Tag: news

Author: Camellia Moors ’22

Welcome to another edition of our Good News Fridays series! Today we are looking at environmental aspects of the upcoming federal budget reconciliation bill, a new way to store electricity generated by solar power, and a study on mitigating the impact of oil palm forests.

1. House committee approves environmental provisions: The federal House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Monday voted to advance several aspects of the upcoming reconciliation bill, including provisions related to air pollution, hazardous materials, and water. These provisions contain a fee on methane emissions and funding for lead pipe replacement, a green bank, Superfund cleanup and environmental justice grants.

2. Companies to test electric vehicle batteries for solar storage: OCI Solar Power, CPS Energy, and Hyundai Motor Group signed an agreement to test recycled electric vehicle (EV) batteries for solar energy storage. The goal is to have a trial energy storage system installed by September 2022. EV sales and solar power installations have steadily grown over the last decade, priming this initiative to help combat the future problem of what to do with increasing numbers of EV batteries as they reach the end of their lifecycle.

3. Making oil palm plantations more sustainable: A new study targeting the environmental impact of palm oil plantations found that intercropping—growing two or more crops in close proximity—can reduce the environmental degradation caused by oil palm farming without impacting palm oil yield. This study is impactful because it confronts the common belief among some palm oil farmers that monocultures are essential to maximize crop output, paving the way for a new, more sustainable way of doing business.

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

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.

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.

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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

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

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.

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!

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

Welcome to another rendition of Good News Friday! This edition (somewhat unintentionally) focuses on sustainable advances in the travel industry. As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the country, I hope these stories will make you hopeful about the possibility of sustainable travel in the future.

1. Hybrid Planes Could Reduce Air Pollution: In addition to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, airplanes emit a variety of harmful pollutants such as fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NO_X). In terms of aggregate environmental impact, some estimates place the damage caused by these emissions as twice as harmful compared to carbon emissions. Now, however, some MIT engineers have designed a hybrid airplane engine that could come close to eliminating this problem by almost removing NO_X from the equation altogether. The engineers envision their engines being used in common commercial jetliners like the Boeing 737. (To read the full report on the engine proposal, click here).

2. Ford to Increase Electric Vehicles in Europe: After General Motors (GM), America’s largest automobile manufacturer, recently committed to a rapid expansion of its electric vehicle fleet, the pressure has been on for other automakers to compete against GM’s vision for a more sustainable future. At least one of them has now taken steps to do so. On Wednesday, Ford announced that its entire European passenger vehicle fleet will be “zero-emissions capable” and exclusively electric by 2030. These moves by the two automakers, along with President Biden’s push for more electric vehicles, have the potential to shake up the auto industry and pave the path for a more sustainable transportation future.

3. First Synthetic Jet Fuel Flight: KLM Airlines recently trialed the world’s first passenger flight powered in part by “sustainably derived synthetic aviation fuel.” The plane went from Amsterdam to Madrid, and the fuel was created by Royal Dutch Shell (commonly known as Shell). Shell has long had plans to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which could help European airlines like KLM meet European Union airline emissions offset standards (the United States has also taken some limited steps to reduce airplane emissions).

That’s all for this week! Until next Friday, take a look at our previous Good News Friday posts and please contact us if you have some news you would like to share!

Author: Grace Liu ‘23

Today we’re wrapping up another week of positive environmental news. As you get adjusted to your new semester schedules, we hope that you can take a moment to appreciate all the good things happening in the sustainability sphere.

1. Biden’s Oil-lease moratorium helps create jobs: On January 27th, President Biden issued an executive order prohibiting new oil or gas leases on public lands. Despite conservative concern that Biden’s energy policies will hurt the economy, the President claims the clean energy sector could provide ten million new jobs—the same as the number of employees in the oil and gas industry. This development may also be a win for environmental justice. While most of the profits of the fossil fuel industry go to executives, Biden plans to distribute 40% of the government’s investment in clean energy to disadvantaged communities.

2. Indian farmers overcome water scarcity: In India, the water-climate crisis threatens economic development, agricultural production, and the livelihoods of citizens, with numerous cities facing the devastating possibility of “Day Zero.” The water shortage has been especially devastating to Indian farmers, as 90% of the country’s freshwater is used for agriculture. As with most environmental disasters, low-income populations are disproportionately affected. However, in Latur, one of the larger districts in the Marathawada, farmers have been able to recover from the water crisis using an innovative strategy. A group of villagers removed over 900,000 cubic meters of silt from the river, helping increase the rate of groundwater recharge. The silt was then used in the fields in combination with sharecropping to increase yields. 

3. Scientists discover new population of blue whales: Blue whales are the largest mammal on Earth, but also in danger of extinction. Scientists were therefore surprised and excited to discover a new population of whales by overhearing a unique mating song. The song is one of only a dozen or so other blue whale songs ever recorded and brings hope for the continued recovery of the species.

Thank you for reading! We hope that these updates made your day a little better and that you have a wonderful start to the semester. Please feel free to get in touch if you want to share some Good News with us!