A bold question for a changing world: What if we could unlock real-world value without destroying the earth and make the earth itself the bank?

At EarthX 2025, Storyteller Ernest White II of the Conscious Capital Foundation sits down with Sara Jacobi to delve into a groundbreaking vision at the convergence of sustainability, in-ground assets, and cryptocurrency.

For two decades, Sara’s family has owned a gold mine. Now, she reveals why she believes the next evolution isn’t traditional extraction, but a gold-backed crypto model. This innovative model is designed to preserve ecosystems, lower barriers to participation, and expand into an “ecosystem of mines” that keeps value in the ground while simultaneously building a new kind of global marketplace.

Watch the full conversation to explore the complete thesis, the origin story, and the practical questions surrounding accessibility, education, and what it truly means to invest differently in a volatile world.

00:05 Meet Sara Jacobi at EarthX
00:34 Monetizing in-ground assets and “new play” on banking
01:15 Why traditional mining harms ecosystems
02:39 Why not destroy the earth
03:44 Gold as enduring currency in uncertain times
05:18 Gold-backed crypto and “make the earth the bank”
08:57 Origin story a mine in the family for 20 years
10:37 Why now gold price shift and sustainability goals