Decentralized CleanTech with Global Impact
Whether its youth engagement through organizations like TILE and Net Impact, educational technology like Hello Thinkster, or women’s empowerment through 4evrCarma, impact investment portfolios are no stranger to changing the world with business acumen and compassion for each facet of creating positive impact. After working as a Summer Associate and Chilton Fellow with the CARBON Group, impact has redefined itself under the context of investing acumen, leveraging technology, and innovating SDGs like an entrepreneur.
Even when it comes to creating an equitable clean water solution, impact investment firms have that covered with EcoFiltro — a clean water technology that works to filter and positively shape the drinking water ecosystem of low-GDP nations.
But to me more comes to mind when it comes to creating impact — the chic technology that now runs ~20% of Silicon Valley startups: Blockchain. More importantly, Blockchain as clean technology. You’ve heard of Blockchain in its own FinTech space (cryptocurrencies, algo/quant trading, or even mining pools), but its potential doesn’t stop there. There are already projects that are working to spearhead Blockchain systems as means of changing the world through mitigating our own footprint. Although high-energy input cryptocurrency mining has caused a spike in carbon emissions, blockchain is a clean slate capable of driving innovation in the field of clean technology or CleanTech. Startups and major companies alike are looking to unlock the potential that blockchain holds to catalyze the transition to green energy. For more on understanding Blockchain click here.
Estonia is a country that is the most ahead in the tech game- which made it no surprise that they implemented a clean Blockchain powered energy grid via WePower. WePower hopes that by helping small clean energy producers enter the market and by providing private citizens with a cheaper, decentralized electrical grid, that power returns to the people. Consumers helping pilot the program have bought into the grid and been given credits to spend on specific energy sources, giving them the freedom to alter their choices based on real-time power generation and their prices. Or how about South Africa’s The Sun Exchange: a startup that offers solar energy installations to locals through a Bitcoin transactional platform. Blockchain comes back to help the environment once again with Social Plastic, a project that is turning plastic into currency by setting up collection centers in third world countries. They aim to clean up the world from plastic waste while alleviating poverty. They are now working on a blockchain-powered app that will allow people to exchange plastic for cryptographic tokens. In addition, the project works to turn the cryptographic tokens into a stream of revenue for low-income groups, and then either recycling the material or and giving plastic collectors access to 3-D printers. In the end, these projects would not only generate their own profitable ventures as a plastic vendor but also generate impact that closes income gaps and heals the Earth at the same time.
Blockchain as a platform has immense potential- more so than Blockchain as an exchanged asset. Blockchain as CleanTech has the capability to shape the world by closing gaps, changing environments, and connecting peers across oceans. If anyone looks to invest with impact in mind, rather than investing in another social media platform or semiconductor company, keep your eyes on technology that’ll make both your wallet and your world greener.
