Nature Saves The Day (Again)

This week we’ll be covering the many ways in which nature can address e-waste and microplastics pollution. And there’s a lot more to discuss, including how one country has strengthened its carbon tax, a new type of battery, and how to cool buildings without electricity. I’m always fascinated by all the different ways we are solving climate change, and I hope you are too after reading this week’s stories.

The Newest Electronics Craze: Mushroom Skins 🍄

😊 The Good News - Electronic circuit boards are typically thrown out instead of being recycled but now that may change thanks to research conducted by Johannes Kepler University in Austria. Scientists have found a way to create home compostable circuit boards from the skin of a type of mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum.

🥾 Follow This Path - Every month, we discover a new way that mushrooms can help protect the planet, and this discovery is particularly exciting to me since the circuit boards can be composted at home in a matter of weeks instead of having to rely on our sketchy-at-best e-waste recycling infrastructure. I hope these circuit boards get scaled up quickly to help reduce the nearly 70 million tons of e-waste the world produces each year.

Reinventing The (Rubber) Wheel 🛞

😊 The Good News - Bridgestone, a Japanese corporation, was just awarded a $35 million grant from the Department of Agriculture to expand its production of natural rubber with the guayule shrub. Bridgestone has been using guayule in rubber production for their tires since 2012 as part of their goal to only use sustainable materials by 2050. This grant will help reduce costs and incentivize farmers to grow the crop.

🥾 Follow This Path - I’ve been following Bridgestone’s sustainability efforts since I learned about their Tires4ward program at a conference nearly 10 years ago, so I’m excited they are moving forward with their sustainability goals. Car tires were found to be a major source of microplastics, and Bridgestone’s sustainable materials research could greatly help reduce this.

MIT Keeps Cool Without Running Up The Electric Bill ⚡

😊 The Good News - Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new way to passively cool buildings using a solar panel-like device that sits on roofs. This device uses a combination of insulating materials, a reflector, and an evaporator to reduce the amount of heat a building absorbs, and researchers hope it can be used to reduce the urban heat island effect in cities and food waste in humid climates.

🥾 Follow This Path - Nearly 20% of global energy consumption is used to cool buildings, and that number is expected to rise between climate change increasing temperatures and more buildings being constructed. Even though it will take a long time to scale this technology up, I hope it does since it could help us in so many ways, including reducing the number of heat-related illnesses and deaths in areas where electricity is not accessible.

The Climate-Friendly Battery That Runs on CO2 🔋

😊 The Good News - An Italian startup called Energy Dome has invented a utility-scale battery that runs on CO2, and they just signed a deal with Elemental Excelerator to build one of their CO2 batteries in the United States. This battery uses excess energy to store CO2 under pressure, and then that CO2 is heated and converted into gas to power turbines when energy is needed.

🥾 Follow This Path - You might think this battery is bad for the climate because it is made from greenhouse gas, but in reality, the battery does not let any of the gas escape into the atmosphere. I hope the U.S. pilot goes well because CO2 batteries are a cheaper alternative to lithium batteries.

Canada’s Carbon Tax Just Got Stronger 🇨🇦

😊 The Good News - Every province and territory in Canada is required to have a price on carbon pollution since 2019, and the standards for that carbon tax just got stricter. Provinces and territories are able to set up their own carbon tax programs if they exceed the minimum federal standards, but with the recent changes, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador will now follow the federal pricing because their current programs do not meet federal standards.

🥾 Follow This Path - I’m a huge proponent of carbon taxing because it makes polluting a lot less advantageous for businesses and helps incentivize consumers to make more climate-friendly choices. One thing that makes me particularly excited about Canada’s carbon tax is the fact that part of the proceeds goes directly to families in need through the Climate Action Incentive Payment. Let’s see what benefits this initiative brings in the long run.

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Written in partnership with Pique Action. Tired of doom-scrolling? You've found your people. Find Pique's positive, educational climate content on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.