Sustainability In Your Ear

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Earth911 Podcast: Chris Orestis On Retiring During the Climate Crisis Nov 03, 2021

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Our guest, Chris Orestis, is the president of Retirement Genius and a nationally recognized expert on retirements issues. Every generation will feel the impact of climate change, and at a time when demographics are already working against the rising tide of seniors they need to factor in new risks during their retirement. While Millennials, Gen Z and children face long-term impacts on their health, economic opportunities and lifestyles, retiring Baby Boomers must also reckon with the consequences of extreme heat, the potential for disruption of their lives by wildfire, food shortages and the economic impact of climate change on their retirement nest egg.
How should older people be rethinking their assumptions about retirement? What changes to existing plans should Boomers be making? We’ve got the guy with the answers.

Earth911 Podcast: A COP26 Progress Report from the Foundation for Climate Restoration Nov 01, 2021

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As the world prepares for the United Nations’ COP26 climate change conference, we talk with Rick Wayman, the new CEO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration (F4CR). They are working to return atmospheric CO2 levels to pre-Industrial Era levels by 2050. Members of the F4CR team have been on the show many times to discuss carbon capture and sequestration, an approach to permanently removing excess atmospheric CO2 that stores carbon in the ground or uses it to make new products and materials, from vodka to concrete. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe recently moderated a session about mining the sky for the F4CR’s annual Second Annual Climate Restoration Forum.
World leaders are meeting this week in Glasgow, Scotland, to set emissions goals to prevent catastrophic climate change. Rick explains that a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 is critical to preventing warming in excess of 1.5C, at which climate change could reach a devastating tipping point. Carbon capture and sequestration technology is evolving quickly and may represent an important tool in humanity's response to rising CO2 levels. But first we need to stop the rising emissions from rich and poor countries in an equitable way. That’s where COP26 comes into play, it is the world’s last chance to agree on the path to an equitable transition to renewable energy. To learn more about F4CR, visit https://foundationforclimaterestoration.org/.

Earth911 Podcast: LastObject's Isabel Aagaard on the Reusable LastPad Oct 27, 2021

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LastObject cofounder Isabel Aagaard joins us to talk about the company’s latest product, the LastPad, a reusable menstrual pad made to be washed and reused up to 240 times. Single-use menstrual pads are a huge waste issue, representing a large share of ocean waste and producing billions of loose plastic wrappers, coated paper and the pads themselves every year. The LastPad comes in three sizes, including panty liners and overnight pads and the inner layer is made from bamboo, while the outer is polyester.
LastObject launched the LastPad through Kickstarter and more than 46,000 people backed the project. Isabel shares how LastObject uses crowdfunding campaigns to co-design products with the consumers who will use them.

Earth911 Podcast: Forust Cofounder Ronald Rael on 3D-Printed Wood Oct 25, 2021

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Ronald Rael, cofounder of 3D-printed wood maker Forust and chair of the Architecture department at the University of California Berkeley College of Environmental Design joins Mitch Ratcliffe. Ronald co-invented a method for printing wood with realistic grain using sawdust and lignin, the natural adhesive in wood.
Forust's 3D-printing system can mimic the natural grains and colors of different species, including rare rosewood, mahogany and ebony that are the cause of widespread deforestation. Because it is printed, Forust wood can be shaped for use in furniture or and printed to service as a structural support in building — it opens a whole spectrum of novel applications of wood in construction. Learn about the potential uses of Forust's “digitally rematerialized wood.”

Earth911 Podcast: Getting Indigenous Kids Outside with Activist Jody Potts Oct 22, 2021

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Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Jody Potts, an Alaskan native Han Gwich’in environmental and indigenous rights advocate who recently was named to the Explore Fund Council at outdoor gear maker The North Face. That council guides the company’s grant-giving. She is working in particular to launch a program, Native Youth Outdoors, that encourages indigenous kids to get outside and involved with nature. With Indigenous People’s Day this month, and so much controversy swirling around protections of the Alaskan wilderness, we are excited to talk with Jody about the challenges and opportunities for positive change she sees these days.

Earth911 Podcast: Land to Market's Lisa Mabe on Regenerative Food Labeling Oct 20, 2021

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Lisa Mabe explains the Land To Market Verified consumer label, a project of the Savory Institute that intends to build 100 global hubs where the organization’s regenerative Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) process can be applied to local farm practices. She explains how the label will provide consumers a connection to farmers and ranchers who practice regenerative techniques. With the information collected for the EOV certification, consumers can use their spending to reinforce the values of regeneration in our food, leather and clothing choices. It’s just one of many initiatives we need to continue the reinvention of human life for a sustainable future.
The path to restoring the environment, from reforestation to removing the excess C02 in the atmosphere, runs straight through our dinner tables. Farm and pasturelands, especially the topsoil farmers rely on to grow our food, are severely degraded — the Yale School of the Environment reported in February that one-third of the U.S. corn belt has lost all its topsoil. Regenerative farming is an emerging practice that can help to restore carbon and complex ecosystems in soil. So, how can we look for foods grown using regenerative techniques and cut down our use of industrially farmed, soil-damaging products when shopping? Listen in to learn how Land to Market helps.

Earth911 Podcast: Newday Impact's Doug Heske on responsible energy investing Oct 18, 2021

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Environmentally responsible investing requires we apply carbon sense thinking, says our guest, Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact Investing. Doug and Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe launch a series of conversations about making informed decisions about stocks and funds, beginning with a comparison of the emerging solar and declining fossil fuels industry. In this episode, we'll look at Sunpower, First Solar, Canadian Solar, Sunnova and Tesla, all stocks Doug suggests are core energy holdings for the future, as well as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell, which he advises avoiding or selling if your goal is to protect the environment. Watch for new responsible investing programs every two weeks.
We also discuss the nascent investments by oil companies in renewable energy and carbon capture, which have not become serious enough to justify buying those stocks. During the conversation, Doug gave himself some homework and he answered after the show: One of the solar companies discussed, integrated solar provider Canadian Solar, has significant Chinese ties that may increase risk. Earth911 urges you to carefully consider any investment before making a decision to buy or sell any assets.

Earth911 Podcast: Meet the World of Waves Crypto Token Designed to Do Good Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

What if the money we used could also do good every time we spent it? There’s a movement among cryptocurrency developers to add a social purpose to the coins they make. Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with the co-creators of the World of Waves token, a cryptocurrency that has a “built-in tax” that “[support] as many charitable organizations in the world as possible while rewarding holders with substantial returns.” Sami Touzani and Kristijan Tot explain how they developed the idea of a crypto token aimed at helping clean up the world's oceans.
Every time a World of Waves coin is used in a transaction, 11% of the value is set aside, part of it to help save our oceans. 3.3% goes to the people who hold the coins, as a kind of dividend, 3.3% goes into the liquidity pool, an account that serves a similar purpose to a market maker that guarantees the ability to buy or sell shares of a stock in the stock market. And 4.4% goes to charitable organizations that preserve oceans. You can track the current value of the World of Waves token at CoinMarketCap.
We do not address all the intricacies of owning cryptocurrency during this conversation and this podcast is not an endorsement of the World of Waves token. Earth911 urges you to carefully consider any investment before making a decision to buy or sell any assets.

Earth911 Podcast: WEEE Forum's Pascal Leroy on International E-waste Day Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Earth911 talks with Pascal Leroy, Director General of the WEEE Forum. October 14th is International E-Waste Day, when the world’s electronics producers and recyclers collaborate to increase the recovery and reuse of the more than 63.2 million tons of e-waste produced annually. But only 17.4% of that e-waste is currently recycled. The experience in the European Union, where 42.5% of e-waste is recycled, compared to about 15% in the U.S., provides useful lessons. Electronics manufacturers embraced E.U. extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws starting two decades ago but here EPR regulations are just being introduced.
During the COVID Pandemic, purchases and use of electronics has increased around the world — in Europe, the estimated increase was 4.6% in 2020 compared to 2019 — making it more important than ever that we recycle e-waste.

Earth911 Podcast: Talking Sustainable Living and Business with Kate Gaertner Oct 06, 2021

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Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Kate Gaertner, the author of Planting a Seed: Three Simple Steps to Sustainable Living and an expert who has advised companies about enacting sustainable business practices for several decades. She recently shared an article on Earth911, Developing Habits for a Sustainable Life. We talk about the values-based decisions for sustainable living in the article and her advice for individuals and companies that want to turn the corner to achieve dramatically improved environmental outcomes.

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