The Episode 2 of our Podcast is ON! 🔊 How Startups and SMEs Can Market Themselves In a Crisis with Mark Cichon. LINK IN THE BIO ⠀ ⠀ 👉 Mark is a strategist, trainer, and mentor specialising in the application of evidence-based marketing principles, together with the power of creativity and technology to stimulate brand and business growth. His core focus is on understanding how consumers behave, and brands grow in the real world, based on evidence, market data and actual buyer behaviour. Applying empirical evidence and the learnings from Ehrenberg Bass Institute to help marketers identify brand & category growth opportunities, develop focused growth strategies and build knowledge to deliver on that potential. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
It is devastating to see how Plastic contaminates our ecosystem. The disintegration of plastic litter creates microplastic pollution. Researchers found microplastics everywhere they looked; In the air. In the soil. In the rivers and the deepest oceans. Together with my partner, Amour Setter, we produced a 30-minute documentary that shows how innovative ideas are helping solve the plastic crisis. And you too can participate by helping us fund our The Planet Calls Startup Accelerator that supports new ideas that value Ecosystem and Biodiversity and care about Climate Change, Marine Environment and Water Conservation. Donations over €5 will put your name in the credits of our documentary to be released on April 1st. All supporters will have the opportunity to preview the documentary ahead of the official release on an exclusive Online Viewing Party on March 28th. #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Protecting the environment is indispensable for our existence. But how do we save the planet without killing economic growth? We have been producing Plastic for more than 100 years, working with a linear economy model. Extracting oil, to make it, to use it, then waste it, and make it again. We cannot sustain an economy without sustaining the planet. We have 150 million tons of plastic lurking in the ocean. Together with my partner, Amour Setter, we produced a 30-minute documentary that shows how innovative ideas are helping solve the plastic crisis. And you too can participate by helping us fund our The Planet Calls Startup Accelerator that supports new ideas that value Ecosystem and Biodiversity and care about Climate Change, Marine Environment and Water Conservation. Donations over €5 will put your name in the credits of our documentary to be released on April 1st. All supporters will have the opportunity to preview the documentary ahead of the official release on an exclusive Online Viewing Party on March 28th. #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino #savetheplanet #cleanoceans #zeroplasticwaste #zerowastelifestyle #singleuseplasticfree
Marine litter is becoming a real problem along our coastlines. Most of the litter we find on our coasts are of single-use plastics. According to Clean Coasts, an organisation that is actively cleaning the Irish coasts, 50% of marine litter is single-use Plastic. Plastic that takes 5 minutes to create for us to use for another 5 minutes. But most single-use Plastic takes up to 500 years to break down. Providing destruction all the way to decomposition. Together with my partner, Amour Setter, we produced a 30-minute documentary that shows how innovative ideas are helping solve the plastic crisis. And you too can participate by helping us fund our The Planet Calls Startup Accelerator that supports new ideas that value Ecosystem and Biodiversity and care about Climate Change, Marine Environment and Water Conservation. Donations over €5 will put your name in the credits of our documentary to be released on April 1st. All supporters will have the opportunity to preview the documentary ahead of the official release on an exclusive Online Viewing Party on March 28th. #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino #plasticfree #singleuseplasticfree
One year has passed, and I now recycle disposable containers or use reusable containers to carry freshly produced food from local markets. I now insist on having my takeaway coffee in my own mug, or I alternatively choose to sit down to have my coffee. I also carry a stainless-steel water bottle wherever I go. I'm never without mine. I say no to sodas, sparkling water and juices in bottles. At home, we got creative with our solution and bought a soda stream instead. And once we moved away from plastics, we started moving away from chemicals too. I stopped buying laundry, fabric softeners and other household cleaning agents and replaced them with biodegradable cleaning products that I make myself. Together with my partner, Amour Setter, we produced a 30-minute documentary that shows how innovative ideas are helping solve the plastic crisis. And you too can participate by helping us fund our The Planet Calls Startup Accelerator that supports new ideas that value Ecosystem and Biodiversity and care about Climate Change, Marine Environment and Water Conservation. Donations over €5 will put your name in the credits of our documentary to be released on April 1st. All supporters will have the opportunity to preview the documentary ahead of the official release on an exclusive Online Viewing Party on March 28th. #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean joining another 150 million tons of Plastic already there. It is staggering that studies are telling us that we consume up to 5 grams of microplastics per week. The equivalent size of a credit card. And what's even more staggering is that water treatment plants are not able to filter all of the microplastics that are going into the sea contributing to climate change and the potential mass extinction of marine life. Together with my partner, Amour Setter, we produced a 30-minute documentary that shows how innovative ideas are helping solve the plastic crisis. And you too can participate by helping us fund our The Planet Calls Startup Accelerator that supports new ideas that value Ecosystem and Biodiversity and care about Climate Change, Marine Environment and Water Conservation. Donations over €5 will put your name in the credits of our documentary to be released on April 1st. All supporters will have the opportunity to preview the documentary ahead of the official release on an exclusive Online Viewing Party on March 28th. 🌐 LINK IN BIO #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Humans are responsible for producing 300 million tons of plastic each year. Half of which is used only once then discarded away. What's even more destructive is that globally, 5 to 13 million tons of plastics end up in our oceans each year. Can you picture 350 thousand shipping containers filled with plastic being dumped into the ocean globally? Our mission is to bring back clean water to the oceans by encouraging the protection of healthy and plastic-free coastlines. We produced a 30-minute documentary that shows how innovative ideas are helping solve the plastic crisis. And you too can participate by helping us fund our The Planet Calls Startup Accelerator that supports new ideas that value Ecosystem and Biodiversity and care about Climate Change, Marine Environment and Water Conservation. Donations over €5 will put your name in the credits of our documentary to be released on April 1st. All supporters will have the opportunity to preview the documentary ahead of the official release on an exclusive Online Viewing Party on March 28th. 🌐 LINK IN BIO 👆 #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
There's no Planet B. Please Sign Our Petition to the Irish Government and Show Your Support to the Planet. 👆👆👆 LINK IN THE BIO ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Your Email for the Planet 🙏 LINK IN BIO 🙏 Please Sign Our Petition to the Irish Government and Show Your Support to the Planet.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Your Signature Will Save Marine Lives. LINK IN BIO 👆👆👆⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Please Sign Our Petition to the Irish Government and Show Your Support to the Planet. 👆👆👆 LINK IN BIO ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
♻ What else could Ireland be doing to create a cradle-to-cradle mindset when it comes to the packing industry?⠀ ⠀ ✔ New packaging legislation; ⠀ ✔ Boost recycling targets for producers;⠀ ✔ Prepare the producers for better recycling strategies; ✔ Consumers voting with their wallets;⠀ ⠀ 👉 At The Planet Calls, we believe that first and foremost, manufacturers are responsible for reducing packaging waste, followed by retailers and then legislators. Where consumers fit into the equation of reducing plastic packaging is by refusing it at the point of sale and pushing back in producers. ⠀ ⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
The new partnership with Dunia Designs @duniadesigns, effective now in February 2020, is seen as strategic for the Ecopreneurs involved as Ireland is failing to recycle its waste that is frequently spotted all over its shoreline making Ireland the perfect ground for upscaling Dunia's proven and effective solution to plastics. "By shifting the responsibility of waste management from government to the private industry, we are able to internalise waste management costs as well as implement circular economy principles at the heart of every business. Through our partnership with Dunia Designs, we are focused on developing an economy for secondary raw material which is produced from waste. The Planet Calls are delighted to have Dunia Designs on board and look forward to a fruitful collaboration in the future." said Leslie Maliepaard @lesmaliepaard, the co-founder of The Planet Calls, about the new collaboration. Dunia Designs was created out of a personal desire of its co-founder, Evanna Lyons, to clean a dirt road in the African country. The idea was so popular among locals and with their help, the company grew to produce "greenwood" on a large scale for other businesses that want to replace wood in their product lines. It's no surprise that to date, Dunia has been a real success. The company has created a line of bespoke furniture products made of plastic and also supplied the furniture, from the bed to the TV cabinet, to a new housing development of 500 homes with her "greenwood" products. It's no surprise that to date, Dunia has been a real success. The company has created a line of bespoke furniture products made of plastic and also supplied the furniture, from the bed to the TV cabinet, to new housing development of 500 homes with her "greenwood" products. #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
There's no Planet B. Please Sign Our Petition to the Irish Government and Show Your Support to the Planet. 👆👆👆 LINK IN THE BIO ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Your Email for the Planet 🙏 LINK IN BIO 🙏 Please Sign Our Petition to the Irish Government and Show Your Support to the Planet.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Your Signature Will Save Marine Lives. LINK IN BIO 👆👆👆⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Please Sign Our Petition to the Irish Government and Show Your Support to the Planet. 👆👆👆 LINK IN BIO ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #CrushPlastic #NoMorePlastic #ThePlanetCalls #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #PlasticFree #Recycle #CircularEconomy #EcoMonday #Cleantech #Green #Environment #Organic #SolarEnergy #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthTour #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #WBAF #LeslieMaliepaard #Fortrino
Our co-founder @lesmaliepaard 's latest article. "How TEDx Helped Me Attract Support for Eliminating Marine Plastic Pollution. " 💬 Being somewhat nervous of public speaking, I made a break-through this year with my first @tedxluxembourgcity talk in Luxembourg on Sunday, the 8th of December 2019. Driven by my personal mission to help clear the oceans of plastic pollution, I was enormously excited to be sharing my mission through such an incredibly powerful platform. My intention was for people to sit up and understand what a huge problem the oceans and marine life are facing. And they did! Originally my mission started off as a one-woman campaign. However, after this TEDx weekend in Luxembourg, I feel most fortunate to have met a group of cross-sector entrepreneurs interested in supporting me and moving things forward on critical global issues. The audience engagement on the topic completely blew me away. I feel overwhelmed and humbled by the response and support I've received. People are realising that we don't have much time left to reverse the damage plastic has made to our oceans. They understand that reducing our reliance on plastic means circulating it better by turning it into a commodity. Moving forward, I am excited to be discussing innovations and finding solutions to marine plastic pollution, making better choices and implementing a circular economy. Together with entrepreneur and sustainability advocate, Amour Setter (@thatsuitcasegirl ), we founded a non-profit organisation called The Planet Calls aimed at guiding business model pioneers through our sustainability accelerator. Our vision is so powerful that our accelerator has partnered with Groningen Seaport's (@groningenseaports) in the Netherlands. A partnership that will give us a sliver of "the sea" to explore and to test the innovation of our Startups. Their CEO, Cas König said: "A collaborative effort with The Planet Calls is a new step in the development of an innovative ecosystem for the port authority." 👉 READ MORE at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-tedx-helped-me-attract-support-eliminating-marine-maliepaard/ Images by @dominikamontonenkoivisto and @kaorianne
In almost exactly a year’s time, nearly 200 countries will have the chance to go back to the drawing board and make revisions to their Paris Agreement commitments. It sounds boring, but those voluntary commitments are pretty much the only global tool humanity currently has at its disposal to fight the looming climate crisis. What these countries decide to do when they get together in Glasgow next November to update their commitments will quite literally determine whether the planet devolves into a climate-wrecked hellscape or starts tracking a far more livable course.
A new company called Unocup is securing financial backing through Kickstarter for an innovative paper coffee cup that ditches plastic and embraces an ergonomic and spill-resistant integrated lid. The idea, conceived by designers Tom Chan and Kaanur Papo, is aimed directly at combatting the 8.25 million tons of plastic waste that enters the oceans each year. In New York City alone, nearly 1.5 billion plastic coffee lids are discarded annually.
Fatima-Zahra Ibrahim from the Green New Deal UK group showed the film A Message From the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a Sheffield Greens workshop last weekend. The film looks back from a world in which everyone has access to the resources for a decent life and is treated with respect and ensured dignity, and argues that our current economic, social and environmental crises can be resolved through democracy and greater equality. It is, as you might expect, an America-specific picture, and Fatima said she hoped there’d soon be a comparable British work. I echoed this in my talk, and also stressed that we desperately need more creative imaginings - more pictures painted, more movies made, more novels written that envisage not disaster, collapse or apocalypse, but a society that works out, a society with equality, security, respect for all, a society in which humans live within the physical limits of the planet.
Amazon forests with the greatest evolutionary diversity are the most productive, an international team of researchers led by the University of Leeds have revealed. The team used long term records from 90 plots as part of the Amazon Forest Inventory Network (RAINFOR) and ForestPlots.net to track the lives and productivity of individual trees across the Amazon region. By combining these records with DNA sequence data – which identified the evolutionary relationships among all the species – the team was able to investigate the links between how fast different forests grow and their diversity.
Sleep is bliss, but it isn’t always environmentally responsible. Many mattresses contain a toxic brew of chemicals — from flame-retardant chemicals like polybrominated diphenyl ethers to formaldehyde and mercury — as well as petroleum-based ingredients. In recent years, sustainable mattress companies have risen to the challenge of making a clean, earth-friendly bed. Some of these environmentally responsible companies sell “mattresses-in-a-box,” which are delivered in a small box and expand. Earth911 collected supply chain, certification, and manufacturing details for 10 sustainable mattress manufacturers to help shoppers find the best earth-friendly sleep. We’ve filtered out all companies that do not make an explicit promise that their products are green and healthy.
Nearly three quarter of a million trees are winging their way across the UK as part of the Woodland Trust’s Big Climate Fightback. Almost 4,000 schools and community groups will be taking delivery of the free saplings over the next two weeks, and while each group has its own reasons for planting, every tree will count towards the Trust’s campaign to help tackle climate change. The Big Climate Fightback aims to get more than a million people to pledge to plant a tree on the run up to a mass day of planting across the UK on 30 November. Everyone that applied for a tree pack will be added to the list of pledges.
Governments around the world urgently must prepare for nearly 4 feet of sea level rise before the end of the century, with creeping tides expected to have drastic impacts on coastal communities and infrastructure, the United Kingdom's leading engineering professional body has warned. With global greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise and average temperature records hitting their highest levels in human history, scientists are increasingly observing extensive and more frequent polar ice cap melting, which in turn is leading to rising seas that threatens coastlines. Tides could rise higher than previously expected and have huge direct impacts on coastal and riverside communities, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) warned in a new report released last week, yet governments, businesses and investors around the world are still vastly ill-prepared for the threat their assets face.
The good news is that the U.S. transportation sector is electrifying at an unprecedented rate. In 2018, 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) were on the road, and recent studies (PDF) project that by 2030, about 20 million EVs will be deployed across the country. Globally, this number could surpass 250 million EVs by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Although EVs are two to three times more efficient than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles and have no emissions at the tailpipe, the reduction in GHG emissions and overall air quality benefits they bring depend on the mix of generation sources on the grid used to charge them. In some cases, EVs could result in substantial GHG emissions or even help extend the life of fossil fuels, if charged primarily with fossil fuel-based generators. One study (PDF) found that in China, EVs can contribute two to five times more smog than gasoline-powered vehicles, due to the country’s reliance on a coal-fired grid. Acknowledging this, several utilities, automakers, cities and EV charging providers across the United States are rolling out new pilot programs and services that not only allow residential and commercial customers to use renewable energy for their EVs electricity needs, but also to charge at times that help integrate more renewable energy sources on the grid.
It’s the year that the Swedish concept of flygskam, or flying shame, hit headlines around the world. Now, it’s November and time for holiday travel. Unfortunately, you might feel like you’re choosing between hurting the environment and hurting Grandma’s feelings. If you find yourself traveling this time of year, here are some zero-waste tips to take the edge off your travel shame.
Just off the western Pacific shore of Panama lies Isla Palenque, a private island sanctuary with nearly 400 acres of lush jungle and a luxury resort that prides itself on low-impact living. Unlike the traditional beach resort, Isla Palenque promises paradise for wildlife and nature lovers who are invited to explore a relatively undeveloped island — over half of the island has been set aside as a nature reserve. From jungle hikes to kayaking to cooking classes and birdwatching, all activities at the award-winning resort aim to cultivate a greater appreciation of Panamanian biodiversity.
Actor, producer and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo joined Environmental Working Group, other public interest groups and advocates on Capitol Hill today in calling on Congress to protect Americans from toxic "forever chemicals" that contaminate drinking water, food, personal care products and more than 1,000 communities nationwide. Ruffalo produced and stars in 'Dark Waters,' a new feature film from Participant and Focus Features, which opens Friday. Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of environmental lawyer Rob Bilott, who took on DuPont after he uncovered evidence the company knowingly dumped toxic fluorinated chemicals, commonly called PFAS, into drinking water in and around Parkersburg, W.Va. Bilott joined Ruffalo for today’s events on Capitol Hill, including a press conference with Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) to kick off the “Fight Forever Chemicals” campaign, and meetings with key members of Congress. Between the news conference and meetings with lawmakers, Ruffalo and EWG Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber testified before a House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee investigating the national PFAS contamination crisis.
Hyatt Launches 3 Global Initiatives to Significantly Reduce Single-Use Plastics ⠀ ⠀ Hyatt Hotels Corporation is announcing a series of initiatives to reduce waste at Hyatt hotels globally, including introducing large-format bathroom amenities and reducing single-use water bottles by June 2021. The following initiatives will be introduced as soon as possible in properties around the world, and no later than June 2021:⠀ ⠀ Transitioning to large-format bathroom amenities to replace traditional small bottles of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion.⠀ Increasing the number of water stations in key public spaces at hotels for guests who wish to refill reusable water bottles.⠀ Serving water in carafes or other containers for meetings and events; bottled water will be available by request.⠀ Transitioning to large-format bathroom amenities and reducing single-use water bottles builds on Hyatt’s broader commitment to reduce disposables and select environmentally preferable options whenever possible, with the exception of when single-use bottles are needed for water quality reasons.⠀ ⠀ Other recent global initiatives have included removing plastic straws and drink picks and making alternative options available only by request at Hyatt hotels, and increasing the use of compostable, recyclable, or recycled content packaging for to-go food containers.⠀ ⠀
National Galleries Scotland ends BP relationship ⠀ ⠀ National Galleries Scotland has announced that it is ending its partnership with the oil company BP in response to the climate emergency.⠀ ⠀ In a statement posted on its website the gallery said: “The BP Portrait Award 2019 exhibition opens on 7 December at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. At the National Galleries of Scotland we recognise that we have a responsibility to do all we can to address the climate emergency. For many people, the association of this competition with BP is seen as being at odds with that aim.⠀ ⠀ "Therefore, after due consideration, the trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland have decided that this will be the last time that the galleries will host this exhibition in its present form.”
12 amazing message-in-a-bottle stories ⠀ ⠀ There's something undeniably romantic about tossing a message into the ocean and seeing to whom fate — abetted by the currents and wind — might deliver the marine missive.⠀ ⠀ Messages have been slipped into bottles and shipped on mysterious voyages at least since 310 B.C., when Greek philosopher Theophrastus employed the tactic to test his theory that the Atlantic flows into the Mediterranean Sea. And in fact, so-called "drift bottles" are still employed as a means of charting ocean currents.⠀ ⠀ But aside from researchers studying oceanic circulation, there are many other motives that compel people to cork up their words and send them on seafaring adventures. From rescue pleas and sad farewells to random notes, messages in bottles are a curious antidote to the high-speed modes of communication we've come accustomed to. The following are some of the more remarkable tales describing the journeys of messages delivered by the sea.
How to cut the cable cord and not miss a thing The Internet is taking over everything. For the first time, the number of people watching cable TV in America dropped by a quarter of a million subscribers in 2013. That's not a lot out of 100 million subscribers, but fast forward to 2018 and you see the direction things are going: In that year, the number of cord-cutters jumped 33% to roughly 33 million adults. It's not just the money, although cable is really expensive, averaging an amazing $156 per month; it's simply the fact that if you have Internet access, you really don't need it anymore. We haven't had a cable connection for about nine years, and the alternatives just keep getting better and better. There have been times that we missed it. My wife is obsessed with the Academy Awards, so we go to a friend's house and watch with them. It has turned into an annual ritual; the awards were streamed last year, but we still continued the party because it's so much fun. In the first few years, I will admit to doing a whole lot of illegal BitTorrent downloading, but with the exception of "Game of Thrones," I don't do that anymore — I promise, Scout's honor. I don't have to.
Scientists detect a massive thermonuclear explosion from outer space ⠀ ⠀ Not every bang that happens in space is a Big Bang.⠀ ⠀ In fact, the cosmos crackles and pops all the time. There are kilanovas — which are a kind of glitter-bomb, spewing gold and platinum. And black hole collisions that scatter matter and energy into the universe. And let's not forget the celestial stunner that is the supernova — the explosive swan song of a star. There's even a more intense variant called a hypernova, one of the most powerful explosions ever detected.⠀ ⠀ Then there's the massive thermonuclear explosion that NASA scientists detected last August. It came from a very distant galaxy, the space agency notes. But the blast was so vigorous, it produced an X-ray beam that was picked up by the NICER telescope on the International Space Station.⠀ ⠀ In fact, the explosion took just 20 seconds to produce as much energy as our sun does in 10 days. And it's likely the biggest blast of X-ray radiation we've ever detected.⠀ ⠀ "This burst was outstanding," astrophysicist Peter Bult notes in the NASA statement.
Wind and solar can save the planet — can they save our water supply, too? ⠀ ⠀ Solar panels and wind turbines are lifelines to any non-apocalyptic version of the future. They’ll help us keep the lights on, the air breathable, and the planet inhabitable. But while the climate and health benefits of wind and solar are well known, they have another, underappreciated feature that could come in handy in our inevitably warmer, drier future: They don’t rely on water.⠀ ⠀ A new study published in Nature Communications explores how this often overlooked benefit could help alleviate water scarcity and improve food security during a drought. The paper looks at California, where surface water — the kind found in rivers and lakes — is shared between hydropower facilities that produce electricity and farmers downstream who use it for irrigation. During a drought, there’s less surface water available, forcing farmers to turn to the groundwater found in aquifers to water their crops. After a recent five-year dry spell where groundwater was being pumped out faster than it could be replenished, California’s aquifers are now depleted.
Why self-care is essential for effective sustainability leadership ⠀ ⠀ Since this year’s Climate Week, ecological grief or depression has popped up in the news several times. For activists and those who work on environmental, climate and sustainability issues, we might feel angst, grief, anger and/or frustration each time we hear about another climate domino falling. We also may experience these emotions in those moments when we don’t feel our urgency to change laws, business models, structures or processes is heard.⠀ ⠀ I want to highlight that these feelings are completely normal. As a leadership development and executive coach, what interests me is how we deal with them.⠀ ⠀ When you experience deep emotions such as angst, grief, anger or frustration, what do you do? Ignore them? If you do, that wouldn’t surprise me. You would be following societal norms because our culture has a narrative around martyrdom, almost celebrating those that sacrifice their mental and physical health for a cause. If we do follow those societal norms, we respond with a flight/fight/freeze response.⠀ ⠀ In flight/fight/freeze responses, or limbic reactions, cortisol is released into our bloodstream, heart and breathing rates increase, muscles are tensed, our field of vision narrowed to focus on where we believe the danger lies, and we become more alert as we prepare to react.⠀ ⠀ This type of reaction is great for a few moments in order to (hopefully) ensure our survival for another day. Kept up over an extended period of time this is exhausting emotionally and physically.
One of the country’s biggest climate denier groups just did an about-face This past summer, members of Congress and environmental groups began using the hashtag #ChamberofCarbon to call out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its anti-climate agenda. As one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country, the Chamber has long been a central player in the network of organizations seeding denial about climate change. Its work includes spending millions of dollars influencing elections and lobbying in support of new oil and gas development, rollbacks of U.S. methane regulations, and the repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Until now, the pro-business group has also supported U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. In 2017, it funded a highly criticized report on the consequences of meeting the commitments of the pact. The report paints a bleak picture of economic downturn and was used by President Trump as evidence for pulling the U.S. out of the pact.
Beyond recycling: Redesigning the business of fashion with circularity ⠀ ⠀ The recent United Nations Climate Action Summit recorded an unprecedented level of commitment from the private sector, from finance to fashion. As the discussion on climate change takes center stage, the environmental credentials of the fashion business once again have been brought to light. The fashion industry, with its complex supply chains and energy-intensive production processes, contributes 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.⠀ ⠀ Skin-deep and short-term promises are no longer sufficient to put the sector back on track. It is time for brands to make fundamental and long-term commitments to redesign and rethink their textile value chain: substituting the linear "take-make-waste" operations with circularity initiatives. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy, as opposite to linear economy, is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use and regenerating natural systems.
Keep Cumbrian Coal in the hole ⠀ ⠀ The campaign group Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole is launching a new fight against Cumbria County Council’s decision to approve West Cumbria Mining’s planning application for a new deep coal mine.⠀ ⠀ The plans were ratified by the Development Control and Regulation Committee of Cumbria County Council on 31 October in Kendal to shouts of 'disgusting, shame on you' from the public gallery.⠀ ⠀ The group has been opposing the mine since 2017 and says it wants to 'up the ante' and raise enough funds for a full legal challenge against the first deep coal mine in the UK in decades.
Wildlife killings on Scotland’s grouse moors ⠀ ⠀ Red grouse (Lagopus lagopus) are wild birds that live in heather moorlands of the UK and Ireland. ⠀ ⠀ In order to keep red grouse numbers as high as possible, gamekeepers routinely kill predators, such as foxes and stoats, undertake large-scale mountain hare culls and, on some estates, illegally persecute birds of prey, such as hen harriers and golden eagles.⠀ ⠀ A fifth of upland Scotland is used for driven grouse shooting, with the land being managed to maximise the number of red grouse available for shooting.
Rapid, widespread energy transition essential ⠀ ⠀ Rapid and widespread changes are needed across the world's energy systems to tackle climate change and ensure sustainable development, experts have said.⠀ ⠀ In its annual World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that in a scenario based on countries' stated intentions, targets and existing measures, the rises in greenhouse gases slow but do not peak before 2040.⠀ ⠀ It would leave hundreds of millions of people still without access to electricity, early deaths due to pollution would remain at today's raised levels, and carbon emissions would lock in severe impacts of climate change, the IEA warned.
Consumers need more affordable access to healthy and sustainable living New research in the United States and across 25 countries reveals significant opportunities for business and government to enable sustainable living for the benefit of both people and the planet. Results from GlobeScan’s Healthy & Sustainable Living Consumer Insights Study 2019 show that many Americans are very concerned about environmental issues and many are interested in leading healthy and sustainable lives, but few are able to do so effectively. People say they need government and business to help, not least by providing products and services that make healthy and sustainable living affordable and easy. The Healthy & Sustainable Living study (PDF) was collaboratively designed and launched with a range of partners including IKEA, P&G, PepsiCo, VF Corporation, Visa and WWF International to help companies better understand the barriers and enablers of living in a way that is good for people and the planet. The study surveyed 25,000 people across 25 countries, including 1,000 respondents in the USA, to explore current understanding, concerns, expectations and opportunities to support healthier and more sustainable lifestyles.
Does water stewardship lead to brand value? Each of us spends a significant amount of time working with companies that are seeking a more strategic approach to corporate water stewardship performance. We are also in dialogue with companies that want to enhance brand value through credible and transparent water-related actions and claims. To a certain extent, consumer preferences for buying sustainable products, and desire for more transparency, inform corporate water strategy. These trends were a catalyst for us to write about the relationship between a corporate water strategy and brand value. Before we tackle the question posed in the headline, let’s highlight the importance of brand value for a company. Brand value is part of intangible value. According to a recent study by Aon and Ponemon Institute, the value of intangible assets are about five times greater than tangible assets for most major businesses. This is about 84 percent of the total value of the S&P 500 companies. According to the survey, in 2018, tangibles for companies in real estate and equipment comprised only 16 percent of company value, while intangibles such as intellectual property rights and reputation accounted for 84 percent. Because information technology companies appeared in the 1980s, intangible asset value has increased — it overtook the value for tangibles before 1995, when it was reported that intangibles represented more than twice their value.
McDonald’s USA Achieves 100% Sustainably Sourced Coffee Goal, 1 Year Ahead of Schedule McDonald’s USA announced today that 100% of the ground and whole bean coffee for US restaurants is sustainably sourced, achieving the company’s 2020 goal one year ahead of schedule. Coffee for McDonald’s USA restaurants is verified sustainable through McDonald’s McCafé Sustainability Improvement Platform (SIP), a coffee sustainability program developed in partnership with Conservation International, or sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Through the McCafé SIP program, McDonald’s has invested in coffee growers and their communities for the long term. For example, in 2018 across Colombia, McDonald’s, in partnership with supplying roasters, supported more than 3,700 farmers through trainings, individual farm visits to provide technical guidance, community support, and premium payments to support farmer economic viability. In the Antioquia region of Colombia, McDonald’s sustainability efforts have helped result in impacts like reducing water consumption by 36,000 liters per year, planting 326,000 new coffee trees and rehabilitating millions more. In January, McDonald’s agreed to end the use of polystyrene foam packaging globally by the end of this year.
Holiday Prep: Keeping the Kitchen Clean and Natural. If you’re in charge of a holiday meal, you’re focused on menu-planning, gathering quality ingredients, and creating a festive atmosphere. You also want your kitchen to be as clean as possible and your celebration to be super-wholesome and eco-friendly. That includes making safe and natural cleaning choices as you prep — and while you cook. Cooking can be natural and a foundational step in the recycling and composting process, if you follow a few simple rules to reduce food waste and toxins related to kitchen cleaning, it can make a big difference for the planet. Set Up Sanitize Mop Wipe Clean Up
Antarctica’s first zero emission research station shows that sustainable living is possible anywhere As a scientist investigating climate change, I’m embarrassed by the high carbon footprint I have when I travel to, and work in, Antarctica. Researchers based in the UK regularly take four or five flights to reach the continent and the stations we visit rely on electricity from fossil fuels. Our food is shipped in and our waste is returned by ship to South Africa, South America or New Zealand. When we venture further afield for research and set up a temporary camp, a portable generator is flown in with us, along with our snowmobiles. Antarctica is the most remote and inhospitable place on Earth, so it’s no surprise that people based there have struggled to break out of convenient habits. It’s cold. There are 24 hours of darkness in winter. Icicles build up on solar panels operating during the summer months and the concrete foundations for wind turbines won’t set in the cold. It’s expensive to ship in renewable energy components and it’s difficult to find warm and dry places to keep large batteries for storing energy. These challenges are real, and yet, I’ve seen how they can be overcome at Antarctica’s only zero-emission research base, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station in East Antarctica. The base is staffed during the summer season from October to March, when the majority of scientists – like me – conduct their research.
Deep sleep is important for all aspects of your health, so it makes sense that during that time, there's a lot of activity going on in your brain. Brain waves that occur during this period — when you're in your deepest resting state — seem to trigger a type of cleaning system. ⠀ ⠀ The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that is released washes away toxic proteins, thereby protecting the brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to new research.⠀ ⠀ To examine how this power-washing worked, researchers at Boston University had 11 participants spend the night in the lab, sleeping inside an MRI machine. They started the tests at midnight, according to Wired, so that the subjects would be tired and would be more likely to fall asleep.⠀ ⠀ Electrodes monitored the electrical currents in their brains while the MRI measured the blood oxygen levels in their brains and where and how much cerebrospinal fluid was flowing.
Italy is to become the first country to make climate change lessons compulsory for schoolchildren.⠀ ⠀ Lorenzo Fioramonti, the education minister, has announced all state schools will dedicate almost one hour per week to climate change issues from the start of the next academic year.⠀ ⠀ Traditional subjects, such as geography, mathematics and physics, will also be studied from the perspective of sustainable development, said the former university economics professor.⠀ ⠀ The minister said: “The entire ministry is being changed to make sustainability and climate the centre of the education model.
Suffering from eco-anxiety but don’t know what to do to save the planet? You’re not alone. Two thirds of Brits are concerned about climate change and even more are prepared to make changes to green their lifestyle. More than two thirds of people are prepared to make lifestyle changes to live more sustainably but over 40 percent are unclear what action they should take to make a difference. Friends of the Earth have launched a new campaign recommending that people switch to a 100 percent renewable energy company to help tackle the climate emergency.
As we breathe smoky air from another devastating wildfire that is threatening Northern California communities, we are once again reminded of the need to aggressively address climate change locally and around the globe. The fires follow catastrophic damage from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and historic flooding in the Midwest. As the frequency and strength of extreme weather events increase, the effect of climate change on our planet and communities has become ever-present — making it harder for citizens, governments and businesses worldwide to ignore the impact. Kaiser Permanente and BSR recently partnered with Newsweek for a survey of 300-plus multinational companies on progress toward carbon neutrality and found that 70 percent of corporations are experiencing disruptions in operations due to climate change. Now, these businesses’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and integrate sustainable practices into their operations have created new challenges — and opportunities — for global supply chains. According to the 2018 National Climate Assessment, we must achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier to prevent irreversible harm to our planet’s health. Newsweek’s survey results indicate momentum is building across industries to embrace sustainable programs.
Children believe that spending time in nature can give their schoolwork a boost, according to research. A new study into the impact of outdoor activity on children's wellbeing suggests that being outside can also make youngsters feel more confident and capable of trying new things. The Wildlife Trusts, which commissioned the study, said the findings show that children experience "profound and diverse benefits" through having regular contact with nature, and that every child should have the chance to "experience the joy of wildlife in daily life."
The global marine industry is increasingly focused on reducing its carbon footprint. In fact, over the next 10 years, the only issue seen as having a greater impact is a potential global financial crisis, according to findings from the Global Maritime Issues Monitor 2019, compiled by the Global Maritime Forum in partnership with the International Union of Marine Insurance and Marsh JLT Specialty. The marine industry aims to halve its carbon footprint by 2050. But the technology is missing to do this.
At our current climate trajectory, humanity will likely face “untold suffering,” as reported in a new study signed by more than 11,000 scientists around the globe. Moral obligation has prompted this Alliance of World Scientists to “tell it like it is,” by issuing a warning that human activity is accelerating the climate emergency “faster than most scientists expected. It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity.”
Thank you to my lovely customer Amanda from @lessplasticuk , I love this 🌿🍀🌱 Your candles will be on the way this week 💚 I'm so proud that all my parcels are sent plastic free, and I reuse all my packaging too, so my candles dont cost the earth 🌏🌎🌍 Thank you so much @lessplasticuk , what a true inspiration you are! Xxx
Is this what you want? 🌏 Repost from @muah_irinaelis
What do firefighting chemicals do to a forest?
America chose the path to self-destruction. What about the rest of us?
“By 2050, there is expected to be more plastic in the ocean than fish.” -World Economic Forum Report Repost from @pathwater #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
Did you know? Canadian researchers found that plastic tea bags can release billions of microplastics into your drink. Plastic teabags are generally used by premium brands and contain polypropylene. These are generally the ones with a pyramid shape. Researchers found that a single plastic teabag can release ~ 11 billion microplastics in your tea. Even if most of the teabags are made from paper, they still contain a small amount of polypropylene used to seal the bag which makes them non-recyclable and non-compostable. Although some brands are starting to create compostable teabags, they still produce a huge amount of waste due to individual packaging. So what can you do? Buy your tea in bulk (loose), and use a tea infuser or tea strainer. Zero waste, zero plastic! 😉 Easy! Source: BBC Repost from @easyecotips
If you’re ready to get rid of the pumpkin sitting on your front step, here are a few ways to ditch it without making any trash 🎃 #obafeminathaniel
The average American throws away nearly 7 pounds of trash daily! Can you believe it? Repost from @downtothelaststraw #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
A day in the life with @4ocean_bali Repost from @4ocean #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
Scientists Found an Edible Mushroom That Eats Plastic, and It Could Clean Our Landfills. A newly-discovered type of mushroom could slash plastic pollution, but also has a myriad of other uses in addressing the environmental crises we face. . #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
Robert Downey Jr. hopes the foundation can leverage nanotechnology and robots to make strides toward the goal of a clean planet. . . . . #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
Coffee cup waste. #butlerschocolatecafe please make a plan with this, it’s just not sustainable only offering takeaway cups at the airport . . . #CircularEconomy #CleanTech #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #CrushPlastic #EcoMonday #Environment #Fortrino #Green #GreenPeace #IrelandDaily #LeslieMaliepaard #NoMorePlastic #Organic #PlanetEarth #PlanetEarthisBlue #PlanetEarthLive #PlanetEarthTour #PlasticFree #Recycle #SavePlanet #SavePlanetEarth #SolarEnergy #ThePlanetCalls #WBAF
It’s time to refuse #singleuse plastics! • Oceans must be a priority 🌊 • Photo by: @use_brain_not_plastic • Follow 👉 @teamterraoath 🌍🌍🌍 Follow 👉🏿 @teamterraoath 🌏🌏🌏 Follow 👉🏻 @teamterraoath 🌎🌎🌎 & SHARE 🗣! • #earthdayeveryday #teamearth
Drop a comment below if you agree 👇👇 Don't forget to follow @obafemi_nathaniel. Let's stop using plastics. It's harming everyone including us!
Misplaced priority! If only we can set our priority right, then we all can live happily ever after. . What do you think about this tweet? Comments below 👇 👇 👇