SPEAKERS
Sarah Shewey
Founder and CEO, Happily
and TEDxHappily Host
reduce. represent. reinvest. respect.
bio
Sarah Shewey is an experience economy pioneer with a background in film and tech. She is the Founder & CEO of Happily, a network of over 50,000 event producers, technologists and creatives who produce world-class virtual and live events. Sarah co-founded TEDActive and was one of the first beta testers of TEDx. She is the founder of EXP, and is the board president of dublab.com, LA's first Internet radio station - established in 1999. She recently "broke the Internet" with her cyberwedding, which was streamed live on every continent.
An environmentalist, Sarah has spoken about the importance of sustainable event practices on NPR, the Associated Press, and publications around the world. She also co-invented the world’s first underwater projector.
website + links
ANDREW FRANKLAND
Director of Operations,
Forest Nation
forests, for life
bio
Andrew is a thoughtful and considerate entrepreneur with a wealth of international experience. He is a British national currently residing in Barcelona Spain with his young family. He loves running rugby and the ocean and has a passion for ecological balance and human equality. His goal is simple, to equip and enable businesses and individuals to plant as many trees as possible in his lifetime and to hopefully receive the gift of watching the natural benefits from this work.
website + links
AVA DUVERNAY
Writer, Producer, Filmmaker
call to vote
bio
Ava DuVernay amplifies the work of people of color and women of all kinds through her nonprofit film collective Array.
website + links
https://avaduvernay.com
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AVERY BAZAN
Video Director,
Think Out Loud Studio
san francisco under a yellow sky
On September 9th, 2020, the skies around San Francisco turn yellow, orange, and even black from the smoke of nearby fires.
bio
Avery Bazan is a commercial, documentary, and narrative filmmaker based out of San Francisco. He has over ten years of experience producing creative content. Avery has launched and managed over 40 brands across various industries, such as DJI, Adobe, EPSON, Yale, and WTA.
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AZIZ ABU SARAH
Co-Founder & CEO,
MEJDI Tours
how travel can transform/heal world conflicts
bio
Aziz Abu Sarah is the cofounded MEJDI Tours in 2009—originators of the Dual Narrative™ and a leader of socially conscious travel. MEJDI was founded on the belief that tourism should be a vehicle for a more positive, peaceful, and interconnected world. His educational and conflict resolution work has earned him the titles of National Geographic Explorer and Ted Fellow.
Aziz is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East from the Institute of International Education. He won the Intercultural innovation award from the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group. He was also recognized by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for his peacebuilding work.
website + links
COLIN HO
Engineer and Roboticist,
Stealth Startup
engineering our future
bio
Colin Ho engineers systems and tools that help mitigate existential risks to humanity. While at SpaceX, Colin led the success of all low-flow and high-flow propulsion components on Dragon, the first commercial spacecraft to send astronauts into orbit and back. His team there also designed, built and tested the highest power space-capable battery system ever created for Starship: the first fully reusable space transportation system, as well as the world’s most powerful. Colin's mission is to invent the future by accelerating solutions for collective progress and prosperity while respecting all people, cultures, and life.
website + links
https://ohcolinho.com
DANIEL LEE
Culver City Council Member,
Culver City
the climate crisis: it’s frightening
bio
In 2018 Daniel Lee became the first African-American Council Member in Culver City, California's 100+ year history. An Air Force veteran, social worker, community organizer and environmental activist, he is currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California and works as Project Manager with Civil Rights legend Rev. James Lawson at the James Lawson Institute.
website + links
CHRISTIANA FIGUERES
Stubborn Optimist
peace: becoming a stubborn optimist
bio
Christiana Figueres is an internationally recognized leader on global climate change.
website + links
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Christine Marie
Artist
CM Art and Invention
nature walk
bio
Christine Marie is an interdisciplinary artist.
She creates artwork, installation, performance, multimedia, and immersive spectacles.
Marie seamlessly integrates performers, objects and special effects to elicit connections with concepts, phenomenology, and history in emotional and visually stimulating experiences.
Christine Marie strives to break new ground within her form while being intrinsically tied to ancient art forms and the metaphysical exploration of light. She is pioneering the use of large-scale 3-D shadows by reinventing the 19th century stereoscope. She uses the term (antiquated) Augmented Reality to describe the form which is comparable to modern-day digital A.R. The term is an umbrella for all her works and products utilizing the anaglyph effect.
Her work has appeared at Sundance New Frontier, REDCAT, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, The Exploratorium, Pop-Up Magazine, the Geffen Playhouse, Southcoast Repertory, Z Space, Soho House, and others.
Christine Marie is a TED Fellow. Marie has taught shadow animation at Pixar and DreamWorks Studios. She currently lectures and conducts workshops at universities, schools and at juvenile hall. Marie has worked with shadows for decades and has a life-long commitment to continuing working with light. She is currently creating a series of 3-D lightboxes.
website + links
https://www.4christinemarie.com/
Eileen Bistrisky
Consultant,
Effective Leadership Consulting
accessing and protecting nature through mountain adventure
bio
Eileen strategically leads impactful, socially-responsible organizations either in-house or as an external consultant. Her award-winning company, Effective Leadership Consulting, facilitates organizational growth, increased efficiency, and improved operational effectiveness.
Eileen is The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) Board Chair and regular MC. Eileen hopes to spread knowledge to make local mountains more accessible to more people, foster a greater appreciation for nature, and increase the sense of urgency to protect this beautiful planet.
website + links
GEORGE KO
Young Steinway Artist, Composer, Improviser
stratosphere
bio
Known for his alluring sound, expressivity, and eloquence at the keyboard, pianist George Ko has appeared on stages worldwide, from 2000 seat auditoriums to Carnegie Hall. His music has been heard at film festivals, television broadcasts of ABC and CBC, and music festivals in Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, and China. His recordings have appeared on films at the Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Netflix.
As a composer, George developed his artistry at Harvard University, where he received his bachelor's and honors in music.
website + links
IAN SHIVE
Photographer & Filmmaker
Tandem Stills & Motion, Inc.
our wild backyard
bio
Ian Shive is an Ansel award-winning American photographer and filmmaker whose work documents some of the world’s most pristine environments and brings to the public important conservation stories from around the globe. In 2020, Ian Shive launched a new series on Discovery Channel titled Nature in Focus, where he explores our planet as host and executive producer. In 2019, Ian led several expeditions to some of the world’s most remote coral atolls for the giant-screen film, Hidden Pacific, which he directed and produced. Hidden Pacific brings to life in IMAX 3D the vibrant marine national monuments at the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean — thriving ecosystems filled with colorful coral reefs, large colonies of birds, and threatened species that depend on these habitats for survival.
website + links
JOANNA MILLER
Lead of Learning and Development,
Asana
In the struggle lies the joy
bio
Joanna Miller leads the Learning & Development team at Asana including talent development programs, manager enablement and employee training & coaching. Her goal as a leader, coach and facilitator is to design experiences that inspire deeper curiosity, connection and clarity of purpose. When not at her desk you can find her behind the mic interviewing diverse voices in tech for Digital Village on KPFK FM or on top of Twin Peaks hosting sunrise dance parties. Her one question for you is: Are you living the party you want to be invited to?
website + links
https://www.joannamiller.com/
KALAYA’AN MENDOZA
Co-founder,
Across Frontlines
solidarity: power with NOT power over
Engaging in solidarity work looks like everything from being on the frontlines of activism to building mutual aid groups to engaging in anti-racist conversations in a Brave space. In this historic moment we all need to find ways that we can rise up to protect ourselves and each other from the violence of the state.
bio
Kalaya'an Mendoza [He/Him/Siya] is a Queer Disabled Filipinx Immigrant residing on Occupied Lenape Land. He is the co-founder of Across Frontlines an organization that works to protect human rights defenders around the world from state and non-state actor violence. He is a nonviolent direct action organizer, a Tactical Safety and Security for Human Rights Defenders Facilitator and a disaster preparedness expert.
website + links
Matt BARNARD
Co-founder & CEO
Plenty
feeding more with less
Plenty is on a mission to open its indoor farms across the globe, growing delicious, clean, fresh fruits and vegetables while using a fraction of the resources conventionally used outdoors.
bio
Matt Barnard is the co-founder and CEO of Plenty, an indoor vertical farming company, with a mission to improve the health of people, plants, and our planet. Matt leads Plenty’s network of indoor farms that utilize cutting-edge technologies and proven plant-science to deliver industry-leading yields of delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Previously, Matt served as President and COO of Whalen & Company, founder of Search Fund Capital, Managing Operating Partner for 523 Capital, and VP of Deployment at SmartSynch. The teams he led designed and deployed over $1B of sophisticated technology infrastructure for the telecommunications and cellular smart grid industries.
A 6th generation farmer, Matt earned his MS from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and a BA and BM from Northwestern University.
website + links
METTA WORLD PEACE
NBA Champion,
Philanthropist
why world peace
#worldpeace
bio
Metta World Peace is an NBA Champion, Philanthropist, All-Star Player and Founder of The XvsXsports project.
World Peace is also known as a prominent mental health advocate, pop culture personality and media favourite. He raffled off his 2010 NBA World Championship Ring, raised more than $650,000, and donated all the proceeds to his nonprofit Artest University.
website + links
NAT KELLEY
Indigenous Actress and Activist,
Kiss The Ground
kiss the ground to heal ourselves and the planet
bio
Nathalie Kelley was born in Peru and raised in Australia by her Indigenous mother and grandmother. After working with street children in São Paulo, Brazil and Aborginal inner-city youth in Redfern, Australia - she began her degree in Social Science and Policy at the University of UNSW. Not long after she started to work as a actress in film and television US, with notable roles in shows like Unreal, Dynasty and most recently as the star of ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty. Nathalie is on the board of Kiss the Ground and the Fungi Foundation.
website + links
SEVERN CULLIS-SUZUKI
Environmental Educator
three decades of activism
bio
Severn Cullis-Suzuki is a lifelong environmental activist seeking justice for future generations.
website + links
RAHWA GHIRMATZION
SHAWNA MCKINLEY
Principal,
Clear Current Consulting
wrestling with an eight-ton elephant
bio
Shawna McKinley is an accomplished sustainability consultant, event planner, author, and instructor who helps event professionals take practical, smart steps to improve their events through zero waste and carbon-conscious choices.
website + links
SOLONJE BURNETT
Co-Founder & Cannavist,
Humble Bloom
bipoc breathing is a radical act
bio
Solonje is a community leader, humanist, cannavist, and co-founder at Humble Bloom. Her mission is to give the underrepresented a seat at the table in the cannabis industry and beyond. Solonje sits on the Equity First Alliance Steering Committee, is an advisor for the Virtue Project’s Business Equity Council, and an Advisory Board member at CRUDE. She was recognized as 15 Women to Watch in the CBD Industry in Marie Claire and Culture Magazine’s Five Cannabis Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2019. She has spoken at PopSugar Playground, NECANN and Yale Business of Legal Cannabis Conference. Solonje has been featured in publications and podcasts including Black Enterprise, Refinery29, Vogue, VICE, WGSN, Cheddar, Skunk, Women & Weed, Miss Grass, Maria and Jane, Supermaker and more.
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TRENT WOLBE
Sustainability Lead,
Events & Experiences, Google
oh, 2020: the carbon calculator's crisis
bio
Fifteen years into his journey in experiential design and production, Trent leads the effort to operationalize Google's zero-waste and carbon-neutrality goals for events & experiences. He's also a co-founder of the X-tech Sustainable Events Committee, a group of event marketers focused on bringing scalable sustainability solutions to the $1.5t industry. Whatever he’s doing right now, he’d probably rather be listening to Kraftwerk by a campfire.
website + links
vanessa dew
Co-Founder, Chief Sales Officer
Health-Ade
Answer Is Always No Unless You Ask
bio
Vanessa Dew co-founded Health-Ade Kombucha in 2012 alongside her best friends and husband-and-wife team, Justin and Daina Trout.
Originally from Los Angeles, Dew received her BS in Biochemistry from UC San Diego and an MBA from the University of Southern California, where she serves as a USC Marshall Mentor. Vanessa advises several young CPG companies, and is an active member of the Female Founder Collective, Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and Asian Business Association (ABA).
website + links
VON WONG
Artist/Photographer, Unforgettable Labs / Impact Everywhere
Strawpocalypse
bio
Benjamin Von Wong's work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics. His work has attracted the attention of corporations like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike and has work generated over 100 million views for causes like ocean plastics, electronic waste, and fashion pollution. Most recently, he was named one of Adweek's 11 content branded masterminds.
He is also the host of the Impact Everywhere Podcast.
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YALMAZ SIDDIQUI
VP, Corporate Sustainability
MGM Resorts International
what can we do about food waste?
bio
As the Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at MGM Resorts International, Yalmaz Siddiqui oversees MGM’s Environmental Management Program and helps operationalize several specific initiatives, including sustainable events, sustainable purchasing, circular economy and food waste management. He is also the Chair of the Events Industry Council Committee on Sustainability & Social Impact. Prior to MGM, Yalmaz was Senior Director, Sustainability at Office Depot.
Yalmaz was also the Founding Chair of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council. He also serves on the Board of ReFED; a leading non-profit focused on using data and insights to reduce food waste in America.
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