with: Robert Urlich, Umber Bawa, Yazmany Arboleda
Hosted by: Alessandra De Benedetti and Samuel Mlodozeniec of Leveler
James Ehrlich is Founder of ReGen Villages Holding, a spin-off company based on his research from the Center for Design Research at Stanford University on the future of bio-regenerative, residential developments - combined with critical life-support systems of food, water, energy and circular waste systems for resiliency in the built environment that power and feed self-reliant communities. As an Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford University School of Medicine – Health and Human Performance, James is a researcher and lecturer within the Stanford Flourishing Project. James Ehrlich is also appointed Faculty of Singularity University, Senior Fellow at Opus Novum consortium at NASA Ames Research Center, and (Obama) Appointee to a White House / U.S. State Department Joint Task Force on regenerative infrastructure.
A serial entrepreneur in Silicon Valley for over 25-years, James successfully founded and managed technology and media companies with successful exits. For nearly a decade, Mr. Ehrlich executive produced an award-winning national public broadcasting series based on his case study research of organic and bio-dynamic family farms, that at its apex reached over 35-million homes each week, and is also the co-author of a best-selling companion book on Hachette, Organic Living THG (2007).
The pilot community of ReGen Villages ushers in a pipeline of ReGen Villages off-grid neighborhood developments planned across Northern Europe, before scaling globally backed by sovereign wealth funds. ReGen Villages has gone viral around the world since the press conference and announcement at the Venice Biennale for architecture at the end of May, 2016. James holds a Bachelor of Science from New York University and Master studies in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He has won several awards for sustainable design and is a researcher and global lecturer on the topic of regenerative neighborhood development.
Umber Bawa is the CEO of rabble, an impact investment platform based in NYC that connects retail and accredited investors to projects that have environmental impact and financial return. In addition to rabble, Umber is the co-founder of Sommwhere, a sustainable venue + urban retreat located in New York City. Prior to founding rabble and Sommwhere, Umber led strategic initiatives at Spirae, a Colorado-based clean technology firm. At Spirae, he developed financial models for renewable-based microgrid and smart city projects and led smart city initiatives. Umber has advised working groups in the clean energy space, served on the NY REV Market & Technology Design Working Groups, participated in the Maryland Microgrid Resiliency Task Force, and is a contributor to Rocky Mountain Institute’s eLab (Electricity Innovation Lab). Prior to Spirae, Umber worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think-tank, focusing on finance and international trade. He is a frequent speaker on finance and policy panels in the renewable energy space. Umber is a graduate of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he studied finance, decision systems, and game theory.
CNBC | Dezeen | Fast Company | Bee Breeders
Yazmany Arboleda (b. 1981) is a Colombian American artist based in New York City. An architect by training, Yazmany’s practice focuses on creating “Living Sculptures,” people coming together to transform the world through co-creation. Over the past two decades he has created public art projects with communities in India, Japan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Afghanistan, Spain, Colombia and the United States.
He has collaborated with Carnegie Hall, the Yale School of Management, and BRIC among others. He is currently the artist in residence at IntegrateNYC and the associate director of communications for Artists Striving To End Poverty. He is a cofounder of limeSHIFT, the Future Historical Society, Remember 2019, and the Artist As Citizen Conference. He has lectured at UNC, MIT, and LPAC about the power of art in public space.
Leveler is a tool that facilitates the redistribution of wealth.
Leveler lets people give each other money, without reliance on traditional slow-moving institutional methods of philanthropy. This is necessary because people need aid now. In times of crisis, it’s unjust to force those who would stand in solidarity with one another to compete for basic needs. Leveler provides organizers with tools to both mobilize their community or cause and facilitate peer-to-peer, redistribution transfers.
Since launching in March, leveler has facilitated thousands of transfers from distributors to recipients. As of June, four new leveler communities of circumstance and place have launched using the platform. If you are interested in distributing a small portion of your wealth or creating a leveler database for your community, visit http://leveler.info.
Our guiding principles:
From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs. It is imperative to build and strengthen our local communities and economies around sustainable, cooperative, and equitable principles of sharing. We must recast our ethical underpinnings to embrace our collective values and interdependence.
Resources should be shared freely. We operate under a framework that reflects and supports humanity’s interconnectedness - the resources page is a place to strategize, organize, and connect with other mutual aid efforts, as well as funding opportunities outside of leveler.
Solidarity is revolutionary. We can bail each other out, plain and simple. If we focus on securing the basic needs of our neighbors, rather than bolstering the outmoded, unequal power relationships that underlie much of society, we not only push forward conversations that once seemed radical, but move beyond ideas and into action.
Leveler is a not-for-profit organization. No money passes through our platform. All transactions are peer-to-peer.
All proceeds generated from Leveler x Shipping will benefit the Black Trans Travel Fund.