Energy generation and distribution are experiencing the kind of disruption that transformed many other industries over the past 20 years. But the electric grid is a stubbornly rigid physical infrastructure that will require vast investments to modernize. Dr. Tim Lieuwen, Regents’ Professor and executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech, joins the conversation to discuss accelerating the pace […]
With technology use advancing worldwide, electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing problem worldwide. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, the world generated 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste in 2019, while only 17.4% was collected and recycled. We think it’s time to up the electronics recycling game. We are launching a new technology refurbishment program that plants 20 mangrove […]
Transportation in the modern world needs to make more sense. We pay tens of thousands of dollars for vehicles that sit unused about 95% of the time. We have designed an infrastructure based on car-centric population centers that have become hard-wired into the map and prevent the evolution of flexible alternatives to the internal combustion vehicle. With logistics and cloud […]
There are a lot of good reasons to limit kids’ screen time, but the digital world isn’t all bad. The number of educational apps that kids enjoy exploring is growing quickly. Some of them even encourage offline activities. One of those is Earth Rangers, a kids’ app designed to empower environmental leadership. Previously only available in Canada, the app has […]
The evolution of plastic recycling is essential to cleaning up a plastic-addicted world and eliminating the need for oil extraction. Meet Jodie Morgan, CEO of Nexus Circular, who discusses the company’s progress and a flurry of news that has placed it at the forefront of the next generation of plastics recycling. In June of 2021, we talked with Jeff Gold, […]
Wasted energy flows into the environment all over the world, and an immense 247 trillion gallons of wastewater heated to an average temperature of 60.8 F contributes to warming local waterways and the oceans. We could recapture the heat energy for other uses before returning water to rivers, lakes, and oceans. The process of harvesting that lost energy is known […]
Four out of 10 shoppers chose sustainable products and services in late 2022 despite the economic downturn. But higher prices are making them think harder and longer about their spending, which means they welcome more information that helps them make environmentally responsible decisions. Naba Sengupta, senior manager at Deloitte Advisory’s Sustainability, Climate & Equity practice, discusses the results of a […]
A new way to make summer vacation a little more sustainable is emerging in the rental car market. Whether you drive an old beater or zip around town in a Tesla when you’re at home, it’s getting easier to drive an electric vehicle when you travel. EV rental cars are already common in Europe, and now Hertz is making strides […]
Have you noticed the increasing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in our society? The November 2022 launch of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by the Elon Musk- and Microsoft-backed entity OpenAI, skyrocketed this and similar tools into public consciousness. Many people and companies are now finding intersections between generative AI and sustainability. Could AI tools, including ChatGPT, be applied […]
How we think and feel about the climate response, whether optimistic, pessimistic, cynical, or pragmatic, shapes our perceptions of possible solutions. Too often, we argue over emotional perceptions and not hard climate data. But hard data is sterile, it doesn’t necessarily engage the passions that move us to act. So, we tell stories, often focusing on what can go wrong. […]