This Week In Sustainability - Edition 2

Sustainability In The Press:

The company Morning Star plans to veganize all its products by 2021. They cite that more people are going plant-based in the face of climate change (and those surveys they cite range from 3% of the population actually being vegan to 39% of the population wanting to be vegan). So they are nixing eggs and dairy in their vegetarian products and adding in what to compensate for protein? More soy. That soy is not organic or non-GMO, meaning it still lives in a monocropping system which still contributes to climate change.

India has set high standards for its renewable energy plan for 2019. New installations this calendar year will reach nearly 14 gigawatts, which is about 50% more than the capacity added last year. While the plan faces challenges as residents struggle with the high prices of rooftop solar additions, commercial and industrial buildings are stepping up to carry the load.

Trader Joe’s responded to a petition with over 91,000 customers’ signatures asking for less nonrecyclable plastic with their products. At this point they have made noticeable strides in phasing out single-use plastic shopping bags, replacing plastic produce bags with compostable ones, and eliminating styrofoam packaging within the produce section. Next, they plan on phasing out produce wrapped or bagged in plastic, nixing styrofoam in their meat packaging, and much more.

Michael Bloomberg is not running for president in 2020, but he is launching a campaign to help curb climate change. The letter he penned is one that will pull at your liberal heartstrings, but what excites me most is that he aims to throw all his weight behind the Beyond Coal campaign in hopes of retiring every single coal-fired power plant over the next 11 years.

Written by Wisconsin regenerative farmer, Steve Heyer, this editorial piece in The Wisconsin State Farmer is not to be missed. He discusses why the regulatory laws written by seemingly farm-friendly organizations like the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) are actually extremely prohibitive to small regenerative farmers. As a small regenerative farmer myself, I can attest to this. We have our hands tied not only by the regulatory nature of our state’s licensing, but the cost of land near urban centers to expand our operation. How are small diversified farms to provide nutrient-dense and ecologically-friendly food to urban centers when both state and federal levels of government are not truly on their side?

Sustainability Podcast To Listen To:

The Positively Green Podcast: Episode 10 Why you don't have to go vegan to live a sustainable lifestyle.

Food Heroes Podcast: Episode 25 Amelia Franklin BeanLedger on fighting to protect the global coffee supply chain from climate change.

Green Dreamer Podcast: Episode 112 Alex Weindling on how lab-grown diamonds are disrupting the diamond mining industry for the better.

Parting Thoughts:

Having three cats, Paul and I are constantly covered in pet hair. I can't tell you how many lint rollers and sticky papers we have thrown in the garbage in our cat-owning lifetime. I finally dug my heels in and went looking for a sustainable solution that actually works. Then, the heavens parted and I found Redecker's Lint Brush (know that I was not sponsored to post this, but this is an affiliate link). I was nervous because some of the reviews said it wasn't effective, but we found it simply takes an extra few swipes across your clothes (where a sticky lint roller would take one) to remove lint and pet hair. You can read more about our experience with it here on the blog.

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