Algenesis is a bio-materials company that is addressing the problem of plastic pollution with the first biodegradable plant-based alternatives for high performance polyurethanes: bio-based polyurethanes made from plant-based feedstocks.

These bio-based plastics are an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics, which are a major contributor to pollution and climate change. Its mission is to provide cost-competitive, sustainable, and high performance bio-based polyurethane products that meet the demands of consumers and industry, while reducing the environmental impact of plastic pollution.

Our speaker, Stephen Mayfield, is a Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology at UC San Diego, and CEO of Algenesis Materials. His research focuses on using algae for the production of bio-products, including food and polymers.

Steve received BS degrees in Biochemistry and Plant Biology from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from UC Berkeley. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Geneva in Switzerland he returned to California as an assistant professor at the Scripps Research Institute where he remained for 22 years, becoming the Dean of Biology before joining UC San Diego in 2009.

In addition to running his research group and university research center, Steve also founded Rincon Pharmaceutical in 2005, Sapphire Energy in 2007, Triton Health and Nutrition in 2013, and Algenesis Materials in 2016.

To learn more, see:
https://www.algenesismaterials.com
https://blueviewfootwear.com

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Joel Baraka, who grew up and attended school in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp in Uganda is the founder of My Home Stars, a nonprofit with the mission of making education accessible to refugee children.

He designed 5 STAZ, an educational board game that aims to get children excited about learning.

An engineer by profession, Joel was inspired by his father, who learned masonry craftsmanship despite no formal education. In college, Joel pursued a civil engineering degree and currently works as a project engineer with a general contractor in the U.S. midwest.

Joel's hope is that he can combine his two passions in education and construction engineering to re-imagine what better living conditions could look like -- both in terms of better housing and better education for communities such as the Kyangwali refugee camp where he grew up.

Since 2018 his team at My Home Stars has been on a mission to make quality education accessible to every refugee child in Uganda in the most fun and engaging way.

According to Joel, "We strongly believe that if education is to be impactful and meaningful to young refugee children, then it has to be fun and engaging.

Working with teachers we break down the primary school curriculum content into interactive modularized packages that children and teachers can easily engage with while having fun and learning.

To learn more, go to:

https://www.myhomestarsmhs.com/

⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Hardshell Labs is working on revolutionary applications of emerging technology to solve difficult conservation problems, largely centered on reducing the conflict between birds, humans and threatened and endangered species.

Our speaker, Tim Shields, will describe these efforts and the conservation successes they have yielded, as well as the surprising benefits of the work for human safety, the reduction of losses to commercial interests and broader social benefits that have emerged. Starting from Hardshell's core mission to attempt to save the Desert Tortoise, he will trace a story of expanding positive results for a broad array of interest groups.

Shields has had a five decade career as a field biologist and has focused throughout on population trends of the threatened Desert Tortoise, the California state reptile and the iconic species of our deserts. In the course of that work he witnessed and helped document a 95% decline in their numbers. In 2011, he switched from being a mere witness to the decline to one searching for tools that can stem the losses. This was how Shields fell into the rabbit hole of conservation technology and ended up being ""Tim in Wonderland.""

Hardshell Labs has developed powerful tools to protect tortoises from a major threat: predation by burgeoning numbers of ravens throughout the desert. These include highly modified lasers, drones and the use of 3D-printed fake baby tortoise lures. The company is integrating AI and internet connections to achieve effective, remote and autonomous operation of these conservation tools. According to Shields, the big surprise has been the alignment of conservation, commercial, and social interests. They are now working on ways to prevent birds from nesting on electrical utility structures. By doing so they will reduce raven and other pest bird reproduction, reduce utility equipment loss to fires, and help prevent catastrophic wildfires. Finding these sorts of shared goals is an active effort by Hardshell and a strong motivator for making a difference in the natural community.

Hardshell Labs: https://hardshelllabs.com
The Patreon page for Hardshell Labs: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=82963386
The Hardshell foundational TEDx Berkeley presentation from 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAhmvXmTDI0

⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Local Color builds equitable pathways for artists to thrive.

Based in San Jose, California, Local Color is powered by artists and dedicated to supporting creatives in the area. Local Color is committed to promoting representation and inclusion, with a particular focus on serving communities of color. In fact, 80% of the artists served by Local Color are from communities of color, with most identifying as Latinx, Black/African, Indigenous, or Asian diasporas. Moreover, 68% of the artists identify as women or non-binary. Through its four core programs, Local Color provides affordable, membership-based creative workspaces, public art and creative services opportunities, comprehensive fiscal sponsorship, and corporate and youth workshops.

Despite challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Local Color has remained steadfast in its mission to serve the creative community. They have provided relief resources and subsidies to members, established new creative jobs, and redistributed funds to BIPOC organizers. Join the Local Color community and learn more about the vibrant and inclusive artistic landscape of San Jose.

Erin Salazar is a multidisciplinary artist, community organizer, curator and dreamer. As the Founder and Executive Director of Local Color, a San José-based artists non-profit, Salazar has been instrumental in championing the creation of hundreds of murals, securing redistributing over $600,000 to artists, and opening thousands of square feet of affordable studios to serve Local Color's mission of building equitable pathways for artists to thrive.

A biracial first-generation college student hailing from the Mojave Desert of Southern California, Salazar moved to San José in 2005 to attend San José State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Practice with an emphasis in Drawing and Painting. Her work and advocacy for artists and public spaces have earned her national and regional recognition, including being selected as one of seven nationwide Public Space Fellows and featured as KQED's "Bay Brilliant: Women to Watch."

Salazar's commitment to the arts community extends beyond San Jose, serving on Silicon Valley's "Cultural New Deal" committee and recently completing a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Through her leadership and unwavering dedication to artists, Salazar continues to make a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of San José.

To learn more about or support Local Color:

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Today's speaker, JP Pullos, will describe the curriculum he helped to create that is being used by hundreds of teachers around the world.

See more about 100cameras, including images created by young people from around the world: http://100cameras.org

Students participating in 100cameras programs will often think they're simply going to learn about photography basics. What they walk away with is so much more: each student discovers that photography can be a powerful medium for communicating feelings and emotions. Each student experiences being the author of their own stories and the creative voice behind how those stories are shared with the world.
JP Pullos is the Director of Programs at 100cameras. With a background in photography and arts education, he started volunteering with 100cameras in 2012. He has taught photography, storytelling and social-emotional learning to young refugees in Baltimore, to teenagers impacted by gun violence in Chicago, to students in an under-resourced fishing village in Colombia, and to children recovering from trauma inflicted by ISIS in Iraq, among many others. His job now is to teach educators how to teach the 100cameras program to young people in their own communities.

⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

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Boundless Foundation empowers impoverished children through education and resources, inspiring them to "learn to dream," helping them rise above their daily struggle for survival and see a brighter future by opening their minds to new possibilities.

The foundation's "Epic Exchange" program offers donors the chance to see the impact of their investments firsthand, experiencing the joy of giving and making a difference in the world. These visits open the hearts of the donor and expand the minds of the children instantly. Join us in transforming individuals and communities locally and globally for generational impact.

Our speaker, Shannon Rizzo, is a humanitarian and social change catalyst with over 25 years of experience as a successful entrepreneur. Shannon consults with change leaders of nonprofit organizations, conscious corporations, and social entrepreneurs globally by advising them on all aspects of how to create a lasting living legacy by building communities with educational opportunities in some of the poorest corners of the world.

Coming from poverty and overcoming the effects of living in survival mode for much of her life, Shannon has taken on the mission of ending generational poverty through education in developing nations in as many underserved communities as she can by uniting communities of compassionate supporters and continuous learners.

To date, Shannon's charity, Boundless Foundation, has built 9 schools in under 2 years and has united over 60 communities both in the US and abroad, introducing them to the power of giving at a higher capacity. Shannon's deepest passion is serving those who serve.

⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Innovation - With Addresses?

Pinpointing places by conventional addressing requires navigating a variety of systems. Into that space steps what3words, a new global addressing standard used by thousands of organizations worldwide to help improve efficiency and internal operations with better addresses.

Our speaker is Khongorzul (Khongoroo) Otgonbayar, the Partnerships Lead at what3words, a global addressing system designed to simplify the communication of precise locations with just three simple words. Originally born in Mongolia, Khongorzul earned her degree in International Relations and Peace Studies from the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, and soon after, joined what3words to expand the company's footprint across various sectors globally while managing a team of 12 at the Mongolia office of what3words.

In 2022, Khongoroo relocated to London to join the what3words team at its headquarters, and drawing on extensive experience in establishing partnerships in different parts of the world, she now works with humanitarian organizations, government authorities, emergency services, and small and medium-sized businesses as part of her work with what3words.

⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Some events described are disturbing.

After using the art form of murals in San Francisco to bring awareness to what is happening in Iran, Hooman was asked by the Vice Mayor of Jerusalem to create a mural to be displayed in Jerusalem. In less than a month, the first mural was unveiled in the Holy Land. As of early May, there are five murals in Israel that have been displayed as part of this project. In this talk Hooman will discuss the process of making this happen - as well as how many more murals for Iran he will create throughout Israel and the Middle East.

Hooman Khalili was a morning show radio personality in the San Francisco Bay Area on Alice Radio 97.3 FM (CBS Radio). He has been part of the Sarah and Vinnie morning show for the past 21 years. Hooman’s job at the station encompasses phone screening, movie reviews, and celebrity interviewer for the show. He has interviewed countless celebrities including Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Donald Trump, Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr., Harrison Ford, Jerry Seinfeld, George Lucas, Maroon 5, 50 Cent, and Hooman was the last person to interview Hunter S. Thompson before he died. Hooman’s Red carpet interviews include The Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, the CBS Fall Television Lineup from 2003 – 2010, the Sundance Film Festival, and Super Bowl 50.

Hooman has collaborated with all the major movie studios on the promotion of over 1000 movies in 20 years. In 2006, Hooman’s voice entertained a new segment of the population as he participated in the Pixar animated movie Cars. In 2008 Hooman created the #1 most-viewed non-partisan video to get the youth of America to vote in the presidential election. The video received 5.1 million views on YouTube and ended up in the Museum of Radio and Television in New York City. In 2011 Hooman shot Olive, the first full-length feature film shot entirely on a cell phone. Olive qualified for the Academy Awards in 2011, and stars two-time Academy Award-nominated Gena Rowlands with five original songs written and performed by Dolly Parton. Hooman has spoken and presented at the Sundance film festival, SXSW, Napa Valley, Sonoma, LA Film Fest, Disposable Film Fest in Washington DC, Macworld, Mill Valley Film Fest, SF Film Fest, and most recently at the Ethiopia Film Festival in September of 2022.

⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary

Sylvia Whitlock, was born in New York City but educated in Kingston, Jamaica. Sylvia worked for the United Nations, before moving to California to start a career in education.

Along the way, she earned her Ph.D., cum laude, from Claremont Graduate School. Subsequently, she earned another masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Azusa Pacific University, and began a second career as a therapist. She is licensed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences in California.

In 1982, joined the "Ex-Rotary Club of Duarte" in California. Why was "Ex" part of the name? The admission of Mary Lou Elliott, an elementary school principal, had caused the ouster of the Rotary Club of Duarte from Rotary International. At the time, women were not allowed in Rotary, though the 1987 US Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Duarte club forced Rotary to open its doors to women, and to reinstate the Duarte club.
Sylvia became president of that club the same year, making her the first woman in the Rotary world to head a club as president. She has held a wide variety of roles at the club and district levels, and has been a district assistant governor. Her history and speaking skills have allowed her to present at conventions and meetings all over the world. She is the author of Women Also Serve, and has been called "one of the most groundbreaking women I know" by Rotary International President Jennifer Jones.

Today, Sylvia will tell us some of the stories of her history with Rotary, as well as her work to help Rotary open its arms to more and more people around the world.

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Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

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Rotary Operation Pollination is a growing movement led by the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG). During this presentation, you will learn about the simple framework and receive an update.

Pollinator decline is a serious issue negatively affecting the health of our planet. Everyone can get involved to help address this issue that impacts all of us, and Rotarians around the world are taking action to do something about it.

Our speaker today is Chris Stein from the United States National Park Service. Chris has been a park ranger for more than four decades, and has helped manage parks from the urban jungles of New York City to the tropical rainforests of Samoa. He's finally come to realize that "protecting the little things that run the world" - our precious pollinators - is one of the most important things we can do to help protect the planet.
⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠   

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Podcast and Zoom Host: ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠

Podcast Producer: ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠

Audio edited and enhanced with: ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠ 

#PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary