Author: Grace Liu ’23
Welcome back to Good News Friday! We’ve taken a break over the past couple of months, but we’re excited to be back with more hopeful developments in the sustainability sector. To kick off the series for this year, we will look at the greenhouse reductions of virtual conferences, oyster restoration efforts, and solar panels in landfills.
- Virtual Conferences Mitigate Climate Change: According to a life cycle assessment published in Nature, hosting conferences virtually rather than in person can reduce their carbon footprint by 94% and energy use by 90%. Additionally, supporters of the virtual format point out that virtual conferences are more accessible and inclusive than in-person conferences. Other ways to make conferences more sustainable include having more plant-based food options.
- Oyster Restoration Collaboration: Conservationists and community members have been working together to restore oyster populations in Chesapeake Bay. The method of restoration includes pumping oyster larvae out of a fire hose from a boat deck. The mission has been named Operation Build a Reef, and last year it led to the planting of 24 million juvenile oysters. This restoration is promising for the aquatic ecosystem because an adult oyster can filter 190 liters of water in a day.
- Locating Solar Panels in Landfills: Communities around the United States have been considering converting landfills in to solar panel sites. Because many closed landfills are located in environmental justice communities, repurposing the landfill sites into non-hazardous solar farms could give these communities better access to clean energy. At the same time, these installations will create jobs and help offset CO2 emissions.
That’s all for this week! Check back next week for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!