Earth911.com's Sustainability In Your Ear

In the industrial era, home is where the carbon is. The built environment accounts for about 40% of annual CO2 emissions globally. An MIT urban and environmental study recently reported that the materials used to build a new home could generate between 15 and 100 tons of CO2eq. Meet Mike Anderson, CEO and Design Leader at Passive Design Solutions, a pioneer in the industry who has worked on more than 100 passive single- and multi-family home projects. A passive home design can reduce the embodied carbon footprint during construction and provide long-term energy savings that cut emissions and monthly bills. Passive Design Solutions offers downloadable passive and net-zero home plans that a certified construction professional can build. Mike's business partner, Natalie Leonard, wrote about passive house designs for Earth911 last year. He shares his thoughts on the evolution of sustainable building technology, the market for environmentally responsible single- and multi-family homes, and some improvements current owners and renters can make without upgrading to a new house. You can learn more about Passive Design Solutions and find their home plans at https://www.passivedesign.ca/

Finding regeneratively grown agricultural products is getting easier. Our guest today is Wyatt Ball, business development manager for Land to Market. The program focuses on connecting brands, producers, and participants in the food supply chain through their shared concern for land health. The practice of regenerative agriculture first took root in the 1960s and 70s after publisher Robert Rodale coined the team. But in recent years, an explosion of interest in regenerative practices following the release of the film Kiss the Soil and during frightening evidence that climate change is accelerating. Regenerative agriculture has been shown to restore topsoil lost to erosion. It could help to capture and store atmospheric carbon to help draw down the CO2 warming our planet.Standards take time to develop, and we wanted to invite back the Savory Institute for an update about a leading regenerative labeling program, the Land to Market label. Founded in 2018, the Land to Market program helps companies source verified raw materials from regenerating land worldwide using empirical monitoring data from its Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) monitoring program. The Land to Market team currently tracks 3.5 million acres tracked through the Land to Market program and has certified more than 1,000 products. In addition to consumers, Land to Market educates farmers about emerging regenerative practices with continuing guidance to farmers about how to improve land health. Because no two farms are alike, Land to Market avoids being dogmatic about which regenerative strategies to use, emphasizing a holistic land management philosophy based on scientific insights into soil health. You can learn more about Land to Market label at https://www.landtomarket.com/

Plastic politics are in the news. Three converging debates will shape the future of plastic manufacturing and recycling: At the global level, the United Nations is negotiating the terms of a worldwide plastics treaty, while in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has introduced a draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution and the Federal Trade Commission is working on updating its Green Guides, the rules that govern the advertising of environmental and recycling claims. Dr. Anja Malawi Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy for Ocean Conservancy, returns to the show to discuss the state of plastic packaging regulations and extended producer responsibility laws. Anja is an environmental engineer who helped draft landmark state and national legislation regulating plastic pollution in recent years.Anja last appeared on the show to discuss unnecessary plastics in March 2022. She recently authored Ocean Conservancy’s recommendations to the FTC about labeling plastics to indicate their recyclability. Anja summarized the challenging recycling information we all struggled with when she wrote, “Consumers should not need a Ph.D. in plastics to understand what to do with their plastic packaging.”Recyclability and compostability need to be clarified terms, and local services, not national rules, determine the natural options available to each of us. You can learn more about the Ocean Conservancy at https://oceanconservancy.org/

The sustainability community has a carbon fixation, yet non-CO2 emissions, such as methane and nitrous oxide, account for a quarter of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, water, biodiversity, and many other factors contribute to the environmental damage our economy causes. A more comprehensive view of our impacts is needed to consider solutions to the complex, systemic changes needed to avert global warming catastrophe. Meet Steve Davis, Head Climate Scientist at Watershed, a carbon tracking platform for large organizations, and Professor of Earth Systems Science at UC Irvine. Steve's wide-ranging research has examined the CO2, methane, and other emissions generated by wildfires, the impact of flooding and heat risks in major cities, how airlines can achieve net-zero emissions, and the various natural and technological approaches to removing carbon from the atmosphere.Steve was a corporate lawyer in Silicon Valley before becoming a leading climate research scientist. He contributed to the energy systems section of the recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change AR6 Synthesis Report. He also co-authored the climate mitigation chapter of the soon-to-be-released Fifth National Climate Assessment report from the US Global Change Research Program. To learn more about Steve's research, visit https://www.ess.uci.edu/~sjdavis/ and the information about the Watershed carbon tracking tool is available at https://watershed.com/

Trvl Channel hosts Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau join a special World Oceans Day conversation with Mitch Ratcliffe and Newday Impact Investing CEO Doug Heske about the rapidly declining krill population in the Southern Antarctic Ocean. These tiny crustaceans that are the keystone of a critical carbon cycle are threatened with extinction from overharvesting to make heart- and brain-healthy Omega-3 oils and for use as filler in animal feed. Just as humans once hunted whales almost to extinction, krill are being harvested extensively in the Antarctic Southern Ocean, so much so that the species is at risk. Demand for products made from krill has reduced populations by as much as 80% since the 1970s, and they could face losses of another 40% because of the impacts of climate change. Philippe and Ashlan explain how krill power the largest carbon sink on the planet -- it sequesters more CO2 than the Amazon, and share a warning for consumers: avoid krill-based products to avoid contributing to the collapse of the Antarctic food chain and ask for algae-based alternatives. EarthEcho International, the youth ocean education nonprofit Philippe founded, and Newday Impact are collaborating to launch a krill-protection-focused exchange-traded fund that will support public awareness and the development of sustainable alternatives. They encourage young people to join the movement for ocean health at https://joingensea.org/.Krill are tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans that serve as a primary food source for many marine animals, including fish, whales, seals, and penguins in the Antarctic Southern Ocean. Just as humans once hunted whales almost to extinction, krill are being harvested extensively in the Antarctic Southern Ocean, so much so that the species is at risk. Demand for products made from krill has reduced populations by as much as 80% since the 1970s, and they could face a loss of another 40% because of the impacts of climate change. The solution Ashlan and Philippe suggest is a remarkable example of a broad solution that addresses many climate-related problems. As we’ve heard on previous shows, algae oil is an ingredient in nutritious foods, sustainable fuels, and compostable plastics or fabrics. The introduction of land-based algae farming can support millions of prosperous farmers, especially in the global south, where climate change already makes land too arid for traditional agriculture.Discover more about krill fishing and EarthEcho International at https://www.earthecho.org/ and the Newday Impact Investing Ocean Health ETF (NYSE: AHOY) at https://newdayimpact.com/ocean-health/

Extended producer responsibility, the idea that manufacturers of products and packaging should take responsibility for collecting and recycling the things they make, is a hot topic in the sustainability and business worlds. One EPR bill has passed so far in 2023, Washington State’s SB 5144, which requires battery makers to be responsible for the environmental management of their products. Meet Scott Cassel, founder and CEO of the Product Stewardship Institute, a nonprofit that advocates and consults to develop circular economy solutions and extended producer responsibility legislation. Scott and PSI were key players in the Washington legislation.A typical concern promoted by companies about proposed EPR laws is the cost to the consumer. However, history shows that, for example, bottle deposit systems improve collection rates substantially. States with bottle bills collect 65% of bottles, while those without collect about 24% -- bottle bills more than double collection rates. Columbia University research estimated a maximum increase in monthly grocery bills of $4 per household with robust EPR programs in place. The environmental benefits of EPR are clear, but the economic impact is most impressive. As part of the economy shifts to managing and moving products back to manufacturers for recycling, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that materials moving job jobs will grow by 6.5% by 2031, or ~861,000 new jobs, and as many as 304,000 new repair, maintenance, and waste management jobs are also exacted by 2031. The Circular Economy is full of opportunity and the potential to create a more equitable nation. You can learn more about Scott and the Product Stewardship Institute at https://productstewardship.us/

Zac Clark, founder and executive director of the HomeMore Project in San Francisco, returns to share an update. The HomeMore Project has distributed several hundred solar-powered backpacks, the Makeshift Traveler, which features a built-in charging station packed with an AM/FM radio, rechargeable flashlight, sleeping bag, and other necessities. When we first talked with Zac in January 2022, when he was a Junior at the University of San Francisco, the Makeshift Traveler was a prototype. Today, the organization has delivered hundreds of backpacks and has extended the program to other parts of California.Homelessness has been on the rise in the United States since 2015. As of 2022, a Housing and Urban Development survey found that more than 582,000 people lived on the street — about 18 people for every 10,000 Americans. Getting off the street requires connecting to wireless services, with all the technology necessary, from a mobile phone, which about 70% of people without housing do have, to chargers and access to information to find resources, treatment for medical and addiction issues, and apply for work. In March, the HomeMore Project completed its first government contract, delivering 60 MakeShift Travelers for homeless veterans in Palo Alto, California. You can learn more about the HomeMore Project and its MakeShift Traveler backpack at https://thehomemoreproject.org/

Making circular living easy for people is the key to achieving our sustainability goals. The take-make-waste linear economy has excelled at making the disposal of products and packaging easy, but only if you consider the landfill an environmentally responsible solution (it's not). Now we need to make collecting and reusing items as convenient as tossing packaging in the trash after one use. James Wilson, the founder of Hickory Corners, Michigan-based reUser, which is working to reduce the volume of food service and takeout packaging waste with reusable containers for college and corporate cafeterias, joins the conversation to discuss building circular services. Currently available at Wesleyan, Trinity, and Cornerstone Universities, the reUser services combine convenient drop-off bins placed on campuses with a mobile app that helps diners track and return takeout containers and understand the impact of their reuse habits. reUser's platform represents the beginning of a collection, cleaning, and reuse economy that could be attached to many linear customer experiences, such as the collection of ecommerce boxes from homes and offices, recovery of hard-to-recycle packaging, and, of course, in the fast food and quick service restaurant industry. There are many steps to master in any service experience, and reUser is an intriguing example of how local circular services could grow. You can learn more about reUser at https://www.reuser.app/

Is there enough lithium in the United States to fulfill the made-in-America requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act's tax incentive programs for new electric vehicles? The International Energy Agency projects that the world will need 1063 kilotons of lithium in 2040. That’s 48 times the volume of lithium used in EVs and electricity storage in 2020. Where will it come from? Our guest today is Jack Lifton, a physical chemist who has worked for the past 60 years on the purification of rare metals for the electronics and energy storage industries. He is the co-chairman of the Critical Minerals Institute, an international professional organization focused on battery and technology materials, and an advisor to One World Lithium, a lithium extraction technology company. One World Lithium has developed a lithium carbonation process that Jack suggests can produce more battery-grade material than more heat- and pressure-intensive approaches. Now that we clearly see the depth of the climate crisis, lithium, the basis for most batteries used in electric vehicles, might be called the most critical mineral on the planet. China currently dominates the extraction and processing of lithium, and has locked up access to lithium and other critical minerals sources in parts of Africa and Latin America. Jack argues that the United States needs to rethink its industrial strategy to focus on STEM skills and low-impact manufacturing processes to make the turn from fossil fuels to electrification, including finding equitable partnerships with countries in the Global South that hold large reserves of lithium, cobalt, and other critical minerals. You can learn more about Jack Lifton and the Critical Minerals Institute at https://criticalmineralsinstitute.com/ and follow his regular columns at https://investorintel.com/

Can companies build circular services into their customer experience to earn a trusted relationship with the 81% of consumers who say they will buy more products and services from brands that help them live sustainably? We often talk about the Circular Economy and its benefits for people and the planet. Still, for many, the circular economy sounds like a lot of additional work to sort and drop off materials for reprocessing. And many people don't like the sound of "reduce and reuse" because the media tells us it means "less and worn out." That narrative needs to change. My special guest is Allen Adamson, author of the new book Seeing the How: Transforming What People Do, Not Buy, to Gain Market Advantage. Allen is a partner with Sustainability In Your Ear host Mitch Ratcliffe at global branding and marketing agency Metaforce.A more sustainable economy will be built on high-quality products that last longer and are energy- and water-efficient, representing new standards of value that include caring for the planet and ensuring resources are available for future generations. In "Seeing the How", Allen proposes employing eight distinct "lenses" to scrutinize a company's marketing, packaging, advertising, and selling strategies. The objective is to attract consumers to novel circular services that promote the reuse of materials and prevent them from ending up in landfills. Alen's lenses -- which include joining forces with other companies and customers, seeing like a concierge, and going the rental route -- are paths to a circular economy with new local layers that make recycling, composting, reuse, donations, and repairs a seamless part of every product experience. Join in a brainstorming session about building sustainability into everything. You can find "Seeing the How" on Amazon and Powell's Books, and learn more about Allen and Metaforce at metaforce.com.