Day: October 1, 2020

A watershed study for wetland restoration

Read the full story from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Where rivers meet oceans, each cycle of the tide moves water in and out of estuaries. The mixing and mingling of fresh and briny water, combined with seasonal weather, creates a unique environment for ecosystems in coastal estuaries and upstream tidal rivers.

But what does climate change mean for these wetland communities? And how might activities such as dam operations and land development affect them?

To help answer those questions, researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory‘s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory developed a predictive framework of ecological indicators and analyses for estuarine–tidal river research and management. A decade in the making, the innovative framework provides a means for understanding how both natural and human forces govern hydrology and plant communities in these complex wetland ecosystems, now and into the future.

Associated journal article: Borde, A. B., Diefenderfer, H. L., Cullinan, V. I., Zimmerman, S. A., and Thom, R. M.. 2020. “Ecohydrology of wetland plant communities along an estuarine to tidal river gradient.” Ecosphere 11(9), e03185. 10.1002/ecs2.3185

TerraCycle’s Loop platform hits milestone reach across 48 states

Read the full story at Store Brands.

TerraCycle’s reuse platform Loop is now available online in every ZIP code in the 48 contiguous states, a major milestone after the program first launched in 2019.

In Perpetuity: Toxic Great Lakes sites will require attention for generations to come

Read the full story at Great Lakes Now.

It’s convenient to think of fixing a problem and it’s done. But that doesn’t apply to the long-neglected legacy polluted sites in the Great Lakes region.

In simple terms we think of a cleanup as removal of something that, left unattended, will become a nuisance or a problem. But cleanup of toxic sites, especially in water, is not that simple.

A cleanup generally refers to dredging the site until the toxins are removed or have been removed to an acceptable level. That was the case in 2005 in an area of the Detroit River known as the Black Lagoon, so named for the color of the water polluted with 103,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.

That small project by today’s standards is a landmark as it was funded by the newly passed Great Lakes Legacy Act, setting the table for much broader restoration of the Great Lakes.

Moody’s: State renewable standards in U.S. a driving force behind renewable energy transition

Read the full story at IEEFA.

A Sept. 22 research note by Moody’s shows the extent to which state policy mandates are driving long-term growth in the renewable energy sector.

Moody’s said the standards that are in place should help renewable power to take up to a 28% share of the power supply by 2030. In 2019, renewable power accounted for 17% of total U.S. power supply.

Companies Say They Support the Circular Economy, But Their Actions Speak Otherwise

Read the full story from Triple Pundit.

Climate Week is certainly much different this year. Corporate leaders and governments are faced with a new challenge of rebuilding in the wake of COVID-19 while working towards a net-zero and circular economy future; hence the theme of this year’s climate summit. Too often, we’re told to recycle more, or are surrounded with messages and invitations focused on worldwide sustainability projects and clean ups. While these may seem like steps forward towards achieving recycling goals or reducing the consumption of plastic, we must not be naive.

Accelerating Net Zero: Exploring Cities, regions, and Companies’ Pledges to Decarbonise

Download the document.

This report explores where there have been huge uptakes in net-zero commitments in surprising sectors and geographies, quantifying the scale of net-zero commitments from cities, regions, and business actors. The findings show the growing momentum towards zero carbon, while revealing areas where there is the potential to scale up and accelerate crucial action in the coming decades.

Around the world, people yearn for significant change rather than a return to a “pre-COVID normal”

Read the full story from Ipsos.

A new global Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum unveils a profound and widespread desire for change rather than a return to how things were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Natural Debate: Do Forests Grow Better With Our Help or Without?

Read the full story at e360.

Nations around the world are pledging to plant billions of trees to grow new forests. But a new study shows that the potential for natural forest regrowth to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and fight climate change is far greater than has previously been estimated.

In 2020, Not Even Your Seltzer Is Safe

Read the full story at Gizmodo.

If you, like me, woke up one day in your 30s and decided that seltzer was suddenly your thing, I have some bad news. It’s time to sit down, friend, and mourn yet another thing that this garbage year 2020 has taken from us. As it turns out, a Consumer Reports investigation has found that toxic “forever chemicals” are in several popular bottled water and carbonated water brands.

From A Canoe Or Kayak, See Highlights Of Black History Along The Little Calumet River

Read the full story from WBEZ.

Openlands and partner organizations in the Chicago region have been working for years to improve the enjoyment and quality of local rivers.

That work includes designating more than 500 miles of “water trails” on the Calumet, Chicago, Des Plaines, Fox and other rivers, and creating an online guide to canoeing or kayaking on those waterways.

Now, Openlands and regional friends are making its first attempt at creating a historical tour on a waterway: the African American Heritage Water Trail along the Little Calumet River and the Cal-Sag Channel on the Far South Side. The trail takes in important people, places and events in local Black history going back more than a century.