Exploring Universal Basic Income Tech & Fighting Plastic Pollution
Impactish Newsletter Issue #003: November 30, 2022
Kia ora. Greetings from New Zealand. I’m Sally and I am at the helm guiding you through each issue of Impactish. A short PSA before we get started relating to my homeland. You may have heard New Zealanders referred to as ‘Kiwi’s’. This is in fact a reference to our national bird, (why we chose a small, brown one which can’t fly I do not know), not this green, fuzzy fruit🥝. You’re welcome. 🙂
Now back to the regular programming.
We’ve been pondering the income gap this week and if technology can play a role in reducing it. We already know it’s a great vehicle for creating extreme wealth for the (very) few, but can it also be used to create a better standard of living for the many?
This Week’s Ish
I first heard about UBI back in 2017 when I saw the Ted talk by Rutger Bergman (see Video of the week). I remember feeling equally excited and depressed as I could see the world changing possibility but also the reality that no government could ever get it implemented. David offers my 2017 self some hope this week in his deep dive on this topic where he suggests technology, not governments, may be the path to its delivery. 🎯
Breaking News
The state of California announced a $25 million program to fund the first state-funded guaranteed income pilot programs, which could set a standard for the entire nation. Pretty good timing, eh?
And lastly, while we’re talking about UBI…
Came across GiveDirectly, which is another example of a non-state funded UBI program that you can participate in if you’re feeling generous.
In other news…
Kabir has also taken a ‘deep dive 🤿’ into ocean plastic pollution and the start ups aiming to fix the problem, while also creating promising business cases $$$.
Most Impact•ish
Feel guilty each time you throw that coffee pod into the garbage knowing where it ends up? Check out this interview with Yianni Mamtsaderis of Savepods which is another great pollution reducing startup.
Deep•ish Perspectives
We ask three Impact Technology experts what they think…
What would it take to make Universal Basic Income work at scale?
Video of the Week
Great explainer of just what the heck UBI is and is not.
Universal Basic Income Explained – Free Money for Everybody? UBI
This is the one that gave me the ‘feels’ back in 2017. It has some fascinating research on how being poor literally affects your IQ which was a big ‘aha’ moment for me.
Closing Thoughts
We leave you today with Benjamin’s thoughts on UBI and what he has learned about it over the last few weeks. I'm sure his perspective will resonate as it can seem like such a counter intuitive concept.
Thanks for reading.
“When I first heard it, I was skeptical. A new kind of welfare… a burden on the middle class (the little of it that is left)... and, of course, the old why would I go to work?”
