Can Crypto Save the Planet? Rob Cobbold, COO, Beach Collective

This week we are going to speak with Rob Cobbold, COO of Beach Collective, a company that is building a digital platform that merges some of the most abstract and immaterial aspects of the web, like Cryptos and NFTs with some of the most tangible and physical activities on the planet, like community building, ocean conservation, and trash pickup.

Beach Collective is disrupting what they see as a flawed financial system and using their own low-emissions crypto called Beach Token as a tool for change for the better of the planet and its people. People around the world are litereally going to be able to earn Beach Token when they take action - like picking up beach trash - to improve our planet’s health. 

Sound utopian? Well, to date, they’ve raised $150,000 in transaction fees with Beach Token and, with their partners, they have registered planet-healthy actions in 50 countries, removed 150,000+ kgs of trash from the oceans and they have restored 10 hectares of mangroves in 3 countries. So maybe this is something worth paying attention to. 

To hear my conversation with Rob, tune in on Apple, Spotify, or Google. And don’t forget to subscribe on your platformto get automatic updates. If you like what we’re doing, please do spread the word.

Many thanks to Maine Technology Institute, Maine Venture Fund and Spark No.9 for their sponsorship. 

Transcript

INTRO:

HOST VO: Welcome to the podcast today where we celebrate Innovation for a Happy Planet. I am your host Abigail Carroll

Cryptos have been getting a lot of bad press lately. Sam Bankman-Fried is under house arrest at his parents’ house no less, awaiting trial for the FTX debacle. Bitcoin, although off its lows, tanked and its demise is regularly predicted in the news. And NFT’s went from being the fastest growing art trend to begging the question: is it even art? It makes you wonder: Is there a place on this earth for Cryptos? Our guest today would say yes and go a lot further than yet.    

Rob Cobbald, is COO of Beach Collective, a company that is building a digital platform, which is merging some of the most abstract and immaterial aspects of the web, like Cryptos and NFTs with some of the most tangible and physical activities on the planet, like community building, ocean conservation, and trash pickup. 

Beach Collective is disrupting what they see as a flawed financial system and using their own low-emissions crypto called Beach Token as a tool for change for the better of the planet and its people. Sound like a radical idea? Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

In addition to their currency, they have a social platform called Beach Action where people around the world can earn Beach Token when they take action to improve our planet’s health. They’re also building both online and brick and mortar shops to spend Beach Token. And soon they will have a portal where any freelancers can be paid with it as well. 

To date, They’ve raised $150,000 in transaction fees with Beach Token and have won over $50,000 in grants. And with their partners, they have registered planet-healthy actions in 50 countries, removed 150,000+ kgs of trash from the oceans and they have restored 10 hectares of mangroves in 3 countries.

So Maybe this is a movement worth paying attention to.

Abigail (00:22):

All right. Um, today we are crossing the pond to speak with Rob Cobalt. Welcome to the podcast, Rob.

Rob (00:32):

Thanks Abigail. Very pleased to be here.

Abigail (00:35):

Well, it's nice to have you, um, Rob, you are the founder, CEO (COO), and head of partnerships of Beach Collective, a digital platform, which is merging some of the most abstract and immaterial aspects of the web, ie. Cryptos and NFTs with some of the most tangible and physical a activities on the planet, like community building, ocean conservation, and trash pickup. So tell me how this works.

Rob (01:02):

Yeah, sure. Um, well, firstly, I'm coo that's very important. Um, just got promoted yesterday actually, um, which is very exciting. Um, so the Beach Collective, essentially we have redesigned money. We've taken, we've redesigned, we've designed a currency which internalizes the health of our planet and oceans into every single transaction. And it does that by redirecting the fees that would normally go to Visa or MasterCard or to online marketplaces like Amazon or Shopify. It takes those same fees or indeed lower fees, and it gives them to clean oceans and blue carbon projects around the world. So the more transactions of Beach Token, um, then the more good projects that we can fund.

Abigail (04:33):

Right. So why would you, I mean, when you guys started out, the goal was to first and foremost tackle climate change, right?

Rob (04:45):

Hmm, exactly. That's our, our number one and only goal. Um, and, and to address sort of biodiversity collapse as well.

Abigail (04:53):

So why did you make the choice to start with designing a currency as you're trying to, um, you know, attack climate change? It's not, it's not an obvious leap for, for the average Joe. What is the power of a currency that made you think this was the right choice?

Rob (05:13):

Yeah, well, I think to understand that you have to understand what's wrong with our fiat money, that is our pounds, our dollars, our euros. Um, and that's something that's not very well understood in the climate space or indeed in any space. Um, essentially something like 97% of our pounds, dollars, et cetera, they come into the real economy when private banks make loans. So if Abigail goes along to the bank and asks for a mortgage so she can buy a flat, um, they will, you know, look at your credentials, your ability to pay it back, et cetera. And, and if they grant you the loan, then at the point at which they make that loan, they are in fact creating new money. Um, and there's a Bank of England bulletin, which says as much, there's um, statements from the European Central Bank, which says as much, um, and, and this is not what it, it is the opposite way around from how it happens in the textbooks. Textbooks claim that banks have a load of money, which they then lend out. In fact, it's the other way around. They, they create new money at the point of the loan and then they balance their books afterwards, um, sometimes even by extra money creation from the central bank. So it's sort of the, the, the money creation sort of arrow flows in the exact opposite way. Now, what that means

Abigail (06:27):

Is, so it's inflationary,

Rob (06:29):

Yes, it has to be inflationary because in order to, So let's say you were lent a hundred thousand dollars, um, you are, you, a hundred thousand dollars was created, but you now owe the bank a hundred thousand dollars plus interest. So the amount you owe is always increasing. And that's the same for, like I say, 97% of money. So we're now in a crazy situation where there's more than three times more debt in the world than there is money. Um, and that means that the only way that we can avoid a debt collapse, which happens periodically, as we all know, is to, is for the economy to keep growing and growing and growing so that the banks can justify creating yet more loans in order to service the debt on the existing loans. And that is a kind of crazy treadmill situation that we put the entire planet on.

Rob (07:13):

I mean, it's like if you say to a man who has a mortgage, or you know, women who has a mortgage try calm down and work less, you know, they're like, Well, dude, I'm gonna lose my house. So that we basically place the entire global economy in that situation, and it creates this debt treadmill and this growth imperative that we can't get off of. And in addition to that, because we have to keep creating more money in order to avoid a collapse, it's also inflationary, as you say. And that's the situation we find ourselves in now. We've got a simultaneous inflation crisis and also a debt crisis that's, that's looming. Um, and it's insanity and it's, it's, it's entirely by design and we don't have to put up with that anymore.

Rob (08:36):

And it's, and it's insidious in it's creeping and, and what an inflationary system does, inflationary monetary system does, is it basically erodes the value of, of everyone's savings over time. Yeah. And it creates this incentive to spend all the time, because if I hold onto my money, it's gonna lose value. And that is great, maybe in a post-war economy where what we need to do is all grow and, and improve our economic standards of living, but it's absolutely terrible in a world that is buckling under the weight of our increasing consumption. And it's, it's a bit like, you know, we are transitioning as a species from a kind of adolescent growth phase to an adult phase where what we, what we want is not growth for the sake of growth. What we want is growth in certain dimensions, and we wanna be selective about what that is. And actually what we want to do is, you know, be a bit more mature and kind of level off our growth to a certain extent. And that requires a different kind of money to make that possible. And that really is why we started with designing a currency.

Abigail (09:38):

Well, it's so interesting because there is this whole theory about, um, you know, escaping this sort of myth of the growth economy, um, doesn't mean, as you said, that there can't be innovations and new places to grow, For example, Beach Collective can be a new thing and could grow, but, but this idea that we can just keep growing and growing and growing the economy forever, uh, may be a bit of a fallacy.

Abigail (01:57):

Um, so, okay, Bitcoin, we've all heard about Bitcoin. Um, one, it's not having a great time at the moment, but how do you launch, how do you launch a crypto? How do you get people to hear about it and how do you, you know, how do you spread the word?

Rob (02:16):

Yeah, well, the first question I can't really answer because it wasn't me that, um, did any of the sort of engineering or, or, you know, tech work to actually, you know, design, launch, launch the currency itself. Um, however, in terms of how you get the word out there, um, it is, I mean, we launched in August, 2021 when the crypto space was exploding. Um, um, so it was, you know, relatively, I mean, I I say relatively easy, you know, there's all sorts of, um, kind of marketing within the crypto world, which is basically its own separate beast. You know, it's all telegram groups and shout outs and call outs and, um, you know, all, all kinds of like, you know, crypto related marketing stuff online. Um, and that really got a lot of excitement about the currency itself because of the way it's designed, it's designed quite interesting way to both be, um, deflationary, um, so, you know, good for, good for holders, um, because we destroy it, uh, 2% with every single transaction, but also doing good for the planet.

Rob (03:23):

So that kind of combination between good, for me, good for the planet was quite appealing. Um, but what we are really interested in is, uh, making it a currency which is widely used within the crypto space for every day, sorry, the, the climate space for everyday transactions. So we're trying really to appeal to people who maybe have not really got involved with crypto at all. Um, but you know, they're, they're a sort of conscious consumer and they, they try not to eat too much meat, that kind of person. Um, and that really is, is about creating spaces, um, where people who care about the planet can convene. Um, so one of those is a social platform we've launched called Beach Action. Um, we're also building an online shop for planet friendly brands and products, um, where all products will be sold in Beach Token. Um, and the aim really is to kind of slowly unite the climate movement in an alternative global economy, um, where the means of exchange is designed to be in harmony with the planet as opposed to working against it.

Abigail (09:38):

Well, it's so interesting because there is this whole theory about, um, you know, escaping this sort of myth of the growth economy, um, doesn't mean, as you said, that there can't be innovations and new places to grow, For example, Beach Collective can be a new thing and could grow, but, but this idea that we can just keep growing and growing and growing the economy forever, uh, may be a bit of a fallacy. So tell me, uh, how is this, how is this currency going to solve this big huge problem and, uh, change our climate?

Rob (10:13):

Yeah, so essentially two ways. Um, number one, like I mentioned, the currency internalizes the health of our planet and oceans into every single transaction. So if you use the currency within our portal that we've designed, Um, those, uh, so, you know, in our online shop, earn it via our social platform, you use it on our freelancer portal, those transactions happen off chain within our own internal ledger.So that means no crypto transaction has to take place, and that means that the emissions are less than a Visa or MasterCard transaction. Um, in addition to that, um, we take the fees that Visa or MasterCard charge, and we give them to clean oceans or carbon initiatives. And we do that on a kind of 1, 1 1 basis. So if you use Beach Pay, for example, we charge 1.5%, Again, that's less than Visa or MasterCard. Um, knot 0.5 goes to us so we can keep the lights on, knot 0.5 to knot point 5 to clean Ocean projects and knot 0.5 to Blue Carbon projects. 

Rob (11:13):

And that will be the same for all of our portals. There'll be this 1, 1 1 split. Um, and then the third way is that we can use that same currency to actually incentivize people around the world to take action. So via our social platform, beach action, anybody anywhere can take action on behalf of our planet. And we small action here, you know, I, I ate to vegetarian meal, I picked up a plastic bottle from the beach, I did the recycling, whatever it is. Um, they can register the action on a map with a photo, and they earn Beach Token as a reward. And that sort of does two things. First of all, it gets this currency into the hands of climate conscious people everywhere, which is important for us to get, you know, know transactions going, um, but it also rewards and incentivizes people to take action and empowers them to take action.Um, so, so there's a kind of three-way approach to how the currency serves the planet.

Abigail (12:07):

Wow. So I've seen, I've seen photos, I've seen the maps, you've got people kind of all over the planet that have, that have been engaging with this system. Can you just speak to the, the breadth of what you've been able to do so far?

Rob (12:21):

Yeah. Well, it's kind of blown us away, to be honest. I mean, we've, we've had people take actions in 35 countries so far, which is incredible. Um, I'm just waiting for one to pop up on Antarctica. Um, <laugh>

Abigail (12:34):

<laugh>, that would be great.

Rob (12:36):

Um, but yeah, so the kind of scale, uh, you know, it's still not like hundreds of thousands or millions of users yet. Um, but the, the, the kind of scope and range at which action is taking place is really exciting. Um, the, yeah. And, but you know, we, we, we haven't yet kind of designed all or, or built all of those portals that I mentioned. Um, so people are using beach action, that's ready to use. Um, but the shop, for example, our online shop, our freelancer portal, those are still kind of yet to be built. Um, but what is, what is running and ticking really well is all those projects that we're funding. So that was very much our first port of call, You know, let's start by doing something good for the planet. Um, so, you know, we raised something like a hundred thousand dollars for climate change just through that transactions tax that I mentioned.

Rob (13:22):

And we've been busy spending that on, um, beach cleans in Ghana, uh, mangrove restoration in Tanzania. Um, we've got a guy doing gorilla gardening in Lebanon, taking like abandoned spaces and growing vegetables and giving them out to the community, um, sea turtle conservation in Papua New Guinea and, and, you know, actions in something like 15 countries around the world, um, via some really cool partners that we have on the ground, some of whom are refugees, some of whom are just individuals, Um, some of whom are, you know, little NGOs, community groups. Um, but they, but they're really, you know, those are the guys who are doing the, the, the real work on the ground.

Abigail (14:01):

That's amazing. So, you know, you've got this pretty obscure technology. I mean, this is all part of the web three that seems very, uh, uh, you know, intangible to a lot of us. Uh, how do you know, how do these people in Ghana and all these other places connect with you? Like how, you know, how do you, how do you get beach currency?

Rob (14:24):

Yeah, well, um, I mean, to the, to the last question first, you can Beach Token, you, you can buy it on our website, um, uh, and, you know, you need some bnb to do that, but, um, we're making it easier and easier for people to purchase it. Um,

Abigail (14:39):

Uh, can you define bnb? Sorry.

Rob (14:41):

Yeah, sorry. Um, BNB is the, um, Binance Smart chain currency. So our, our currency is registered on the Binance Smart Chain, um, which is a very low emission, centralized, um, uh, blockchain. Um, we chose it for that reason, for the ease of transactions, the low emissions, and also because it's accessible to a lot of people in, for example, Philippines, Kenya, um, whereas other, other, um, blockchains are, are harder or heavier for them to access. Um, so, uh, so yes, you can buy it on our website. Um, with regards to a lot of these places where we work, um, often they don't have smartphones or, or wifi coverage is not great. Um, so we began by paying them all in local currency, um, and we are slowly shifting them over to sort of hybrid models where we pay them half in local currency and then half in Beach Token. Um, now simultaneously, it's very important when we do that, that we create opportunities for them to spend that currency. Um, so one example is we have built a shop out of recycled plastic in Kakuma refugee camp with the, with the plastic bottles we created. Um, and that shop will accept beach token as currency, um, for food, rice, water bottles, whatever it is. Um, so we make sure to, um, basically create opportunities for them to spend that currency so that they can get their daily necessities needs, et cetera. 

Abigail (16:13):

So, I mean, the, the geographical breadth of this is huge. Tell me a little bit about your team and how you manage to sort of be everywhere or is it all virtual? Like how do, how do you get, how do you organize people in so many different locations?

Rob (16:33):

Um, well, yeah. Is a challenge. Um, uh, I mean, our, our team is, is mostly split between the UK and the us. Um, sort of working on it full-time is, is myself, our marketing director, Jasper, who's currently based in Columbia actually. Um, and then the rest of the founding team who are sort of more or less involved are, are split between, um, the UK and the US more or less. Um, so yeah, can be challenging. Um, I'm having a conversation with someone in the Philippines one moment, and then in Columbia the next, and then in Kenya the next, um,

Abigail (17:09):

<laugh> so much for time zones. Yeah,

Rob (17:12):

Exactly. A lot of time zone juggling. I mean, I, I think, um, you know, I sort of have to be more or less available at all times. Um, but I also get a lot of flexibility. So, you know, if I wanna take two hours for lunch, I'm currently in Madrid at the moment. So, um, there's a kind, there's a nice trade off there where I can sort of work when I like, but I kind of have to be roughly available at all times in case there's something to troubleshoot.

Abigail (17:37):

So, um, let's get back to this sort of creating a community because it, you know, you've got this currency, this is sort of, you're sort of creating a, a virtual country in a way. It's got its own currency, it's got its own ethos. Um, you know, it's got a collective mission. How do you, how do you get out? How do you get the message out to the world?

Rob (18:01):

So I think, um, I think really we are, you know, the community is already there in a sense. I mean, we're talking about the climate community, right? We're talking about any individual, brand, business, NGO that gives a damn about this planet that we live on. So the community's already there, right? Um, we are just saying to that community, Hey, unless we start using the currency, which is in harmony with the planet, then we're kind of chasing our tails here. And, you know, here's one offering. Um, so we're, we're kind of, I think the community's already there. It's just about getting the message through to them of the importance of of of actually using a new means of exchange. If we keep using pounds or dollars, um, even if we are using them to buy cool, sustainable products, um, we're sort of only half escaping the problem.

Rob (18:57):

Um, so I think it's, it's just about getting that message through to people loudly and clearly. Um, but also saying to that same community, you know, that your actions deserve to be rewarded. You know, if you are picking up litter, if you are, um, eating vegetarian food, if you are, you know, reducing your, your, your flights, for example, you are doing something in service of our species and our planet. Um, and you deserve to be rewarded for that. I mean, part of the problem that we are facing at the moment is that you can make a fortune by producing plastic bottles or chopping down trees, but if you wanna plant them or pick them up, then you're kind of expect to do it for free, or you have to go fundraising and ask somebody to fund you, You know, that's all backwards. Yeah. Um, and, and because money isn't this law of nature that's fallen out the sky, it's actually something we've designed, we can address that. Um, so I think, you know, we, we wanna make it in people's interest to be involved in this community, so we wanna really reward people, Um, but also just saying, you know, look, we, we all care about the same thing here. Um, let's work together in the most powerful way possible, um, to, to kind of unite the climate community and, and, and, and start working together in service of this beautiful planet that we all love.

VO: Rob has laid out the problems he’s trying to solve: planetary degradation and a broken financial system. And he outlined the architecture for their solution: the Beach Collective platform, a crypto currency, collective actions and a beach token-based commerce. Stay tuned after a short break and Rob will discuss his roll out a plan for scaling Beach Collective into a social movement fostering a parallel global economy that prioritizes planetary health. 

BREAK: MTI & SPARK NO9

VO: Welcome  Back to happy Planet

Abigail (20:13):

That's amazing. So you started with a currency, you've got a burgeoning store. I know you have a number of other sort of declinations of this project, you know, where is this headed?

Rob (20:29):

Yeah, I suppose, like I say, it's headed to be this kind of alternative global economy. You, we've got the means of exchange out there that's, that can be used. We've launched a social platform. Um, anybody can register an action, you can go right now beach collective.io/action. Um, next will come the shop beyond that, the freelance portal. So, um, you know, people who, who, web designers, graphic designers, whatever, can, um, sell their services via that. Um, beyond that, we're looking at doing something in the carbon credit space with carbon NFTs. Yep. Um, which, you know, essentially we want to become, I suppose, um, you know, an integrated portal for any kind of, of transaction, really real world transactions. Um, and another kind of step is, you know, we want have geographical hubs of beach adoption, so places where you can go, where there's actually a critical mass of bricks and mortar businesses that accept it. Um, bars, shops, restaurants, et cetera. Um, so I mean, the sky's the limit here. Um, it's just, it's just about, um, essentially taking as much economic activity off, um, the sort of cancerous debt treadmill and, and channeling it via this new means of exchange is, is in harmony with the planet.

Abigail (21:49):

Yep. So today, if, if a or, you know, within the next year, if a marketer, a freelancer wants to bill me in Beach Token, how do I pay them? How do I, what steps would I take to pay them in their pay This Beach Token bill?

Rob (22:09):

Yeah, so we would, we will basically create all that software for you. So, you know, there'll be a freelancer portal in the same way you might go to fiver.com. Um, you know, we all have Beach Nomad, which will be an integrated portal of the Beach Collective. You can go online, you can look up a freelancer, you can look up, um, you know, anybody selling their services, whatever it might be. Um, and you can pay them via that. Um, and, you know, most of those kind of freelance portals charge, you know, significantly more than will be charging. Um, you know, same goes for Beach Shop, you know, I mean, I can't dunno what Amazon takes to something like 15%, isn't it, of every sale, um, or 10%. So, you know, we're taking 3%, but 2% of that is going towards the planet. So there'll all be portals available on Beach collective.io currently available is just, is Beach Action, the social platform, and also Beach Pay, which is a very simple app for sending and receiving beach tokens. Um, and like I say, those transactions happen off chain within our own internal ledgers. So the emissions are, um, next to nothing. Um, and we'll be slowly adding portals, um, to Beach collective.io as we build them.

Abigail (23:20):

Interesting. So today we are in this crazy situation worldwide. Um, uh, there's, there's just inflation everywhere, and you would think that people would be running to Bitcoin and, uh, Ethereum and these other sort of cryptos as a safe harbor, but in fact, they're tanking too. They seem to be moving with the economy and the stock market, not against it as one might have expected or or thought. How is Beach Collective gonna fare, or is is it faring in this current climate with respect to, you know, others, other currencies? Cryptos?

Rob (24:06):

Yeah.

Abigail (24:06):

Well, like how do, are you shielded from that?

Rob (24:09):

Um, we're not totally shielded from it to be sure. Um, most of our holders at this stage are, um, you know, they're, they're people who are in this for the right reasons. They're in this because they, they really care about the planet and they believe in the project. Um, so there may be like stickier than, than your average investor. Their, their, you know, their values aligned investors. Um, so, so we have like a degree of protection in that sense. I mean, to be completely honest, in the short term, the price of the token is not of massive concern to us. Um, if the price yo-yos a bit, that's fine. Um, we take a larger percentage on, on chain buys and sales of the currency. So if you're trading the currency for other currencies, the beach token for other currencies, um, we take a larger percentage and that allows us to fund A, all the projects around the world, but also, you know, pay my salary, for example.

Rob (25:04):

Um, what we're more interested in is, like I say, people using it as a currency, and the more people do that, um, A, the less, um, volatility there will be number one. Um, but number two, we see that as a far more sustainable long term source of value as opposed to, you know, safe Moon or something, which is just entirely built on hype and therefore is prone to much larger swings in volatility. Whereas if you're a currency that you can actually use to buy things, um, and you can use to buy things all over the world, hopefully eventually online and in person, um, then you have a lot, a far more sustainable source of value, um, and, and far less volatility in the same way that, sure, the pound has dropped a bit recently, but it hasn't fallen through the floor like, you know, Terra did, for example, because Terra is built on on something else.

Rob (25:57):

You know, it's, it's, it's a different kind of sort of project. So I think we see that as, as the real true value and promise of the crypto space. It's not this kind of hype and bluster, um, um, which, which depends entirely on, on, you know, big swings and people making a lot of money and then, you know, getting really excited about it. Right. It's kind of a different, we're playing quite a different game, to be honest. Yeah. Um, but put it this way, if, um, you know, in, in, in two, three years, we would hope to have seen the value of the currency treble or times by 10, um, something like that. But, but in the short term, we're not too worried, particularly since we haven't built most of those places where you can actually use it like a currency.

Abigail (26:36):

Right. Right. So, um, today, can you, can you buy this on Coinbase? How do I buy it?

Rob (26:42):

Um, so the only way you can buy it at the moment is on decentralized exchanges. Um, so, uh, however you can, like I say, you can go on our website, Beach collective, uh, beach token.io. Um, and if you have a, a decentralized wallet like meta mask, um, or trust wallet, then you can purchase it directly from our website with a little button that will pop up. Um, we are making it easier and easier all the time for people to buy it. Um, so we are discussing listing on other exchanges as we speak. Um, we are also, uh, working on a fiat on ramp, so eventually you will just be able to go on our website and, and buy it with a credit card. Um, and, and indeed we've made sure that you can earn it on beach action and spend it on beach pay or beach shop. Right. Without even having a crypto wallet. So that's also quite an important part of our strategy is that it's entirely

Abigail (27:39):

That's Amazing,

Rob (27:39):

accessible to people who aren't really in the crypto space. Um, but at the moment, yeah, go to our website, beach token.io and you can buy it with a little button there.

Abigail (27:49):

Right. Or we can just go pick up trash in our neighborhood and earn it

Rob (27:54):

Exactly.

Abigail (27:54):

The old fashioned way.

Rob (27:55):

Exactly. And, and, and, um, you know, to be clear, the token rewards aren't fully plugged into beach action just yet, but yeah, that pretty soon you'll be able to just register an action. You'll automatically earn tokens.

Abigail (28:07):

That's amazing. Um, so you, uh, as a founder, you are not a, a tech guy, you are more sort of humanities philosophy. Uh, it looks like you studied literature in college. Uh, something I did as well. Oh, nice. Uh, what, so what, what was, you know, how did you personally end up here and what does it feel like to come from that background and be in this really cutting edge tech world?

Rob (28:43):

Yeah, it's quite funny. I was reading something in, uh, it was the English press recently saying that, um, people who study English are the lowest earners of any degree <laugh>. Um, which cracked me up and made me thinking Yeah, maybe because, um, teaching you to think

Abigail (29:02):

Critically Dreamers. Dreamers, yeah,

Rob (29:03):

Yeah. Or teaching you to think critically for four years maybe leads you to the conclusion that earning a load of money is possibly not the only goal or objective. Um, but, um, but yeah, I studied literature. I've always been really passionate about climate change. Um, since I learned about it at school. Um, I took a, a post-graduate course, um, at the University of Canbra with Professor Jen Bendell, who wrote the deep adaption paper. Um, that was really pivotal and transformative for me and very inspiring. Um, and I can remember speaking to one of the course participants who, um, he himself as a current currency. What 

Abigail (29:41):

Was that class in?

Rob (29:42):

Sorry? Yeah, it was in, it was in, um, well, there was a couple of modules that we did. One was sustainable exchange, which is literally Yeah. Designing currencies for, for sustainability. Yep. Um, and then another course is in sustainable leadership, um, which was a game changer for me personally. You know, I came out a different person, um, amazing educator, Jen. Um, and yeah, he really set me on a path to, uh, to being of service, I suppose. And it's something that, um, another course participants said Matthew Fletcher, who also designs currencies, community currencies around the world. He's, he was talking about, Yeah, I was just, he was talking about his own career path, he said, Yeah, I was just trying to work out how I can be most useful. I just thought that was such an interesting, but clear and sort of just simple way of thinking about your career path. It's like, okay, where can I be the most use? And that's kind of the question I'm trying to answer all the time. Um, and yeah, I mean, I, you know, I, I, um, I think this job I've, I've, I've never been so useful <laugh>, hopefully.

Abigail (30:49):

Well, it's, it's a, I'm <laugh> No, it's, it's definitely a beautiful project. And look at, you've got all these people already involved and you're, and you're sort of just getting out of the gate. I mean, it's been a year. So tell me, tell me where you guys are and what the, you know, what the path forward looks like. Are you raising money, Um, how, you know, what are the next steps for you?

Rob (31:13):

Yeah, so raising money, um, definitely a big priority for us at the moment. Um, second big priority I think is, is get as many, many users of beach action as possible. Um, if we have a million people around the world regularly registering actions, all the other conversations we're gonna have is gonna become a lot easier and becomes very easy to speak to a brand to come on board or to, to give us some of their CSR budget, for example, that we can spend via beach action. Give them logos and impressions and click throughs, et cetera. Yeah. You know, so that I think is a real key part of our strategy. Um, and then I think just quietly, quietly in the background going about, um, you know, the real work on the ground of, of, of plant restoring mangroves, picking up litter, um, you know, sea grass, seaweed, whatever it is, just that, just really keep, keep reorienting towards that, keep the focus on that, and kind of trust that the opportunities and, um, yeah, the, the, the, the, the sort of help that we need will arrive when we need it. Um, which is a leap of faith as much as anything. But it seems to be working out so far. Uh,

Abigail (32:24):

  I mean, I think all, all startups are, So are you relying heavily on like social media? Do you have a TikTok following? I mean, is that how you're kind of creating this, this following?

Rob (32:37):

Yeah, certainly. We're really active across socials. Um, we've got all the socials, you know, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, you name it. Um, so certainly relying quite heavily on that. Um, we are speaking to a potential partner, um, who produces really high quality media and videos, um, more on that to be announced soon. Um, Nice. And then, yeah, I think, um, you know, just opportunities come along all the time. I mean, you know, this podcast, for example, um, couple of days ago I got a email from somebody who, who, uh, wants to put us on Spanish national television. Um, interesting to see if that comes off. How's

Abigail (33:18):

Your Spanish? Ah, well, <laugh> <laugh>,

Rob (33:27):

Um, well, yeah, I mean, let's, let's see when the clip comes out before I start saying how great my Spanish is <laugh>. Um, but yeah, so, so, you know, I mean there's, there's, there's a little bit of Gail and strategy and then there's a fair chunk of like, um, you know, just good fortune that seems to be coming our way. So, you know, we'll see.

Abigail (33:46):

Well, I, um, you know, it certainly seems like you deserve it and the cause is definitely worth it. And there's been a lot of out of the box thinking, which, you know, I think should be, um, you know, through success. I just, uh, I think it's, it's really, it's really exciting and I think to a lot of us, the web three is this very abstract, scary place. Um, I know a lot's going on in it, It's really exciting. I know Napster is turning into a web three platform with music NFTs, but it's, it's, it's interesting because at once, you know, you're using this technology to give to nature and the planet. On the other hand, I, I feel like you're also sort of giving something to this whole universe of cryptos and NFTs, which is to make it, um, seem like a, a much friendlier and purposeful place.

Abigail (34:44):

A little bit more wholesome. You know, we've all heard about those, those, what are those chimps, The monkeys, um, those monkey NFTs, you know, the, um, board apes shoot, I forget. Yeah. The board apes, you know, and, and I mean, they're sort of cool, but there's something also cynical about this sort of rush into NFTs to, as you know, just to, to trade and, you know, make, make fast cash. And there's something really sort of sweet and organic about this beach collective and beach token mission, which seems to be really the opposite spectrum of that sort of a slow, steady progression towards some, towards a greater good.

Rob (35:34):

Oh, well thanks. I'm glad that that comes across. Cause <laugh>, certainly we look at a lot of the crypto space with, uh, a degree of skepticism. Um, I mean, listen, it's not going away. Climate change is not going away. Somehow we need to put these two things in service of each other to make them support each other, these two spaces. Um, you know, there is this, ra crypto has this radical potential to do good, but currently we sort of, we've plugged it into the same mentality and the same, um, kind of delusions of, you know, the normal economy, um, that we can kind of grow forever, that everyone can get rich for nothing. Um, and you know, I think the climate space as well, you know, has certainly has its issues or, or at least sometimes doesn't get to the root of the problem. You know, like there's, um, like I mentioned with, with the currency design, you know, sometimes it's blind to the kind of like larger machinations of the economy and where it's going and how we can kind of make things work for people.

Abigail (37:52):

Yeah. So just so wrapping up, I, I'd love to know what advice you would give to other entrepreneurs in the blue or impact economy.

Rob (38:21):

I think number one, it's that we need to work together a success for any one of us is a success for all of us. And, um, you know, just get out there and network and speak to people. I mean, there's so many cool, um, projects out there, and that's why I'm really grateful to, um, Harry Wright of Bright Tide. Um, we were both on, on his accelerator, you know, he brought us together, brought, um, us together with so many other entrepreneurs and, and sustainable brands and businesses out there working for the good of the ocean economy. Um, so there's, there's, there's so many people out there, get out there and work together and try not to be too precious or cagey about, you know, your ip, um, or, or, you know, try, try not to let that get in the way of, of a collaboration. Um, right.

Rob (39:11):

I, I, I, we, I heard a story about one, what's one of our brand partners, Ginger Bees, they'd, um, designed one of these, uh, laundry bags that stops the microplastics from getting out, right. So that you can put your clothes in there and then wash it and then the microplastics don't get out. And they were contacted by some much, much, much larger company who said, um, by the way, we actually have a pattern on the exact, um, width of the holes in your bag, um, that actually, you know, we've patented and we're selling these for triple the amount that you are, and therefore you, you have to discontinue these bags. And it's like, come on. Like, what's the objective here? Like, like is the objective here to make as much money as possible, or is the objective here to remove microplastics? Like what's the objective?

Rob (39:55):

Right, Right. Um, right. So I think, you know, as much as you know, and, and, and we say this all the time, you know, if someone comes along who does the beach collective better than we can, that designs of currency that is in all senses better for the planet, um, and, and they make a huge success of it, great. We don't need to exist anymore. We're happy with that. I mean, really we are, um, and I'm sure there are better versions of Beach Collective or Beach Token out there waiting to be born. Um, and you know, we're not going to stamp on those if they come around, you know? Um, so I think it's really important that, that we keep our eyes focused on the real objective here, which is, um, restoring our planet and our oceans to health and resilience.

Abigail (40:40):

It feels like we're a bit in a new day and age when, uh, a business can be born with a social objective like that. Yeah,

Rob (40:53):

Totally. And, and I think, um, you know, I mean, this is potentially a rabbit hole. We don't need to go down, but that is, that's why launching as a, as a Dow and a foundation, it gives you some more flexibility that Yeah. You know, Amazon or Facebook, they actually have to make as much money as they possibly can for their shareholders, or they can get sued <laugh> by their shareholders. Yeah. Um, which is like, again, it's like, yes, they need to do it a whole lot more. Um, but they're sort of to a certain extent hamstrung by the kind of shareholder capitalism model. And I think that's why these, you know, b CORPs and triple bottom line and, but, but even more so when you launch as a Dow or a foundation Yeah. And it gives you this flexibility where it's like, actually our mission is not to make as much money as possible for our token holders or shareholders. I mean, sure. That'll come as a side effect, but it's, it's not our primary objective. Our primary objective is to tackle the, is to, is to tackle the, you know, the problems that our planet is facing and, you know, Yeah. You know, luckily those two things can line up, but it's, we, we can keep our eye on the prize. Right. Whereas, uh, you know, traditional shareholder capitalism, the, the prize is shareholder value and can't be anything else, which is, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's just broken from its design upwards.

Abigail (42:11):

Right. And I, I think a lot of, there's a whole new generation coming up that, you know, in this space, I've seen a lot of people who have sort of both a non-profit arm and a corporate arm, and they sort of work together in tandem. Um, and, and as you say, like the B Corp, a lot of, there's, you know, there's just a, a rethinking of the whole, uh, you know, the whole structure and the meaning of having a corporation today.

Rob (42:41):

Yeah. It's, it's, it's, it's exciting times, right? I mean, I think we're rethinking the structure of corporate, of, you know, companies that, of capitalism, of, you know, the, our political systems of values of the way we interact with each other, you know, I mean, it's like everything is up in the air where obviously, you know, our species is going through this transition moment. And I think we have to be really brave in letting go of that which no longer serves us. And, and really, um, yeah, we have to, we have, there's a lot of, you know, changes. It can be difficult, can be scary, but individually and collectively we need to evolve and we need to evolve quickly. And it's going to, you know, we really need to stick together, I think, and, and regain our faith, I think in humanity. Not be so pessimistic about, you know, terrible human nature is, and realize that we're, you know, have a little bit of compassion for the kind of weird situation that we're in and that no one's really in control of. And I think, um, you know, just kind of rediscover our faith in our potential to do good. And then I think, um, we've got a fighting chance.

Abigail (43:48):

Oh, that's great. Well, I appreciate your optimism and that's one of the reasons that I, I'm so excited about this impact space is that I, it just, it fills me with hope every day. Um, so thank you for being one of the people out there fighting for, uh, a, a new and different model and a, and a and a cleaner and happier planet.

Rob (44:10):

Thank you

Abigail (44:11):

Aga, and thank you for coming.

Rob (44:12):

Thank you. My absolute It's

CONCLUSION

The vision Rob lays out for Beach Collective is pretty radical born of deep frustration with the status quo. 

Beach Collective is responding to a financial and environmental crisis and trying to galvanize people all over the world to join their movement using the tools of the internet. Will they be successful? It’s a very heavy lift but with the world in flux it does seem like an opportune time for this type of disruption.

What do you think of this vision? Before your next beach pickup, would you join thousands of others and register on the Beach Action site and join the Beach Collective circular crypto economy? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How can people reach out to you to share? ie find me on Instagram @handle or send me an email @addrss?

CREDITS

Our listenership is definitely on the rise and I have you to thank. It’s been such a treat for me to produce this podcast - and share some of the entrepreneurship stories I have been privy to. Some of them are wildly ambitions, others like this smack of Utopianism, but they all demonstrate that entrepreneurship can be a source of positive change. 

Please remember to follow Happy Planet wherever you listen. And don’t forget to leave us a rating and review - it really helps new listeners discover the show [feel free to elaborate on why this matters to YOU PERSONALLY IE I created this podcast because…this show matters to me because…i hope this show has an impact by…]. Happy Planet was reported and hosted by me. I am also the Executive Producer. The talented Dylan Heuer [hoyer] is our producer and editor. Composer GEORG BRANDL EGOFF created our theme music. Learn more about my work and get in touch by visiting happyplanetpodcast.com.