Melissa Zhang: Decarbonizing Mining and Recovering Metals for Energy Transition

Jun 28, 2023 Posted by: George Romar Melissa Zhang,  SDG 9

Melissa: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! Electrifying all cars, batteries, and buildings to fight the climate crisis requires a 30x increase in metals mined. For every one gram of copper we mine, 99 grams of toxic waste is produced. What if we can turn this waste—the size of New York City and the height of One World Trade—into a useful tool to fight climate change? This is not just any waste. RockFix understands that the chemical properties of this mine waste enables it to capture and store carbon dioxide, safely and forever. We are a team of mining engineers, chemists, geologists, and policymakers committed to scaling this solution to every mine in the world so that no waste is wasted. Let’s unlock the massive carbon removing potential of mining!

Rene Rolando Gonzalez: Closing the Digital Divide in Brownsville, TX and Beyond

Jun 05, 2023 Posted by: George Romar Rene Rolando Gonzalez,  San Antonio,  SDG 9,  TX,  USA

Rene: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! Our organization is closing the Digital Divide in Brownsville, Texas which is one of the least connected communities in the United States. Since the community lacked the availability of reliable high-speed internet, the City of Brownsville and Lit Communities developed a Public-Private Partnership to build fiber optic throughout the entire city, including economically distressed and high-poverty areas. 

Victor Ocando Finol: Making Sports Game Day Experiences Accessible for All

May 18, 2023 Posted by: George Romar AZ,  SDG 9,  Tempe,  USA,  Victor Ocando Finol

Victor: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! 15% of the world's population have some type of disability, but only half of this amount can attend live sporting events due to accessibility barriers. My startup seeks to normalize access for fans that have been ignored, because we believe that all fans should live their passion for sports equally. Our purpose is to improve game day experience for fans with disabilities by covering all of their game day needs in one app.