This Week In Sustainability - Edition 10

Sustainability In The Press

Ford has partnered with electric vehicle startup Rivian to develop an electric pickup truck and SUV. These partnerships are becoming more and more commonplace because it allows major automobile companies to share the innovation load with tech startups and work towards a cleaner transportation future.

You may not realize, but the bulk of the US’ plastics, paper, and glass actually is repurposed overseas. One of the biggest countries, China, has decided to restrict imports of certain recyclables and it’s causing a terrible ripple effect. This decision has forced US waste management centers to either pay a much higher rate to repurpose the plastics somewhere else - or just dump it in a landfill. Unfortunately, many have chosen the landfill. This is the perfect example of how recycling isn’t technically the answer when it comes to our waste problems, it has actually propped up the throw-away culture we as Americans have gotten used to. It’s time to think more deeply about how much we consume and the cost it has on our world. I highly recommend learning about closed-loop cycles to get started.

As the viability of recycling comes under scrutiny, a better option exists (and has been here since the dawn of time) - composting. I love seeing major companies step up to replace disposables with compostables, like Igloo and their new compostable cooler.

As deforestation exacerbates climate change, a study has shown that when women are involved with the decision making process, less forests are razed. Many countries in South America and Asia are facing accelerated deforestation, but governments are trying to slow the process down by offering Payment for Ecosystem Services incentives. The study showed that when women make up at least 50% of the leaders within the local village, those groups harvested 51% less trees.

Sustainability Podcasts

The Green Dreamer Podcast Episode 134: Empowering farmers of color and dismantling racism in the food system.

The Sustainable Dish Podcast Episode 85: Ideological anti-meat agendas in dietary guidelines with Gary and Belinda Fettke

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