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The global population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. To feed everyone, it is estimated that global food production will need to increase by up to 70 percent in the next 30 years.

Meanwhile, rapid urbanization is reducing the availability of agricultural land, and climate change is expected to make the land that’s left less suitable for staple crops like wheat, rice, corn and oats. 

What’s more, food systems produce around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and account for 70 percent of the world’s freshwater withdrawals. Traditional agriculture also contributes to deforestation, soil erosion and over-reliance on pesticides around the world. 

So, how do we help feed more people?

Moving outdoor agriculture indoors

Growing crops indoors is not new. Greenhouses have been around for centuries, and hydroponics — growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil — has roots going back to at least the early 1900s. Now, renewed interest in this space is rising quickly. 

Also known as controlled environment agriculture (CEA), the earliest modern reference to hydroponics was by plant nutritionist William Frederick Gericke in 1929, who popularized the idea that plants could be grown in a solution of nutrients and water instead of soil. Such solutions are known as growing media.

“The role of growing media is to provide physical support for plant growth by facilitating optimum water management, air and nutrient availability, and distribution for the plant,”said Monica Navarreto, Ph.D., horticulture research and development program leader for Owens Corning’s Vidawool, a mineral wool growing medium made of 70 percent recycled content. “Today, there are a ton of such alternatives that are commercially available.” 

CEA offers unique opportunities around local food, safe food and supply chain resilience, according to a recent WWF analysis. Indoor farming helps farmers adapt to a warming planet and allows them to grow more food in less space with less water whilst avoiding pesticides.

Agriculture irrigation accounts for 70 percent of water use worldwide and is a major polluter of water. Improving agriculture’s water management is essential to a sustainable and productive agro-food sector.

Hydroponic systems use as much as 10 times less water than traditional field crop watering methods because water in a hydroponic system is captured and reused rather than drained into the environment or evaporated. It can also be more land efficient, reduce the use of fertilizers and save on other resources, research shows.

Using mineral wool as a growing media

Mineral wool is one type of growing media used in hydroponics that serves as a water management solution in the process. 

“Mineral wool is highly porous, and it provides consistent water absorption, distribution and drainage. That results in optimum water management that directly impacts nutrient availability, because water is the carrier for the nutrients,” Navarreto said. “If you have good water distribution through the media, then you're going to have good nutrient distribution throughout the media, too.” 

In hydroponics, nutrients need to be added to the water  for plants to grow. Porous media makes those nutrients readily available to the plant and decreases the amount of water evaporating out of the system. 

Rock and mineral wool products are traditionally created by melting and fiberizing basalt rock. In search of alternatives that are not directly taken from the environment or are recycled,a waste material called slag was discovered to make soilless media, VidaWool. 

“Slag is stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore that is usually thrown into landfills,” Navarreto said. “Owens Corning remelts this slag and then uses it in the fiberization process. So, instead of using 100 percent basalt rock to make our mineral wool, we're using a little bit more than 70 percent recycled slag.”

VidaWool has innovative benefits over alternative growing media options like other rock wools, peat, moss, and coconut coir, to name a few. “When you look at our organic growing media counterparts, there is a lot of inconsistency and variability from one batch to another,” Navarreto said. “So, growers must relearn and make adjustments every time. However, with VidaWool we have managed to achieve a great amount of consistency in our products. When growers use Vidawool, once they have worked out their own recipe of irrigation and nutrients, their process can be repeated.”

However, such indoor agriculture methods come with their own issues. Powering LED lights, software, and sophisticated growing systems can be more expensive than the sun and rain. 

“Hydroponic practices also face some obstacles that need to be addressed to ensure their long-term viability and environmental compatibility. One of these challenges is the proper disposal of the growing media." Navarreto says. "Another challenge is the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the specialized grow lights that many growers use, which require investment and maintenance costs. These spaces pose opportunity for innovative solutions that can reduce their environmental impact and enhance their economic feasibility.”

Despite the obstacles around energy and waste, indoor farming is a relatively young industry with technologies that continue to improve. The cost of LED lights, for example, has dropped dramatically over the past decade, and modern LED bulbs generate far more light per kilowatt-hour of energy consumption. 

Even today, indoor farming is a viable solution in many contexts. The global indoor farming tech sector is projected to be worth more than $32 billion by 2028, compared to just over $20 billion this year. As demand for fresh, nutritious food rises — and pressure intensifies to produce high yields using limited space and water — innovative methods of growing food that don’t rely on land or climate, like hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics, could help to fill the gap. 

This article series is sponsored by Owens Corning Mineral Wool, LLC and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Images courtesy of Owens Corning

We know the whole "new year, new you" thing gets tiring pretty quickly. What's wrong with the old you, anyway? And why does the passing of the calendar suddenly mean adding a host of new seemingly unattainable action items to your already crowded to-do list? For the record, it doesn't. But we do feel using this time for some low-pressure reflection and goal-setting can be valuable. If adopting some more sustainable habits is on your list of aspirations for 2024, this realistic and evidence-based guide can help you do that. 

Of course, what you commit to will vary based on things like your budget, how much free time you have, and the resources available to you locally. For starters, try choosing one thing from each bucket that feels accessible to you right now. If it's small, that's okay. Maybe you'll have the bandwidth to revisit in a few months, maybe you won't. But the small steps you take are still progress, and although it may not always feel that way, every little bit helps. Read on for some ideas for cutting your footprint with some low-lift sustainable habits, along with the action items our editorial team is committing to this year. 

Transportation

The transportation sector accounts for nearly 30 percent of emissions in the U.S. and almost 15 percent globally. But we don't need to go back to the horse-drawn buggy to take meaningful action. Even seemingly simple shifts toward more sustainable habits can do a lot to cut our personal footprints down to size. Here are two areas to consider. 

Alternative transport. This could be walking, biking or using public transportation more often if it's available to you, choosing a train rather than an airplane for shorter interstate trips, carpooling more often, or planning errands using a multi-stop trip on an app like Google Maps to optimize for fewest miles traveled. Small choices here and there may not seem like much, but if every American drove just 10 percent less, we'd avoid 110 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually — equivalent to shutting down 28 coal-fired power plants. 

Climate-smart choices. When you have to drive or fly, you still have choices. For starters, proper car maintenance comes with loads of emissions-busting benefits. Having your car serviced regularly, filling it with the right fluids, and keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure all improve fuel economy. So does observing the speed limit and avoiding heavy braking or acceleration, which is also better for your car in the long run.

For further distances, train travel produces fewer emissions for trips under 700 miles, but air travel actually comes with a lower footprint on longer trips if the alternative is a diesel-powered (rather than electric) train, according to a 2020 analysis. Train travel can actually be super relaxing — ticketing and boarding is generally much easier at train stations than airports, and train seats are way more comfortable. Particularly if you travel often for business, consider speaking with your employer about shifting to train travel where it's available. 

• What we're committing to: Open up to new means of transport. Like many city residents, I have the luxury of being able to complete most of my daily errands on my own two feet. But on lazy days, I'm certainly guilty of choosing a ride-share like Uber or Lyft rather than waiting at the bus stop. Along with choosing the bus, train and carpool function on ride-share apps more frequently, I'm resolved to try out more innovative models like microtransit this year. While not available in my city, I'm hoping to make microtransit solutions my go-to for travel on business trips in where it's available in 2024 — and I'm excited to share my experience with you in future coverage for 3p. 

Food

Data suggests food makes up 10 percent to 30 percent of the average household's carbon footprint. A host of things contribute to this — including the type of food you choose, how and where it was produced, how it's transported, the way it's packaged, and the waste it produces at end of life. Here are a two general areas to consider in the realm of sustainable habits for 2024. 

Diet. If half of the global population ate a more "plant-rich" diet — specifically limiting red meat to 57 grams per day, which amounts to a burger or steak a couple times a week — we'd avoid 78.3 gigatons of carbon equivalent emissions by 2050, according to estimates from the nonprofit Project Drawdown. That's nearly a fifth of the cuts necessary to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which scientists deem a crucial tipping point in the fight against climate change. 

"Meatless Mondays," or committing to a plant-based diet once per week, is one way many look to move their diets in this direction. But more than a hard-and-fast rule based on days of the week — which you can easily fall off track from, leaving you feeling disillusioned and more prone to a "just forget it" mindset — we'd recommend trying out a few new plant-based recipes every month. Once you get a sense of what you like, making plant-based a more regular part of your recipe repertoire will feel more enjoyable and not like a chore. 

Food waste. Food waste accounts for around half of all emissions associated with the global food system, according to a 2023 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Food. If you have the space, guides like this one from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can help you set up a home compost pile that breaks down organic waste without producing emissions. You could also look to build a space-saving compost tumbler using a guide like this, or purchase one for less than $200. And, of course, if you have local organic waste pickup available in your community, this is also a great option to take advantage of. 

That being said, organic waste pickup is far from the norm in the U.S. right now, and those living in densely populated areas often have few options for backyard composting. If you can't compost, generally your best bet is to limit food waste at the source. Getting creative with your leftovers, using apps or lists to track what's in your fridge, or making a few smaller weekly trips to the grocery store rather than one large haul can all help to reduce the amount of food waste you send to the bin.

• What we're committing to: Save vegetable scraps for broths and other uses. I play around in the kitchen a ton, and I've always meant to do this but never seemed to get the habit started. As a kid growing up rurally, we had a backyard compost pile, something I've never had since living in the city. I finally gave this a try during holiday cooking and was honestly shocked by how quickly a freezer bag filled up with vegetable scraps ready for use.

Water and energy

The average American household uses around 30 kilowatt-hours of energy and around 300 gallons of water every day. While of course these utilities are essential for modern life, it's easy for us to become lax and use more than what we need — making this an area ripe for sustainable habits to pare that down. 

Put larger appliances on a power strip. "Vampire power" refers to the energy devices like televisions, computers and kitchen appliances use when they are powered off but still plugged into an outlet. These devices continue to consume energy so they can be flipped on at a moment's notice, but this idle power use can make up 10 percent to 25 percent of household energy use, depending on the estimate. Plugging these devices into a power strip and flipping it off when not in use saves both money and energy.

Shut off that tap. With cold and flu season upon us, we're all (hopefully) washing our hands much more, and the pandemic taught us well to sing "happy birthday" or otherwise make sure we're putting adequate time into the job. But remember to shut off the tap before you do it to avoid wasting water and flip it back on using the back of your wrist or an elbow. Brushing teeth, scrubbing dishes and shaving are just a few other instances where we can absent-mindedly leave the tap running — and just a minutes can waste over a gallon of water. 

• What we're committing to: Be more mindful on a daily basis. You guys, I have a confession. I often catch myself slacking on basic things like turning off lights and appliances before I leave the room, and before I know it I have the whole apartment lit, with fans and a muted TV on with no one watching. My power bills aren't crazy, but I'm still wasting energy I don't need. It's easy to get busy and forget about it, but I can seriously do better and have made this a priority for 2024. 

Waste 

The average American produces nearly 5 pounds of trash per day. While most of us aren't in a position to reduce our waste figure down to zero, a few hours of time and a couple newly formed sustainable habits can make a surprising dent. Consider one or both of these two steps. 

Take an inventory. Spend a few weeks observing what you throw in the trash and recycling bins, keeping track of what you see in a notepad or note app on your phone. Once you understand what you're throwing away, make sure you're disposing of it properly by searching your town's name and "accepted items for recycling." Are you trashing things that are accepted for recycling, or are you throwing things in the recycling bin that shouldn't be there? Non-accepted items can contaminate your local recycling stream, so as tough as it is, it's better to throw them out. 

Consider replacements. Think about the items that seem to generate the most waste in your home, either from your best guess or based on your inventory. Then make a short list of things you could either go without or swap for an alternative that comes with reusable packaging, packaging that is more recyclable for you locally, or less packaging overall. We'd recommend against making a ton of swaps at once, as this can breed an all-or-nothing mindset that's tougher to stick with long-term. Instead, choose an item or two per month and build from there. 

• What we're committing to: Making staples from scratch. I'm looking forward to trading more packaged items for homemade staples this year. Trading packaged tortillas, which are tasteless if we're honest, for a homemade alternative that comes together in less than 30 minutes is one of my favorite trades recently. If cooking isn't something you're familiar with or particularly enjoy, consider starting with something simple: A homemade vinaigrette dressing, for example, can be prepared in less than five minutes in a single jar using ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, and it's much tastier, healthier and cheaper than the pre-bottled stuff. 

Money

In many cases, there's only so much you can do about how your money is managed. But when you have a choice, strive to make it, and plan some time to do so throughout the year. An hour per week, or even an hour per month, spent on conscious decision-making could have a massive impact on the carbon footprint of your money. Here are a some general areas of sustainable habits to consider.  

Ditch your big bank for a credit union or CDFI. All financial institutions use money from their customers' savings accounts — along with the fees they collect — to make investments and grow their bottom lines. Big banks invest in the sectors that are most likely to turn a profit, including more than $3.2 trillion invested in oil and gas expansion since 2016. On the other hand, credit unions and community financial development institutions (CDFIs) invest locally in projects that create jobs, boost small businesses, and make more housing and infrastructure available in your community. 

If you're working to pay off some credit card debt, many credit unions and CDFIs also offer personal loans or balance transfer cards that are interest-free for a certain period (usually six to 18 months). This can help you save money and pay down your debt faster while not sending interest fees to large financial providers that pour billions per year into fossil fuels.

Move your investments into a sustainable fund. Saving for retirement, at the level we're able, is one of the best things we can do to ensure our long-term financial health, but many investment funds also include the fossil fuel sector and other extractive industries. Resources like this mutual and exchange-traded fund rating system from the shareholder advocacy organization As You Sow can help you find funds that have less impact on climate change. If your employer offers you a few options for your 401(k) investments, give it a search and choose the lowest-impact plan with a return that's comfortable to you. Or if you chose your retirement plan yourself, consider switching to a lower-impact option with similar returns. 

• What we're committing to: Vote my proxies. If you invest, you also have the right to vote on key issues at the companies in your portfolio. This is known as proxy voting, and historically it was far more available to people who owned individual stocks than those who invested in the funds typically used for retirement savings. But this is beginning to change with a new option called pass-through voting. In writing this guide about sustainable investing last year, I was surprised to learn that the fund provider I use through my 401(k) plan offers pass-through voting options, and I'm excited to look into this further come proxy season this summer. If you're interested in doing the same, try searching your fund's name and "pass-through voting" to see what coms up, and check out or guide to learn more. 

Why sustainable habits matter

"Why adopt sustainable habits for the sake of the environment? Just 100 companies produce over 70 percent of global emissions. What you do won't matter anyway." This is a common notion floating around the internet, but it's misleading for several reasons. For starters, that 70 percent figure was debunked. And while it's absolutely true that large actors like corporations account for the lion's share of global emissions and environmental impact, much of the impact they create comes from developing and selling products to everyday people like you and me. 

If we shift our behavior, change our buying patterns and adopt more sustainable habits, products that are wasteful or come with a higher environmental footprint will no longer be as profitable for companies to sell — compelling them to change their behavior along with us. 

This plus the compelling evidence about the potential of our collective action, as detailed here, make a clear case for doing what we can to adopt more sustainable habits — and telling our friends and family what we've learned, that it doesn't have to be as hard or expensive as it seems, and that yes it does make a difference. 

We look forward to giving some of these sustainable habits a try in 2024. We'll report back on our experience, and we'd love for you to do the same. If you plan to try out some new sustainable habits this year, tell us about it here — and here's to small shifts for big changes in the New Year! 

(Homepage image placement: Summit Art Creations/Adobe Stock)

Immigrants often have a broader, more in-depth understanding of the climate crisis. As of October 2023, more than 110 million people worldwide had been forced to leave their homes because of climate impacts. Their lived experiences give them invaluable insight, yet their voices are largely excluded from mainstream environmental movements.

Bringing immigrants' voices to the forefront

“The climate movement, for a long time, has struggled to be inclusive of more voices, especially voices from communities of color,” Ahmed Gaya, senior strategist at the National Partnership for New Americans’ Climate Justice Collaborative, told TriplePundit. “The way that immigrant organizations and refugee organizations had been engaged in climate was sort of being asked by mainstream environmental groups to show up at the last minute, asked to show up at the People's Climate March or other big mobilizations to demonstrate diversity, or being funded to lobby on climate legislation that had already been written and was just trying to get past the finish line.”

Gaya, who has been involved in the movement for 15 years, is a part of the immigrant community. His family came to the United States as immigrants from Pakistan, which has been hit hard by flooding, landslides and drought. Just like the rest of the Global South, which is experiencing the brunt of the climate crisis, Pakistan contributes less than its share of carbon dioxide emissions to the problem — under 1 percent of global emissions, to be exact.

The climate crisis’ effects on Pakistan, Gaya’s remaining family in the country, and the rest of South Asia are what propelled him to take action. He sees the same motivation among others in the immigrant community.

“I know a lot of other people have similar stories,” Gaya said. “And I’ve felt for a long time that diaspora communities have a really … important role to play in this movement and powerful stories to tell.”

Diaspora communities are groups of people who identify with a geographic location but are living elsewhere. These communities are often active within the climate movement but struggle to receive recognition, he said. 

“We saw members of diaspora communities, other folks in the South Asian community, folks from the Philippines … getting involved in both the global conversation as well as in local climate policy and having a very powerful narrative voice on climate action here in the United States,” he said.

Gaya is confident that those narrative voices can have a profound effect on climate policies at every level. With this in mind, the Climate Justice Collaborative is helping immigrant communities organize around the issues that matter to them, including climate adaptation within the U.S., the fair employment transition, the energy transition and emissions reductions. 

Immigrant communities face a higher burden from climate change

Due to their experiences with climate change impacts in their home countries, it’s not surprising that immigrants are also deep in the trenches in their new homes. They’re not only speaking out on policy matters, either. They’re also helping the communities they’ve settled in prepare for the climate crisis and recover from the resulting disasters, Stephanie Teatro, the director of climate justice and migration at the National Partnership for New Americans, told TriplePundit. Part of that process is ensuring that climate action doesn’t leave anyone behind.

In the U.S., immigrant communities and communities of color tend to feel the impacts of climate change much more acutely because of where they live, the type of housing that’s available to them, and a lack of access to assistance programs that are reserved for U.S. citizens, Gaya said.

Even when immigrants can qualify for assistance for things like upgrading their homes to be more resilient and energy efficient, language and cultural barriers to access often remain, he said. Language barriers don’t just apply to program application and access. There’s also a lack of contractors who can communicate with people in their language. 

Immigrant communities also face tougher circumstances when it comes to natural disasters becoming more prevalent and more devastating with climate change. Not only is there an additional language barrier when emergency notifications aren’t inclusive, but immigrants are often afraid to access disaster shelters and services that are staffed by federal agencies and police, Gaya said.

All of this adds up to a stronger sense of urgency among migrant communities, especially since many have already relocated within their home countries before needing to immigrate abroad. Not only is it imperative that migrant voices be heard, but they must be taken seriously and heeded within the context of this intersectionality. 

“What we're really seeing right now is how climate impacts intersect with existing vulnerabilities that are driving migration,” Teatro said. “In our region, the dry corridor of Central America, droughts will force people to move to cities where they may be the victims of violence or other forces. So, we're really seeing climate impacts being a vulnerability multiplier that is causing people to move.”

Changing the narrative to recognize migration as climate adaptation

As the consequences of climate change become more severe, adaptation is key. But that doesn’t just mean shifting how we grow food or build infrastructure. A shift in perspective on climate migration is desperately needed, too. That’s why the collective is pushing for the passage of the Climate Displaced Persons Act to make safe pathways for people forced to leave their homes and address the causes of their displacement as a part of U.S. climate strategy, Gaya said.

Migration is often presented as a threat — both by right-wing politicians seeking to build barriers and well-intentioned climate activists who portray it as a disaster to be prevented, Teatro said. She stressed the need to change this dangerous narrative.

“What we really hope is to instead have broad consensus, support and recognition that migration is actually a solution to the climate crisis,” she said. “It's a form of adaptation, and it's something that we can plan for. We can create the systems to not only support people who are displaced by climate change themselves, but who are going to be bringing so many benefits, resources, and skills to the communities where they choose to make their homes.”

Those resources and skills include the ability to help guide climate action and fill the gaps created by the shrinking U.S. workforce. Immigrant and migrant communities include a large number of people who were land defenders and environmental activists in their countries of origin, Teatro said. As such, they’re equipped to continue the fight in the U.S. Meanwhile, even traditional jobs are short staffed, which doesn’t bode well for the growing sustainable energy sector and the sheer number of workers needed to make the energy transition.

“We just simply do not have enough folks to do the work that it's going to take,” Teatro said. “Immigration itself [can be] a key solution and a key strategy to those goals.” For example, the Climate Justice Collaborative’s network of immigrant fossil fuel workers are leading the fight for justice within the energy transition in New Mexico, she said. Their goal is to guarantee that the related skill upgrades and jobs are available to their communities.

2023 was a big year for TriplePundit. After nearly two decades covering the ways sustainability and social impact issues intersect with business, we began transitioning our coverage toward solutions journalism in the first half of the year and formally announced the change in October. Our renewed focus on evidence-based sustainability solutions resonated with our community of readers, and these were some of the headlines that caught your eyes most this year. 

Next-gen EV batteries made in the USA

Most electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries with a cathode made from nickel, cobalt and manganese. "These materials provide a longer range and faster charging speeds," TriplePundit contributor Tina Casey reported in February. "On the downside, conventional EV batteries can be susceptible to overheating and fire. The global supply of nickel and cobalt comes primarily from Russia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it fraught with human rights abuses as well."

To address these challenges, researchers are looking into alternative cathodes. One with early promise is based on a lithium-iron-phosphate formula — also known as an LFP, the acronym for the chemicals that are involved in its production. There are some trade-offs with LFPs, namely that they take up more space to deliver the same amount of battery range. But automakers including Tesla and Ford Motor Co. are pursuing the cathodes in earnest for use in the U.S. 

Tesla introduced the LFP formula to its U.S. lineup in 2022, and this year Ford announced plans to build a new $3.5 billion EV battery factory in Michigan dedicated exclusively to manufacturing LFP batteries. The plant is expected to go online in 2026 and employ around 2,500 people, according to Ford. 

Read the full story here. 

Research links ESG performance to the bottom line

Companies use environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles to measure and improve their impact on society and the environment. But political pushback against ESG is on the rise, with critics arguing ESG principles distract business leaders from their fiduciary duty to deliver the maximum possible profit for shareholders. 

"Anti-ESG" pushback reached a fever pitch this year, but those critics clearly aren't paying much attention to the ongoing research that tracks how ESG performance impacts profit. The Center for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), for example, conducts annual research to measure how ESG best practices and standards affect corporate profitability and transparency. Its most recent report was published in February of this year, based on an assessment of more than 310 companies in the Fortune 500. 

TriplePundit contributor Amy Brown reported on the findings: "While the research found no direct correlation between ESG practices and financial performance or absolute profit among the highest-ranked companies, there is evidence that applying ESG goals along with specific reporting frameworks and ratings results in better financial performance, according to CSE." 

“Direct correlation is very hard to prove since there are so many different factors that affect profitability, including inflation,” Nikos Avlonas, president of CSE, told us in February. "However, it's known that intangible assets, including non-financial data, represents about 80 percent of the value of the business, and ESG criteria and data represents a very big portion of the 80 percent. So there is some kind of indirect correlation between financial performance and ESG practices, because these factors represent a very big portion of the value of the business.”

Read the full story here. 

Microtransit offers a solution for public transportation 'deserts'

Public transit ridership plummeted around the world at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and never fully recovered. Some riders may be hesitant to revisit densely packed public spaces, but convenient access to public transit remains a key reason why ridership continues to lag.

As housing prices skyrocketed in major cities and the pandemic eased the transition to remote work, people across the U.S. and around the world started moving out of downtown areas in search of lower costs. That means where people live in relation to historic transit hubs is quickly changing, further complicating the fact that only around half of urban residents worldwide have access to public transit near their homes. 

Microtransit providers tout technology as a solution to expand public transit access and allow people to move around the community more quickly, easily and cheaply. These providers work with cities to launch locally-based apps that work much like the carpool function on Lyft or Uber, allowing users to request shared rides in publicly-owned vans with others traveling in the same direction. 

As TriplePundit contributor Riya Anne Polcastro observed, these services are particularly helpful for seniors and people with disabilities, who often struggle most with existing public transit systems. More than 450 companies offer microtransit services as social and sustainability solutions worldwide, and U.S. cities like Camden, New Jersey, are already seeing success from the programs. 

Read the full story here.

Marine biologists preserve coral reefs through the power of listening (and a little help from AI)

Back in April, Google teamed up with a pair of marine biologists, Steve Simpson and Mary Shodipo, to launch the Calling in our Corals project. The project aimed to measure the success of marine protected areas and other restoration programs using acoustic recordings, with a little help from everyday people and artificial intelligence (AI). 

"Marine biologists have recorded the surprisingly vibrant sounds of coral reefs in 10 countries," TriplePundit contributor Ruscena Wiederholt reported. "The chirps and grunts of healthy reefs burst forth like a lively metro area at rush hour, while the muted tones of damaged reefs resemble a sleepy village. Anyone can log onto Google's platform to listen to these reef recordings and identify sounds made by fish, shrimp and other underwater animals. These crowd-sourced data are then used to train an AI model." 

The tool will use the findings to better understand the health of coral reefs. "But that’s not all," Wiederholt wrote. "Impressively, this tool may also help to restore reefs. Some animals, like fish larvae, corals and other invertebrates, spend their larval stage in the open ocean. The sounds of a healthy reef act like a beacon, encouraging juvenile animals to settle there. Consequently, playing the music of healthy reefs on underwater speakers may accelerate their regrowth and restoration." As AI-driven sustainability solutions go, it's a pretty cool concept, and we can understand why you all loved reading about it. 

Read the full story here. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods marks 75th anniversary with $75,000 grants for youth sports

To celebrate its 75th year in business, the retailer Dick's Sporting Goods launched the 75for75 Sports Matter Grant Program — aimed at distributing 75 grants worth $75,000 each to select youth sports programs across the U.S. The program added up to more than $5.6 million in support for youth sports this year. 

"That impact is needed more than ever. Young children participated in team sports at a historically low rate last year, according to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play," TriplePundit contributor Gary E. Frank reported in March.

"In addition to the grant program, the company’s foundation renewed its $1.5 million contract with Good Sports to provide 20 of the most under-resourced communities across the country with $75,000 worth of youth sports equipment in 2023," he reported. "Additionally, the foundation has established a new $1 million partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to launch the Game On — Community Places to Play Initiative, which will help to create or renovate up to 20 multi-use youth sports spaces in underserved communities."

Read the full story here.

Chicago tests out universal basic income

"A new program in Chicago will distribute $500 per month to 5,000 of the city’s residents for the next year," 3p contributor Riya Anne Polcastro reported back in February. Chicago's Resilient Communities Pilot is the largest of several guaranteed income initiatives launched in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic as a way to combat extreme poverty. 

A number of California cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Stockton and Oakland launched guaranteed income programs over the past two years. Colorado made its program permanent, "with two payments of $1,000 available to workers who lose their jobs, regardless of their immigration status," Polcastro reported. In her coverage, she wonders if the potential success of programs like these could pave the way for universal basic income in the U.S., or if any perceived failure would be "used as fodder for conservative ire." 

Read the full story here.

Companies look to prepare for the SEC's climate disclosure rules

At the start of 2023, the business world was abuzz with speculation about a corporate climate disclosure mandate from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC first proposed a set of climate disclosure rules in March 2022. The final rules were first expected in February of this year, then in April, then over the summer. Now the agency is saying we won't see them until spring of 2024. 

What exactly will be included in the rules is still unknown — including whether they'll require companies to disclose the emissions from their full value chains (known as Scope 3) or only the emissions they directly create. But most business and sustainability professionals agree that preparing for some form of mandatory climate disclosure now is the best way to ensure compliance when the mandate finally drops. 

TriplePundit contributors Andrew Kaminsky and Mary Riddle explored what businesses can expect from the SEC rules and how to prepare in coverage that was a big hit with our readers. "While businesses have yet to be shown the final climate disclosure rules from the SEC, there are measures they can take to hit the ground running when the rules are revealed," Kaminsky reported. 

Read the full story here. 

Beverage giants explore paper bottles as sustainability solutions

Shortly after TriplePundit's relaunch, contributor Abha Malpani Naismith took a closer look at a new set of sustainability solutions making their way across the beverage industry: recyclable and biodegradable bottles made from paperboard. 

Companies including Pulpex, Frugalpac and Paper Bottle Co. (PaBoCo) are developing their own versions of paper bottles to replace plastic, aluminum and glass in packaging beverages from water and soft drinks to spirits. As you'd imagine, each material comes with its own set of trade-offs and the choice isn't always cut and dry, but Naismith's exploration of these sustainability solutions and their uses and limitations is one that caught our readers' eye. 

Read the full story here.

Jamaica calls for investments in youth to support climate adaptation

"Despite contributing the least to global emissions, tourism-dependent regions like the Caribbean are hugely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and disasters like pandemics. They struggle with economic resilience and social stability from an inability to recover well, and recover quickly," TriplePundit editorial assistant Taylor Haelterman reported in April. 

Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism, noted these challenges at the 2023 Global Inclusive Growth Summit, co-hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and The Aspen Institute this year, and positioned investments in youth and innovation as sustainability solutions. "The minister called for investment in local youth, innovation, knowledge, and skills to enable small, developing and underdeveloped countries to become resilient," Haelterman reported. 

“Ideas, ideas, ideas,” he said. “We need investment in ideas. That’s a power— to create innovation, to be creative and to add value." As Haelterman observed, prioritizing local innovation is already paying off in another tourism-dependent country: Costa Rica. 

Read the full story here. 

Researchers look to remove PFAS pollution from groundwater

The more people learn about the group of chemicals known as PFAS (short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the more concerned they tend to get. "Often called 'forever chemicals' because of the inability of the strong fluorine and carbon molecule bonds to break down on their own, they stay in the human body for years and increasingly accumulate," TriplePundit contributor Terry E. Cohen reported in October. 

The substances have been found in at least 45 percent of U.S. tap water. Health agencies say they can be found in the blood of most people and are linked to cancers and other serious health concerns. 

Researchers around the world are working to develop sustainability solutions that can remove PFAS from the environment before they can further harm people, wildlife and ecosystems. In her reporting, Cohen explores one of these sustainability solutions: colloidal activated carbon filters, which are being used to remove PFAS from groundwater around airports in Canada and the U.S. before they enter the taps of local residents. 

Read the full story here. 

Crossroads Solar tackles climate change with second-chance hiring

People often struggle to find work after serving their time in jails or prisons. While teaching at Indiana’s Westville State Prison, Patrick Regan learned the difficulties of re-entry firsthand. “I was extolling the virtues of college education to 25 men dressed in jumpsuits and [covered in] tattoos. It was the quintessential highly-educated white guy talking about things that didn't quite fit,” Regan told TriplePundit contributor Michelle Erdenesanaa earlier this year. “One guy, Mark, said: ‘Well, the problem is, professor, your people won't hire us.’” 

"In response, Regan founded Crossroads Solar, a solar panel company based in South Bend, Indiana," Erdenesanaa reported. "All of Crossroads’ 15 employees were formerly incarcerated, and Regan plans to double that number in the next month. As the solar industry grows with support from climate legislation within the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, Crossroads’ production capability is growing by four to five times."

The idea melds two proven sustainability solutions — zero-emissions solar power and second-chance hiring for people looking to rebuild their lives after incarceration — in a winning combination that proved a hit with TriplePundit readers. 

Read the full story here. 

The North Face looks toward circularity to make apparel more sustainable 

"The outdoor recreation products company the North Face is one of a growing number of apparel makers aiming to reduce the damaging effects of the clothing industry by changing the way they design their products," TriplePundit contributor Phil Covington reported in May. 

He spoke with Carol Shu, senior manager of global sustainability at the North Face, about the sustainability solutions the company employs to reduce environmental impact — from making products that last longer, to building recyclability and repairability into the design process. 

“The best designed style for circularity took about five seconds to disassemble,” Shu said. “This is very important because, in recycling, everything has to be so fast to make the economics of it work.”

Read the full story here. 

Looking ahead to more coverage of sustainability solutions in 2024

We look forward to our community of readers being a part of our journey as we bring evidence-based coverage of social impact and sustainability solutions to audiences worldwide. If you have any feedback to share or ideas for a story you'd like to see us cover, please get in touch here! 

Green chemistry looks to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing chemical products by minimizing the use of hazardous substances. Scientists may develop plant-based ingredients that replace fossil fuel feedstocks, for example, or create new processes that require fewer chemical inputs. The transition to green chemistry has been slow so far, but stakeholders are aligning to help accelerate the pace.

Estimates vary, but the consensus is that the chemical industry accounts for about 3 percent of global carbon emissions, making it one of the three largest industrial contributors to greenhouse gases alongside steel and cement.

The chemical industry is “struggling to develop appropriate business models and technologies to support its transformation,” according to a report by the professional services network Deloitte. Yet “consumer-driven demand for green products is accelerating the industry’s transformation," it found. 

In September, the financial information company S&P Global cataloged the challenges ahead. Describing the chemical industry as “one of the most complex and diverse in terms of interconnected value chains,” S&P took particular notice of the sector’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels for energy and as a feedstock.

The persistence of petrochemicals

The principles of green chemistry were codified into 12 topics 25 years ago. In the U.S., these principles are supported by the American Chemistry Society as a “natural evolution” of the chemical industry. They arose from growing concerns over the causes and impacts of chemical pollution.

“Green chemistry is not politics,” according to the Society. “Green chemistry is not a public relations ploy. Green chemistry is not a pipe dream. We are able to develop chemical processes and earth-friendly products that will prevent pollution in the first place.”

Still, even after 25 years, the green chemistry movement has not gained enough momentum to catch up to, let alone surpass, petrochemicals. Despite the increased interest in biofuels, bioplastics and other renewable products, analysts anticipate that the global petrochemical industry will continue to grow.

A holistic green chemistry movement

MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canadian life sciences arm of the leading global firm Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is among the stakeholders recognizing that the chemical industry must take proactive steps to accelerate the green chemistry trend and meet the increased demand for sustainable products.

“If we’re not doing it, who will do it?” said Jeffrey Whitford, vice president of sustainability and social business innovation at MilliporeSigma. “We have more than 300,000 products … so it’s good for us to know what the market needs and then apply our green chemistry.”

Using more renewable energy is an important piece of the puzzle, but it is not the only one. Developing new green chemical formulas that match — or beat — their conventional counterparts on performance is also a key pathway. As a research firm and supplier to product developers, MilliporeSigma occupies an influential, powerful position in the effort to support green chemistry.

“We are pushing to a world of radical product transparency,” Whitford said. “Changing how people do product development from the start [is the key]. We are the place where those materials start, then they get scaled up.”

Substituting bio-based feedstocks for petrochemicals is an important part of the green chemistry movement, but a holistic perspective is also needed. An example of this approach is the company’s strategy for developing bio-based solvents, which can be used for everything from pharmaceuticals to fuels. “Considering population growth and hunger, we knew not to use food crops, but we could use waste,” he said. “We found partners who were using waste as the raw materials.”

Bio-based solvents can be made from rejected potatoes and waste residue from the whiskey production process. Whiskey is made in many countries around the world. That opens up new opportunities for the local production of bio-based solvents and other green chemicals, with the potential for reducing carbon emissions related to the transportation of raw materials, Whitford said

Raising the next generation of green chemists

While companies like MilliporeSigma can leverage their position in the supply chain to accelerate the shift to green chemistry, Whitford advises that a proactive effort is needed to prevent a skills gap from creating a drag-on progress.

“For example, green chemistry is not core to the curriculum at major universities globally,” Whitford said. The U.S. alone produces 22,000 chemists with undergraduate degrees per year, he said, so introducing green chemistry as a core area of study would make a significant impact. 

To help unblock the skills bottleneck, MilliporeSigma built on its existing partnership with the nonprofit organization Beyond Benign. The company’s multi-year commitment, announced last spring, will enable Beyond Benign to expand its Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community online platform to reach more than 4,000 educators around the world.

Beyond Benign’s 2025 goal for the U.S. is to ensure that 25 percent of graduating chemists have received instruction in green chemistry. “We support the network of academics to develop the curriculum and get universities on board with recognizing that they need to support the green chemistry workforce,” Whitford said.

Building momentum for meaningful change

Apparently, the message is getting through. Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment has exceeded expectations, Whitford said. As of December, 150 academic institutions signed on to the Green Chemistry Commitment, surpassing the initial goal of 125.

To help support green chemistry innovation among industry leaders, working chemists and product designers, MilliporeSigma hosted the green chemistry organization Change Chemistry at the 2023 U.S. Innovators Roundtable in November. The company also launched an online tool called Dozn, which provides “greenness” comparisons among similar chemicals, systems and processes. So far, 1,500 scientists from 60 countries have used the tool, indicating global interest in the green chemistry movement.

MilliporeSigma also promotes green chemistry through its Greener Alternative Products catalog, which includes bio-based solvents and more than 2,000 other products. Overall product design is another area of opportunity. The company’s Design for Sustainability platform helps product developers reduce waste, for example, by avoiding the use of plastics and cutting down the need for packaging.

“We are seeing significant uptake, but more recognition, application and implementation are needed,” Whitford said.

In that regard, the role of consumers and businesses is clear: Keep amplifying the demand for greener products, choose to buy products that reflect those demands, and help accelerate the momentum for a more sustainable industry.

Outdoor air pollution from wildfires, ozone and particulate matter is linked to lung cancer, preterm births, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, loss of work and school days, and even avoidable deaths, according to a recent report from the American Thoracic Society. The findings show air pollution impacts on a local level, demonstrating to U.S. cities, counties and regions what the tangible benefits from improving their outdoor air quality would be.

"Understanding the magnitude of health impacts attributable to outdoor air pollution is often a missing part of the policymaking process,” said Kevin Cromar, an author of the report and a Ph.D. program director at New York University. “The report should inform ongoing decision-making. The value of this report is that it quantifies the impacts of air pollution. It is a tool that shows us what it would take to clean up the air.” 

Outdoor air pollution standards for particulate matter and ozone are currently under review by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, the EPA’s proposed standards allow for higher levels of particulate matter and ozone than what medical groups like the American Thoracic Society recommend.

Addressing unaddressed air pollution sources 

In particular, one major source of air pollution cannot be addressed through the current EPA standards: wildfires. This report provides the first-ever public estimates of the health impacts linked to air pollution from wildfires. 

The estimated annual mortality rate attributed to wildfire-caused air pollution ranges from 4,080 to 28,000 deaths, and the health impacts are felt far beyond the areas where the majority of wildfires occur. The effect wildfire pollution has on health is evident in every part of the United States. 

“This past year, large Canadian wildfires blanketed the Northeast United States, and it pushed the issue of outdoor air pollution to the front of the mind,” Cromar said. “However, every day there are fires burning somewhere … We are able to quantify health impacts from across the U.S. — not just for the large fires, but for those dozens of smaller fires burning at any given time.” 

The report measures air pollution impact by state, city, or county and estimates the negative health impacts that would be avoided if the air quality improvements recommended by the American Thoracic Society were put into place. Locations are then ranked based on which ones have the most to gain by making these improvements, Cromar said. 

“We want people to be able to make sense of the report on a local level,” Cromar said. “In the western U.S., and in parts of the Midwest and the South, air pollution is often driven by agricultural burning. Even though people might be used to agricultural burning, it has important adverse health impacts.”

In communities struggling with air quality problems, emissions from buildings and older vehicles can also have outsized impacts.

For air pollution solutions, think locally

While the EPA is responsible for setting air quality standards that protect human health, the opportunity and responsibility for cleaning up the air lies with local jurisdictions.  

“We want counties and cities to look at the report and their city rankings and see how they can benefit in terms of reduction in the number of deaths, ER visits, work and school loss days, and more,” Cromar said. “It is powerful to put it in those terms, because it is not an abstract problem. Local jurisdictions can get creative, and we have meaningful things to gain if we take action.”

Few truths are as essential to being human as receiving and giving care. At some point in our lives, we all need to be cared for and need to assume the role of caregiver. Children require caregiving from parents, and older adults need their families to help them as they age.

More than 1 in 5 Americans are family caregivers. Yet the U.S. faces a caregiving crisis of immense proportion. Support for individuals, families and the care workforce is severely lacking while America is entering an elder boom, with all baby boomers turning 65 or older by 2030. That’s 10,000 people turning 65 every day. Their millennial children are far from ready for this elder care crisis. The prospect of finding themselves in the “sandwich generation,” made up of those caring for elderly parents and young children at the same time, is real.

Caregiving needs to be a collective effort

About 70 percent of people over 65 will need long-term care for an average of three years. Given that one year in a nursing home can cost over $80,000 and is not covered by Medicare, 80 percent of care falls to family members, according to the advocacy organization Caring Across Generations. 

And those caregivers are tired. The vast majority (96 percent) reported feeling emotionally drained from the day-to-day challenges of caregiving, according to a recent survey from A Place for Mom, an organization offering guidance for families looking for senior living and home care. 

This unsustainable set of circumstances extends into other parts of caregivers’ lives and the economy, including their ability to work. Three-quarters of people who were employed before they became caregivers said they have less time to focus on work or had to quit their jobs to provide care.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Solutions for creating a care economy that works for everyone exist today, provided there is sufficient political will, employer support, public awareness, and individual and collective resolve to change the trajectory. 

“I believe caregiving was always meant to be a collective endeavor,” Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Worker's Alliance and director of Caring Across Generations, told TriplePundit. “It was never meant to be shouldered by individuals within families alone. Because this has been such a simmering crisis for so long, we are all coming to the realization that we need to do more than just ‘woman up and figure it out.’” 

Caregivers are stretched to their limits

Women are at the center of the care economy — particularly women of color — making the caregiving crisis an issue of gender, racial and social equity. In the U.S., 4 in 5 care workers are women, and women of color make up a growing segment of this essential workforce. In families, women make up three-quarters of caregivers, according to A Place For Mom. 

Yet women in both categories lack the conditions necessary to do their jobs well and maintain their quality of life. People of color in the direct care workforce have the lowest family income and lowest annual earnings of any racial or ethnic group, earning an average of $12 an hour with annual wages of only $17,200. Not surprisingly, this leads to a turnover rate of 26 percent.

Low pay and poor working conditions for the paid care workforce, lack of supportive policies for both paid and family caregivers, and the pressure on families and individuals have created a perfect storm that needs to be addressed now, Poo said.

“We have always had people working in the care economy,” Poo said. "Overwhelmingly, they are women. Mostly women of color, immigrant women and women of marginalized social status. It is an essential part of our economy. Yet it has never been adequately compensated or valued such that the workforce charged with caring for our loved ones as their profession — and supporting the rest of us to participate in the labor market — can sustain doing this work.”

Unpaid female caregivers in families also suffer higher-than-average health consequences including stress, burnout, anxiety and depression.

The caregiving crisis also contributes to the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation in the U.S., Poo said. The solution is recognizing that everyone is in this together.

“If we are to find the solutions, this needs to be a collective endeavor,” she said. “We need a strong care workforce, but we also need family caregivers who are supported. We will need respite care. We will need our neighbors, our friends, our communities. Our generational calling is to rise to the occasion and once and for all build the kind of care infrastructure we need so that future generations are not in this position.”

Policy as the foundation of care infrastructure

Just as caregiving was never meant for the individual or family alone, it is not their responsibility alone to fix the problem, Poo said.  

“The role of government is to essentially solve for the challenges that are at the level of society that we cannot do on our own, and that the market can't do on its own,” she said. “While I do think that there's a huge role for the market to play, ultimately caregiving is too fundamental a human need for it to be up to the market alone.”

One step in the right direction was President Joe Biden's historic care executive order in April 2023. Just this week, about $37 billion was directed toward home-and-community-based service for millions of seniors and Americans with disabilities. The funding is intended to help providers retain, recruit, and train care workers and provide bonuses and pay increases for them.

Beyond this, advocates must continue to push for affordable childcare, paid family and medical leave, and a universal long-term care benefit, Poo said.

How business can be part of the solution

Business also has a role to play in care economy solutions as roughly 90 million people have care responsibilities outside of their full-time jobs, according to a survey by Boston Consulting Group. Nearly 60 percent of employed caregivers said they struggle with their mental health, their physical health, productivity and burnout. The consulting group estimates the U.S. could lose $290 billion in GDP per year by 2030 due to lost wages and care shortages.

“For any employer having trouble attracting and retaining a workforce, this is just such an obvious measure of diversity,” Poo said. “Imagine the human potential we could unleash if we were able to support people when they went to work each day by understanding their caregiving needs and responsibilities.”

The group of 20 businesses represented in Caring Across Generations’ Business Care Council are on the leading edge of workplace and personnel policies that support parents, family caregivers and disabled people. Among them is Molly Moon Ice Cream in Seattle, which provides 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to employees.

Molly Moon Neitzel, the company’s founder, testified to the U.S. Congress in 2021 that this policy helped “retain valuable staff members who make us the kind of company that keeps my customers coming back.”

The financial costs of Molly Moon’s paid leave benefit were eased when Washington passed legislation in 2017 that allows the state to pay for a part of employees' paychecks while they are on leave. “Everyone in the country should be able to be covered by a similar social insurance family leave program,” Neitzel said. 

Molly Moon Ice Cream’s family leave benefit is a role model for other businesses, Poo said. By federally mandating paid family and medical leave, the government can help level the playing field so that small businesses and businesses that are doing the right thing aren't at a disadvantage. 

“It should be the baseline of expectation for our employers and our government that people need to both work and care for the people that we love,” she said. “And that care is also a form of work.”

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is among the U.S. organizations recognizing that a diverse workforce is a valuable asset in today’s economy. Encouraging diversity hiring among clean energy employers is just one avenue for progress, though. ACORE has gone to the next level by launching an outreach effort aimed at including more women- and minority-owned firms in its powerful network. The results are already successful, and somewhat surprising, too.

The clean energy sector has a diversity problem

There is ample statistical evidence of the bottom-line benefits of a diverse workforce. “Companies in the top quartile for racial diversity are 36 percent more likely to financially outperform those in the bottom quartile,” according to an analysis from the consulting firm McKinsey and Company.

In terms of diversity in the U.S. energy sector overall, a significant decline in the male-dominated coal industry has had the ripple effect of improving the profile of other energy sectors in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s latest annual report on energy employment.

Energy analysts also observed that the oil, gas and coal industries are losing workers to new clean energy companies, which attract a younger — and presumably more diverse — hiring pool. Nevertheless, the U.S. energy industry overall continues to resist diversification, and the clean energy sector is no exception.

Drawing from statistics compiled by the Energy Department, in September of 2021 the clean energy organization E2 observed that clean energy employment is still “dominated by white men.”

“Black and Hispanic/Latino workers are more poorly represented in clean energy than they are across the rest of the economy, with Black people composing 8 percent of the clean energy workforce (compared with 13 percent economy-wide) and Hispanic/Latinos making up 16.5 percent (versus 18 percent economy-wide),” according to E2. “Women represent less than 30 percent of all workers in the sector despite accounting for nearly half (48 percent) of the U.S. labor force as a whole.”

Diversity in the energy industry is more than a workforce issue. As underscored by the environmental justice policies of President Joe Biden, when communities lack influence they are all the more likely to be saddled with the negative environmental, economic and public health impacts of industrial development.

Those impacts are also evident in the low rate of clean technology of adoption among low- and middle-income households, including rooftop solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles.

Supporting the energy transition with diversity programming

ACORE was founded in 2001 to unite leading U.S. energy stakeholders in supporting the transition into a more sustainable energy profile. The organization is a financial powerhouse, with membership collectively holding more than $22 trillion in assets. “In 2022, more than 90 percent of the booming utility-scale U.S. renewable growth was financed, developed, owned or contracted for by ACORE members,” according to the organization.

In 2020, ACORE launched its new Accelerate Membership Program to expand beyond this utility-centered approach and address disparities in clean technology adoption. The initiative grew out of a desire among members to accomplish meaningful progress on diversity and equity rather than simply signing onto new pledges.

Launched in 2021 with an initial cohort of 10 diverse companies, it provides access to ACORE’s network and resources, for women- and minority-owned businesses that are dedicated to solving problems within their communities. 

The program supports businesses that seized opportunities to satisfy the unmet demand for new technologies within their communities, Constance Thompson, the senior vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice at ACORE, told TriplePundit. These business leaders represent the diverse races, ethnicities, genders and countries of origin of their communities, but their work is unrecognized by larger stakeholders.

“They are innovating at the ground level while those who have been established in the space are like ‘Who are you?’” Thompson explained.

That is beginning to change as new state and federal policies provide more support for renewable energy projects that reach low- and middle-income households. Thompson also credits the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) with jolting the big stakeholders into an awareness that they can, and should, learn from diverse stakeholders who work on the community level.

“When you talk about implementing the IRA, those benefits are aimed at smaller companies,” she said. “The bigger companies are having to look at them and learn from them.”

“Many of these large developers and technology innovator companies are having to learn about sharing power, how to respect the technology but also understand that the small business person knows finance, knows how to do deals,” Thompson added. 

Doing business from the inside out, together

Since 2021, the Accelerate Membership Program has enrolled 31 members in three cohorts. The companies represent a cross-section of mainstream clean energy activities ranging from carbon offsets, renewable energy credits, and environment, social and governance (ESG) consulting services to energy efficiency upgrades, electric vehicle charging, and community solar projects.

Over and above supporting community-level clean energy enterprises, the program also yielded at least one important new insight for ACORE members. Smaller clean energy companies are collaborating with each other — under the radar — on supply chain development, financing and other key elements of business.

“They are working with one another … in their communities and the larger market,” Thompson told 3p. “They are redefining economic and restorative justice.”

All hands on deck for clean energy

ACORE partners with other organizations to help accelerate diversification in the clean energy workforce. One example is a workforce program run by the Black Owners of Solar Services in North Carolina, Thompson said.

“It’s becoming an amazing example of leveraging all hands on deck for solar … These are farmers, people of color, women who inherited this land,” she said. “It’s allowing individuals to become part of this renewable energy transition process.”

In addition, Thompson emphasizes the need for an all-hands-on-deck effort to grow the clean energy workforce. That includes working with utilities and streamlining the skills transfer pathway from fossil fuel energy to the clean energy sector, as well as engaging immigrants, re-entry individuals and other underrepresented populations. 

“We’re all on this little rock together, and it will go away if we don’t do the right thing,” she said. “I really want to stress that from an equity and inclusion standpoint, it’s going to take all of us. We have to work to eliminate the barriers of fear and purposeful exclusion.”

The politically fraught movement against ESG still poses a barrier, but as demonstrated by the ACORE Accelerate Membership Program, grassroots pressure — from business as well as environmental advocates — continues to push the energy transition forward.

This story on the environmental and economic impacts of live Christmas trees is part of The Solutions Effect, a monthly newsletter covering the best of solutions journalism in the sustainability and social impact space. If you aren't already getting this newsletter, you can sign up here. 

I drove past a Christmas tree sale a couple of weeks ago and wondered if chopping down, and inevitably disposing of, that many trees had a negative environmental impact. The passing thought pushed me down a rabbit hole of information that left me contemplating whether I was asking the right question. Was it possible that live Christmas trees can be beneficial? 

My search for information led me to Jill Sidebottom, seasonal spokesperson for the National Christmas Tree Association. The organization represents over 700 farms and 4,000 businesses across North America, South America and Europe. As it turns out, live Christmas trees can help local communities thrive environmentally and economically. 

Benefitting local ecosystems 

Christmas tree farms create forest habitats where they may otherwise not exist, Sidebottom said. In North Carolina, for example, much of the land used for growing Christmas trees was once home to cattle farms that became unprofitable. In other places, land that’s unsuitable for agriculture because it’s hilly or rocky can deliver another cash crop in the form of firs and pines. 

“I live in western North Carolina, and the Christmas tree industry here has kept a lot of land out of development,” she said. “People can make money off of their land instead of selling it for vacation homes being built.”

Utilizing this land to grow trees creates green spaces for wildlife. Animals like mice, rabbits, bees, quail, turkeys and songbirds call tree farms home, Sidebottom said. On top of that, tree farms store carbon. In fact, they probably store as much carbon as an unmanaged forest, according to the environmental conservation nonprofit The Nature Conservancy. 

Though some of the trees are cut down every year for holiday merriment, more are planted in their place and the majority are left standing. “Out of the 350 million to 500 million growing on tree farms across the U.S., only 30 million trees are harvested for Christmas each year,” according to the Conservancy. These farms are essentially managed forests, and one of the best ways to protect forests is to sustainably manage them. 

Supporting local economies 

Buying your Christmas tree from a farmer each year helps financially support these forests, but the monetary benefit likely extends across the community, too. Cut-your-own-tree farms provide a source of seasonal tourism, bringing extra dollars to the community when people stop for lunch or visit other businesses, Sidebottom said. The farms that pre-cut the trees circulate money through local businesses, too. For example, they might pay someone else to transport the trees or purchase supplies like fertilizer locally. 

“It has a multiplying effect,” she said. “Every dollar spent on a Christmas tree in that local community is going to be more than just that dollar. That dollar kind of gets recycled through several businesses.” 

So, what are the drawbacks? 

Alongside emissions related to transport, trees that have been cut down will eventually die and release any stored carbon, but the catch and release of carbon is a natural process, Sidebottom said.  

“That would be true of anything,” she said. “If you had a big tree growing in the forest and it fell, then that tree's going to decompose and break down, so it's not like something is a carbon sink forever.”

That’s why what you do with your tree when the holiday season is over is important. Burning a tree, for example, will immediately release all of the stored carbon back into the atmosphere, according to the environmental nonprofit The National Wildlife Federation. But Christmas trees can be composted or recycled so some of the carbon is broken down by bacteria or stored longer. Sending the tree to the landfill also traps carbon for longer, but landfills reduce wildlife habitat and leech pollution into their surroundings. Most communities encourage saving landfill space by disposing of trees another way. Some even offer programs that use the trees to create erosion barriers, sink them into ponds as fish habitat, or shred them for mulch on hiking trails. 

Still, for these reasons, trees with roots still attached that can be planted after the holidays and potted trees that can be rented for the season are becoming popular alternatives to cut trees. But Sidebottom cautions that replanted trees often don’t survive, and rental trees are typically kept in a nursery setting on top of gravel, negating the environmental benefit of creating wildlife habitat. 

Plastic can equal out on negative impact

Artificial trees are another option often favored because of their convenience and reusability. The average family will use one of these plastic and metal trees for six to nine years, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. This is enough time to have less negative environmental impact compared to live trees when taking into account emissions, transport, energy use, fertilizing and watering, according to a life cycle assessment by the American Christmas Tree Association, a nonprofit that represents tree manufacturers. 

But this life cycle assessment didn’t take into account the environmental benefits of tree farms. The overall impact also depends on what happens to artificial trees at the end of their life — most end up in landfills. 

The bottom line

In the end, some experts stand firmly on the side of buying a local, real tree to reap the most environmental rewards. But most seem to agree that there is no perfect answer and the “right tree” is up to consumer choice based on their priorities and how they will dispose of it. 

It’s also important to consider the celebratory tradition and religious significance of Christmas trees, Sidebottom said. “I don't think people need to feel guilty if they wanna put up a real tree,” she said. “You know, it's everybody's choice.” 
 

More than 90 percent of Americans say they'd be open to receiving a secondhand gift for the holidays, yet only 34 percent plan to shop secondhand for others, according to 2022 polling from Morning Consult and the online secondhand retailer Poshmark.

There's clearly a disconnect here: Most of us would be happy to receive something that's gently used, but we worry giving a thrifted gift will somehow leave our loved ones feeling less special. If you still have a few more names to check off your gifting list before the weekend, consider breaking the cycle and choosing a secondhand option for your last-minute shopping. 

Is it ethical to shop secondhand if you can afford retail prices?

The holiday season is a time of giving and gratitude, but it also comes with a hefty side of overconsumption that can be difficult for those in the sustainability space to reconcile. At the same time, a prevailing moral question hangs over secondhand shopping: If I can afford to pay full price for something but buy it at a thrift store, am I hurting my neighbors with lower incomes? Should I have left this deal for someone else?

It makes logical sense to assume the rising popularity of thrift stores would mean fewer options for people in the community who rely on secondhand shops to get what they need within their budgets. But practically speaking, it's not that black and white. 

Thrift stores across the U.S. are overwhelmed by the volume of donations they receive. Items that can't be resold are down-cycled (think: old clothing used for rags and insulation) or shipped to other countries, where they compete with local businesses and pile up in landfills.

Many smaller thrift stores have little choice but to throw unsold items away. Just ask Paul, brother of 3p contributor Riya Anne Polcastro, who salvages items from an independent charity thrift store dumpster in Oregon and finds a variety of things that still have plenty of use left. “I do see a lot of kitchen supplies — you know, plates, cups," he told us earlier this year. "I see a lot of artwork, like paintings that go on the wall. A lot of toys, like kids’ toys. So many kids’ toys!”

It's impossible to say whether someone else would have purchased that item you bought secondhand, or whether it would have gone to waste, but conscientiousness and common sense are generally a solid guide. While social media influencers selling their thrift store finds online for profit will likely prompt continued debate, thrifting something you or a loved one will enjoy and use is far better than that thing going to waste while you buy an equivalent that's brand new. In other words: Don't clean their shelves off, but unless your local secondhand stores are struggling with low inventory, we say thrift away. 

Last-minute secondhand shopping: The many ways to buy used

That having been established, what does it mean to shop secondhand for the holidays, and what can we expect to find? While clothing is the first thing that comes to mind for many, it's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the usable goods flooding thrift store shelves. Here are some of our favorite items to thrift for gifts and all year round! 

Kitchenware. As someone who loves playing around in the kitchen, I've caved to the social media ads and purchased the flashy new pot set or gadget of the season more than once. And I can tell you that the majority of the time, it's not worth it. The tried and true staples like cast iron and stainless steel often still work best and, if cared for properly, can last a lifetime. Even pans that look too far gone to save can often be revived — check out this guidance on breathing new life back into rusted cast iron or discolored stainless steel. 

But don't limit yourself to basics like pots and pans when you shop secondhand. Niche but helpful tools like graters, ricers and hand juicers, as well as small appliances, bakeware and dishware are common finds at local thrift stores. While some stores sell items as-is, they should be able to confirm if electric appliances are in working order, and many let you test them out yourself. 

Books. It's difficult to pin down exactly how many books are thrown away, but one widely cited 2012 study puts the estimate at around 320 million annually in the U.S. alone. While many have converted to digital readers or audio books, some still prefer the real thing — and with so many readable books in need of a second home, there's little reason not to buy used for this commonly gifted item. Along with your local thrift store, search out used booksellers in your area — which are often stocked with disused books from libraries and tend to carry a better selection. 

Tools. Much like kitchenware, common hand tools like hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches and awls can last for decades, but there are many reasons someone may part ways with them. They're bulky, heavy and can pile up, so carting them on long moves often doesn't seem worth the hassle. That means thrift stores across the country are stocked with basic home improvement items that are perfect for a loved one who just moved into a new apartment or just can't stop tinkering around the house. If they're looking a little rusty, that's easily remedied with common household items like sandpaper, vinegar or baking soda. 

While it may take a bit more digging, electric tools are also a fairly common thrift store find. As with kitchen appliances, confirm the tools are in working order or, if not, what is wrong with them. Items like cordless drills, for example, may simply have a burned-out or missing battery that can easily be replaced. 

Games and toys. Like Paul said, "So many kids' toys!" While the vast majority are safe and usable, you do want to exercise caution when you shop secondhand for children. In the U.S., thrift stores and secondhand sellers are bound by regulations from the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the same way as other retailers, but sometimes things can slip through the cracks.

Guidance like this from Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection can help you choose toys that are both fun and safe. Generally speaking, it's best to avoid vintage painted wood toys that may carry risk of lead, and do a quick search on Recalls.gov before purchasing to ensure the toy has not been recalled for safety issues. 

Video games. While gamers are all about that new release, most still enjoy the classics. And why pay full price for a nostalgic '90s game when you can shop secondhand and give an old one a new life? Many mainstream retailers like GameStop and Best Buy sell pre-owned games alongside new ones, but you'll also find a well-stocked video game section in most local thrift shops. If you're not a gamer yourself, just be sure you're choosing games for the right console system (a Sony game won't work in an Xbox console, for example, and vice versa). 

Sporting and exercise equipment. From hockey sticks to backyard soccer nets and everything in between, sporting and exercise equipment is ideal to shop secondhand. These items were built to take a beating, and as long as they're free of cracks and other visible damage, they'll play just the same for most athletes. Along with your local thrift store, pre-owned sporting goods stores are fairly commonplace in larger towns and cities across the U.S., and many sell exercise equipment like free weights alongside sporting gear. 

Jewelry. Sourcing precious metals and stones often comes with hidden costs, from human rights issues to environmental damage. Along with choosing ethical sellers with transparent sourcing policies when you buy new, choosing to shop secondhand for jewelry can help you avoid supporting these harmful systems while still walking away with something pretty. Even pieces showing signs of tarnish can be restored to their original brilliance with a few simple steps and common household materials. 

Art and home decor. If you saw a piece of art and thought of someone, it means the same whether it's new or used. And since common decor items like art pieces, mirrors, vases and knick-knacks are rarely handled, they typically show little sign of wear and tear while bringing more personality to your loved one's pad than some mass-produced item from a big-box store. Shop secondhand to save these pieces from the landfill. 

Fabrics. Looking for an eco-friendly alternative to wrapping paper? We don't blame you. Many wrapping papers aren't recyclable, and estimates for annual wrapping paper waste sent to landfills range in the millions of pounds. 

Sure, you can wrap your gifts in newspaper — the "Sunday funnies" wrapping has been a grandma standby for decades for a reason. Plain butcher or craft paper are also great options that are recyclable curbside with other papers. But if you're looking for a wrapping solution that's truly zero-waste, fabric is the way to go.

Based on the Japanese tradition of furoshiki, fabric wrapping is growing in popularity, with a variety of simple folding techniques to choose from. Any piece of fabric that's large enough for your gift will work, meaning there's no reason to run out and buy something that's marketed as "fabric gift wrap" when your local thrift store is bursting with disused fabrics that can do the same job. Along with choices for your holiday wrapping, the fabric section of your local thrift store — or even those racks of clothes and discarded linens — is perfect for those who like to craft at home. 

(Featured homepage image: Allison Christine/Unsplash)