frank green was officially born in 2013, but the idea for it has been around since the 90s. Founder, Benjamin Young used to play down by the river near his house every afternoon, fishing, skipping stones and feeling like Huckleberry Finn, but whenever it rained, Ben’s paradise was ruined, as thousands of plastic water bottles and cups came pouring down the river and onto the beach. He was shocked when he learned that every single piece of plastic ever made still exists today and he knew it would continue to ruin special places like his river — unless we stop making it. 20 years later, Ben realized something: he was now in a position to do something about the problem that had bugged him since childhood. He could use his years of devising and implementing business strategies to help solve the plastic crisis, and he was going to start by inventing a reusable coffee cup.