Ocean breeze, wine and delicious snacks are the secret to a great event. Can’t think of a better way to gather with people who share one common goal: fighting climate change. Will and I hosted the first-ever Santa Cruz Climate Consortium in collaboration with Santa Cruz Works on the 29th of April.  

Santa Cruz Climate Consortium

The aim of the Climate Consortium was to gather, connect, exchange ideas, and learn about local efforts to support the transition to a greener climate and economy. Firstly, Will, kicked off the event with a touching speech about the detrimental effects of the climate crisis. He pictured the gathering as an opportunity to innovate, build more efficiently and show gratitude. Afterwards, he encouraged the counterparts to call out systematic wrongs and build an inclusive economy.

Santa Cruz Special guests

Additionally, were very lucky to count with the attendance of members of local climate organizations, industry leaders, government representatives, academics, and activists. Even the famous American journalistMolly Woodjoined us! She is the host of the podcast “How We Survive”, investor and inspiration for many. We allocated half an hour of the evening to presentations from five industry experts.

• We learned about the work being done by the jurisdictions in the Monterey Bay region. Tiffany Wise-West, Sustainability and Climate Action Manager for the City of Santa Cruz touched on the need to bring in and keep the historically underrepresented and underserved people in the community at the forefront of all efforts.

The other top-notch speakers were:

• Cruz Foam’s CEO and co-founder John Felts.

• Amy Gross – Sustainability Lead for Joby Aviation.

• Brandon Tinianov – Head of Strategy at Mynt Systems.

• The co-founder of Supply Shift, Alex Gershenson.

• My co-founder Will, representing Climatize.

Following, Gershenson and Gross emphasized the importance of having supply chain transparency to be aware of how suppliers are impacting the lives of workers, the community, and the environment. Felts, former researcher at UC Santa Cruz and co-founder of Cruz Foam shared some exciting news: Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher are the company’s newest investors and advisors!  

Food for thought

I felt deeply inspired by all the event attendees and their efforts to fight for a more sustainable future. It was great food for thought. This has made me realize how essential collaborating and working together towards this common goal is. Only if we connect the different industry players will we be able to make a tangible impact. A couple of days of preparing snacks and sorting tables were undeniably worth it. Already looking forward to the next gathering. Do you want to join the next Santa Cruz California Climate Consortium? Follow us on social media to find out of our next events!