Sustainability In Your Ear

Earth911 talks with Sarah Dearman, vice president of circular ventures a The Recycling Partnership, about the future of plastic, plastic recycling and the non-profit's new PlasticIQ initiative that provides tools for business to assess and optimize its packaging choices. We discuss the need to simplify our plastic system to make recycling easier and how to make it easy for people to recycle packaging and products made of plastic. The Recycling Partnership is one of the most dynamic and important non-profits working to introduce a circular economy in the United States. Established in 2014, it works with communities and business to create solutions for, among other things, recycling plastic and plastic films, as well as developing local recycling and consumer education programs to increase recovery rates.In May, The Recycling Partnership announced a free open-source digital tool, Plastic IQ, designed to help companies that use plastic packaging to develop waste-reduction strategies and put them into practice. It also helps to quantify the carbon emissions created by the use of plastic packaging, which is desperately needed to allow consumers to understand the consequences of their shopping choices. Walmart, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Nestle and other major consumer packaged goods companies are getting ready to use Plastic IQ.To learn more about The Recycling Partnership and PlasticIQ, visit https://recyclingpartnership.org/.

Earth911 talks with FreeWater Inc. founder Josh Cliffords, who has a radical idea to make water, juice and, ultimately, a wide range of products available for free using the same business model as online services like YouTube, using advertising. Josh shares a vision that includes building in a recovery system for packaging, using aluminum cans and hemp cartons made and filled near the customer, and 10 cents of each sale to support building water and sanitation systems around the world. Josh says he “wants to change the experience of giving to charity and giving back to society and make it as simple as drinking a free bottle of water or eating a free slice of pizza.” Here’s how it will work: The company will provide ad-labeled water to customers, such as auto dealerships, gyms and retail locations, which may have a cooler full of carton water, for example, that includes advertising with scannable codes — FreeWater earns its revenue from that advertising. You can also order water for delivery to your home, someday it could be delivered by Uber-like service people who also pick and process the empties for recycling.While it is early in the life of FreeWater, we find this one of the most interesting business concepts we've heard in a while. Josh envisions local production centers, and explains how McDonald's could provide ad-supported food and drink, and use reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging. Since advertising supports tracking of packaging, it can also help track flows within the consumer goods market, which would lead to rapid evolution of efficiencies -- today's economy wastes so much that the savings could deliver immense improvements in sustainability. He estimates that if 10% of Americans decide to choose FreeWater, the 10-cent contributions could provide enough funding to deliver water systems to the approximately 800 million people around the world who don’t have access to clean water and up to 3.6 billion people who experience a month of water shortages each year. It's a big idea facing many challenges, including the further commercialization and offering many permutations that could be applied in different food and goods markets.  Don't miss the interview. The FreeWater story will get you thinking. It's a radical idea that just might work.

Caspar Poyck, cofounder and senior director of plant operations at hard kombucha brewer Flying Embers shares how the company works to reduce its environmental footprint, including capturing the CO2 generated by its fermentation processes to add fizz to it fruit-flavored kombucha beverages. After the founders lived through the 2017 Thomas Fires in Ojai, Calif., they renamed the company Flying Embers to commemorate the victims of the tragedy and heroism of first responders who helped save the historic building where they started. The fire burned 440 square miles and was the largest wildfire in California history at the time. After confronting the blazing consequences of climate change, Flying Embers has embraced sustainability as a core tenet of its mission. Caspar and his team have worked to reduce the use of plastic in packaging, encourage recycling, and transform what used to be waste into valuable components of its products.For example, Flying Embers used to purchase industrially-made CO2 to carbonate its kombucha, even though the fermentation process generated CO2 they discarded as waste. They captured the fermentation CO2 to use in their drinks, and found it improved the flavor and experience of the beverage. The machine-made CO2 had added a metallic flavor while the natural CO2 provided a rich undertone along with finer bubbles in the kombucha. Thinking in green terms leads to surprising innovations. Caspar also shares his work to replace plastic six-pack rings and introduce recycled and compostable paper packages. If your small firm thinks operating more sustainably is a costly luxury available only to large companies, Flying Embers' experience will challenge that thinking.The company now supports first responders in climate disaster areas and contributes Learn more about Flying Embers, its wide range of hard kombucha flavored with fruit and spices, along with hard seltzers and beer with home delivery available in nine states at https://www.flyingembers.com/.

Earth911 talks with Daniel Eggers, Chief Commercial Officer at Climeworks, a Zurich, Switzerland-based carbon capture company.  Climeworks launched one of the first commercial CO2 projects in the world, the geothermal-powered Orca project in Hellisheidi, Iceland, and has 13 other locations under development. Daniel explains the power and geological requirements for storing CO2 in the ground, where it forms carbonate minerals — when turned to rock, the CO2 stays in the ground virtually forever. The Hellisheidi plant will sequester 4,000 tons of CO2 annually — and you can support the project by subscribing to monthly sequestration services that range from $8 to $55 a month.We also dig into the future of carbon capture, when CO2 will provide the raw materials for fuels and advanced materials, among other things. Daniel shares a vision of a circular economy for carbon that mines the air to keep global CO2 levels falling toward pre-industrial levels over the next 50 to 100 years. In the long run, carbon capture technology could provide a global air conditioning system of sorts that keeps CO2 levels below 300 ppm, our species' environmental sweet spot. He suggests that reforestation and other natural solutions are essential, and that technology can be useful as a tool to manage CO2 emissions that remain.Learn more about Climeworks and its personal carbon sequestration subscriptions at https://climeworks.com.

Earth911 talks with Buck Sleeper, director of innovation consulting at EPAM Continnum, a company that specializes in developing products and services. EPAM's recent NXT 2021 Trends Report points out several important trends that can help pivot the economy toward greater sustainability, including new hybrid of global and local economic activity  fueled by digital communities and a new generation of national and global government regulations that emphasize adaptation to climate change. The firm works with companies in healthcare, financial services, consumer goods including food packaging, makeup, and consumer technology, and other industries, as well as on projects to reduce poverty and improve sanitation and access to water around the world.The survey also found that 79% of consumers feel that low- or zero-waste packaging is a priority when making a purchase. In fact, 20% of respondents said they’d be willing to eat the packaging that their food comes in while another 20% want to be able to repurpose packaging for other uses. Sleeper says EPAM clients are shifting their priorities toward achieving sustainability and, because customers can n0w express their preferences through smartphones and the internet, they are now helping shape the products they'll buy. Take a few minutes to hear what EPAM Continuum learned and how you can use your growing influence to shape a sustainable economy.

Earth911 talks with Professor Daniel Lin, associate professor of operations management at the University of San Diego School of Business. He is advising several non-profits — Earthworks, Global Witness, and Greenpeace USA — that have filed a first-of-its kind complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against an energy company. They argue that Chevron makes deceptive, greenwashing advertising claims that “overstate investments in renewable energy and [the company’s] commitment to reducing fossil fuel production.” Lin explains why the FTC has not enforced its Green Guides recommendations against greenwashing first set out during the 1990s, and why it is time to make those guidelines into enforceable regulations.Chevron spends about $100 million a year advertising itself as "the human energy company" for a "future of energy [that is] lower carbon," but invests only $26 mullion annually to develop those technologies -- out of its $13 billion capital investments. That's just 0.02% of its annual investments to develop low-carbon alternatives to its current fossil fuels-based business. Lin shares his assessment of Chevron's spending and how its is trapped by its old business model as the price of gasoline declines in the face of renewable alternatives and the rise of electric vehicles. We also discuss how consumers can get involved -- write the White House and the FTC -- as well as the potential downside of carbon capture technology.To add your support for the complaint, visit Earthworks, Global Witness or Greenpeace USA and contribute to support keeping pressure on the FTC and Chevron.

Smart home technology can help save energy, which translates directly into reduced CO2 emissions, especially in the many parts of the country where electricity is generated from fossil fuels. Earth911 talks with Sarah Colvin, senior director of energy partnerships at ecobee, a maker of home monitoring and management devices, including thermostats, cameras and sensors. She explains how smart thermostats can manage energy by reducing the heat when no one is home or factoring in the impact of humidity on indoor temperatures to use less power. Do these devices add to or reduce energy use? Colvin shares how U.S. regulations require manufacturers to include the added power their devices use when calculating savings; ecobee reports its products reduce energy consumption by 23% on average.Home heating and cooling accounts for the most energy use in homes and commercial buildings. Smart technology, sometimes referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT), uses a combination of sensors and smart thermostats, is a useful option for optimizing the indoor environment. Thermostats, unlike phones, are long-term purchases that can be upgraded with new software to add additional capabilities over time. For example ecobee recently updated its software to squeeze an additional 5% of efficiency out of customers energy use, so it is not necessary to upgrade whenever a new feature is introduced. Smart home devices are often available with generous local utility rebates because they help utilities manage the electric grid more efficiently, and ecobee will help you find local rebate options.

Earth911 talks with author and business advisor David Radlo, an early and successful advocate for sustainable practices about building a sustainable business and connecting with customers who share your company's environmental values. He built premium organic egg brands at Born Free, Farmer’s Best, and Egg-Land’s Best and has lectured at Tufts University and New York University’s Stern School of Business. His new book, Principles of Cartel Disruption, explores how to break down the barriers to new forms of business. It’s a skill we need to master to break petrochemicals’ hold on the economy.David shares his experience and provides ideas about how customers can lead the reinvention of the economy. His ideas are also useful for marketing people thinking about building a long, trusting relationship with customers. His Sustainable Leadership and Disruptive Growth podcast is a great resource for business leaders.You can learn more about him and his new book at www.davidradlo.com.

Earth911's Mitch Ratcliffe talks with Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact Investing and Philippe Cousteau, founder of EarthEcho International, about the potential to accelerate the transition from the petrochemical economy by investing in sustainable businesses. They have partnered to expand financial literacy in the young and communities of color around the world. They discuss recent criticisms of investments that aim to change the environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices of companies and their experience backing and coaching companies. Together, their organizations collaborate with the SIFMA Foundation on sustainable investing knowledge delivered by the popular National Stock Market Game.Newday Impact is an investment management company that provides investors app-based guidance that helps them set up an ESG portfolio. Newday offers, among many portfolios, investment strategies to support climate action, biodiversity protection, ocean health and very specific investments to protect wild tigers and end plastic straw pollution, as well as religious goals and socially responsible corporate practices. You can start your ESG investment portfolio with as little as $50 a month, and Newday contributes 5% of its fees to support NGOs including EarthEcho International.EarthEcho provides programs and support for global youth action "to equip new generations of leaders and problem solvers to identify and tackle environmental challenges in their communities." It's EarthEcho Water Challenge connects more than 1.6 million young people in 146 countries to protect local waterways. Philippe Cousteau and his sister Alexandra founded EarthEcho International to honor their explorer father, Philippe Sr., and grandfather, the legendary Jacques Cousteau.You won't want to miss this fascinating, inspiring episode. Learn more about Newday Impact Investing at https://www.newdayimpact.com/ and EarthEcho International at https://www.earthecho.org/.

Earth911 talks with Derrick Emsley, CEO of tentree, a a clothing company making a difference. The company plants ten trees for every article of clothing they sell. Tentree has already planted 56.3 million trees and is working to reduce the environmental impact of its clothing production processes by using wood-based TENCEL fiber, hemp, organic cotton and recycled polyester in its clothing. They have audited their supply chain to offset CO2 emissions and reduce water usage compared to traditional clothing makers by as much as 75%; by 2023, tentree plans to eliminate all single-use plastic from packaging.Emsley explains that tentree is really a tree-planting company that makes clothing, and suggests that the company could expand into other product categories to support its goal of planing one billion trees by 2030. He says that at tentree's current growth rate, they will hit the billion-tree target on time. We also discuss customers' willingness to pay a premium for clothing that offers convenient carbon offsets. In addition to its solid environmental record, Emsley shares how tree-planting projects in the mangrove-lined coast of Madagascar has lifted entire communities out of poverty and helped to restore local fisheries.And we learn what new clothing Emsley particularly likes in the current summer line of clothing now out from tentree. Check out tentree.com, and be sure to see the line of clothes inspired by Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.