October 12, 2022

Vera Wang, Sweetgum Labs

28 minutes

Welcome to SustainaDAO Non-fungible Talk, a show about everything Web3 from the team of SustainaDAO, which includes me, your host, Lin Ning.

Our guest for this episode is Vera Wang, co-founder of Sweetgum Labs. Sweetgum (named for the tree that absorbs more carbon dioxide than any other) is building decentralized decarbonization, a paradigm shift to a sustainable future built on Web3. With their OFFSET mobile app, Sweetgum is incentivizing participation in a ‘green-to-earn’ scenario where people can earn tokens for driving an EV or hybrid and walking more.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Vera about her path to starting Sweetgum Labs, the challenges of building this kind of startup, and educating people about Web3/green behaviors, and she shares some valuable advice with others that may have a passion for combining blockchain technology with green, sustainability trends.

The SustainaDAO Non-fungible Talk podcast covers all things DAO and Web3 from the team at SustainaDAO. In each episode, we’ll discuss a wide range of topics around blockchain technology and sustainability. You’ll hear about the most current advances in the metaverse, crypto, DAO, and how we can create sustainable value in the blockchain world. SustainaDAO is a decentralized protocol that promotes social and environmental balance with blockchain technology. Each week, we will interview entrepreneurs and educators from top universities to decode the blockchain market trends. This show is for builders, social innovators, sustainability enthusiasts, and anyone who is curious about Web3 technologies.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Vera’s path to Sweetgum Labs, incentivizing small green behaviors like walking

The name Sweetgum comes from the tree that absorbs the most carbon dioxide on the planet. The mobile App called Offset tracks your carbon footprint in a fun way, earning tokens and rewards

Offset collects data from owners with their permission, earn rewards/tokens/NFTs through green behaviors

People who own EVs, Hybrids and do a lot of hiking/walking - are all the same types of consumers/users

The trend of X-2-Earn Web3 projects recently - as humans, we need incentives and financial rewards. Offset focuses more on the green than on earn

StepN and the reasons behind its failings - they still have 100,000 daily users. Some projects miss how to bring real value

A strong community is critical for Web3 projects - Vera knows the community is everything, Web2/Web3, we’re all on the same planet, and some will take longer to understand.

Offline events from Sweetgum - Tesla owners' clubs, meetups in silicon valley, ambassadors, partnering with micro-mobility companies like Lime

Other ways Web3 tools can help to achieve sustainability goals - the next generation is not exposed enough to green, we can educate them. Most people rely on governments to do things, but they move too slowly with regulations and processes. NGOs may be more open to using blockchain tech

Can Web3 work with governments? Dubai, for example, is open to this tech, but we need time and patience to deploy it. Vera is proud to be part of this early-stage education

Do you have some advice for founders who want to join this field? It’s a challenging space - two emerging markets - climate and crypto. We need more education, awareness, talks, patience, and to find our true passion in the long run. Find synergies with other companies to help all and build community. Take care of your mental health and teams. Feel free to reach out to Vera!

Full transcript:

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