Episode 241: Thinking long-term with three sustainability think tanks

Episode 241: Thinking long-term with three sustainability think tanks Heather Clancy Fri, 10/16/2020 – 02:00 Week in Review Stories discussed this week (4:08). A plan for “Lithium Valley” begins to take shape Grocery retailers will feel the sting of pollinator declines Are lawyers and accountants doing enough on climate change? Features Building the B Corp movement (16:40)   While some large multinationals including Danone and Natura have embraced the B Corp certification, others have been slower to move. That was a catalyst for the new B Movement Builders initiative, launched in September. Marcelo Behar, vice president for sustainability and group affairs for Natura & Co., chats about why his organization became a mentor. ERM wants to help institutionalize sustainability (26:44) This week, global consultancy ERM launched the SustainAbility Insitute, created to define, institutionalize and scale sustainability performance. Keryn James, ERM’s group chief executive, and Mark Lee, head of the new organization, drop by to chat about the mission.  Can we use disruption to create true transformation? (35:20) The past month has seen the publication of dozens of reports highlighting paths to action for corporate sustainability as the world looks forward to life after the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, the Forum for the Future added to that body of work with its map of the multiple pathways ahead of us, “From System Shock to System Change — Time to Transform.” We spoke with the forum’s CEO, Sally Uren, about what’s ahead, and why decisions of the next six to 18 months are critical. A collaborative approach to “Drawdown” (44:45) This week also marks the launch of Drawdown Labs, formed to help companies test how to use their resources, partners, employees and customers to reduce carbon emissions, not just avoid it. Some early participants: Allbirds; Google; Grove Collaborative; IDEO; Impossible Foods; Intuit; Lime; and Trane Technologies. Jaime Alexander, director of Drawdown Labs, weighs in on how they’re leading.  *Music in this episode by Lee Rosevere: “Curiosity,” “Keeping Stuff Together,” “Night Caves,” “How I Used to See the Stars,” “Southside,” “As I Was Saying” and “Sad Marimba Planet”  *This episode was sponsored by IHG Resources galore Lessons in resilience from the produce industry. Subject matter experts from Kwik Lok, Walmart and Second Harvest Food Bank join us at 1 p.m. EST Nov. 10 to discuss responding to disruption and how to balance food safety and security to minimize food waste. Do we have a newsletter for you! We produce six weekly newsletters: GreenBuzz by Executive Editor Joel Makower (Monday); Transport Weekly by Senior Writer and Analyst Katie Fehrenbacher (Tuesday); VERGE Weekly by Executive Director Shana Rappaport and Editorial Director Heather Clancy (Wednesday); Energy Weekly by Senior Energy Analyst Sarah Golden (Thursday); Food Weekly by Carbon and Food Analyst Jim Giles (Thursday); and Circular Weekly by Director and Senior Analyst Lauren Phipps (Friday). You must subscribe to each newsletter in order to receive it. Please visit this page to choose which you want to receive. The GreenBiz Intelligence Panel is the survey body we poll regularly throughout the year on key trends and developments in sustainability. To become part of the panel, click here . Enrolling is free and should take two minutes. Stay connected To make sure you don’t miss the newest episodes of GreenBiz 350, subscribe on iTunes . Have a question or suggestion for a future segment? E-mail us at 350@greenbiz.com . Contributors Joel Makower Topics Podcast Corporate Strategy Collective Insight GreenBiz 350 Podcast Featured in featured block (1 article with image touted on the front page or elsewhere) Off Duration 54:12 Sponsored Article Off GreenBiz Close Authorship

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Episode 241: Thinking long-term with three sustainability think tanks

Earth911 Reader: This Week’s Recommended Sustainability, Recycling, Business and Science News

Every week, the Earth911 team combs news and research for … The post Earth911 Reader: This Week’s Recommended Sustainability, Recycling, Business and Science News appeared first on Earth 911.

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Earth911 Reader: This Week’s Recommended Sustainability, Recycling, Business and Science News

Earth911 Reader: This Week’s Essential Sustainability News And Actions You Can Take

Start your environmental and sustainability reading with us! We read … The post Earth911 Reader: This Week’s Essential Sustainability News And Actions You Can Take appeared first on Earth 911.

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Earth911 Reader: This Week’s Essential Sustainability News And Actions You Can Take

Tesla’s co-founder is pioneering a circular system for electric vehicle batteries

Tesla’s co-founder is pioneering a circular system for electric vehicle batteries Katie Fehrenbacher Wed, 09/02/2020 – 01:30 This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about electric vehicle batteries and the massive potential for battery recycling and reuse. As the market for electric vehicles takes off, that means eventually hundreds of millions of EV batteries will be in use and then face end of life. The industry needs to make the process of EV battery production, use, reuse and recycling much more efficient. Why? A few reasons: Battery materials are very valuable, and a lot of money is invested into pulling those metals out of the ground. The production of EV batteries is very wasteful, meaning companies are losing a lot of money through wasted materials. After electric car batteries aren’t very good at moving a car anymore, they can be taken and used for other applications, such as for the power grid, potentially for several years. EV batteries contain materials that can be toxic and need to be safely recycled and responsibly managed through end of life.  EV companies are trying to position themselves as green, and having more efficient and circular battery systems helps with the brand. The cost of EV batteries needs to get even cheaper to reach mainstream, and reuse of battery materials can reduce the cost of battery production.  One reason I’ve been thinking about this issue is because of our excellent event Circularity , which the GreenBiz team put on last week. Speakers across the three days emphasized the crucial nature of developing products and systems that reduce or even eliminate waste, leading to more profits and less pollution for the planet. Lithium-ion batteries are clearly a candidate for such innovative circular thinking.  Another reason battery reuse and recycling is coming to light this week is because of the emergence of Redwood Materials , a startup founded by former Tesla chief technology officer JB Straubel. The company, featured in a lengthy Wall Street Journal article over the weekend, has a plan to take scrap metal from EV battery production and use that for the raw materials of other EV batteries. By sourcing leftover materials from current factories, the company can help lower the cost of batteries and also reduce considerable waste. Redwood Materials is already working with Panasonic (Tesla’s battery partner) to take scrap metal from the Gigafactory in Nevada. Straubel says that in 10 years he thinks the company can deliver battery materials for half the cost of mined materials.  If you don’t know Straubel, he’s the young engineer who, almost 20 years ago, convinced Elon Musk that lithium-ion batteries would get cheap enough and powerful enough to move a car. The result was Tesla, and Straubel contributed so much to the company over the years that Musk coined him as a founder.  I, for one, am very excited to see the talented and passionate Straubel emerge from the Tesla/Musk juggernaut as a leader and entrepreneur in his own right.  I’ve also been thinking about circular EV batteries because I’m planning to host a conversation on this subjec t at our upcoming VERGE 20 event , which will run the last week in October. If you have ideas for speakers or framing on second-life batteries, drop me a note: katie@greenbiz.com .  Topics Transportation & Mobility Circular Economy Electric Vehicles Recycling Featured Column Driving Change Featured in featured block (1 article with image touted on the front page or elsewhere) Off Duration 0 Sponsored Article Off

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Tesla’s co-founder is pioneering a circular system for electric vehicle batteries

USDA closes Tiger King zoo for animal welfare violations

This week brought more drama involving the human cast of the popular “Tiger King” series but hopefully some peace for the tigers themselves. Time is up for the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Garvin County, Oklahoma, which is now officially closed to the public after the USDA cited multiple animal welfare violations. The park became infamous when Netflix debuted its “Tiger King” documentary series in March. The show’s behind-the-scenes look at big cat owners was wildly popular, garnering 34.1 million views in the series’ first 10 days after release. “Tiger King” introduced the viewing public to Joe Exotic, former owner of the park, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for killing five tigers, abusing other animals and trying to hire somebody to assassinate Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue. Related: “Tiger King” drama overshadows abuse of captive tigers in the U.S. But in April, a month after “Tiger King” rocketed to fame, the Humane Society of the United States released footage showing that Exotic’s successor at Greater Wynnewood, Jeffery Lowe, was also abusing tigers. Federal judge Scott L. Palk responded by revoking Lowe’s exhibitor license and giving him 120 days to remove the tigers and vacate the premises. That 120 days is up this week. Palk also granted Baskin control of the 16 acres of land that housed the infamous zoo as part of a $1 million trademark dispute Baskin had filed against the Greater Wynnewood Development Group. Lowe denied any wrongdoing. On a Facebook post, he accused the USDA of “false accusations” against him. He claimed the agency was “folding to pressure” from PETA . “The ‘Tiger King’ phenomenon has definitely changed our lives in many ways,” Lowe said . “It has brought us more attention than any human deserves, good and bad. It has and probably will continue to make us a target of every nutjob and animal rights loon in the world, but we are prepared.” Via VegNews and Yahoo! Image via Capri23auto

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USDA closes Tiger King zoo for animal welfare violations

Earth911 Inspiration: Our Future’s Vast Possibilities

This week’s quote comes from Gifford Pinchot, a pioneer in … The post Earth911 Inspiration: Our Future’s Vast Possibilities appeared first on Earth911.com.

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Earth911 Inspiration: Our Future’s Vast Possibilities

Earth911 Inspiration: In Awe of Mother Nature

This week’s quote comes from longtime “Jeopardy” host and actor … The post Earth911 Inspiration: In Awe of Mother Nature appeared first on Earth911.com.

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Earth911 Inspiration: In Awe of Mother Nature

Earth911 Inspiration: Healthy Ecology, Healthy Economy

This week’s quote comes from former U.S. Representative Claudine Schneider: “A … The post Earth911 Inspiration: Healthy Ecology, Healthy Economy appeared first on Earth911.com.

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Earth911 Inspiration: Healthy Ecology, Healthy Economy

Earth911 Inspiration: Be a Mountain or Lean on One

This week’s quote is a Somali proverb: “Be a mountain … The post Earth911 Inspiration: Be a Mountain or Lean on One appeared first on Earth911.com.

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Earth911 Inspiration: Be a Mountain or Lean on One

Episode 218: What’s next for sustainability careers, capitalism in a ‘world on fire’

Week in ReviewCommentary on this week’s news highlights begins at 7:05.

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Episode 218: What’s next for sustainability careers, capitalism in a ‘world on fire’

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