The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group 2 (wg2) released its sixth assessment report (AR6) at the end of February. Here are some key points from the Summary for Policymakers and the Technical Summary. Continue reading IPCC AR6 wg2 report summary
The US should impose energy sanctions against Russia. Reduced Russian oil imports may lead to an increase in prices, but this is long overdue and provides the best incentive to transition to renewable energy. This post outlines some ways you can help. Continue reading Energy sanctions against Russia
I think it’s best to be pragmatic about recycling, rather than “wish-cycling” and then patting yourself on the back. Recycling rules vary by region (look them up for your city / county) but this post provides some generally applicable guidelines. Continue reading A realistic guide to recycling
This post focuses on a news special by KQED (Bay Area public television) – California’s Plastic Problem. It provides an excellent overview in 30 minutes of the challenges of plastic recycling, plastic pollution, and the carbon footprint of plastic. Continue reading California’s plastic problem
The best way to reduce your domestic waste is to rearrange your kitchen a little bit – it’s that easy! Here’s what to do: Convert your main kitchen bin to a compost bin and then set up a much smaller container or bag for waste destined for landfill. Continue reading Domestic waste policy: The best way to reduce your waste
Marathon is a formulation of the neonic insecticide, imidacloprid, that’s commonly used on ornamental plants in nurseries, garden centers, and homes across the US. A 2021 University of California paper shows that the application of Marathon, even at 30% of the recommended dose, killed 90% of leafcutter bees. Continue reading Marathon (imidacloprid) used on ornamental plants kills bees
Companies that make plant-based food are being harassed by meat industry groups on a regular basis. I’ll go through a few examples to underscore why it’s important to support these underdogs. Continue reading Vegan companies are being harassed – support them!
Should you always support vegan brands? More specifically: Should you support vegan brands owned by less ethical parent corporations? I’ll take a look at some brands, and look at reasons to support them and situations where you should not. Continue reading Should you always support vegan brands?
I recently discovered that you can filter search results on eBay to show only items that benefit charities. Buying used items reduces your impact (carbon and material footprints, social impact) massively over buying new items. Buying used items from a charitable organization is even better. I’ll describe two ways to search eBay for items that benefit charities. Continue reading Supporting charities on eBay
As a follow-up to my last post on the carbon footprint of data, here’s an easy action that you can take: install an ad blocker on your browser. There is a downside: many websites and content creators do rely on advertising revenue to pay the bills. So it’s your call 🙂 Continue reading An ad blocker will reduce your carbon footprint
The Green Stars Project 