Event
Impact Oasis Recap: A Diverse and Inspiring Success at Button Studios
We are excited to share the resounding success of Impact Oasis, held at Button Studios on September 26th and 27th. This event brought together a remarkable diversity of topics centered on climate change, creating a platform for meaningful dialogue and innovative solutions. The professionalism and expertise of each speaker were key to making the event such a powerful experience.
Each day began with a meditation session led by Eve Merenghi, focusing on mindfulness in the context of climate change—a grounding exercise that set the tone for the discussions that followed.
On Day 1, the event opened with a focus on blockchain initiatives dedicated to climate action, featuring talks by Marcus Aurelius from KlimaDAO and TR Price from Azos. These insightful discussions explored how blockchain can drive climate-positive actions, raising awareness of the digital tools being implemented to address environmental challenges.
We then dove into a conversation on sustainable economies with Jay Cousins, joined remotely by his marketing team, Denny Ehrlich and Agnes Friedrich, from Berlin. This discussion highlighted the potential for creating lasting impact through conscious economic practices. The day continued with Eliza Herald leading a discussion on the importance of water stewardship, followed by an enlightening presentation by Vanessa Albury on how art can amplify awareness around climate change.
Day 2 kicked off with a captivating presentation by Matt Schutte on Holochain, his open-source project focused on peer-to-peer networking and decentralized applications. Matt’s passion for open-source programming and the broad potential of Holochain were truly inspiring, showcasing the future of community-driven digital solutions.
Next, we had a fascinating remote conversation with Josh Van Zak from the UK, who introduced us to his work in bioengineering agricultural systems. His team’s groundbreaking efforts to communicate with plants through technology are being proven in the lab, paving the way for the future of programmable agriculture.
The day continued with a deeply informative talk on the ReFi network, led by Alvaro Cabal and Eve Merenghi. Their presentation addressed innovative solutions for land acquisitions that ensure local communities are not exploited, emphasizing ethical practices in sustainability.
The event closed with a heartfelt presentation by David Button on the importance of crisis relief housing. His insights into developing quality housing for displaced populations were invaluable. We also had the privilege of hearing from filmmaker Mariah Wilson, who shared clips from her powerful film Silent Forests, documenting the alarming deforestation in the Congo Basin and its effects on local wildlife.
Overall, Impact Oasis was an extraordinary gathering of minds, sparking new ideas and initiatives for addressing climate change. We are grateful to all the speakers and participants for their contributions and look forward to continuing these critical conversations in future events.
Stay tuned for more updates from Button Studios as we push forward in our mission to foster meaningful change.
MOOS
Beautifully situated at the Treptower Park in the former bathtub factory Moosdorf & Hochhäusler (1st rocking bathtub in the world) is the moos. We still do not know what it is, but there are beings who work here, think, live, hang out, let go, be spontaneous, drink coffee, develop projects and so on. Maybe we'll come up with more about "What we are, what we do" in the future – just drop by and make your own picture!!!
Jay Cousins
Jay Cousins talk at Impact Oasis
The Product Ikigai, takes this concept and applies it to products. Ideally this should be done at a products inception - to ask clearly WHETHER A PRODUCT SHOULD EXIST AT ALL. Does it meet a need (or only desire), does it inhibit a need being met? But can also be used later to drive a products evolution within the marketplace.
Hyphal
Jay Cousins primary focus at the moment is Hyphall, an initiative working to shift us from a culture that produces desert by default to one that produces food forests as a byproduct.
Jay is an unconventional inventor and entrepreneur, who took his Orikaso products to global markets after a successful appearance on Dragon's Den, selling over 3 million units worldwide.
Jay is an inventor entrepreneur working with multiple creative teams to bring his concepts to market.
Co-developing and crowdfunding Betabook with Gabriel Shalom and Patrizia Kommerell, raising 91K $ on kickstarter. He discovered the properties of Beenius Infinity Wax - an educational toy that facilitates making, recycling and building up material literacy, and seeded the idea of Infinity Stonepaper as a means of reusable paper to reduce deforestation with Solarpunk Now who are bringing these products to market. Beenius and Infinity Stonepaper are entry level artifacts of a larger game called context craft, where players are empowered to shape and change their own reality.
Jay identifies as a Community Catalyst, he has a natural talent for working with diverse groups of people to find common ground and develop collaborative initiatives. As a co-founder of Open Design City, Jay built a vibrant community from the ground up with no initial budget; today, it's an academy and multiple spaces launched by alumni including trial and error, werkstadt lastenrad, and D.Collective Space. His work extends to advising innovation hubs like icecairo and icealex, and Fablab Egypt in Egypt, and Yarl IT hub in Sri Lanka. Jay has also been instrumental in organizing and facilitating various festivals and workshops, such as Makerlabs, Makerplatz, and Felucca Festivals, along with numerous student-led projects, all aimed at fostering creativity and collaboration in maker communities through self organized or lightweight collaborative processes.
For the latest ideas Jay is working on, check out his podcasts on exploring how to Make Kindness Easier.
AZOS
Terex talks about Azos at Impact Oasis
Azos is a blockchain-based platform that aims to revolutionize impact finance by creating a stablecoin fully backed by tokenized impact assets. The platform focuses on bridging the gap between decentralized finance (DeFi) and impact investing, providing a transparent, secure, and stable financial ecosystem. Azos offers innovative financial tools and protocols designed to unlock capital for projects that drive positive environmental and social change. By integrating advanced DeFi features, Azos ensures liquidity, transparency, and stability, making it a key player in the future of impact finance.
AppleTree
A Group Meditation lead by Eve at Impact Oasis
https://appletreemeditation.com/
Apple Tree Meditation offers meditation coaching tailored for visionary leaders, innovative teams, and inspired individuals. Founded by Eve Marenghi, a former data scientist turned meditation coach, the company focuses on helping clients access abundant energy, align with their true path, and foster synergy within teams. The coaching aims to regenerate individuals and teams from within, promoting personal and professional growth through meditation. The services cater to those looking to enhance their well-being, creativity, and leadership capabilities.
ReFi-Redhook
Alvaro Cabal & Eve Marenghi on Refi at Impact Oasis
ReFi Local Node based in Brooklyn, New York, with a focus on long-term goals such as water restoration, resilient energy and food systems, thriving arts and culture, community health, and Web3 education
ReFi Red Hook is uniting regenerative forces in Red Hook, Brooklyn through the power of emerging tech - AI, blockchain & web3. Red Hook is a diverse neighborhood with a rich history of regeneration & renewal. ReFi Red Hook supports the many organizations that already exist here to flourish. We are guided by the principle of Reciprocity, or Ubuntu - “I am because you are.”
https://x.com/ReFiRedHookhttps://www.instagram.com/refiredhook
Our two current initiatives are the Pink Muhly Garden restoration with Beautify Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment with NYCEDC & local communities. We are listening carefully to understand the social, economic & political dynamics at play, how we can best serve our neighbors, & how we can responsibly steward our beautiful patch of Earth here in Red Hook.
https://www.instagram.com/refiredhook
ReFi Red Hook is partnering with ReFi Bay Area to collaboratively implement regenerative projects on the East & West coasts of the United States.
Al Cabal
ReFi Bay Area incubates and finances organizations dedicated to regeneration, focusing on mobilizing capital to tackle global challenges like affordable housing and environmental degradation. By merging holistic approaches with capitalism, we aim to allocate resources efficiently and drive high-impact solutions, working toward a symbiotic society in an 'Infinity Economy' where humanity thrives while regenerating the planet.
Currently, we are incubating Atmosphereum, a network marketplace for Architecture, Engineering, Solar, and Real Estate development. The network facilitates transactions and generates revenue through commissions. A portion of this revenue is reinvested into regenerative projects, creating a compounding cycle of growth. With blockchain and tokenomics, the process becomes transparent, measurable, and impactful.
ReFi Bay Area is partnering with ReFi Red Hook to collaboratively to implement large-scale regenerative projects across the continent
https://x.com/ecoteriumhttps://www.refibayarea.com/https://x.com/ReFiBayArea
Mariah Wilson
See Mariah Wilson discuss her work on Silent Forests
https://www.mariahewilson.com/
Mariah Wilson is an Emmy-winning documentary producer and director with a focus on wildlife conservation whose work has taken her to six continents. She has worked on content for PBS, Amazon, Netflix, National Geographic, Vice, A&E, Al Jazeera, History, Mongabay, Discovery, and more. Her feature doc producing credits include Amazon Studios’ WILDCAT (2023 Emmy Winner, Sundance Doc Fund, Telluride Film Fest, AFI, IDFA, National Board of Review Top 5 Documentaries of 2022), MADINA’S DREAM (SXSW, Telluride Mountainfilm), END OF THE LINE (DOC NYC), and MARY JANES (Woodstock, Mill Valley). Her 2019 feature documentary SILENT FORESTS is about the fight to save forest elephants from ivory trafficking in Africa’s Congo Basin. It screened at Santa Barbara, Big Sky (Finalist – Feature Competition), Jackson Wild WWD (Winner – Stories of Hope) and is a One World Media Award Winner.
EcoPhilic
See Josh discuss his work in a remote call from London
Josh Van Zak during Impact Oasis
Join us for a discussion with founder of Ecophilic, Josh Van Zak, for an informative discussion. Ecophilic uses AI and bioelectronics to communicate with plants — reducing agriculture's environmental impact while delivering unprecedented yields. We have developed bioelectronic devices that enable precision organic farming, without GMOs, pesticides or herbicides, and over 95% reduction in water and fertilizers. Ecophilic's devices can also accelerate plant growth, maximize yield, alter flavor profiles and micronutrient density, and help plants grow in unfavorable environments. We use AI (Artificial Intelligence) and an advanced organic electrochemical device network to autonomously manage an optimized polyculture.
Holochain
See Matt Schutte Discuss his work with Holochain
https://www.holochain.org/foundation/
Holochain is an open-source framework for creating peer-to-peer applications that are secure, reliable, and fast. Instead of depending on servers, Holochain applications connect user devices directly to each other in secure networks. This gives users the best of both worlds — the autonomy and availability of locally installed software, with the power and redundancy of cloud software. Application developers, in turn, no longer have to maintain and pay for cloud hosting.
KlimaDAO
See Marcus Aurelius discuss KlimaDAO
KlimaDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization focused on driving climate action through the tokenization and trading of carbon credits. By leveraging blockchain technology, KlimaDAO aims to create a more efficient, transparent, and accessible carbon market, enabling individuals and institutions to participate in carbon offsetting efforts. The organization operates its native token, KLIMA, which is backed by carbon credits, making it a tool for both climate-conscious investing and reducing the global carbon footprint. Through its ecosystem, KlimaDAO seeks to align financial incentives with environmental sustainability, fostering a regenerative economy that combats climate change.
Coral Projects
Vanessa Albury
See Vanessa discuss her work at Impact Oasis
Underwater Eco-Art
Creating underwater eco-friendly contemporary art with marine scientists and under-represented artists to support the rewilding of coral, oyster and mussel populations in the world’s waterways and oceans!
Coral Projects is an artist-run, site-specific art exhibition underwater. The motivation and urgency for the project is inspired by the rapidly deteriorating coral reef life along Jamaica's shoreline. Though this is a global issue, Coral Project's intitial inspiration came from visiting our first partner site, Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary (pictured below) because of their massive milestones and community-minded work.
Coral Projects is the brainchild of Vanessa Albury. She believes art is a powerful catalyst for change and healing. Her background in science and passion for the oceans, curating, artistic practice, project management, art writing, sustainability and going green the easy way culminate in Coral Projects.
The goals of Coral Projects is to support the growth of corals, oysters and mussels in the oceans where they are in decline, inspire local communities to engage with contemporary art and the planet, and provide opportunities to artists to create work in a new context: under the sea!
With eco-contemporary art sculptures and art activism in collaboration with marine scientists and underrepresented artists, we at Coral Projects create the more beautiful, integrated and ecologically sustainable world we all deserve together.
Solar Punk Now
Play to Grow: Permaculture Learning with Infinity Tools
Pilot Project in Uganda
Talk by SolarPunkNow at Impact Oasis
SolarPunk Now is a Berlin-based Social Impact Startup spreading the seedlings of Jay Cousins. Denny Ehrlich and Agnes Friedrich are aiming for a Learning and a Humus Revolution by applying Jays method of Contextcraft and the system of permaculture together with analogue Infinity Tools (Infinity Stonepaper: Rewritable Paper from Limestone and Beenius: An infinite construction kit on the basis of beeswax) that can be produced anywhere in the world. Connected to AI it opens up new worlds of possibilites of collaborative learning and co-creation and allows for people of all ages to solve contextual real-life challenges through play.
Agnes and Denny are crafting a pilot project using the method and Contextcraft and Infinity Tools to seed learning spaces for permaculture in Uganda, where teachers in workshops learn, how to use local materials such as bamboo to create real learning spaces for permaculture out of self-created analogue 3D-Models.
Water Unity
BROOKLYN COMMUNITY DESIGN FOR A WATER RESILIENT FUTURE
See Liza Discuss her work on Water
A Watershed Revitalization Community-building Strategy Session
hosted by the WaterUnity Networks
New York City recently took control of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal including the Red Hook and Columbia St. waterfronts. Local communities are organizing on the ground to advocate for appropriate due diligence and water stewardship in the planning process with NYCEDC. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to speak up and influence the future of our waterways, our communities and our city.
The WaterUnity Networks is an emerging online and onshore community organizational framework, guided by the Watershed Wisdom Councils Concept, which serves as an educational portal, wisdom aggregator, capacity-builder and navigational charts for activating Water Stewards and eco-restoration practitioners working in hyper-radical collaboration and focused on Watershed Revitalization and long term community resiliency.
Professionally, Eliza has worked in film, and video media production for over 30 years primarily as a freelance editor, cameraperson, graphics and web designer. She intentionally chose this profession, recognizing media as a powerful method through which humans communicate, learn and impact.
Having been nourished by one of the Sacred Water Hearts of the World, Da ow ga (now known as Lake Tahoe) Eliza's journey is defined and guided by a deep sense of Watershed Stewardship in relationship with Water. Remembering Water as the Essential Source of All Life, she has committed her life to communicating the message and wisdom of Water ~ cherishing Water both within and without.
From this passion for Water, Eliza has founded the WATERUNITY NETWORKS (WUN), as guided by the Watershed Wisdom Councils Concept. WUN is a global online and in-place community of Water Stewards supporting local regenerative eco-practitioners.
WUN striving to facilitate collaborations between key strategic allies to initiate living system solutions within local communities to champion scalable, replicable Watershed Revitalization projects -- connecting at a bioregional level and networking globally -- offering humanity our most accessible, cost-effective, high impact strategies with longest-term benefits to mitigate the looming consequences of the global Climate Crisis.
By generating an organizational framework for community action groups, WUN serves as an educational portal, wisdom aggregator, knowledge repository and framework for radical collaboration, supporting co-creation of deep resiliency and revitalization in Watersheds communities all around the world for generations far into the future.
