Building Better Worlds Better Worlds

Do you know where on the Keeling Curve your birthdate lies? Better Worlds guest Brian Von Herzen, Ph.D., does and has watched it rise over the decades of his life from 315 parts per million (PPM) of CO2 to more than 420 ppm today.

The founder and executive director of the Climate Foundation, Brian’s love of the sea started at the age of two on a boogie board. An avid diver, Brian remembers watching favorite dive spots change from vibrant underwater communities to a mostly empty ocean. That helps drive his current work on large scale seaweed mariculture programs that can provide food and fertilizer as well as supporting ocean ecosystems and acting as blue carbon sinks.

Brian talks with Better Worlds Ocean Host Kate Wing about watching Greenland ice melt into 100-foot-deep blue water pools and learning how to protect seaweed farms from local communities. He describes the Climate Foundation’s technology for mimicking natural upwelling processes -- bringing cold, nutrient rich up from deeper water to nourish ocean plant life -- as a game-changer for scaling the carbon sequestration needed to meet global climate goals.

Tune in to learn more about Brian’s innovation journey, and what’s next for the forests of the sea.

#about

Brian Von Herzen Ph.D. graduated magna cum laude in three years from Princeton University with a degree in Physics. He holds a Ph.D. in planetary science from California Institute of Technology where he was awarded the prestigious Hertz Fellowship, and has been awarded numerous patents. After two decades developing system solutions for companies such as Intel, Disney, Pixar, Microsoft, HP, and Dolby, Brian launched the Climate Foundation in order to investigate groundbreaking nature-based solutions to the climate and other environmental challenges.

Marine Permaculture uses marine solar and wave-driven pumps in the ocean to restore natural upwelling and primary production to grow seaweed ecosystems. Seaweeds fix significant amounts of carbon and have multiple uses including food, feed, fuel, biostimulants, and fertilizer. After sustainable harvesting, residual seaweed can be sunk to the bottom of the ocean sequestering carbon for centuries, facilitating drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere with extended SeaForestation. Once deployed at scale Marine Permaculture can regenerate life in seas and soils and restore a healthy climate while building a multi-billion dollar seaweed export market over the next decade.

https://www.climatefoundation.org/



#ocean #ai #conservation #co2

# About Better Worlds
Better Worlds is a communication and community building platform comprised of weekly podcasts, engaging international conferences and hack-a-thons to encourage and support the development of Web3 solutions. Our programs celebrate voices from every continent to forge a shared and abundant future.

Join us on Better Worlds Ocean as we welcome Stephanie O'Donnell from Wild Labs, a community connecting people working with conservation technology at all levels. Stephanie shares the story of how Wild Labs got started in 2015 as a collaboration between world's biggest conservation NGOs and how their mission has evolved to focus on connecting the conservation community with other sectors and communities to find solutions for global challenges. Listen in as Stephanie also shares her own experience of being a wildlife ecologist and how the realization that conservationist had limited access to the technology that consumers had led to her involvement in Wild Labs.

In this episode, Stephanie O'Donnell talks about the shift in roles that Wild Labs began to take on in 2015 to become a neutral actor in the community. We explore the importance of community building and how it is essential in scaling solutions for climate change, ocean issues, and other natural world issues. Stephanie shares how Wild Labs has been led by people, not organizations, and how it is all about building relationships and trusting one another. Lastly, we discuss how collaboration and relationships are formed over multiple interactions in different forms and different spaces.

Discover how Wild Labs has created a powerful collaborative force by providing an involving environment for conservation tech users and developers. We discuss Wild Labs' State of the Conservation Tech Field report that surveys the different technology areas and highlights what is working, what isn't, and what is needed. Wild Labs has evolved from a collaboration between conservation organizations to a neutral actor in the community, providing a pathway into deep partnerships and innovative opportunities. Lastly, we learn about the surprising use of peanut butter on manta rays. Don't miss this insightful conversation with Stephanie O'Donnell!

(0:14:07) - Building Community for Conservation Innovation

Wild Labs facilitates community needs, builds relationships, and encourages collaboration to scale solutions for nature.

(0:18:28) - Conservation Tech and Partnerships

Wild Labs provides a collaborative environment to survey conservation tech, evolve into a neutral actor, and explore innovative opportunities, such as using peanut butter on manta rays.

(0:24:13) - The Future of Conservation Technology

Collaboration, 'NASA for Conservation', State of Conservation Tech, Movement Ecology, AI and Analytical Techniques are discussed to respond to conservation challenges.

(0:30:58) - Women in Conservation Tech Program

Wild Labs' Women in Conservation Tech project, creating a collaborative environment, and potential of a 'NASA for Conservation' are discussed, as well as enthusiasm for a marine focused event.

#WildLabs #conservation #technology #innovation #community #climatechange #ocean #ecology #collaboration #partnerships #AI #analyticaltechniques #movementecology #NASAforConservation #WomenInConservationTech

# About Better Worlds
Better Worlds is a communication and community building platform comprised of weekly podcasts, engaging international conferences and hack-a-thons to encourage and support the development of Web3 solutions. Our programs celebrate voices from every continent to forge a shared and abundant future.

In this episode of Better World's Ocean, I had a fascinating conversation with Erica Montagu, chief technologist at Schmidt Marine Technology Partners. We discussed the role of next-generation technology and data in addressing ocean challenges and promoting global sustainability. From the resurgence of oysters in Shinnecock Bay to the successful use of environmental DNA to study biodiversity, we covered the exciting developments in ocean research. We also explored the work of Schmidt Marine Technology Partners and their efforts to fill the funding gap for researchers and startups developing ocean technologies. We delved into the importance of locally driven solutions and the need for increased communication and collaboration in the ocean technology and funding spaces. Additionally, we touched on the innovative applications of micro grants and smart contracts, particularly in fisheries and the Global South. We examined the challenges faced by both funders and innovators in the ocean technology space, emphasizing the need for effective communication and finding balance between impact and profit. Finally, we acknowledged the urgency of actively drawing down CO2 levels and the necessity for rapid iteration and refinement of technologies to tackle climate change effectively.

https://www.betterworlds.com/ in this episode as we dive deep into the world of ocean technology and sustainability!

If you are watching Web3 at all, you’ve likely run into many self-starters in Estonia. You may ask yourself:  Why is Estonia the Silicon Valley of Europe?

Stenver Jerkku, aka Stenver from Denver, who is actually from Tallinn, Estonia explains this phenomenon to Better Worlds Host Julian Guderley in this episode of Carbonomics.

It’s like this. Estonia is very cold and the nights are very long and dark. So what else is there to do but start companies and build tech online?

That’s one story.

The other is that Estonia is also the birthplace of Skype, so there are some built in major tech successes to lead aspiring entrepreneurs that are pursuing Web 3 development. Estonia has only a population of 3.1 million people. However, since Skye’s creation, about three generations of new techies have been nurtured and nourished into start-up founders or employees. since Skype was created, Stenver said. Low numbers of people and a small country causes an entrepreneur to think global right out of the gate. That’s done by also creating tight knit communities in the “land of Unicorns” through the Estonian Founders Society.

Stenver uses that community building strength thriving in Estonia within Top Tier Impact, which connects investors with entrepreneurs wanting to work on climate impact projects and to teach others how to start carbon projects with impact.

Solid World DAO is rethinking and accelerating carbon supply chain financing through fair, transparent and liquid markets with blockchain in a fast-growing market expected to reach $50 billion by 2030.

Stenver is a serial entrepreneur, having founded multiple startups besides Solid World DAO, like eAgronom, a post-series-A startup, Handyman and Click. Stenver has been involved with various impact-focused volunteering organizations, like the Estonian Founders Society, where he lead the board with Martin Villing(Bolt) and Sten Tamkivi (Taavet+Sten, Topia, NFT Port). Top Tier Impact, which connects impact-focused investors and entrepreneurs. Some members include Ambienta, the world's largest($1B) private equity fund focused exclusively on impact, and Agate €100M impact-focused fund. Leaders For Climate Action with members like South Pole, Spotify, Klarna and others.

#carboncredits #carbonmarket #climatechange

Host: Julian Guderley // GreenPlanet-BluePlanet.com

How do we connect big global organizations with the grounded action, the local work happening  in communities to address climate change?

In this episode of Better Worlds, OceanKan Executive Director Dr. Linwood Pendleton, speaks to the importance of harnessing the energy of the people who live with nature, understand how nature is changing and how people interact with nature, to bring local solutions to scale.

The Ocean Knowledge Action Network involves  communities from First Nations Canada, to partners in Brazil, The Seychelles, Malaysia, Taipei and others. A seasoned conservation and environmental management professional with more than 20 years of experience, Linwood discusses the matching of global partners and funders to the cultural, economic and ecological context of every region.

Linwood addresses the role of the U.N. in the climate theater, recognizing the benefits of having a global convener and the weaknesses of centralized leadership, while also diving deeper into the relationships between global “saviors” and regional actors to address the millions of problems happening simultaneously that involve biodiversity and people of many cultures.

Linwood is a believer that the best ideas are those from people who understand nature and people. You don’t have to be a scientist to work to save the oceans. Nor do you have to be an academic genius to be a conservation genius.

“Nature is the biggest part of our economy because when you improve nature everybody benefits. The economy is about. People who usually pay to get things that make them happier, healthier and better. That’s true of nature. There is no one worse off because nature is healthier.”

Dr. Linwood Pendleton
Executive Director, Ocean Knowledge Action Network

Linwood has a diverse background himself, working in academia, federal government, not-for-profit global conservation, and tech. He leads international initiatives and collaborations to solve global ocean challenges, and is also director of Moonjelly Academy, International Chair of Excellence at the Université de Bretagne Occidentale; Honorary Professor for the Global Change Institute and Senior Fellow at the Duke University Nicholas Institute.

Join Better World’s Host Julian Guderley as he and Linwood explore the questions of the carbon silver bullet, decentralization, and the practices that are more likely to have success in ocean transformation.

betterworlds.com

If you’re trying to do the right thing as a consumer to reduce your carbon footprint, Carbonauts may be a lesson you want to explore. 

On this episode of Better Worlds, Host Julian Guderley asked Graham Hill, co-founder of Carbonauts, about the big six things he says can be done individually to reduce your own personal carbon footprint, in addition to carbon offsets.  What percentage of the living population would have to adopt these suggestions to lower their footprint to reach a tipping point, to create an inverse climate crisis. Personal change is just as important as corporate and government solutions, to create the tipping point, or the flipping point - the point in which the global climate will begin to flip, and then rapid change will come with that movement.  Graham offers Carbonaut sessions for individuals who want to take personal responsibility for the climate crisis and ensure they are making their contributions to reach that tipping point in the relatively short amount of time we have to reach the flipping point from 5 percent to 25 percent.  

Before COVID spawned a whole generation of Van LIfe digital stories, Graham, also CEO of LifeEdited, provide through his love of architecture that a person or two can design and live in a 350 or 420 square foot micro apartment, transforming rooms for multiple functions with various furniture hacks such as Murphy beds over a couch, folding tables with leaves and stacking chairs, for example. For 12 years he has designed space-efficient buildings, products and lifestyles to yield more money, health and happiness with less stuff, space and energy. Check out LifeEdited for more.   

Join us for more about these issues and Graham’s views on Web 3.   

#LifeEdited #carbonauts #carbonfootprint