What happens when a Hong Kong-based fund manager and his family take a volunteer medical mission to Honduras—and discover that simple technology could transform millions of lives while fighting climate change?

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Richard and Dee Lawrence, the husband-and-wife team behind some of the most innovative climate solutions linking corporate climate strategies to the Global South.

Richard H. Lawrence, Jr. founded Overlook Investments in 1991, building one of Asia's most successful independent fund management firms. But a family trip to Honduras in the early 2000s changed everything. While volunteering in the aftermath of catastrophic Hurricane Mitch, the Lawrences discovered that respiratory illnesses plaguing women and children stemmed from traditional cookstoves filling homes with toxic smoke.

In 2004, the Lawrences established a nonprofit, Proyecto Mirador, to support the construction of fuel-efficient cookstoves in the homes of the rural poor of Honduras. To date, Mirador has installed more than 400,000 stoves across Honduras and Guatemala, reduced nearly 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, mobilized millions of dollars through the sale of Gold Standard carbon credits, and pioneered a model of climate finance that actually works.

Richard's book, Carbon Done Correctly: A Model for Climate Mitigation from the Global South to Wall Street, tells the remarkable story of how the Lawrences:

• founded Proyecto Mirador (2004), transforming cookstove distribution into a sustainable carbon credit business;
• launched Cool Effect (2015), democratizing access to high-integrity carbon credits for individuals and Fortune 500 companies and mobilizing $80 million to the Global South;
• established High Tide Foundation (2017), expanding climate mitigation work globally;
• co-founded Carbon Mapper, deploying satellite technology to track methane emissions from space; and
• co-founded Global Methane Hub with over $650 million in philanthropic capital.

As carbon markets face increasing scrutiny and climate solutions struggle for funding, the Lawrences' work demonstrates how competitiveness, persistence, and people-centered design can create climate solutions that improve lives and the planet. Their model shows how market mechanisms, done correctly, can transfer capital from wealthy nations to communities where climate action is most cost-effective, and where co-benefits like improved health, economic opportunity, and gender equity multiply the impact.

Dee Lawrence brings expertise in marketing and advertising through her work with major U.S. advertising agencies; S.C. Johnson; and Apple Computer on the launch of the Mac. She serves on the boards of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market and CTrees, which supplies high-resolution forest data globally. Together, the Lawrences embody what's possible when business acumen meets authentic commitment to climate justice.

Whether you are a climate activist, impact investor, entrepreneur, or simply someone wondering how to make a real difference, Richard and Dee Lawrence's story demonstrates that transformative change comes from seeing problems clearly, refusing to give up, and building solutions that serve people first.