On August 9, 2022, we had the opportunity to speak with Ivan Ranson and Kevin Morales about their project, Resilience 2020 and how it’s grown over the last two years. During this POP Climate Leadership conversation, Kevin and Ivan spoke about how a leader is someone who creates other leaders and who cares for his followers while inspiring others to continue the work even when you are not in the picture anymore.

Komal Mittal asked the leaders about the vision and goals of Resilience 2020 to which they answered that they want to continue creating economic and environmental impact through the installation of eco techniques which they want to make suitable for every home. They also added that they would like to expand within Mexico and to other similar countries in Latin America and other continents. Finally, Ivan added that their work allows for collaboration between projects, which strengthens their vision.

Alejandra Fragoso asked about the importance of sustainable living. To this, Kevin and Ivan answered that Resilience 2020 is giving the power to make an impact back to the people while helping people grow through the creation of teams.

Ana Hanhausen asked the leaders about the importance of collaboration to which Kevin mentioned that the scale of change and action we need cannot be made by one person which makes collaboration essential. He also mentioned that institutional, governmental and company support is needed to scale-up the change and reach more people. Ivan mentioned that collaboration is key for tackling such a complex issue and the contributions and collaborations with different institutions including the POP Movement has helped their project grow to where it is now.

Abiya Syed asked Kevin and Ivan about some of the challenges they have faced and asked for their advice for those who want to start their project. Kevin mentioned that helping people understand some of the eco technologies that they installed has been a challenge. Kevin advised youth to be flexible and resilient to have their own projects. Ivan added that they have faced challenges from the start, as they started during the pandemic and they needed to learn many things, including how to install the eco techniques. Ivan added that he recommends that youth start as soon as possible and learn to trust the process, creating a diverse team to have many ideas and solutions. Ivan also mentioned that the POP Movement is a great way to learn more about how to upscale the solution.

About our guest speakers

Kevin Morales Münstermann is a biologist who has dedicated his life to making a social and environmental impact in Mexico. Currently, he works at Asado del Valle (family restaurant). He is Co-Founder of the Official Borussia Dortmund fan club in Mexico. He is Co-Founder of Academia Borussia, a sports academy, supported by the German football team Borussia Dortmund that promotes values to make environmental and social impact using football as a tool. He is Co-Founder of Fussballplatz, a sustainable football field in Mexico City. And he is Co-Founder of Resilience 2020. Recently, he became an AIESEC Alumni member and Honorary Youth Mentor of the POP Movement.

Ivan Ransom Rodríguez has a BSc in Biology from UNAM. He specialized in Sustainable Development through 10 courses and diplomates and completed post-graduation at the University of St Andrews. As a climate advocate, Ivan has been raising awareness about environmental issues and solutions for over five years. He is an independent consultant, Ivan has won public and private sector competitions. He is the co-author of two research papers and did cancer research at the University of Aberdeen. Ivan is also the Co-Founder of Resilience 2020 and the Communication Manager of the Swiss Impact Investment Association.