You have reached the crossroads upon realizing that human beings have tipped the environmental balance and now we must take action for a sustainable future
City Hike starts today and lasts for the next three weeks.
Sierra Club is sponsoring a Hike-A-Thon which is a nationally powered and locally experienced event to raise money to protect our planet.
Learn more about this virtual hike and register today!
If you’re new to Sustainability X, welcome! We will present solutions to the climate change crisis over the coming weeks and months, and how you can get involved. Please join our movement and follow us by clicking the “FOLLOW” link in the footer below!
The UN Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change released an ominous report this morning about the consequences of our collective inaction to combat global warming. Here’s what the headlines say:
Fox Business: “UN report: Global warming is likely to blow past Paris limit” (article)
CNN: “Earth is warming faster than previously thought, scientists say, and the window is closing to avoid catastrophic outcomes” (article)
The Guardian: “Major climate changes inevitable and irreversible – IPCC’s starkest warning yet” (article)
A resident watches a wildfire on Evia island, Greece, as the region endures its worst heatwave in decades, which experts have linked to the climate crisis. Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
The first step to react in a crisis is not to panic. The second is to evaluate the situation, get up to speed quickly, and then take action.
If you’re not up to speed with the circumstances causing global warming and what we can do to avert the worst, then I suggest Climate Solutions 101 by Project Drawdown. “Climate Solutions 101 is the world’s first major educational effort focused solely on solutions. Rather than rehashing well-known climate challenges, Project Drawdown centers game-changing climate action based on its own rigorous scientific research and analysis.”
Consider the case study of Interface, a global manufacturer of commercial and residential flooring, and the world’s largest manufacturer of modular tile. Company founder Ray Anderson had launched the company on an audacious path in 1994 to become not only a sustainable, but a regenerative, business. This story shows how integrating sustainability can not only make a difference in the world, but also provide a pathway to tremendous business growth: “Purpose At Work: Lessons From Interface On How To Lead With Purpose,” by Simon Mainwaring writing for Forbes.
For individuals, in addition to switching to alternative-fuel vehicles and adding solar panels to our rooftops, incorporating more plant-based foods into our diets is perhaps the most significant way we can make a positive difference. In fact, a study by Oxford University suggests that veganism is the single biggest way to reduce our environmental impact. Essentially, avoiding meat and dairy is estimated to reduce the average person’s carbon footprint from food by nearly three-quarters.
We can avert the worst consequences of climate change if government, industry, and individuals realize our predicament and take meaningful actions to transform systems and society. Time to get to work!
If you’re new to Sustainability X, welcome! We will present solutions to the climate change crisis over the coming weeks and months, and how you can get involved. Please join our movement and follow us by clicking the “FOLLOW” link in the footer below!
Alarmist announcements have a tendency of polarizing an audience. Yet at some point, we all need to know what the stakes are about climate change and how we can help. Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot make a simple case to Protect, Restore, and Fund.
If you’re new to Sustainability X, welcome! We will present solutions to the climate change crisis over the coming weeks and months, and how you can get involved. Please join our movement and follow us by clicking the “FOLLOW” link in the footer below!
Right now voting is underway for the best sustainability startup and you should weigh in!
Forty-seven startups from all over the world were created just weeks ago and each won 1st place at their respective international venues for Global Startup Weekend Sustainable Revolution (techstars). Now it’s time to choose the best startup of the lot.
I had the opportunity to participate and help build a startup over an intense 54 hour roller-coaster weekend. Since Sacramento, California was the only city representing the USA, it’s fair to say that when our team placed 2nd, we placed 2nd in the country! Alas, while our team did not win the gold, the 1st place team WeVo proudly represents our nation and is very worthy of your vote (they earned mine already!).
Each team created a one-minute-video pitch showcasing its startup, and together with a brief summary describing each new concept, provides all the information you need to cast your vote (thru July 13). It can take less than a minute, or you can take some time and browse the array of incredible concepts aiming to make our world a better place. So go ahead, vote now!
Why did I join Startup Weekend? It’s a good cause: contribute to developing startups that focus on sustainability and to support our local Sacramento startup community. But more selfishly, I had in mind to help develop my own concept in the food industry (more on that later…). So I was quite pleased with myself when I pitched my concept and it was selected as a top concept to pursue (along with about 40% of the other pitches). Yet I was devastated, when in the end, my supporters abandoned my team for other concepts; startups that perhaps didn’t already have a pitch deck and partial business plan created.
After a difficult night of soul searching, since time is of the essence when working on a new venture and 54 hours is a considerable time commitment, I decided to stay the course, regroup, and join another team. I’m glad I did as it was an amazing journey from which we all grew, and in many ways tangentially contributed to my current venture. Of course, the icing on the cake was when our team won 2nd place.
2nd Place, Global Startup Weekend Sustainable Revolution. Spotter – mobile app to pool consumers with deals at restaurants during slow times.
If you’re new to Sustainability X, welcome! We will present solutions to the climate change crisis over the coming weeks and months, and how you can get involved. Please join our movement and follow us by clicking the “FOLLOW” link in the footer below!
“Airing from the Summit’s livestream and streaming on Facebook by multiple partner organizations, Step Up, World will bring the Summit to the world and the world to the Summit through an energetic live program that combines news, high-level interviews, and commentary. This will include original curated segments featuring major events taking place across San Francisco and across the planet that capture the excitement of the international climate action movement that the Summit embodies.”
“Join us at the Step Up, World studio as we delve into the discussions and announcements of the Global Climate Action Summit, and hear from some of the world’s biggest voices for climate action. There’s no time to waste – it’s time for ambition. It’s time for action. It’s time to Step Up, World!”
If you’re new to Sustainability X, welcome! We will present solutions to the climate change crisis over the coming weeks and months, and how you can get involved. Please join our movement and follow us by clicking the “FOLLOW” link in the footer below!
Join the Movement
As individuals, we have little power to stop the clear-cutting of rain forests, compel nations to end subsidizing fossil fuel industries, or keep the meat industry from promoting beef products, etc. Our power lies in collective actions from joining forces with like-minded people to make our voices heard. As individuals, while we can and should choose sustainable options over depleting ones, the truly meaningful actions to combat climate change come from supporting, and in some cases leading, initiatives and causes. Join us today and make your voice heard, take action on a cause you support, and be part of the global warming solution.
Sustainability X 