Making Changes for the Planet & the Top 5 Happy Eco News Stories for November 15, 2021
Don’t Buy This Merch…
This is not Black Friday. There is no sale going on and we don’t support fast fashion or rampant consumerism.
So why we do have HEN logo apparel for sale? Well, we like the HEN logo. We are proud of the positive vibes we send out. We wanted some cool HEN swag for ourselves and as gifts for others that we love. But we are stubborn environmentalists and will always look for the green alternative. Enter UK-based TeeMill.
TeeMill provides Happy Eco News logo products that are as ethical and as sustainable as cotton can be:
- Made with 100% organic cotton,
- GOTS certified inks,
- Made in the UK to UK labour standards
- Made in a factory powered by renewable energy
- Carbon neutral operations
- Sponsors international tree planting organizations
At end of life, when your favourite shirt is unwearable anymore, Happy Eco News organic cotton products may be returned to TeeMill. They will be recycled back into their circular supply chain to be recycled into new products.
So don’t buy this merch. But if you do, it will be as light on the planet as possible.
PS – they make great gifts. 🙂
This week we have two blog posts. The first post is an interview with Clara Rowe, the CEO of Restor. Clara tells us everything we need to know about this science-based platform designed to connect and support the global restoration of the planet. Our second blog post is by Natalie Lavery, from Climate People. She gives us all the information we need to follow a career path that does good for the environment. We also have stories about the pledge made at COP26 to halt deforestation, the world’s first plant for clean jet fuel, the Philippines’ clean energy ecosystem, the benefits of Georgia’s large invasive spiders, and the increase in spending for environmental, social, and governance initiatives.
Happy Reading!
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1. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing platform with the Happy Eco News audience. To start, can you give us a brief overview about what Restor does?
Founded by ETH Zurich’s Crowther Lab and developed in collaboration with Google, Restor connects everyone, everywhere to local restoration. By connecting people to scientific data, supply chains, funding, and each other, Restor aims to increase the impact, scale, and sustainability of restoration efforts. Think of it like a Google Map for restoration.
Projects come onto our platform to access ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic data: such as how much carbon is in the soil and how much could there be if I restored it? What species of trees and grasses and shrubs could occur here naturally and how drought-resistant or endangered are they? They can also access data on precipitation, elevation, and soil pH which are important details to consider when planning a restoration project.
To make long-term monitoring and reporting easier, we’ve also brought super high-resolution satellite imagery onto the platform…[read more].
Careers Focused On Climate Solutions
“Climate Change is Catastrophic. We’re All in Over Our Heads. We’re Doomed.”
Guest post by: Natalie Lavery from Climate People
As individuals, we’re constantly ridden with the idea that there is nothing much for us to do, and enduring the worsening effects of climate change will ultimately become everyone’s reality.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hi, my name’s Natalie and I’m a self-proclaimed “climate optimist.” I’m here to tell you how you can position yourself as part of the solution in the greater environmental movement.
While, yes, climate change is bad, and quite frankly, we are to blame. We all know this. The IPCC says humans have caused climate change and urgent action is needed to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming. We must limit our global temperature rise to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius or the detrimental effects could be irreversible by 2030. This doomsday environmental rhetoric is factually correct. If we continue living the way we do, life won’t be too fun in the coming decades.
All of that aside, I’m here to tell you that your individual actions matter and the steps you take today can and will impact tomorrow for not only you but for everyone on this planet…[read more].
Sponsored Post: SearchScene – Origin Story: The charitable search engine that puts people over profit.
SearchScene is a charitable search engine. Like Google, SearchScene makes its profits from the as that appear at the top and bottom of your search results. Unlike Google, SearchScene donates 95% of its profits to charity. We focus on environmental and humanitarian charities that help tackle climate change and the suffering it causes.
SearchScene was started by husband and wife team, Dr. Neil Williams and Dr. Ciara Muldoon. Neil, who is originally from Wales, worked as an Aerospace Engineer in the space industry in Germany for many years. When the spacecraft that his team had been working on failed to make orbit shortly after launch, he had some time to reflect on his career path. He decided to make a change and start an internet marketing company in 2006…. [read more].
The Happy Eco News Weekly Top 5
A world without forests would be a world without life. Forests are alive with a vast variety of wildlife who rely on them for food and shelter, and many people also call forests home and depend on them for their livelihoods and survival. Around the globe, we are indebted to forests for our clean air and water, productive soils, and their carbon storage abilities – an ally in our fight against climate change. Forests also enhance the quality of our lives. Their beauty has inspired humankind for centuries, and time spent exploring them is known to benefit our mental and physical health. Despite this, the past few decades have seen these precious landscapes destroyed due to disregard for nature. Today, it looks like governments have finally recognised the urgent need to protect forests, as they made a new commitment at COP26 to reduce and halt forest loss and degradation by 2030, supported by £9bn ($12bn) of public finance alongside £5bn ($7bn) of private investment. With over 100 leaders supporting this announcement including from key tropical forest countries such as Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Brazil, as well as Canada, Russia, and the US, home to vast boreal forests,…[read more].
2. Aviation: Germany Opens World’s First Plant for Clean Jet Fuel
On the day that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a commitment to reach “net zero” CO2 emissions by 2050,the nonprofit organization Atmosfair has opened the world’s first plant to produce carbon-neutral jet fuel. The group, which offers offsets for emissions from flights , announced Monday that its site in Emsland, in northern Germany, is expected to begin producing eight barrels (about 1 ton) of synthetic kerosene a day in early 2022. Atmosfair did not disclose how much the project cost or how it was funded. Synthetic kerosene, also called e-kerosene or power-to-liquid (PtL), is seen as having huge potential to slash the aviation industry’s carbon footprint. But there are a few reasons the green fuel hasn’t taken off yet. Flying is one of the most carbon-intensive ways to travel because planes are powered by fossil-based kerosene. The aviation sector is responsible for around 2 to 3% of global CO2 emissions, and it wants to reduce its footprint to half of 2005 levels by 2050. But decarbonization is going to be a huge challenge. Why Synthetic Kerosene? E-kerosene is a…[read more].
The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Sea level rise is three to four times faster in this island nation than the global average, and it gets hit with an average of 20 typhoons a year. Energy equity is also a major concern as 10 percent of the Philippine population still lives in rural areas without access to electricity, and those that have electricity deal with frequent outages. Fortunately, a small but mighty group of startups is helping the Philippines forge a clean energy future. According to research by New Energy Nexus (NEN), a founding partner of Third Derivative, and RMI, 15 young companies are helping transform the climate crisis — and close the region’s energy access gap — with renewable energy and clean-tech solutions. The good news is that these startups are not acting alone. Public and private leaders across the Philippines are working to create a cleaner, more accessible and reliable energy system. Already policymakers have announced a moratorium on new coal projects and are aiming for 35 percent clean energy by 2030. But it’s going to take far more innovation and investment to meet that target. Coal-fired …[read more].
Georgia residents would be forgiven for being a little creeped out by the thought of copious palm-sized invasive spiders taking up lodging in their state. But scientists say there’s no reason to fear the creatures, which are actually beneficial. Joro spiders are large spiders with bulbous yellow abdomens and thin yellow stripes on their legs. They originally hail from East Asia, but were first spotted in Georgia in 2013. They likely arrived by stowing away in shipping containers, Rick Hoebeke, collections manager the Georgia Museum of Natural History, said in a late September news release from the University of Georgia. Advertisement “They are great little hitchhikers!” he added. A Joro spider. University of Georgia At this point, the spiders are thriving and exist in “extreme numbers” in Georgia, Michele Hatcher of the UGA Department of Entomology told USA Today. The arachnids have also made an appearance in South Carolina. The eight-legged critters don’t seem to be any cause for concern. So far, they haven’t had any negative effect on native species, and they also don’t pose any danger to humans. In fact, they provide a big benefit ― eating pests like mosquitoes, biting flies and stink bugs. … [read more].
5. Executives Say Big Increase in ESG and Sustainability Investment Coming
More than half of senior executives responsible for environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives as well as sustainability issues say their firms will have double-digit increases in spending toward the efforts in 2022 and will prioritize funding related to supply chain sustainability, according to a survey released by research firm Verdantix. Businesses are being spurred into action by increased stakeholder pressure on ESG and developing regulatory aspects of the issues, Verdantix says in its Global Corporate Survey: ESG And Sustainability Governance, Strategies And Priorities . A quarter of executives say improving supply chain sustainability is their top priority over the next two years. Additionally, the survey found that 26% of CEOs view ESG among the top three issues their companies are currently focusing on. The survey also found climate change policy development is the most significant driver for increasing corporate involvement in sustainability issues over the past year. About a third of the executives who responded to the Verdantix survey say a lack of clarity on reporting standards holds back ESG efforts for their companies. Around the same number of respondents indicate ESG data complexity is a significant barrier to their goals. Reporting and accountability of supply chain ESG…[read more].
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