Day: April 3, 2022

There’s no denying that today’s customer expects more sustainability from the firms and organisations with whom they do business.  According to KPMG research, larger companies devote greater resources to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives. However, according to a YouGov and World Kinect Energy Services study, 40% of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) have no plan in place to become more sustainable, with 30% having no intention of doing so at all. This is due in part to the pandemic’s costs and consequences.

Natural gas supporting the development of renewables Natural gas is an important part of the global effort to reduce emissions, particularly as a partner to variable renewable energy – the fastest growing sources of power in power grids across the world. Natural gas generated power is important as it can respond quickly to changes in solar and wind supply, such as on cloudy or still days, therefore helping to maintain reliable electricity supply to customers. This certainty of supply is particularly important to manufacturers and other energy intensive industries. Other technologies that can play a role in firming variable renewables are pumped hydro and batteries.

Coastal Bend Bays Foundation (CBBF) is super excited to hold our 23rd annual Earth Day-Bay Day festival in person! Our goal is to provide education and outreach in a fun, family environment FREE for all Coastal Bend residents and others visiting our “Sparkling City by the Sea.” Since 1999, the CBBF has hosted this local event to help promote and encourage citizens to learn about our bays and estuaries, wetlands, native plants and animals, recycling, sustainability, conservation and other environmental issues through interactive activities and local exhibitors.

The Australian Greens have pledged to legalise marijuana, wipe student debt, make childcare free and ban petrol cars in an ambitious election agenda.  But the audacious plan – which would cost billions and change Australia as we know it – is mostly pie in the sky with the party only holding one seat in the House of Representatives.  In the latest Newspoll ahead of the May election the Greens have a primary vote of 10 per cent which is the same as their 2019 result.  Last week the Greens announced they would spend at least $66billion of taxpayers’ money to wipe all student debt and leader Adam Bandt is set to announce more big-spending plans in the coming weeks. 

American Electric Power’s 998-megawatt (MW) Traverse Wind Energy Center, the largest single wind farm built at one time in North America and one of the largest wind facilities worldwide, is now providing clean energy to customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.  Traverse is expected to generate 3.8 million megawatt-hours annually for AEP’s Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) customers in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The 356-turbine facility spans Blaine and Custer counties in north central Oklahoma.  Traverse is the third and final wind project to compose the North Central Energy Facilities, which provide 1,484 MW of clean energy and will save customers an estimated $3 billion in electricity costs over the next 30 years.

2022 will continue to bring increased focus on sustainability and social accountability requirements and practices for the fashion, apparel and beauty sector up-and-down the supply chain.  Some of this increased focus will undoubtedly come from state and federal lawmakers and governmental agencies, as new or proposed legislation and regulations are being actively considered or are planned to be rolled out in the coming year. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and various state agencies and legislatures are pursuing or considering measures such as additional chemical use restrictions and prohibitions, new notification and reporting requirements on chemical use and imports, limitations on product disposal options, and extended producer responsibility obligations.

On Friday, March 25th, The Earth Foundation held a fully virtual event, The Earth Prize 2022 Awards Ceremony, to announce the winner and runners-up of the USD 200,000 environmental sustainability competition for teenagers. Team Adorbsies, made up of three young women – Quynh Anh (Dorothy), Uyen and Huyen, from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam – was proclaimed as the victorious recipient of the USD 100,000 grand prize that comes with The Earth Prize 2022 Winner title. The prize money will be split evenly between the team members and the educational program with which they registered for the competition, Summit Education.  The winning idea is the “Adorbsy” biodegradable menstrual pad. As the students explained in their submission, due to a drop in dragon fruit sales caused by the Covid pandemic, Vietnam was suddenly forced to deal with considerable amounts of unsold fruit, with an initial plan of simply burning it.

Maritime and air logistics are two different animals, with own processes and requirements, states Lufthansa Cargo CEO, Dorothea von Boxberg (DvB). Currently, it may well be attractive to Maersk, CMA/CGM, and others to lease freighters to overcome capacity constraints and offer their customers timely delivery of goods, she reasons. Yet, come market normalization, it will be a completely new ballgame for shipping lines, the executive forecasts in this exclusive interview.  LH Cargo CEO Dorothea von Boxberg is skeptical that shipping companies will have long-term success operating cargo aircraft – CFG: Are shipping lines operating freighters seen as new and serious competitors for classic cargo airlines such as Lufthansa Cargo?  DvB: That’s very questionable. Personally, I see little synergies between the two business segments of sea and air. The proponents probably underestimate what it takes to operate an airline profitably over a longer cycle. It requires a minimum fleet size and high commercial and operational competence to be financially successful. To me, it appears that shipping companies are chartering freighters in response to, and for the duration of, the current capacity squeeze.

Today our societies face great challenges with water, in terms of both quantity and quality, but many of these challenges have already existed in the past. Focusing on Asia, Water Societies and Technologies from the Past and Present seeks to highlight the issues that emerge or re-emerge across different societies and periods, and asks what they can tell us about water sustainability. Incorporating cutting-edge research and pioneering field surveys on past and present water management practices, the interdisciplinary contributors together identify how societies managed water resource challenges and utilised water in ways that allowed them to evolve, persist, or drastically alter their environment.

Scientists are working with a Victorian almond grower to trial an orchard redevelopment practice to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.  Whole orchard recycling is an established practice for orchard redevelopment in California Researchers overseeing an Australian trial want to quantify the impact it has on the carbon footprint of local almond orchards.  By incorporating the wood chips back into the soil, almond growers in the US are reporting better water-holding capacity and better nutrient uptake
When almond growers decide to redevelop part of their orchard, the trees are often removed and then burnt.  Merbein almond grower Neale Bennett was in the United States five years ago and saw the process in action.

When cruise ships do make their post-pandemic return to Picton, people there want them to “fit with the town and not overtake it”.  Picton residents want sustainability and some common sense applied to any future cruise ship timetable, Smart and Connected co-chair Richard Briggs says.  “The general feeling is that it’s good to have cruise ships, but they need to be spaced out well, and they need to be limited to a certain number per year … If you go too mad on one thing, then it’s too heavy on the town, so on infrastructure and residents.

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced it has successfully diverted more than 6 million pieces of hard-to-recycle trash from landfills across the country thanks to its continued partnership with international recycling leader, TerraCycle®. The automaker has expanded its commitment to protect the environment through Subaru Loves the Earth month and will continue its partnership with TerraCycle at its headquarters and retailer locations nationwide throughout the remainder of the year.

Whanganui District Council is committed to mitigating the impacts of climate change on our district, as well as enabling our community and local economy to become better adapted and resilient in the face of climate change.  The purpose of this strategy is to plot a course for action to both mitigate and adapt to climate change, and to provide a framework for collaboration across the Whanganui District and beyond among tangata whenua, iwi, neighbouring councils, central government, non-government organisations, private industry, education, our communities and people.  This strategy is about human activity and changing the way we think and live to reduce our impact on our planet. As such, this strategy has the health and well-being of the environment at its core, followed by the health and well-being of people, and the social and economic well-being of people and communities, now and in the future.

Solar panels are the most common form of renewable energy for our homes and businesses, with an increasing number of structures electing to install them.  Additionally, we are witnessing a rise in the number of solar energy systems being built, all of which is terrific news for our world and the environment. However, it is critical to comprehend why solar panels are beneficial to the environment, a few of the negative impacts they may now cause, and address them.  Solar panels provide several environmental advantages owing to their green energy and absence of emissions when in use.  Generating electricity is only done at night. Individuals who do not have solar batteries will need to connect to the National Grid if they do not have enough energy to power their homes after dark. It is, however, lowering their reliance on the National Grid by a significant amount. This, in turn, makes it economically attractive.

Technology that sucks carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere will be essential to prevent climate change, a UN report concludes today.  Even a wholesale switch to renewable energy and everyone giving up driving and flying may no longer be enough to avoid a crisis.  Global warming is already 1.1C above pre-industrial levels and scientists warn of irreversible harm if this exceeds 1.5C.  The report, by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says an urgent shift from fossil fuels is needed for any chance of keeping warming below this level. 

Shoemaker is aiming to remove all physical paperwork by the end of this year.  Global footwear retailer Clarks has announced a tie-up with circular economy start-up OtailO that aims to slash the waste produced in the online product returns process.  An update from the 200-year-old shoe maker on Friday claims the partnership with the Israeli company would result in Clarks customers being able to return their purchases in a more sustainable way.  OtailO’s system enables online shoppers to return purchases through a web application that eliminates the need for pre-printed labels, it explained. Meanwhile, an in-built inspection mechanism uses machine learning to assess the condition of the product being returned, while it is still in the customers hands, enabling Clarks to take more efficient business decisions and returns routing, it said.

Five-year goals help drive continuous improvement in important areas. Both former companies had long histories of setting and achieving aggressive goals. Raytheon Technologies’ 2025 EH&S sustainability goals will drive significant improvement, build on our past achievements and represent “best of the best” ideas. In addition to these goals, our unwavering commitment to compliance with local regulations is a bedrock for the company.

An important new research project into how the UK could increase its use of hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels, as part of the country’s commitment to reaching Net Zero in 2050, is set to begin at the University of Bath.  From 1 April, Professor Tim Mays, from Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering, will head up a new project funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) aimed at tackling the research challenges blocking the wider use of these low carbon fuels in the UK.  Professor Mays will become one of two UK Hydrogen Research Co-ordinators who aim over the next six months to establish national Centres of Excellence based at their home institutions. The other co-ordinator project exploring better systems integration of these fuels will be headed up at Newcastle University by Professor Sara Walker.  Professor Mays said: “A thriving, low carbon hydrogen sector is essential for the government’s plans to build back better, with a cleaner, greener energy system. Large amounts of low carbon hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels such as ammonia will be needed, which must be stored and transported to points of use. Much research is required, and we will work collaboratively across multiple disciplines to help meet these challenges.”

Shampoo and conditioner powders are the latest innovation in the world of eco-friendly hair care. I thought I had tried every green, plastic-free, refillable, compostable, all-natural hair-washing method until I received two emails in the same week from companies now selling these washing powders.   “Powders?” I thought in confusion, and promptly accepted the samples they were offering. One came from a brand new startup called Cocofomm, the other from established eco-beauty brand Meow Meow Tweet. Both arrived in paper envelopes and consisted of a light-colored granular powder.  Cocofomm’s delivery came with a small shaker bottle, but as founder Liz Qiao-Westhoff explains, any leftover spice shaker will do. That piqued my interest because it’s a zero-waste product that makes use of packaging most people already have at home, and the envelope in which the powder comes is plastic-free and compostable.

In the middle of the Sahara desert on the western border of Algeria, refugee camps hosting tens of thousands of people rely completely on humanitarian aid: Water, food, and other basic supplies come in on trucks. Trash, on the other hand, doesn’t really leave; until recently, all the waste from the camps was dumped nearby in the desert into an ever-growing pile of plastic. But at a new recycling center at one of the camps, refugees are now turning that plastic trash into furniture and other products that they can use.  Precious Plastic, an organization with a DIY recycling system developed by a Dutch designer who wanted to make recycling more accessible, helped set up the center after the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, put out a call for solutions to help with the waste challenge at the camps.