new year

Sustainable New Year’s resolutions

December 29, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Every year, millions of people around the world make resolutions to spark positive change in the new year. Popular resolutions include improving health and fitness, traveling more, spending less, and so on. With 2024 just around the corner, here are six resolution ideas to reduce our climate impact:

Shop More Sustainably. Choose eco-friendly brands and products with minimal environmental impact, including locally-produced goods and reusable items whenever possible.

Switch To Clean Energy. Purchase green power, install renewable energy systems to generate electricity, or switch to renewable resources for home and water heating and cooling needs.

Reduce Food Waste. Food waste is a significant global issue with environmental, economic, and social implications. In the U.S., an estimated 30-40% of the total food supply is never eaten. Meal plan and only shop for what you need. And freeze any leftovers.

Adopt A More Plant-Based Diet. Transition to a more plant-based diet in order to shrink the ecological footprint of food production. Resource-intensive animal-based foods like meat, dairy, and eggs are one of the chief contributors to climate change.

Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Transportation. Opt for eco-friendly transportation and energy-efficient practices in order to lower emissions. Examples include driving a battery-electric car and utilizing public transportation.

Get Involved In Conservation Advocacy. Support and engage in environmental causes, and help promote conservation and sustainable practices.

As we ring in the new year, let’s raise our glasses to a cleaner and greener 2024.

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Photo, posted August 3, 2018, courtesy of Ella Olsson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Record European Heat | Earth Wise

February 13, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The new year began with record-breaking heat across Europe. In fact, on December 31 and January 1, about 5,000 all-time high temperature records for those dates were broken, in some cases by margins of more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit.

On New Year’s Day, eight European countries recorded their warmest January day ever. These were Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania, Denmark, and Latvia.

Many of the European cities affected by the heat wave would ordinarily be covered in snow at that time of year. For example, Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, the Czech town of Javornik, and the Polish village of Jodlownik, all recorded peak temperatures between 66 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

By the measure of how far above normal temperatures rose, it was the most extreme heat wave in European history. Last summer saw record-breaking heat waves across much of Europe, but the actual temperature increases over normal were smaller than what just occurred at the beginning of the year.

The source of the exceptional heat was a warm mass of air from the west coast of Africa moving across Europe. As is the case for any individual weather event, one cannot definitively attribute this one to climate change. However, it is abundantly clear that because of climate change, extreme weather events of all types are becoming more frequent and more intense.

The unprecedented European weather does have the effect of helping to ease the energy crisis that has gripped the European continent. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to soaring natural gas prices. The warm weather has meant a lower demand for gas, causing gas prices to drop to their lowest level since the start of the war.

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‘Uncharted territory’: January heat records smashed across Europe

Photo, posted August 13, 2019, courtesy of Herbert Frank via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A Green New Year | Earth Wise

December 30, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Every year, millions of people around the world make resolutions in hopes of sparking positive changes in the new year. Popular resolutions include improving health and fitness, traveling more, spending less, and so on. With the New Year just around the corner, here are seven resolutions we all could make that would collectively have a major impact on the planet:

1) Eat less meat. Resource-intensive animal-based foods like meat, dairy, and eggs are one of the chief contributors to climate change.

2) Get a home energy audit. It’s a great way to understand your home’s energy footprint and discover ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

3) Buy local whenever possible. Shopping locally supports the local economy and dramatically cuts down on the carbon emissions associated with shipping.

4) Carry reusable shopping bags on errands. While disposable shopping bags are convenient, they are difficult to recycle and are often thrown away.

5) Air dry your laundry whenever possible. Drying clothes outside or using an indoor drying rack can save money and energy. Americans spend about $9 billion a year on electricity to dry clothing.

6) Purchase used or pre-owned items. The market for second-hand items is booming, making it possible to purchase pretty much anything you want at thrift stores or online.

7) Bring a reusable water bottle everywhere. According to the EPA, Americans throw away enough plastic bottles each year to circle the earth five times. Carrying your own bottle helps reduce this waste and will save you money.

As we ring in the new year this weekend, let’s raise our glasses to a cleaner and greener 2023.

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10 Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions!

New Year’s Resolutions

Photo, posted December 31, 2014, courtesy of Doug Anderson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Energy Trends For A New Year

January 15, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

With a new year upon us, there are several energy trends to watch out for.

The most important one is that the fundamental shift toward slow-carbon technologies is continuing. This shift is taking place despite diminishing government policy support and even active government efforts to thwart it. There is just too much momentum to stand in the way of low-carbon energy technologies.

Analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimate that over the next 30 years over 11 trillion dollars will be invested in energy power generation and power storage assets with 85% of it aimed at zero-carbon emission. Dramatic reductions in green energy costs have resulted in legitimate cost competition between zero carbon sources of energy and fossil fuel generation.

In the coming year, battery technology will continue to play a growing role both as a storage medium for energy generated by sun and wind and for powering vehicles.

Another trend is that the world’s wealthiest economies are learning to grow without growing the demand for electricity. This is important in the battle to reduce overall emissions.

Another key issue is addressing the energy needs of people who have no meaningful access to it and there are around 1.5 billion people in that category. Emerging technologies based on solar power, wind energy, microgrids and other innovations mean that traditional power grids that remain out of reach to these people are not necessary. There is the potential to address those needs without contributing to climate change.

The world is struggling to deal with the growing problem of the changing climate, but there are trends that provide at least some hope that we can move in the right direction.

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Top 3 clean energy trends to watch out for in 2019

Photo, posted April 5, 2013, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

New Year’s Resolutions

December 29, 2017 By EarthWise 1 Comment

2018 is just around the corner. Popular resolutions for the New Year always seem to include things like improving health, traveling more, spending less money, and so on. But one resolution that isn’t as popular but could collectively have a major impact is committing to living a cleaner and greener life.