Matthew Eshed presents his perspective on climate change as an opportunity at the University of Maryland Startup Shell (https://startupshell.org/) on April 17 2017.

1. Entrepreneurs are the key to solving challenges in food, air, energy, and water. The paradigm has already shifted, respect for people and
planet is the name of the game. There is $100 trillion to be mobilized. During this talk, the Co-Founder of Impossible Labs, Matthew
Eshed, will share his perspective on regeneration, resilience, the circular economy, and the opportunities for young entrepreneurs to build
next-generation technology businesses.
Matthew Eshed, BSME '12, is a sustainable systems engineer working to build organizations where motivated people can do the best
work of their lives. He is the co-founder of San Francisco-based Impossible Labs, where he directs programs and operations for a global
network of climate adaptation labs and corporate accelerators. He is energized by shifting mindsets away from take-make-waste, to a
circular economy of mutual respect between people and planet, where no resource is wasted. His goal for the next five years is to live off-
grid and grow 90% of the food he eats.
https://www.facebook.com/events/445066082501057/ 17 April 2017 1

2. Schedule
1830 - 1845 Arrive and get settled
1845 - 1915 Presentation
1915 - 2000 Q&A and Discussion
2

3. Permaculture
Cradle to Cradle
Biomimicry
Resilience
Circular Economy
3

4. Permaculture
“Consciously designed landscapes which mimic
the patterns and relationships found in nature,
while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and
energy for provision of local needs.’ People, their
buildings and the ways in which they organise
themselves are central to permaculture. Thus the
permaculture vision of permanent or sustainable
agriculture has evolved to one of permanent or
sustainable culture.”
4Source: Permaculture Principles

5. 5Source: Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute

6. 6Source: C2C Certified

7. Biomimicry
An approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges
by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies.
7Source: Ask Nature

8. 8Source: Fortune Magazine

9. The capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and re-
organize while undergoing change so as to still retain
essentially the same function, structure, identity, and
feedbacks.
9Source: New York Magazine, Resilience.org

10. 10Source: New York Times

11. Circular Economy
A continuous positive development cycle that preserves and enhances natural capital, optimizes resource yields,
and minimizes system risks by managing finite stocks and renewable flows. It works effectively at every scale.
11Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

12. 12Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

13. 13Source: Project Drawdown, http://www.natcap.org/, University of Melbourne

14. 14

15. Here, great gets greater. Theory becomes practice. Thinking turns into doing. Power becomes action. We’re not
satisfied with beginnings. We need to set things in motion. Start movements. Shift behavior. Break new ground.
Step forward. Challenge convention. Jump in. Stir the pot. See things others miss. Enter through different doors.
Embrace impossible. Raise expectations. Build communities. Move boundaries.
We are provocateurs. Perfectionists. Entrepreneurs. Curious. Empathetic. Active. And hungry. Our path will be
ongoing and will not be summed up by a single slogan. We have a mighty spirit inside that will not be denied.
Let us stand together and chart our course. Let us capture imaginations. Allow the world to see our genius, our
talent, our heritage, our future. We are the University of Maryland. Fear the Turtle.
15
Source: Fear The Turtle

16. 16Source: Nasa Climate Vital Signs

17. 17Source: Nasa Climate Vital Signs

18. 18Source: Nasa Climate Vital Signs

19. 19Source: Our World In Data

20. JOB
Salary
Health Insurance
401k
2% yearly raise
Climb the ladder
ENTREPRENEUR
Invest or bootstrap
Change the world daily
Exit potential
Sprint & pivot
Wear all the hats
20

21. 21

22. Don’t launch without testing. Prioritize quality and reliability over ship date.
22

23. Having a company mission keeps you on track.
23

24. Do one thing well, or risk doing many things poorly.
24

25. Maintain open communication with internal and external partners.
25

26. DWYSYWD
26

27. Spend on people ops.
27

28. Spend time in customer support.
28

29. Ensure your business units are talking to each other.
29

30. 30

31. Building a global network of open climate labs, programs, and tools
to help startups in food, air, energy, and water scale
through pilot partnerships with Fortune 500 corporations
31

32. We believe climate change is the biggest opportunity civilization has ever seen
and that it will produce the first trillionaire
32

33. 33

34. Manylabs is a collaborative community of independent scientists and makers working on "science for good"
projects relating to open source, open data, education, wellness, environmentalism, sustainability, etc.
34Source: Manylabs, Moore Foundation

35. 35

36. 36Source: iNaturalist, Encyclopedia of Life, Global Biotic Interactions

37. 37

38. 38
Source: Planet Labs

39. 39
Source: Planet Labs

40. 40Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals

41. 41
Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals
Facts & Figures

42. Goals
42
Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals

43. 43Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals

44. 44Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals

45. 45Source: NASA ISS Livestream

46. 46Source: Springer Open

47. 47Source: Fourth Sector, B Corporation

48. Watch the film: http://film.permacultureaction.org/ 48

49. 49
Source: Worrydream

50. 50
Source: Circle of Blue

51. 51Source: Green Mountain Power

52. “Our energy future is one where more of our energy is
generated closer to where it is needed and is home, business,
and community-based.”
Green Mountain Power
Rutland, VT
52Source: Green Mountain Power

53. 53Source: Free Electrons

54. 54Source: Science Based Targets, ETHO ETF

55. You Will Be Tested
55

56. Source: Co-Opetition: The Emerging Trend, 2009 AIAA Meeting 56

57. 57
"Under the current Gross National Product - GNP - system... all we do is add together
expenditures, so the most "economically productive" citizen is a cancer patient who
totals his car on his way to meet with his divorce lawyer.”
Bill McKibben, Deep Economy
Source: Growthism.com

58. Are you going to be the person who complains about the problem,
or the one who gets paid for the solution?
58

59. Build the life you want
Meaningful work
Respect
Align work &
life
Balanced
relationships
Eat homemade,
wholesome food
Prioritize
self love
Make art
59
Time for Friends
& Family

60. Thank you
60
Questions, comments?
To schedule a 15 minute phone call, please visit calendly.com/mceshed
If you prefer one-way communication, email matt@impossiblelabs.io

61. 61
We got used to being confused,
cuz
The longer we linger the more we
diffuse
You Don't Owe Me - Kraak & Smaak
We travel the path of infinite
choice
We reach higher math and
speak with one voice