A New Energy Technology is Making a Splash

The Motion of the Ocean Could Soon Power Your Home

😊  The Good News - The UK-based startup Sea Wave Energy Limited has invented an affordable, low-maintenance wave energy technology called the Waveline Magnet. It works by anchoring a floating spine-like platform in the water and using the motion of waves to generate energy. Can’t picture it? Imagine your friend doing the worm. Still not? Click the link. Admittedly, this new tech isn’t quite ready for primetime because requires more testing and needs to be scaled for commercialization, when it does, each Waveline Magnet is expected to generate up to 100 MW of energy (that’s enough to power 50,000 homes for a year)!

🥾  Follow This Path - 50% of Americans live within 50 miles of a coastline, making wave energy an enticing option for the future. Wave energy could provide reliable energy at night, helping with the intermittency challenges typically posed by solar. This past week another wave energy startup, CalWave, announced the completion of a 10-month long pilot, which is incredibly promising. These solutions could provide energy to millions of Americans without taking up valuable space on land – I’m eager to watch where things go in the future.

Alaskan Natives Finally Get to #Represent in Congress

😊  The Good News - Last week Mary Peltola became the first Alaskan native to be elected to Congress. She is a member of the Yup’ik Tribe and has a long history of supporting environmental causes. She is well known for helping bring salmon back to Western Alaskan rivers and being a staunch opponent of the controversial Pebble Mine project.

🥾  Follow This Path - Earlier this year I visited Alaska and got to see many of the issues Congresswoman Peltola wants to fight firsthand. Native representation in climate policy is vital for climate justice and ecosystem restoration, and I, for one, am excited to see how she helps push climate action in Congress.

Built Ford Tough-On-Climate

😊 The Good News - Ford and DTE Energy have just reached an agreement to add 650 MW of new solar energy capacity to Michigan by 2025 in order to help Ford decarbonize their facilities. The deal will reduce the corporation’s emissions by up to 600,000 tons and will increase Michigan's solar capacity by 70%.

🥾 Follow This Path - Corporate climate action helps corporations and governments alike, and Ford is showing just that with their energy deal. The increased solar capacity will help Michigan residents decarbonize too. Plus it’s important that sustainable products, like electric vehicles, are produced using renewable energy!

Organic Dairy is Greener than we Thought! It’s Gouda Brie a Good Day!

😊 The Good News - A new study conducted by the University of Wisconsin Madison has found that it’s possible for small dairy farms to reduce emissions and even sequester carbon if they use organic and regenerative agriculture practices, and Organic Valley Co-Op farmers have committed to using the research to make their farms more sustainable.

🥾 Follow This Path - I think we all know that the greenest option is to outright eliminate dairy, but it’s important to be realistic. Not everyone will stop consuming dairy, so I believe it’s imperative that we find ways to reduce the industry’s impact on our climate (like this one!) while at the same time utilizing plant-based dairy alternatives.

Germany Choo-Choo-Chooses Hydrogen for Their Trains

😊 The Good News - Around 50% of trains in Europe run on diesel. Most major rail lines in Germany are being converted to electric, but most lesser-used rail lines won’t be due to cost. That’s why Germany is piloting a fleet of hydrogen train engines. The goal is to replace diesel engines on these lesser-used lines so the entire country can have access to sustainable rail – not just major cities.

🥾 Follow This Path - Hydrogen fuel has historically been a contentious topic because it was typically produced as a byproduct of fossil fuel refining until a few years ago. Now there are more ways to produce it sustainably, and I’m thrilled to see Germany using it to help smaller communities have access to clean public transportation.

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