ethical product: Tanzania - Whole Bean $9.50

David Damberger (Dir. of Business Strategy) has a degree in Engineering with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Calgary. David was one of key founding contributors of Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB). In 2005, David was recognized as one of the University of Calgary's Top 40 Alumni of all time. Ethical Passion David’s passion for social change started when he founded and led the Calgary chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Under his leadership, the chapter pioneered 3 national programs that have since educated and engaged over 80,000 high school and university engineering students across Canada in international development issues. David then headed overseas to India and Zambia, where he worked with vegetable-growing village cooperatives using small-scale irrigation systems. After volunteering with EWB for 5 years, David was hired on as the Director of Southern African Programming, where he developed partnerships and consulted with over 45 different African NGOs, government organizations, and businesses. Street Cred David loves his girlfriend, as well as playing hockey, ultimate frisbee and any other sport that involves whacking objects with sticks or diving in mud. Although he encourages others to buy Fairtrade chocolate, David actually hates chocolate of all varieties. He is currently following his passion for learning and business by working in corporate strategy consulting. I’d like to have dinner with: Nelson Mandela; I am always inspired by his struggle to balance deep-seated principles with both a pragmatic desire for creating change, and a personal desire to be with the people he loves. Recent Lifestyle Change: Getting rid of almost all my home cleaning products and switching over to Norwex anti-bacterial micro-fibre cloths. They kill 99.9% of bacteria without any chemicals! Unethical Confession: Despite knowing how much carbon is emitted from flying, whenever I had a chance fly back home from Africa to see family and friends, I always took the flight - but felt massive twinges of guilt. My favorite ethical product: Norwex Antibac Travel Pack $18.99

Chad Hamre (CEO) works by day for a climate change consulting company that advises companies, international institutions and domestic governments on creating greenhouse gas reducing systems. He holds a BSc in Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan, an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and an (in progress) Executive MBA at Queens University. Ethical Passion Serendipity, good friends and a life-changing organization (EWB) challenged Chad to break the mold of a young go-getter and to take his responsibility to positively impact the world seriously. In 2006 he moved to a village in Zambia where he worked with small-scale cattle farmers to help them access improved market opportunities. Later, while studying in the UK, he caught glimpse of a vibrant ethical economy. He was delighted to see fairtrade bananas piled high in grocers and organic tea steaming in the mugs of passers-by. Street Cred Chad's maiden bicycle journey with the Otesha Project in 2003, took him halfway across Canada speaking about climate change. Chad enjoys snowboarding, ultimate frisbee, long boarding, a wonderful girl from Edmonton. For his efforts to date, he was awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and the 2008 UofS Outstanding Young Alumni award. He's lived in 5 cities in 5 years, but no matter where he hangs his hat, he proudly flies a pirate-like Saskatchewan flag overhead. I’d like to have dinner with: Adam Smith and Karl Marx... double-date. I really like the idea of using markets to enhance global equity - but we're going to need both of these chaps to cooperate to figure out how. Recent Lifestyle Change: Even though I've got two close friends who are beef farmers, I've almost entirely cut meat from my diet. Unethical Confession: I have never properly researched the eco-maring implications of sushi... because I'm too afraid I'd have to give up something so wonderful... My favorite ethical product: Shiva Beanie - 20" $34.99

Jonathan Fishbein(Chief Technology Officer, CTO) has an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering and an masters degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. During the day, Jon works as a Program Director for Engineers Without Borders (EWB). He coordinates EWB's post-secondary curriculum enhancement initiatives at universities across Canada, develops the organization's vision for the future of engineering education, and focuses on how universities can foster truly global engineers. Ethical Passion Jon grew up in Toronto, but spent most of his formative years in the entrepreneurial hub of Waterloo. It was here that Jonathan got involved with many leadership initiatives and social causes, and later co-founded EWB's Waterloo Professional chapter, serving as its president for two years. It was during his last year of grad school that Jon and the future Ethical Ocean team started discussing how they could transform the ethical consumer market by making it more accessible for people looking to buy products that were in line with their values. Street Cred In high school, Jon volunteered with many charities in the Greater Toronto Area. When he can find some spare time away from Ethical Ocean and EWB, Jon is an avid cycler, runner, and swimmer. He is also a music enthusiast, and misses his former days as an award-winning radio host. I’d like to have dinner with: James Orbinski; I am constantly inspired by his dedication and his ceaseless resolve to stand up to the injustices in the world. Recent Lifestyle Change: I am currently trying to limit myself to one bag of non-recycled, non-composted garbage per month. Unethical Confession: Occasionally, I'll drive to the grocery store to do my weekly shopping -there are only so many groceries I can fit on my bike. My favorite ethical product: Scosche SolChat2 Hands-Free $69.99

Tony Hancock (President of Operations) graduated from Engineering at the University of Alberta. He worked in Toronto as a green building consultant, collaborating with Canada’s premier real estate developers to create more sustainable buildings before moving to Ethical Ocean full time as President of Operations. Ethical Passion Tony has been interested in sustainability and development since working on an energy and biomass conservation program with smallholder farmers in Malawi. At the same time, he gained an appreciation for the widespread effect of an individual’s purchasing choices in North America. He has continued his education in sustainability, including an in-depth course in renewable energy in Freiberg, Germany, and involvement in the development of the first marketable Net Zero home in Edmonton. Street Cred Tony has a passion for all things visual. He has been known to lose entire weekends to Photoshop and Illustrator, and produces screen-prints by hand. He can often be seen exploring his new city by longboard, with his SLR camera slung over his shoulder and a Fairtrade coffee in his hand (in a travel mug of course!) Tony has been a vegetarian for the past five years, and elects to purchase animal-friendly items as much as possible. I’d like to have dinner with: Leonardo DaVinci. He was the quintessential Renaissance man; his mastery of both left and right brain is always an inspiration for me. Recent Lifestyle Change: I sold my car when I left Alberta in April 2009, and I haven’t driven since! Unethical Confession: As much as I strongly believe in the value of calculating your carbon footprint - even just to understand your lifestyle patterns, I still haven't taken the time to sit down and figure mine out. My favorite ethical product: Timeline Longboard $253.00

Danny Howard (Business Development Officer) holds a BSc in engineering from the University of Alberta. In 2007, he managed a starch factory while working at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Malawi. He then become the Director of Advocacy and Public Outreach for Engineers Without Borders Canada. Ethical Passion Danny’s ethical passion comes from Alberta and Ghana. In Alberta he had a summer job that required him to find eco-friendly solutions for cleaning heavy duty machinery for a power company. In Ghana he worked with rural villages to access machinery to mill their corn and peanuts. His interest in the environment and Fair Trade were locked in, and he wanted to bring this to his purchasing. When Danny asked for only ethical Christmas gifts in 2006, his mom found it virtually impossible for her (or him) to find anything – on the internet or by car. So he convinced his project team in a university entrepreneurship class to develop a business plan for a website consolidating ethical products. Street Cred Danny was the president of the University of Alberta Chapter of Engineers Without Borders and received an award for student organization of the year on behalf of the team. He loves ultimate Frisbee, hockey and skiing on fluffy powder. Danny likes to climb things, particularly with the girl he’s falling for. I’d like to have dinner with: Anyone – a waiter/waitress, welder or lawyer – 50 years in the future. I’m concerned about the future for obvious reasons, but I’m also really excited about what will transpire. Recent Lifestyle Change: I started buying Fair Trade sugar from Malawi. Unethical Confession: I adore my bike, but a small part of me will forever want a really fast car. A BMW M Coupe to be specific. My favorite ethical product: Red Cedar Coasters $20.00