Learn From Yesterday,
Live for Today,
Hope for tomorrow.
Orison Swett Marden
If 2020 puts a strain on your Sustainable Leadership Action plans, you are not alone.
We know the Sustainability-focussed buyer is not one to skim over the details. They think about how their actions, every action, impacts others.? When you have so little control over the big outcomes, having this tendency to focus on the small details is a powerful catalyst for change, but it can also be an overwhelming one.
80% of the general population agree that businesses can both make a profit and improve the economic and social conditions of the community in which it operates.
—The Edelman Trust Barometer
At Intengine we tend to see a bigger picture. We see innovations and research which support our belief that the world is not as off-track as some would have us believe. Our team, real people not bots, read, consider, and approve business listings, accreditors, and writers. We see businesses are looking at the details, focusing in on the problems and finding solutions. This perspective, the ability to see the bigger picture, allows us to focus the? powerful collective momentum moving us forward.?
Every Solution is an achievement worth our attention and energy to promote
We know what this dedication to the details really means - it means solutions, all in small actions, for transformative change. So thank you, detailed sustainability solvers, for all the times you brought us these.
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They would remind you to tote your reusable shopping bag
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They would recommend an ENERGY Tracking App or an ENERGY ACCREDITOR for your business
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They would be the first to introduce you to ZERO Packaging Shampoo soaps or refill stations ( link to Lise interview)
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They would have you consider the carbon footprint of your beef burger or the water consumption of your cotton T before purchasing.
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They have taken the #ZeroWasteWeekChallenge and have battle stories to share
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They are considering how to use a lower tourism season to replant coral reefs
Can you relate?
If you can, you‘ll appreciate our collection of important news that was reported this year.
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ICYMI: YEAR IN REVIEW
The world is full of good intentions.
When these intentions find their match in the scientific community or trial-by-experience, impressive things tend to happen. We post articles that develop hopeful futures every day on our News & Articles pages. But no matter how detailed or dedicated, we all miss important news. Here are a few items from 2020 we found memorable, in case you missed it.
FOOD & AGRICULTURE
https://www.greenentrepreneur.com Hemp alternatives are better for the planet, as well as less toxic for the consumer. Its seeds and fiber can make many of the modern necessities -- concrete, plastic, fabric, and fuel.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/ai-monitor-slashes-food-waste A Dutch company, Orbisk, and Studio Mango industrial design have developed a waste-monitoring technology that will allow restaurants, caterers, and other companies to drastically decrease food waste. The Automatic Waste Monitor aims to tackle the 1.3 billion tonnes of food that are wasted globally each year.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/futurefeed-launches-to-take-methane-busting-seaweed-to-market CSIRO has announced the formation of a new company — FutureFeed — to commercialize a livestock feed additive made from the seaweed Asparagopsis, which has been shown to reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle by more than 80%.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/seaweed-tru-study Australia and California have found a specific strain of tropical seaweed can reduce methane output in cattle up to 60 to 80 percent. This is important because according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, about 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to livestock.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191125100347.htm The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is providing a world map that rates food sustainability. The researchers settled on 20 indicators that are available to 97 countries from low-, middle- and high-income regions and built a global map to rate the sustainability of food systems across the globe.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/the-ultra-efficient-catalyst-that-makes-simple-work-of-waste-to-biodiesel The new catalyst can make biodiesel from low-grade feedstocks containing up to 50% contaminants, doubling productivity for transforming rubbish like food scraps, microplastics, and old tires into high-value chemical precursors used to make anything from medicines and fertilizers to biodegradable packaging.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/agtech-startup-pivot-bio-snags-100-million-amid-busy-april-for-climate-tech? A new soil plan was proven to improve resilience for agricultural land, can provide a "5.8 bushels per acre advantage" compared to fields using just synthetic fertilizer, while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions, as well as runoff of water-borne nitrates.
ENERGY
https://intengine.com/articles/post/the-ultra-efficient-catalyst-that-makes-simple-work-of-waste-to-biodiesel Nature published news of a new type of ultra-efficient catalyst which can make low-carbon biodiesel and other valuable complex molecules out of diverse, impure raw materials. The study incorporating the catalyst design is Catalysis.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-lessons-in-renewable-energy-samso-denmark A Denmark island has won a government competition and become a model of renewable energy. The community has switched to getting all of its electricity from wind and biomass. The shift took place over just 10 years. Now the island is producing more electricity than it consumes.
CONSTRUCTION
https://intengine.com/articles/post/clean-and-green-new-microrecycling-technique-transforms-aluminium? A green steel technology was developed to extract hydrogen and carbon from old rubber tires and plastic as a pathway in steelmaking. The new ‘green aluminum’ uses new technology: thermal disengagement technology (TDT).
https://gatewaymechanical.ca/top-green-building-trends-in-canada A new guide, Ultimate R22 Replacement Guide, offers significant shifts in the supply and demand of key materials that will have ramifications for the Canadian manufacturing industry.
WASTE REDUCTION
https://intengine.com/articles/post/report-predicts-bioplastics-growth Although struggling to wrestle market share away from conventional plastics, biodegradable Bioplastics — plastics produced from biomass feedstocks — such as polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates and polybutyl, are proving to have similar, if not identical, functionalities to their fossil-based counterparts.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/steel-slag-that-creates-stronger-concrete Engineering researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, examined how three industries can work together — steelmaking, wastewater treatment, and construction to create a zero-waste approach to make stronger concrete with the recycling of wastewater.
CLIMATE
https://intengine.com/articles/post/report-shows-pathway-to-net-zero-economy-by-2050 Beyond ready-to-go solutions, Australia’s? 2050 carbon-neutral report details how major sectors of the Australian economy can move to net-zero emissions by accelerating investment in existing technological solutions.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/how-stripersquos-lsquonegative-emissionsrsquo-team-picked-its-first-four-carbon-removal-projects After a "rigorous" search, Stripe disclosed that it will support four "high potential" carbon capture and storage projects — picked from 24 applications.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/this-makeup-ingredient-could-destroy-99-of-lsquoforever-chemical The journal of Environmental Science & Technology published a solution to the PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, problem. Researchers found that boron nitride — also known as BN and commonly used in cosmetics and electronics — could destroy up to 99 percent of a type of PFAS called PFOA in about four hours.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/morgan-stanley-will-measure-co2-impact-of-loans-and-investments Morgan Stanley has become the first major U.S. bank to commit to join a multi-trillion dollar group of global financial institutions developing a standardized method for carbon accounting.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/can-lsquocarbon-smartrsquo-farming-play-a-key-role-in-taking-on-climate-change A team led by researchers at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) estimated that if soil sequestration is implemented globally, soil conservation and soil-building activities could provide nearly 10 percent of the carbon reduction needed to avoid breaching the 2-degree barrier.
https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-awarded-environmental-sustainability-semiconductor-products Samsung Electronics’ 512GB eUFS 3.0 solution has become the first mobile entity in the industry to be awarded the Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint Certifications from Carbon Trust, an independent, UK-based non-profit organization that investigates reducing carbon emissions and water usage throughout the production cycle.
OCEANS
https://intengine.com/articles/post/clean-clothes-or-clean-oceans-now-you-donrsquot-have-to-choose Researchers tested European and North American washing machines and found that reducing the temperature to 59 degrees F for 30 minutes as opposed to 104 degrees F for 85 minutes produced 30 percent less microfiber shedding.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/man-made-reefs-boost-fish-numbers UNSW Sydney researchers have found that man-made reefs — in conjunction with the restoration or protection of natural habitat — can increase fish abundance in estuaries. Over six artificial reefs, fish abundance increased up to 20 times in each reef across a two-year period.
FASHION
https://intengine.com/articles/post/vegan-leather-made-from-mushrooms-could-mould-the-future-of-sustainable-fashion When mushroom roots are grown on sawdust or agricultural waste, they form a thick mat that can then be treated to resemble leather-based on a patent by US companies MycoWorks and Ecovative Design about five years ago.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2019/11/21/can-fast-fashion-be-sustainable Forbes reports that there is an increasing demand from consumers and manufacturers to change the supply chain of sustainable fashion encouraging models that employ reuse, sharing, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling to create a closed system to minimize resource consumption and waste production as well as pollution and emissions.
Would you like us to continue offering a ICYMI (In case you missed it) series?
FINAL THOUGHTS ( and ways you can stand out too)
https://intengine.com/articles/post/want-people-to-care-about-climate-change-skip-the-jargon One study found that when scientists showed their human side and tell personal stories, their audience was more receptive to what they were saying. Linguistics has shown filler words like uh, um, and like, can serve an important role in communication, to helping listeners process complex information.
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/pods-green-earth-14-sustainability-podcasts-you-need-know As of 2018 there are more than 525,000 active podcasts, with over 18.5 million episodes total, according to Variety. According to Edison research, that accounts for 32 percent of Americans listening.
https://intengine.com/articles/post/meet-5-tech-innovators-figuring-out-how-to-fix-the-future Every year, the Grist 50 highlights emerging leaders in achieving a sustainable and equitable future, and feature five technologists who are solving big problems.
https://www.greenbiz.com/article/6-best-corporate-climate-action-announcements-last-week here are five of the eye-catching announcements chosen by greenbiz from hundreds of submissions.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/324150 Entrepreneur.com wrote about four simple ways for companies to be more eco-friendly and save money, to set you apart from your competition.
---> LIST YOUR BUSINESS ON INTENGINE, SHARE YOUR SOLUTIONS?
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If you have not browsed our accreditor listings we recommend it. These changemakers are leading businesses based on the best collective data, standards, and practices at their fingertips.
Companies, organizations, and thought leaders, large or small, have an opportunity to share their commitments in an easy-to-scan sustainability statement. We know by sharing stories of sustainability, any company can lead others to verbalize their goals and plans.