The 5 Least “Green” Cities in America

The 5 Least “Green” Cities in America

As circular economy and recycling professionals, we should take note of WalletHub’s recent “Greenest Cities in America (2024)” report, which highlights the least environmentally friendly urban areas in the country.  This analysis, while not delving deep into methodology, uses credible data sources to evaluate cities based on sustainable policies, access to local produce, and infrastructure promoting reduced vehicle use.  The report emphasizes that living in greener cities can facilitate environmentally conscious lifestyles and improve overall health due to better air and water quality.  Understanding these rankings can help us identify areas where our expertise in circular economy practices and recycling initiatives could have the most significant impact.

Container Homes Market Projected to Reach $ 117.49 Bn by 2032

Container Homes Market Projected to Reach $ 117.49 Bn by 2032

Container homes are revolutionizing housing. Projected to hit $117.49 billion by 2032, this market’s explosive growth stems from eco-consciousness and affordability demands. As industry leaders, we’re witnessing unprecedented innovation in design and construction, expanding appeal beyond niche markets. This sector’s potential is immense – are you positioned to capitalize?

Traceability for Sustainable Garment and Footwear | UNECE

Traceability for Sustainable Garment and Footwear | UNECE

Improving transparency and traceability has become a priority for the garment and footwear industry to increase its ability to manage the value chains more effectively, identify and address labour and human rights violations and environmental impacts, combat counterfeits, and handle reputational risks, while embracing more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

The circular economy is a model for a sustainable future, but remains imperfectly realized in Finland

The circular economy is a model for a sustainable future, but remains imperfectly realized in Finland

A recent doctoral dissertation in Finland revealed that the circular economy model, as it is currently applied, may not be as effective in achieving sustainability goals. The study argues that the model requires an update, suggesting companies and policymakers need to aim for more significant actions beyond basic recycling and energy efficiency to fully realize the circular economy’s potential for environmental sustainability

17 ideas accelerating the transition to a circular economy

17 ideas accelerating the transition to a circular economy

The Circulars Accelerator program, launched by Accenture in partnership with the World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform, supports innovative circular economy startups. The inaugural cohort of 17 companies is driving sustainable solutions across industries, from carbon-recycling platforms to supply chain traceability and circular commerce in fashion​

World Bank’s First Report on the Circular Economy

World Bank’s First Report on the Circular Economy

The World Bank released its first comprehensive report on the circular economy, highlighting that decoupling economic growth from resource use in Europe is achievable within a decade. The report emphasizes the shift from the “take-make-use-waste” linear model to a more sustainable circular model, showcasing global potential for similar transformations​.

Filling an educational gap – delivering expert knowledge on gender equality, diversity and inclusion in forestry to all

Filling an educational gap – delivering expert knowledge on gender equality, diversity and inclusion in forestry to all

The University of Padova is revolutionizing forestry education with a free online course focused on gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. Participants will gain unlimited access to a wealth of resources including articles, videos, and quizzes, along with the opportunity to earn a PDF Certificate of Achievement. This initiative coincides with the International Day of Forests, emphasizing the global importance of forest conservation. Additionally, the XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024 in Stockholm will highlight a shift towards greater global equity, with a significant representation from the Global South, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to foster inclusive partnerships. This course and congress represent pivotal steps towards inclusivity in forestry education and practice.

Holiday Gift Guide of Small Businesses

Holiday Gift Guide of Small Businesses

Throughout the year, we’ve shared a ton of small businesses we’re proud to support on our blog and I’ve had the distinct pleasure of interviewing several entrepreneurs whose dedication to their work has been inspiring. In fact, getting to know them has been my favorite part of this job. These brands are doing a myriad of amazing things, from uplifting their communities, ushering in more representation in their respective fields, creating products they’re passionate about, and focusing on sustainability.  As you buy gifts for your loved ones in the coming weeks, we encourage you to support these businesses because, along with doing a lot of good, they also sell some pretty awesome products. That’s why we’ve crafted this gift guide to make your shopping experience a little bit easier this holiday season. We hope you enjoy these brands as much as we do!  The below brands all ship items to the U.S. and may deliver to other countries as well.  For the snack lover – Is it really the holidays if you’re not indulging in delicious foods? These tasty treats are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.  Cinnamon spice loaf from Rize Up Bakery – Rize Up Bakery’s Cinammon loaf – Rize Up Bakery is unlike any other bakery you’ve come across. Not only does the San Francisco business have roots in social justice activism, but they make some pretty unique sourdough flavors, including Ube, Garam Masala, and K-Pop Gochujang loaves.  But this cinnamon spice loaf bread is bursting with holiday flavors and is the ideal gift for the sourdough lover in your life.  Hear Rize Up’s founder speak to us about taking a stand with his business in season two, episode seven of Small Business, Big Lessons.  Made in Michigan gift basket from Zingerman’s Community of Businesses – The made in Michigan basket from Zingermans – Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses has several restaurants throughout the area. The brand deeply values community, which is why they’ve committed to only opening businesses in Ann Arbor. Fortunately, they do ship certain food items so anyone can enjoy their treats.  This made-in-Michigan gift basket contains a wide range of tasty snacks – cherry preserves, peanut butter, chocolate, bread, pasta, and more!

Meet Scruff, the litter-picking eco-dog who loves to clean up his local park

Meet Scruff, the litter-picking eco-dog who loves to clean up his local park

Even for the most environmentally conscious, coping with the growing mound of waste most households produce can be a daunting and dispiriting task.  But David Grant and his wife Yvonne Faulkner-Grant have found an answer to the mountains of plastic detritus left behind by modern consumers.  Step forward Scruff, a border collie with a knack for recycling.  Their 13-year-old pet has taken to picking up any discarded plastic bottle he sees on his daily walks around Nuneaton, retrieving more than 1,000 over the course of the past year.  The couple noticed Scruff’s special ability when he began to turn his attention from twigs and branches to the empty plastic bottles littering the road.  He would pick one up in his mouth, but then drop it when his eye caught another one for him to retrieve.  The couple hit on the idea of putting each one he picked up and dropped again into a bag, with the idea of eventually taking them along to their local recycling centre. Scruff enjoyed picking up sticks before developing an interest for plastic bottles Credit: Joseph Walshe / SWNS   Mrs Faulkner-Grant, 47, said: “It seemed wrong that he would pick the bottle up and then drop it again. So we got him to start bringing the bottles to us and we put them in a bag and then count them up at the end of the walk.   “Now, he will see one on the other side of the road and look at me as if to say: ‘Can I get it?.’”   Mrs Faulkner-Grant, an Aldi warehouse deputy team leader, first bought Scruff home in Dec 2009 after buying him from a farm in Wales.   She met Mr Grant in 2018 through her running club and the couple were soon taking Scruff on two five-mile long walks each day.   “I’d say he will have collected at a least 1,000 this year. We get such a good reaction on Facebook, where Scruff has been dubbed an eco-dog,” she said.  Mr Grant, 48, added: “People have said he should be working for the council, and everybody loves it when they see him in the street.  “He is such an obedient dog and very friendly – your typical sheep dog. When we go on walks, he always picks up plastic bottles and likes to play with them. He never chews the bottles or the lids.

How to Host a Sustainable Holiday Party

How to Host a Sustainable Holiday Party

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and your calendar is probably filling up with holiday parties and festive gatherings. While a time for enjoying food and sharing gifts with loved ones, the holidays are also a disproportionately wasteful time; between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, it’s estimated that Americans produce 25% more waste than any other time of the year.  No matter what the occasion, here’s how to throw a holiday party that’s both festive and better for the planet.  Get Cooking – Instead of buying plasticized snack and dessert trays from the grocery store on unrecyclable platters – or pre-made meals and main dishes from the frozen section – make as much party food as you’re able.  The processing, packaging, and transportation of food all use energy and contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. Consider a pre-made vegetable platter sold at a grocery store: the vegetables are prepared and assembled, the dish is packaged in plastic, transported by truck or plane, and then kept refrigerated until it’s sold. According to FoodPrint, about two billion pounds of food are wasted during the processing/manufacturing stage alone, usually in the form of edible portions of food being trimmed off and not reused for animal feed or otherwise repurposed. By making the same vegetable platter yourself, you create no extra waste from packaging, have the option to choose local and sustainable ingredients, and can use those ingredients as efficiently as possible. Prepping food at home also gives you liberty to utilize ingredients you might already have on hand, rather than shopping for entirely new things. Not to mention, ultra-processed foods are generally much less nutritious than fresh, homemade dishes.  Of course, you might not be able to make absolutely everything for a party – potato chips, crackers, and bread might not be up your alley – but think about what you can make. Instead of jarred salsa or packaged cookies, try your hand at making them yourself, or ask guests to contribute a homemade dish. Main dishes and appetizers are a good place to focus your energy. 

New Bill Seeks to Protect Frontline Communities From Plastics Pollution

New Bill Seeks to Protect Frontline Communities From Plastics Pollution

One of the main dangers of plastics is the harm that their production and incineration can do to the health of the people who live nearby. Plastics plants are one of the main factors polluting the air of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, for example.  Now, a group of U.S. lawmakers are seeking to address this environmental justice issue through the newly introduced Protecting Communities from Plastics Act.  “Plastic pollution isn’t just a problem for our oceans and climate — it’s a massive environmental injustice, directly impacting frontline and fenceline communities throughout the plastics lifecycle,” U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), who introduced the bill, said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. “My bill will protect the health of our communities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate crisis, and stop the fossil fuel industry’s petro-dictatorship as it eyes plastics as a safety net. The clock is ticking, and we will keep working on this next Congress — but we are sending a message here and now to put oil and gas companies on notice. Our communities must come first.”  Huffman introduced the bill Thursday alongside Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), who are the legislative team behind the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. The bill would both tighten health and environmental regulations for plastics makers and set national targets for reducing the production of certain single-use plastics and for encouraging reusable materials in food and other packaging.  The bill’s sponsors also emphasized the contribution that the production and use of plastics — which are set to double over the next 10 years — make to the climate crisis.  “As we transition to clean and renewable energy, fossil-based plastic production threatens to derail our efforts to address the climate crisis,” Booker said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. “In fenceline communities that are near plastic production plants, residents suffer from the release of harmful pollutants and increased rates of debilitating health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. To address these environmental injustices, I am proud to introduce this legislation that will create nationwide targets for plastic source reduction and put a pause on the permitting of new and expanded plastic facilities while the EPA updates regulations for plastic facilities.”

England to Ban More Single-Use Plastic Items

England to Ban More Single-Use Plastic Items

In an attempt to deal with the growing plastic waste problem in the UK and the planet, the UK government is set to ban additional single-use plastic items like plates and cutlery in England, after banning straws, stirrers and cotton swabs there in 2020.  From November of last year to February of 2022, a public consultation regarding a plan to prohibit the supply of single-use plastic items and polystyrene food and drink containers was held by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), reported The Independent.  “We are determined to go further and faster to reduce, reuse, and recycle more of our resources in order to transform our waste industry and deliver on our commitments in the ambitious 25-year environment plan. Cutting our reliance on single-use plastics is crucial,” said a spokesperson for DEFRA, as The Guardian reported.  Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey will announce plans to replace the single-use plastic items with biodegradable alternatives, reported the Financial Times.  Scotland imposed a similar ban earlier this year, and last week Wales approved a ban on single-use plastic products beginning in 2023.  Every year, 4.25 billion single-use cutlery items and 1.1 billion plates are used in England, which is equal to 75 pieces of cutlery and 20 plates per person, the government said, but only 10 percent of it gets recycled, CNN reported.  Most plastics are made from fossil fuels and produce greenhouse gas emissions, which speed up the rate of climate change.  All of the single-use plastic products have reusable or non-plastic alternatives, Welsh Minister for Climate Change Julie James told the Financial Times.  “It’s not a lot more expensive at all, and as people realise how harmful these products are, more alternatives will come on stream at a cheaper price,” James said, as reported by the Financial Times.  DEFRA is also looking at how to deal with other single-use plastic items like tobacco filters and wet wipes.

Gartner: What to do to make data centers more sustainable

Gartner: What to do to make data centers more sustainable

Just a few weeks ago Gartner analysts said that sustainability and issues around it  would transcend all of the strategic technology trends for 2023.  This week at its IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference Gartner described how corporate data centers might make sustainability a practical reality.  “IT leaders must avoid wasting value through the premature replacement of IT infrastructure,” said Philip Dawson, vice president and analyst at Gartner, at the conference. “They can do that by using real-time health analytics to maximize the useful life of data-center assets.”  “On-premises data centers and cloud providers are extending infrastructure lifecycles from three to five years and from five to seven years to help maximize OPEX cycles and reduce CAPEX investments tied to refresh,” Dawson stated.  Above all, the most-effective way that sustainability can reduce costs is through greater energy efficiency and optimized power consumption. It is paramount that infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders identify where and how data-center infrastructure can be optimized to consume less power, without hindering necessary business operations, Dawson stated.  Organizations need a sustainable-technology framework that increases the energy and material efficiency of IT services, and it must enable enterprise sustainability through traceability, analytics, renewable energy, and AI. The framework should also call for the deployment of IT solutions that help organizations achieve their own sustainability goals, distinguished vice president and analyst at Gartner Frances Karamouzis said earlier at the research firm’s IT Symposium/Xpo 2022.  “Targeting areas such as data-center power consumption is low-hanging fruit because it’s easy to measure,” Karamouzis said. “What enterprises need to look at is what to deploy as they get more and more data. Are they looking at buying more storage the same old way or are they looking at optimizing that system by looking at things like DNA storage and looking at the level of redundancy they need and implementing technology with a sustainable mindset.”  Environmental sustainability on CEOs’ radar, with 9% of them putting it among their top three business priorities, Gartner stated. Nearly 70% of them who Garnter surveyed plan to invest in new sustainable products and in make existing products more sustainable, the analysts stated.

What the circular economy’s early days look like for Amazon and Nike | Greenbiz

What the circular economy’s early days look like for Amazon and Nike | Greenbiz

What’s the killer app for the circular economy? GreenBiz co-founder Joel Makower wanted to know. The quick answer is that no single magic button exists yet, if ever. As with so much of sustainability, however, the ideal endgame for circular principles is to become baked into every point of the product’s lifecycle along the line of design, supply chain, manufacture and beyond. “The killer app is that which is invisible,” said Nike’s VP of Business Innovation Cyrus Wadia, onstage Tuesday at VERGE 18 in Oakland. “We need to be embedding these attributes into high-performance products.” That’s the end goal, but where does business stand now? Take a step back. The term “circular economy” refers to three dimensions of a new economic model: ending waste and pollution; keeping products, materials and nutrients at the highest possible value for the longest possible time; and regenerating the natural resources and capital upon which economic systems depend. That’s according to Del Hudson, the Ellen MacArthur Fund’s head of U.S. and North America Operations. The British organization, which is accelerating the concept, advocates for next-level innovations and systemic shifts that most corporations have yet to follow (or lead, for that matter). Conversations are less about what it looks like to move away from the old “take, make, waste” linear model and more about how to partner to drive new, circular models forward, Hudson said. “It’s less about, ‘how do I apply this to my organization,’ and more about, ‘who do I collaborate with as I move to this transition.'” So what does that look like to Nike and Amazon? 
Read the full article at: www.greenbiz.com

Brexit could drive UK circular economy, says resource recovery firm | Envirotec

Brexit could drive UK circular economy, says resource recovery firm | Envirotec

Brexit offers fresh opportunities for the UK and its manufacturers to secure their raw material supplies, such as recycled plastics, from a stable domestic market and stimulate a circular flow of materials, according to Axion Polymers. The North West-based plastics recycler suggests that potential difficulties in transporting material across borders after March 29 2019 should become a driver for growth in the domestic market as purchasers seek to reduce inward material supply chain risk. Axion Director Roger Morton asserts that freedom from regulatory controls and external policies, coupled with the ability to set our own rules, could encourage greater investment and enable the UK to ‘get ahead of the rest of Europe’ in material recovery and resource security, provided there is strong Government leadership. Axion produces its high-grade recycled Axpoly polymers derived from UK end-of-life vehicles at two sites in Manchester. Plastics are extracted from end-of-life cars and other metal scrap at its SWAPP facility in Trafford Park and further refined at Salford, where recent laboratory equipment investment is further enhancing the products’ properties and quality. Mark Keenan, Axion Polymers Business Development Manager comments: “With 31.5 million cars currently on UK roads, our future end-of-life vehicle feedstock for our recycled polymers is assured. And that can only be good news for UK companies seeking to use locally-sourced plastic raw materials that can go back into a range of products, from new cars and electrical equipment to construction products,” adds Mark. Roger says: “Brexit is inevitable now. Although complications could arise, we are taking a positive approach. British companies should focus on the opportunity that leaving the EU offers and how we can make the most of our resource sustainable position.” A good example here, he points out, is steel. With annual consumption (12 Mt) versus annual arisings (11.5 Mt), this market could be much more ‘circular’ than the existing export of scrap/import of finished products model. Similarly, demand creation for the use of recycled polymers in new automotive, electrical and building products could encourage further investment in more processing plants like Axion’s.
Read the full article at: envirotecmagazine.com

The role of agriculture in Portugal’s circular economy – Ferrovial’s blog

The role of agriculture in Portugal’s circular economy – Ferrovial’s blog

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, the three “Rs” in sustainability, are also at the heart of the Circular Economy. It’s no secret that reuse is a practice that has been around for many years. Our ancestors already practiced it in agriculture. Reuse of organic matter, such as animal manure, was a practice used even longer ago. Organic matter is an essential component of fertile soils, affecting their physical, chemical and biological characteristics, and being an essential requirement for a healthy environment. Soils on its way to infertility. Without organic matter, there would be no soil. This basic principle for recycling and reuse is one of the paradigms of modern-day agriculture, which must meet two requirements which are not necessarily at odds with each other: Balancing the need to feed an increasingly larger number of people with quality food and at low cost. Doing this in an environmentally friendly way.
In recent years, soil fertility has been decreasing, due to a decline in the reuse of organic matter, and there are as yet no known policies or measures in place to revert this trend. If we consider that, according the to FAO, soils should have a minimum content of 2% organic matter, we find that around 50% of all soils (in Portugal at least) would not even be able to be considered as such. Added to this, our soils are at a high or very high risk of desertification.
Read the full article at: blog.ferrovial.com