Simbalism Energy + Efficiency

We'd not realised that Randy Feltface was outspoken on this topic. Well done Randy :)

Se2 Ep15 RANDY FELTFACE says "GET OFF GAS. GO ALL-ELECTRIC" Because there's no planet B... In season 2, The New Joneses are hitting the road again in their all-electric vehicle, to find the daily stuff we can all do t...

Our research shows that the blanketing the ocean can’t be simply cleaned up. Flashy “false solutions”, like ocean cleanup, chemical recycling, and plastic-eating microbes merely distract us from the urgent need to turn off the tap.

Instead, we need to look upstream to develop solutions before plastic gets into the environment in the first place. 5 Gyres is committed to using science to inform solutions that reduce the harm of plastic pollution where we’ll have the biggest impact - at the source.

Stay tuned as we dive into our work focused on Parks, Policy, PHA, and Parkas, and support real solutions today!

Why US drivers may be thinking about EVs all wrong Americans have specific expectations for their cars. Do EVs need to evolve to meet their demands – or are consumers' perceptions miscalibrated?

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-67588259

"The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth"

Planet undergoing frightening experiment, says King Speaking at COP28, King Charles III says humans are carrying out a "vast, frightening experiment" on the planet.

Our use of plastic is simply out of control ...

Annual Point Reached When Plastic Waste Cannot Be Managed Effectively, Study Finds A report warns today is the point in the year where the amount of short-life plastic waste being produced annually exceeds the global capacity to manage it effectively.

Microplastic debris on seabeds has tripled - CBBC Newsround Scientists have discovered that the amount of microplastics found at the bottom of the ocean is growing. So what are microplastics and why are they a problem?

https://news.mit.edu/2022/earth-stabilizing-temperature-1116

Earth can regulate its own temperature over millennia, new study finds MIT researchers have confirmed that Earth harbors a “stabilizing feedback” mechanism that acts over hundreds of thousands of years to keep global temperatures within a steady, habitable range.

Smart thinking

The floating solar panels that track the Sun Floating solar panels that track the Sun can generate large amounts of clean electricity, without taking up valuable land.

Sponsored Content: Solutions to tackle waste, empower people and drive socio-economic development in South Africa Amidst the challenging issues of job creation and waste management, there are beacons of light as South Africans look to inventive ways to find solutions for themselves.

The secrets being revealed by ocean garbage patches The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an enormous agglomeration of plastic waste floating in the world's largest ocean, but it's not the only one.

GROUNDUP: SA’s dwindling chameleon populations and how you can encourage them back to your garden South Africa’s chameleons face an increasing range of challenges, including habitat loss through land clearing and urbanisation, busy roadways and the illegal wildlife trade.

Nuclear is a superb energy resource. Causing way, way less harm and deaths than fossil fuel extractions and consumption

Nuclear Power Is Our Best Hope to Ditch Fossil Fuels | Isabelle Boemeke | TED Nuclear power is one of the safest, cleanest forms of energy -- yet to most people, it might not feel that way. Why is that? Isabelle Boemeke, the world's fi...

PHOTOGRAPHY: The angry planet – September 2022 Here is an incomplete, yet moving and heartbreaking gallery of images of how the climate crisis affected our world this month.

A half century after founding the outdoor apparel maker Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, the eccentric rock climber who became a reluctant billionaire with his unconventional spin on capitalism, has given the company away.

Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe.

Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company Yvon Chouinard has forfeited ownership of the company he founded 49 years ago. The profits will now be used to fight climate change.

While many people are distracted by nuclear waste (all of which is specifically recorded and managed), the nightmare of coal waste is massive environmental and human health degradation - affecting millions across the planet.

TOXIC BURDEN OP-ED: Shutting down coal is a matter of conscience — just ask the victims of Mpumalanga’s deadly air What President Cyril Ramaphosa’s energy crisis plan did not mention, even once, is the ongoing toxic air pollution being spewed forth by the same coal power stations that we’re now trying to fix. It’s almost as if the public health emergency that is the Mpumalanga Highveld does not exist.

Social entrepreneur James Irungu Mwangi tells us why Africa could be the ideal home for scaling the latest and most ambitious climate technologies -- including in places like Kenya's Hell's Gate National Park, which could become part of what he calls the "Great Carbon Valley.

Africa's great carbon valley -- and how to end energy poverty Our lives depend on curbing climate change, but so many priorities seem to be in competition. What's the most urgent thing humanity can do right now? Social entrepreneur James Irungu Mwangi tells us why Africa could be the ideal home for scaling the latest and most ambitious climate technologies --....

Empty Flights Still Produce Full Emissions

German-based airline Lufthansa ran 21,000 empty flights in the winter of 2021.
Why waste money on “ghost flights?”

The aviation governing bodies for the US (Federal Aviation Administration) and the EU (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) mandate that 80 percent of scheduled flights must depart and land at specific airports in order for airlines to maintain their spots at those airports. During the pandemic, this quota was lowered to 50 percent.

All airlines are forced to choose between flying planes with zero passengers or losing rights at certain airports. Either choice negatively impacts their profitability. If they don’t fly, they lose the valuable slot for the future.
Carbon emissions happen no matter how many people are on the plane. How much CO2 is uselessly released by these ghost flights? Calculations depend on type of aircraft, distance, and more, but the most thorough calculator we found is Carbon Independent.org. No matter how big or how small the number, there is no need for these emissions to be dumped in the air.
Let’s ask these governing bodies to examine the harmful practice of forcing empty planes to fly. Using our choice of social networks, consider asking your preferred airline how we can help them change this system. Your post could sound something like this:
EUASA and FAA: Ghost flights are responsible for tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. We know you don't want to fly empty planes and simultaneously destroy the planet. The Carbon Almanac Network, and the world, would love to hear your thoughts on how we might fix this problem.

The fashion and clothing industry uses more energy than both the shipping and aviation industries combined!

Not to mention the energy cost of washing your clothes or the environmental impact of disposing of unwanted clothes.

Once upon a time, clothing was considered an investment. For many, it is now a disposable commodity.

Quick win:
Instead of replacing damaged clothing, mend it. Mending damaged clothing gives it a new life, reduces environmental impact and saves you money!
More involved:
When you need new clothes, consider purchasing from more sustainable brands, buying used, and encouraging your favorite brands to improve their practices.

From: https://thecarbonalmanac.org/dont-changeyour-clothes/

Don’t Change…Your Clothes?! - The Carbon Almanac Did you know that the fashion and clothing industry uses more energy than both the shipping and aviation industries combined? Not to mention the energy cost of washing your clothes […]

https://www.iea.org/reports/key-world-energy-statistics-2021

The shareholder of Eskom has allowed (enabled) this. That is where the real blame lies.

Eskom decline unstoppable – Hanno Labuschagne Eskom has to service an enormous heap of historical debt and does not have the money to build new power stations.

Let's hope this goes somewhere ...

Plastic packaging might be biodegradable after all, say German scientists | DW | 01.06.2022 Leipzig researchers have found an enzyme that rapidly breaks down PET, the most widely produced plastic in the world. It might just eat your old tote bags.

FOOD WASTE:

The production, transport, packaging and disposal of food contributes one third of all global greenhouse gas emissions?
And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in the US 40 percent of this food is wasted. That’s more than any other country. This waste results in the release of 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.

That's as much as 42 coal-fired power plants.

Most of the waste happens long before the food arrives at our homes, but we can begin by getting smart about what we’ve already purchased.

When we throw away food, we also waste the energy and water used to grow, harvest, transport, and package it.
Take action and reduce your food waste by:
• planning meals ahead of time
• freezing the excess
• reusing leftovers

Source: Carbon Almanac Network