Who We Are
How Carbon Xprint Bonds Were Born
The idea for Carbon Xprint Bonds (CXBs) came to me in my small NYC apartment. I wondered what I could do about climate change. Buying energy-efficient light bulbs, wearing sweaters in winter and taking shorter showers were small, affordable steps (not the most comfortable choices, but…). But the problem seemed so overwhelming. I even wondered how could a shade dwelling renter switch to solar power? I couldn’t. I was sure that I wasn’t the only person concerned about the environment, and felt powerless to make a difference.So, I asked myself, what If I could affordably invest to lower not only my own carbon footprint, but others’ carbon footprints, as well? What would that investment look like? Could a small investment have a big effect on greenhouse gas, renewables, and energy efficiency? Would it raise awareness and interest? Would it be compelling to individuals and companies?
I looked at the current greenhouse reduction strategies like Cap and Trade and they seemed to be overly complicated and punitive. No wonder that there is so much resistance. Could I develop a system that was simple and rewarded people for combating global warming? In the next decade, trillions of dollars will be spent. Why shouldn’t we all benefit from helping make a better world now and for generations to come?
So I came up with Carbon Xprint Bonds. Since we are all responsible for climate change, CXBs are designed for all of us. We can all take responsibility and make some money in the process. The problem of climate change is solvable. We can move forward by safely investing in a better environment – one carbon footprint at a time.
About Gary Keir, Founder
Advisory Board
Franklin Madison
As Managing Director of Technology Programs at the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation of New York he is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of new initiatives to grow high-technology firms in NYC. Madison is a trusted advisor to CEOs of high tech companies in areas as diverse as cleantech, virtualization and defense technologies. Madison’s venture capital experience on the advisory boards of Greenhills Ventures LLC; SJF Advisory Services; SpringLab and recently as a founding member of NYCSeed an early stage fund targeting software developers. Franklin has served as Secretary/Treasurer of Games 4Change, Inc. who forges links between the electronic and casual game industry to benefit education, training, health, and public policy. Franklin has served on the Board of Directors for battery technology market entrant Gaia Power Technologies and currently sits on the Boards of EcoLogic Solutions and Sollega; both cleantech startups in NYC and is an advisor to EnergyHub which was named a Best Invention of 2009 by Time Magazine In 2001 Madison was named one of Crain’s Tech 100, a listing of the Top 100 individuals in technology in New York City as chosen by Crain’s NY Business. He has provided advise to the City, State and Universities on technology based economic development (TBED) and has served on Mayor Bloombergs Telecommunications Policy Advisory Group.
Dr. Ib I. Olsen
Dr. Olsen is an authority in the field of CleanTech, with the focus on energy storage, advanced battery and fuel cell development, integration of renewable energy, UV-treatment, and gasification. He is an invited speaker at trade conferences and he has authored more than 20 papers and scientific publications. Dr. Olsen’s groundbreaking work in UV-treatment and the battery and fuel cell technology field has awarded him more than 30 patents. Dr. Olsen has formulated and implemented market strategies for Fortune 500 companies, and he has implemented various scale-up and commercialization concepts for CleanTech products within Fortune 500 companies and various successful start-ups. Currently, Dr. Olsen provides business strategy and market research to a wide range of companies including several on the Fortune 500 list. He also consult with financial institutions about the general CleanTech industry and especially around renewable energy, energy storage and fuel cells, plus he review business plans as an external advisor for several entities. Previous employment includes Gaia Power Technologies, eVionyx, Saft America and Valence Technology. Dr. Olsen holds a Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Odense in Denmark and a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Denmark’s Technical University.
Blair Ulmer
An enterprising individual with 22 years of Royal Bank experience, including Sales & Marketing, HR, Customer Service & Operations Management (Branch & Geographic Regions), Business Consulting, Retail Branch Network Planning & Development, Project Management, Branch Audit/Inspection, and Administration. Through a wide variety of roles & responsibilities in various geographic locations; the key to past success was attributed to a willingness to take on complex challenges and being resourceful in managing by fact and by initiating an action-orientated leadership style with an energetic approach.
Always exercising the entrepreneurial approach with a self-driven, results-orientated style. Key focus has and will continue to be to earn the trust of people and business by being open and honest whereby building business integrity and relationships that create desired end results.
Specialties: Now working with new company start-ups and bringing new ideas to market has been a niche area of interest. Being innovative with the creation of win-win-win solutions!$!