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Good News Friday 9/10/21

Welcome back to another semester of Good News Fridays! We thought that this would be a great way to kick off the blog again, and we are so excited to share positive environmental news with you each week. In this post, we’ll cover the recovery of panda populations in China, a carbon-sinking cement, and a drought-resistant seed coating.

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Giant Pandas Rebound: Wild giant pandas in China have reached a population of approximately 1,800, and the Chinese government has officially designated them as no longer an endangered species. They are still classified as vulnerable, but this is a promising result of conservation efforts. Additionally, there have been increases in the number of other threatened species such as snow leopards, crested ibis, and Tibetan antelope.

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Carbon-Sequestering Paint: A graduate from the Royal College of Art, Kukbong Kim, has developed a paint made from concrete residue which can sequester 20% of its weight in carbon dioxide. Approximately 8% of global carbon emissions are due to the cement in concrete. Thus, Kim hopes that this carbon sinking paint, deemed Celour paint, will eventually offset the emissions from the cement it is manufactured from. The product has the dual benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and diverting concrete waste from landfills where it can have detrimental effects on the surrounding environment.

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Drought Resistant Seed Coating: Scientists have developed a seed coating made of biodegradable waste products which can allow seeds to survive and germinate in water scarce conditions. The coating consists of an outer layer of pectin derived from orange peels and an inner layer of beneficial bacteria and material from silkworm cocoons. The hope is that this will reduce the need for fertilizer and increase crop yields.

Thank you for reading our first Good News Friday of the semester! We wish you a great start to your new schedules, and hope that you will stick around for the weeks to come.

Good News Friday 4/30/21

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome to our final edition of Good News Friday for the 2020-2021 school year! This series has been fun and insightful to make, and we hope to continue it in the fall. Today we are covering renewed American efforts to reduce methane emissions, an innovative way to limit excess nitrogen pollution in water, and Belgium’s recent commitment to confronting global deforestation.

U.S. Senate reinstates methane leak rules: On Wednesday, the Senate voted to effectively reinstate (by rolling back a Trump administration rule) an Obama-era regulation designed to regulate methane emissions from oil and gas well leaks. Passage of the rule in the House and approval by President Biden are expected next month. The move comes as new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) atmospheric data recently revealed that 2020 saw the largest annual increase in atmospheric methane since measurements began. The United Nations is also expected to release a report next week declaring that targeting methane emissions reductions is essential to mitigating climate change. (As a greenhouse gas, methane has a global warming potential 28 times greater than that of carbon dioxide).

A new way to reduce algal blooms: Harmful algal blooms–overgrowths of toxic algae in water frequently in response to an excess of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus–can cause illness in humans and aquatic animals alike. Nutrients commonly end up in bodies of water via agricultural runoff, because farmers use nutrient-based fertilizers to grow crops. There are a variety of ways to try and filter out these nutrients from runoff, but a growing field relates to denitrifying bioreactors: namely, bacteria capable of processing nitrogen to remove it from water. A new study has found that filtering runoff through wood chips, which contain nitrogen-processing bacteria, can lead to a 20-40% reduction in the amount of nitrogen in the runoff. The study is promising because accessing wood chips is relatively easy and sustainable, making this a convenient way for farmers to process their runoff and prevent potentially harmful algal blooms.

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Belgium bans palm- and soy oil-based biofuels: Belgium’s Minister of Environment and Climate, Zakia Khattabi, recently announced that the country would ban biofuels within its borders made from palm and/or soybean oil by 2022. Denmark, France, and the Netherlands have all made similar announcements. The move signifies Belgium’s first step as part of its membership in the Amsterdam Declaration Partnership, a group of nine European countries which aims for “deforestation-free, sustainable commodities.”

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series! If you have any questions or things you would like to see as part of Good News Friday in the future, please feel free to contact us.

Good News Friday 4/23/21

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

Welcome again to another Good News Friday! The semester is coming to a close, and we hope that we’ve been able to brighten your weeks in a small way. For this edition, we will read about an Indigenous victory relating to protecting salmon populations, the new EPA stance against environmental racism, and Elon Musk’s latest and greatest battery farm.

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Gitanyow people protect sockeye salmon: While sockeye salmon populations have experienced a dramatic decline in British Columbia (B.C.), populations are still thriving in Gitanyow territory around Meziadin Lake. Unfortunately, B.C.’s free-entry mining system allows any individual or company to stake a claim and mine on any unprotected territory in the province, including private land and Indigenous territory. Thus, The Gitanyow Nation is now taking matters into their own hands and developing protection schemes, following examples set by other First Nations across Canada.

EPA takes stance against environmental racism: While governmental enforcement of pollution violations has dropped drastically in the wake of the pandemic, new EPA head Michael Regan is taking steps to reverse this trend. Regan issued a directive to “infuse equity and environmental justice principles and priorities into all EPA practices, policies, and programs,” calling the EPA to “strengthen enforcement of violations of cornerstone environmental statutes and civil rights laws in communities overburdened by pollution”. This directive is a promising guideline for the EPA to shift away from a legacy of environmental racism to one of environmental justice.

New battery for renewable energy: In 2016, a crazy lightning storm caused power outages in South Australia. In response, Elon Musk and Tesla built an enormous 100 MW battery that powered the entire area. Taking this one step further, Musk and the government of Victoria, Australia are planning to build an even larger 300 MW battery farm. The Victorian Big Battery Megapack will be the largest facility of its kind in the world and will help make renewable energy more accessible and competitive.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the stories this week. Check back next time for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 4/16/21

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome back to Good News Friday! Today we are covering positive stories on solar energy, carbon emissions, and plastic waste.

School district goes solar: Arkansas’ Batesville School District recently installed 1,500 solar panels, enabling the district to produce roughly half of its energy needs from solar power. Batesville schools now join the approximately 7,300 school buildings across the country relying on solar energy. The district’s decision reflects the gradually decreasing cost of solar installation and increases in solar energy capacity, providing hope that more school buildings will soon do the same.

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Businesses call for emissions reductions: This week, over 300 businesses executives representing companies with a collective 6 million employees and $3 trillion in annual revenue signed an open letter to President Biden asking for tougher American carbon emissions cuts as part of the Paris Agreement. The letter requests a target of a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to 2005 levels by 2030. When the United States initially joined the Paris Agreement in 2016, the emissions reduction goal set by President Obama was 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. If adopted, this new proposal would constitute a near-doubling of current emissions targets.

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Virginia restricts plastic use: Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam recently signed an executive order to reduce plastic waste in his state by phasing out the use of non-reusable plastics at all state institutions, including state agencies and colleges, over the next 120 days. The order also mandates that state institutions craft plans to eliminate all non-medical single-use plastics by 2025. Given that Virginia either burns or sends to the landfill 23 million tons of solid waste each year, this new rule could provide some relief to the state’s infrastructure while being significantly more sustainable.

That’s all for this week! We hope to see you again next Friday, and contact us if you have any positive environmental news to share!

Good News Friday 4/9/21

Author: Grace Liu ’23

Welcome back to Good News Friday and happy Earth Month! I hope you’re ready to read some positive picks from recent environmental updates. This week, we have a conservation-themed edition, with promising news about the recovery of bald eagles, pygmy hogs and the Iberian lynx.

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Bald eagles rebound: In 2009, conservationists estimated that there were approximately 72,000 bald eagles in the lower 48 states. However, the most recent 2019 estimates place the rebounding population at 316,700, meaning that bald eagle populations have quadrupled in the past decade. According to Deb Haaland, the first Native American secretary of the Interior, “The bald eagle has always been considered a sacred species to American Indian people. Similarly, it’s sacred to our nation as America’s national symbol.” Bryan Watts, the director of the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary, says that the bald eagle recovery indicates what can be accomplished when a culture collectively decides to value something.

Image credit: A. J. T. Johnsingh, CC BY-SA 3.0, no changes

Hope for pygmy hogs: The pygmy hog is the smallest and rarest pig in the world. They used to thrive in the sub-Himalayas, but habitat loss has resulted in their near extinction. However, a captive breeding and reintroduction program led by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) has raised their chances for recovery. There’s still a long way to go, but this program, in combination with grassland conservation, gives hope for restoring the miniature wild pig populations.

Iberian lynx populations recover: Another example of a successful target conservation story is the recovery of the Iberian Lynx populations. In 2002, the Iberian lynx was already extinct in its native Portugal, and fewer than 100 cats remained in Spain. However, a cumulation of targeted conservation efforts has allowed the species to come back from the brink of extinction, with more than 1000 wild members today. These efforts include captive breeding and reintroduction, rewilding of lynx ranges, wildlife corridors, and increasing prey populations.

That’s all for this week! Tune in next time for more encouraging environmental news. If you’d like to share some Good News with us, please feel free to get in touch!

Good News Friday 4/2/21

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome back to Good News Friday, and happy Earth Month! Today we are covering positive news from the Canadian Supreme Court, President Biden’s offshore wind energy plans, and a plan to use coffee waste in low-income housing construction.

Canada moves closer to a universal carbon tax: Last week, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the authority to impose a carbon tax in provinces that oppose it. Canada initially passed the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act in 2018 and was set to begin enforcement of the tax in 2019, but the federal government faced pushback from some provinces, in particular oil-producing provinces like Alberta. Due to the opposition, an uneven carbon tax has been implemented, with some provinces paying into the revenue-neutral program and others refusing to implement it. The Supreme Court’s decision changes all of that, however, paving the way for a universal realization of one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s key campaign pledges.

Image Credit: Gary Norton via U.S. Department of Energy

The Biden administration plans offshore wind expansion: This week, the Biden administration ahead of its announcement of a major infrastructure plan signaled its support for a significant expansion of offshore wind power generation along the East Coast. As part of the expansion, the administration aims to install an additional 30,000 megawatts of offshore turbines by 2030, which it says would create jobs, power millions of homes, and reduce carbon emissions. It has already moved to prioritize an area of water between Long Island and New Jersey for offshore electricity-generating capacity. Currently, the United States has an offshore wind generating capacity of approximately 28,500 megawatts, meaning Biden’s plan would effectively double existing offshore generation capabilities.

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Colombian startup aims for sustainable construction: The company Woodpecker SAS is attempting to change the face of affordable and sustainable building. Using a mixture of coffee husks and recycled plastics, Woodpecker manufactures prefabricated buildings that can be easily assembled and made cheaply. This has made the company an excellent supplier of low-income housing and has attracted attention from the Colombian government, which has previously partnered with Woodpecker to quickly provide shelter for displaced citizens after natural disasters.

That’s all for this first week of Earth Month! As always, we welcome you to check out our previous editions of Good News Friday and to contact us if you have any positive environmental news to share!

Good News Friday 3/26/21

Author: Grace Liu ’23

Welcome back to another edition of Good News Friday! We hope that these positive tidbits will help make your day better and give you a more positive outlook on the future of sustainability.

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New EPA head has an ambitious climate agenda: The Senate recently confirmed Michael Regan as the new head of the EPA, making him the first black man to lead the agency and a promising appointee in the eyes of environmental activists. Regan is a former EPA employee with big plans to rebuild the agency in the wake of a new administration. Regan has also had first-hand experience with environmental injustices, having previously lived close to an industrial hog farm. He puts climate change, environmental justice, and water quality on the top of his priority list.

First large-scale offshore wind farm: The interior department recently endorsed a project to build a large-scale wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, MA. This 2.8 billion dollar project would be a huge step forward in the transition to clean energy. It will consist of up to 84 turbines that could generate enough electricity to power about 400,000 homes.

Making paper from wheat straw: A new paper mill in Washington state makes paper not from trees, but from wheat straw, the agricultural residue left over after grain harvesting. Currently, three billion trees per year are used to make paper packaging, so a treeless paper-making process is a promising development for conservation and climate mitigation.

Thanks for reading another trio of positive environmental updates! As always, we hope that we’ve brightened your day and that you come back next week for some more good news. In the meantime, feel free to take a look at previous posts or share some good news with us!

Good News Friday 3/19/21

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome to another edition of Good News Friday! If the extra short spring break has got you down, we hope that some positive news will help cheer you up.

A push to protect land and oceans: 50 country members of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People recently pledged to protect 30% of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030. The pledge will likely be a headline issue at the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity later this year. The HAC cites the need to avoid a human-driven sixth mass extinction, along with the many economic benefits provided by wildlife preservation, as reasons to prioritize this issue.

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Prices for recyclable plastics increase: National average prices for most recycled plastics continued to rise last month, continuing a solid trend of 2021. This increase indicates a higher demand for recycled materials nationally, a positive development that signifies continued growth for recyclables despite China’s refusal to accept most nations’ plastics since 2018 (China had been the world’s biggest recycling market).

Department of Energy revives clean technology loan program: The Biden administration recently announced it would renew a Department of Energy (DOE) loan program designed to boost innovation in sustainable technologies. The initiative, run through the DOE’s Loan Programs Office, would open up as much as $40 billion in loan capacity, to be allocated by the DOE at its discretion. The program previously gave loan guarantees to companies like Tesla, the electric car and renewable energy technology maker.

That’s all for this week! Until next time, check out our previous editions of Good News Friday, thank you to those who submitted news ideas for this week, and contact us if you have any good environmental news to share!

Good News Friday 3/12/21

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

Happy “Spring Break” everyone! Congrats on making it through half of this crazy semester. If you’re feeling drained by exams, essays, p-sets, and/or thesis, we hope that a bit of good environmental news will help lift your spirits.

International Ocean Conservation Agreement: Often, international agreements are determined by major economic powers, who impose their decisions onto smaller nations. However, last December, 14 smaller coastal nations came together to take action and protect their marine ecosystems: Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau, and Portugal. They agreed to sustainably manage their oceans under national jurisdictions by 2025 as well as set aside 30% of the seas as marine protected areas by 2030. You can check out their report here!

Orange Electricity: Seville, Spain is one of Europe’s most important citrus producers, with over 50,000 orange trees. These Seville oranges are far too sour to be eaten conventionally, usually used for marmalades and cooking instead. However, Emasesa, the city’s municipal water company, will actually be using the oranges to generate electricity for the city’s water plant. As the oranges ferment, the methane from the process will power the plant’s generator.

Community restores forest into peace park: Stillmeadow Community Fellowship in Baltimore worked together to turn a neglected forest into a space to contemplate and engage with nature. The church has formed partnerships with the US Forest Service, multiple school groups, and environmental non-profits, bringing the community together to conserve, create, and heal. According to Morgan Grove from the US Forest Service, “It’s healing a forest, but we’re going to be healing a community,” he concluded, noting that “there are a lot of people here who suffer from trauma and stress.”

Thanks for reading and have a great spring break, everyone! Check in next week for more positive environmental news and in the meantime, feel free to take a look at previous posts or share some good news with us!

Good News Friday 3/5/21

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome again to Good News Friday! Today we’re talking about sustainable shipping, the decline of coal, and tidal energy.

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Tire Giant Partners with Decarbonized Shipping: Michelin, the second-largest tire manufacturer in the world, recently signed a shipping agreement with the French startup NEOLINE. With ships powered by sails instead of fossil fuels, NEOLINE says its product can reduce carbon emissions by 90% per trip compared to normal vessels and eliminate SOx and NOx emissions completely. Under the agreement, the cargo on NEOLINE ships will be at least 50% Michelin products along certain shipping lines, with the first transatlantic line beginning operation in 2023. With global shipping constituting about 2.5% of total annual greenhouse gas emissions, actions by large companies represent positive steps towards making global transportation more sustainable.

Phasing Out Australia’s Coal Power: You might have seen one of our earlier Good News Friday editions where we talked about the growth of Australia’s solar power sector; now there is reason to believe that such growth is more promising than initially thought. A recent report by energy consulting groups indicates that predictions of Australia’s future energy grid makeup had underestimated the influx of cheap renewable energy. As a result, up to five of the country’s sixteen remaining coal plants could be unprofitable by 2025. This would represent a substantial shift towards sustainability for the nation despite its relatively weak climate goals.

*Image Credit: Pok Rie via* *Pexels.com*

Expanding Tidal Energy: Long viewed as a promising but difficult-to-harness form of renewable energy, ocean movements may soon be a key feature of the United Kingdom’s energy grid. For years, companies like Orbital Marine Power have been using Scotland’s Orkney archipelago to test scalable tidal energy technologies. Now, the company has indicated it is ready to begin deploying tidal energy turbines and farms this year, which ultimately could produce up to one fifth of the United Kingdom’s energy. Reliable and predictable, tidal power represents one of many paths towards a greener future.

That’s all for this week! Until next time, take a look at our previous Good News Friday posts and contact us if you have any good environmental news to share!