Franziska Trautmann

Over 5 million more pounds of glass would be in landfills if not for Franziska and her team at Glass Half Full. Started in the backyard of a college fraternity house in New Orleans, Glass Half Full recycles glass into sand for coastal restoration, disaster relief, construction, and more. Franziska graduated with a degree in chemical engineering, which gave her the skills necessary to help lead a research team backed by the National Science Foundation, conducting novel research on the use of recycled glass sand for coastal restoration. They have completed four coastal restoration projects, restoring 1,700 meters of coastline and counting. In her spare time, Franziska makes educational TikToks ranging from recycling to climate change to wastewater treatment. Her page has garnered over 270,000 followers and millions of views. Glass Half Full now operates a 40,000 square foot warehouse, employs 15 people, recycles millions of pounds of glass annually, and plans to make a meaningful impact in our coastal erosion crisis.