Green Scene 02.14 - links of interest
Articles, links & tidbits for those interested in sustainability
I try to be more green -- as in conscious and contributing to the future of the planet. Especially as I work on energy, utilities and environmental research for IBM (By the way, the opinions I express here are my own.) As a researcher, I read a lot. Some of it, especially the good green stuff , I'll share with you.
And I'd love it if you shared stuff you find interesting -- even stuff you've written -- back with me - via the comments, or on LinkedIn or even Twitter, now that it might be safe to go back there.
So you're not ready to give up hamburgers quite yet...
Hey, I completely get it if you aren't ready to part with red meat yet. I eat it maybe a dozen times a year but now you can "get climate positive patties at home" from a site that bills itself as "the green red meat."
"How can red meat be climate positive?
Well, it’s quite simple really. GROUND patties genuinely do more to heal our environment than harm it. Our methods promote natures biodiversity in a BIG way and regenerative agriculture allows for CO2 to be sequestered back into the ground.
We are losing our biodiversity at an alarming rate and its so important for a healthy planet. As for the carbon, we all know it’s dangerous so removing it’s gotta be good right?!
Farms in America using these same methods have actually proven that while conventional beef contributes +33kg of Carbon per pound of meat, a holistically managed farm will remove -3.5kg.
And what’s more, they found plant-meat brands like Impossible and Beyond still contribute on average +3.75kg CO2 per pound to the atmosphere but who’s keeping score…
Because our methods are identical to those in this study we can all but guarantee our burgers are better than those produced from commercial farming and therefore more climate positive.
Obviously we hope to one day be able to commision our own study of our own farms. Watch this space!"So, it's not perfect but then who is?
Net Impact Challenge Grants - Call for Papers Supporting
Small Farmers Solutions and Net Zero
Up to five semi-finalists will be selected to participate in the eight-week 2021 Net Impact Accelerator run in partnership with Eidos Global’s Social Innovation Warehouse. Through this accelerator, participants will gain the connections, mentorship, and tools needed to successfully develop their solution into a scalable enterprise.
The Food Solutions Challenge is open to both students and professionals worldwide.
How it Works
Download the Challenge Brief.
Form a team of 2-4 and formulate a proposal that addresses the Challenge question (see the Challenge Brief).
Submit your solution by May 15, 2021. (Hint! Submit prior to March 15th and you will receive early bird feedback from Net Impact staff that you can use to improve your submission before the final deadline).
and while we are at it: Future of Energy Challenge: Net-Zero EmissionsAn accelerator and solutions competition focused on innovating solutions to address scope 3 emissions within the energy field.
Teams of undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in the U.S.
A community of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs and a chance to win $10,000 in funding
Early Bird Deadline: February 15, 2021 - Final Deadline: April 9, 2021
IBM isn't commitment shy - Carbon neutral without credits by 2030
Better to let you read it all yourselves, here's a bit of the announcement:
To achieve its net zero goal IBM will:
Reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 65% by 2025 against base year 2010. What's most important in the fight against climate change is to actually reduce emissions. The company's net zero goal is also accompanied by a specific, numerical target for residual emissions that are likely to remain after IBM has first done all it can across its operations to reduce.
Procure 75% of the electricity it consumes worldwide from renewable sources by 2025, and 90% by 2030.
Use feasible technologies, such as carbon capture (in or by 2030) to remove emissions in an amount which equals or exceeds the level of IBM's residual emissions.
IBM's net zero pledge also establishes near-term targets to drive accountability and progress now. It is transparent in terms of how the company calculates and reports renewable energy use. For example, IBM's target is based on the energy the company can actually consume, not on the purchase of unrelated, unbundled renewable energy certificates.
As part of IBM's commitment to sustainability and its focus on the application of science and technology to solve major societal challenges, IBM Research has launched a Future of Climate initiative designed to accelerate the discovery of solutions to address the impacts of a changing climate.
As a side note, I'm pretty clear with most people that I not only work for IBM, parts of my responsibilities include research for Energy, the Environment and Utilities. And yes, I am pretty stoked about this announcement.
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