The Top 5 Happy Eco News Stories for March 14, 2022

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EarthCom – The World’s First C2C Certified Tote Bag

Guest Post by: Suhaab Shah from EarthCom 

The Plastic Problem 

With the growing understanding of environmental conservation and awareness, everyone is seeking for environmentally friendly ways to lower their carbon footprint. Change is believed to begin at home, which means it begins with YOU and your own consumption. Humans have been using plastic for decades without realizing that it never decomposes properly, and even if it does, it takes about 1000 years to do so. From plastic bags to plastic straws, our lives have been centered on plastic for centuries. Each year, the United States alone consumes 100 billion plastic bags…for an average of 12 minutes. That bag will take up to 1,000 years to degrade 1, which may not seem like a huge problem, but the Earth will lose 1,000 years in 12 minutes. Let that sink in.

People often believe that the canvas reusable bags they have purchased are the environmentally beneficial option, however they might really be worse for the environment than the plastic bags they are designed to replace…[read more].

Small Island – Big Idea: How The Whole Vashon Project Began the “Climate Conversation” on Main Street

Guest Post by: Rondi Lightmark, creator of The Whole Vashon Project 

You’ll find our magical island in the southernmost part of Puget Sound, Washington. There is no bridge to our rural location, yet three major cities—Seattle, Tacoma, and Bremerton are only a short ferry ride from the east, south and west. It’s a beautiful 10 – 20 minute trip, with glorious views of the Olympic range and Mt Rainier when skies are clear. If you get lucky, your ferry will slow down so that passengers can watch Orca whales breaching when the salmon are running as they head to spawn in rivers and creeks that spill into the Sound, including from Vashon.

In 2018, there was one particular characteristic that Vashon Island shared with towns and neighborhoods all across America: there was little evidence of a whole community united and openly working together on the climate crisis. During both World Wars, this was not the case – everyone was constantly rallied to play a part. Main Street windows were full of posters advocating thrift and self-reliance. Newspapers, movies and radio shows kept the focus on the fight for liberty and peace…[read more].

The Happy Eco News Weekly Top 5

1. Indigenous Comcáac Turtle Group Saves Sea Turtles in Mexico’s Gulf of California

Takeaways:

• In El Desemboque de los Seris, the Sea Turtle Group of the Comcáac people are helping to protect the sea turtle population.
• In five years, the group has released over 8000 olive ridley sea turtle hatching along the the Mancha Blanca and El Faro beach.
• This turtle is not longer considered endangered and now hold a vulnerable status thanks to the work of the community…[read more].

2. A New Concentrated Solar Power System Could Cut Energy Costs to 5 Cents per kWh

Takeaways:

• Concentrated solar power uses mirrors to direct sunlight into collection towers that store the energy into the form of heat in sand, rocks or molten salt.
• This can have the potential to lower the cost of renewable energy and provide available energy at any time of the day.
• The U.S government agency has given the National Renewable Energy Laboratory $2 million to develop a prototype for this system…[read more].

3. Seawater Could Provide Nearly Unlimited Amounts of Critical Battery Material

Takeaways:

• An increase in sales for the electric vehicles have sparked a growing demand for lithium which researchers are now saying there may be an unlimited supply of it in seawater.
• The world’s oceans are estimated to have 180 billion tons of lithium.
• The research group is continuously working to make this extraction more economical, easier to use and to increase selectivity using other types of lithium-ion battery electrodes…[read more].

4. Decarbonizing All Buildings With a New York State of Mind

Takeaways:

• Over ten years ago, the Empire State Building reduced energy demand by more than a third.
• Now the building’s owners and their partners are looking to use similar strategies to reduce emissions from Gotham City’s emissions.
• Ways to do this is to implement Resource Efficient Electrication approach to help replace fossil fuel heat generation…[read more].

5. Army Lays Out Ambitious Goals to Combat Climate Change, Including Electric Tactical Vehicles

Takeaways:

• The US Army is looking at ways to mitigate climate change  and reducing their carbon footprint by decreasing carbon emissions and have a fully electric fleet of vehicles in the coming years.
• Their new strategy also aims to reduce operational energy and water use and to provide 100% carbon pollution free electricity for Army installations.
• “The effects of climate change have taken a toll on supply chains, damaged our infrastructure, and increased risks to Army soldiers and families due to natural disasters and extreme weather” said Christine Wormuth, Army Secretary… [read more].

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