Stratiscope hosted the August 2, 2018 City Impact Lab perched above the bustling (event at 8am) Hollywood Boulevard at Pavemint’s rooftop deck. Our two insightful speakers were Jenny Yang, the award-winning comedian, content creator, tour organizer, speaker, and professional opinion-haver, and Sarah Zurell, Pavemint’s Co-Founder, Chief Brand Officer, and Executive Vice President. Here’s what they shared with us….
Jenny Yang
One of Jenny’s earliest memories after immigrating to America is sitting atop a closed toilet and watching her mother squat next to the tub and wring water from the day’s laundry. Jenny was in awe of the strength it took to work in a garment factory all day, then come home to cook, clean, and wring clothes. When asked about her hard work, Jenny’s mother told her she brought her to America so she could have a brighter future. Jenny took that to heart and became, “the best little overachiever anyone could ever imagine.” Jenny took us through her journey from watching her mother doing laundry to embarking on a career in politics to determining that her calling was comedy, while maintaining her passion for social justice.
Jenny has made incredible contributions to the Asian American community by giving voice to an underrepresented community and providing opportunities for Asian American comedians with events such as the Comedy Comedy Festival. She gives the following ways that we too can contribute to building a more vibrant and equal society:
- Consider who “isn’t in the room” and how you might help give voice to those who don’t yet have it
- Tell stories that connect with people by engaging more artists and making your content more beautiful
- Go out and use your attendance and purchasing power to support diversification efforts, such as the Comedy Comedy Tour or the movie Crazy Rich Asians
Sarah Zurell
Thirty percent of Los Angeles traffic is comprised of people looking for parking, a percentage which amounts to 2.5 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year. One possible solution? Pavemint, the Airbnb of parking.
When noodling a solution to the parking conundrum, Sarah Zurell and Pavemint Founder, Randall Jamail, realized that the solution might not be more parking, but smarter parking. They thought that if we can improve the efficiency of our existing parking we can simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, the need for more parking structures, and time wasted searching for a spot.
Sarah led us through her journey from the fashion world to a revolutionary parking app. Her experience has shown her that impact starts with the individual, from parking faster to reduce emissions and beyond. Here is some wisdom she shared with us about how we can be impactful in our own lives:
- Foster happiness and fulfillment within your teams with practices such as flex days, which help balance schedules and even reduces emissions if people work from home
- Build communities, like City Impact Lab, to share with and support each other
- Consider how small actions can contribute to big problems and how you might be able to play a small role in a big solution
Jenny and Sarah both spoke to the power an individual has in contributing to large change. We hope you find motivation to get out there and know that every ounce of effort, every dollar spent, every vote cast (vote on November 8th), and every word spoken can contribute to real impact.
Thanks to Pavemint for hosting this City Impact Lab, and we hope you will all join us for our next monthly breakfast.
