Sustainable Stories - July 2021

Today Jason and Kelly will be providing an overview of the recent COP 28 that took place between November 30th to December 12th in Dubai. This Conference of Parties (COP) gathered to discuss all things climate change related. Specifically, they discussed reducing fossil fuel usage, loss and damage, adaptation, and food. So was this a good COP or a bad COP? Listen to find out!

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Sources:

• https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop28-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-dubai/

• https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Summary_GCA_COP28.pdf

• https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-what-is-the-global-stocktake-and-could-it-accelerate-climate-action/ 

• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/13/what-the-cop28-agreement-says-and-what-it-means

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2023/12/13/cop28-offers-transition-away-from-fossil-fuels-but-no-phaseout/?sh=7ba0abfa6587 

• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/17/cop28-sustainable-agriculture-food-greenhouse-gases 

Today Jason and Kelly will be covering the sustainable stories from the month of November. These stories include: MI Clean Energy Bills, Kenya tree planting, Deforestation decrease in Brazil, the Vatican going electric, and the first commercial transatlantic flight with SAF.

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Sources:

Kenya Tree Planting:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/07/kenya-makes-13-november-nationwide-tree-planting-day-a-public-holiday

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67400448

Tree Equity App:

https://www.treeequityscore.org/map#9/42.3854/-83.1075 

Amazon Deforestation:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-the-amazon-so-important-for-climate-change1/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/climate/amazon-deforestation.html

Vatican going electric:

https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-environment-volkswagen-058e7118a074c095a6b47cd1a770419d

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/pope-francis-get-all-electric-popemobile-ev-startup-fisker-n1268224 

Transatlantic SAF Flight:

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/virgin-atlantic-jet-lift-off-maiden-transatlantic-flight-low-carbon-fuel-2023-11-28/ 

Today I’ll be chatting with Jeff Grasser, Senior Resort Operations & Sustainability Manager for Copper Mountain Ski Resort located in Frisco, Colorado. It’s really exciting to be releasing this episode today, because as of this week, the 2023-2024 ski season at Copper is officially upon us. What’s also exciting is the fact that Copper Mountain is truly serious about their sustainability efforts through their Play Forever campaign. Jeff will be covering all of the pillars of that campaign including energy, waste, land, and community. He will be really diving into the land preservation and enhancement techniques that enhance biodiversity and carbon sequestration on the mountain.

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Copper Mountain Ski Resort

Copper Mountain Play Forever

POWDR

Today Jason and Kelly will be covering the sustainable stories from the month of October. These stories include Kelly getting a job, the Pope and climate change, California's senate bill 253, and the US clean hydrogen hubs.

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Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/climate/the-popes-warning-to-a-warming-world.html#:~:text=In%20clear%2C%20precise%20language%2C%20the,selfishly%20turning%20a%20blind%20eye.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/10/13/biden-harris-administration-announces-regional-clean-hydrogen-hubs-to-drive-clean-manufacturing-and-jobs/

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/gov-newsom-ratifies-emissions-law-impacts-5300-california-companies

Today I’ll be chatting with Paul Hickman, Owner and Founder of Urban Ashes in Ann Arbor, MI. Urban Ashes is an urban wood consulting and design company with a mission to collaborate with municipalities, businesses, and universities to design, develop, and implement circular UrbanWood Triconomies. I’ve been seeing a lot of beautiful furniture made from urban wood, so I’m really excited to learn more about all of the sustainable practices.

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Urban Ashes

Urban Wood Network

Today I’ll be chatting with Nick Kemp, Technical Director of Fresh Coast Climate Solutions. Fresh Coast is a climate consulting company focused on bold solutions and transformative action in various areas such as carbon and climate, water, biodiversity, cleantech, and ESG. This makes Nick the perfect person to talk about today’s topic - Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting 101. Recently, many of us have been hearing a variety of climate commitments from companies. From going carbon neutral or net zero to reducing scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and so on. But What exactly are these emissions that they are talking about and how are they calculated? Today, Nick is going to explain all of that!

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Sources:

Fresh Coast Climate Solutions

GHG Protocol

Science Based Targets (SBTi)

EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub

EPA eGRID

SEC Climate Disclosure Proposal

EU Law: CSRD

Michigan Climate Wise Program

Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

Today Jason and Kelly will be covering sustainable stories from the month of September 2023. These stories include: Shell moving away from offsets, heat pump efficiency, Climate Corps, Starbucks reusable cups, Lego ditching rPET, and Ireland refusing a new LNG terminal.

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Sources:

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/cost-effective-new-study-confirms-heat-pump-efficiency-freezing-temperatures

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/20/1200483937/biden-climate-corps-job-training

https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2023/09/15/planning-board-refuses-permission-for-650m-shannon-lng-terminal/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/climatecorps/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/08/shell-signals-retreat-from-carbon-offsetting

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2021/june/prototype-lego-brick-recycled-plastic?locale=en-us

https://time.com/6314978/sustainability-starbucks-cup-overhaul/ 

Today I’ll be chatting with Greg Woodring, President of Ann Arbor for Public Power. A2P2 is a group advocating for a 100% renewable, public-owned electric utility for the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to moving to Ann Arbor, I wasn’t too familiar with public power systems, but it turns out that they are more common than I thought. Check out today's episode to learn more!

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Ann Arbor for Public Power: https://annarborpublicpower.org/

Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility: https://www.a2gov.org/departments/sustainability/Sustainability-Me/Pages/Ann-Arbor's-Sustainable-Energy-Utility-(SEU).aspx

Today Jason and Kelly will be covering the sustainable stories from the month of August 2023. These stories include Vogtle Unit 3 being operational, Norway's largest floating wind farm, London's low emission zones, and Montana's climate lawsuit. 

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Sources:

https://www.georgiapower.com/company/news-center/2023-articles/vogtle-unit-3-goes-into-operation.html

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/23/norway-worlds-biggest-floating-wind-farm-will-power-oil-and-gas-platforms#:~:text=The%20world's%20biggest%20floating%20wind,nearby%20oil%20and%20gas%20platforms.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/28/cars/ulez-expansion-london-vehicle-emissions/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/14/montana-judge-sides-with-youth-in-climate-trial-00107668

Today I’ll be chatting with Jean-François Gauthier, VP of Strategic Initiatives at GHGSat - Global Emissions Monitoring. GHGSat is a global leader in greenhouse gas emissions monitoring. They use satellite based and aerial remote sensing technology to identify emissions such as methane leaks and provide this information to companies looking to better their environmental impact. I personally find this technology to be fascinating and am excited to learn more. 

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GHGSat: https://www.ghgsat.com/en/

Global Methane Pledge: https://www.globalmethanepledge.org/