Drawdown

Peatlands — also known as bogs — are a unique type of wetland, named for the organic matter that forms when plants decompose in an oxygen-starved environment over hundreds and thousands of years[i]. The Drawdown organization describes peat as “neither solid ground nor water, but something in between[ii],” ideal conditions for preserving ancient ‘bog bodies’…

Campaigns to “save the forests” usually focus on the tropical jungles epitomized by the Amazon basin. There are valid reasons for this: while rainforests take up only about 5% of the Earth’s surface, they store about 25% of its carbon. Their importance is thus far greater than their presence[i].   A full quarter of the…

In 2014, the Rodale Institute[i], an organic agriculture research center based in Pennsylvania, heralded[ii] a revolutionary technology with potential to store more than 100% of global annual CO2 emissions:   The cost is minimal and is adaptable to local contexts the world over. It can be rolled out tomorrow providing multiple benefits beyond climate stabilization….

Solar Energy: A Bountiful Harvest Solar energy has a lot going for it: it’s the fastest growing energy sector in the world — last year, it even grew faster than fossil fuels[1] — and analysts predict it will soon become the cheapest[2].   The sun’s energy is not only clean compared to fossil fuels —…

It comes as a surprise to learn that the 9th most-effective strategy for mitigating climate change[i] according to the Drawdown organization is something as obscure as silvopasture. From the Latin silva (‘forest’) and pastura (‘grazing’), silvopasture at its simplest is the integration of livestock and forest, creating a symbiotic system[ii] that can increase meat and…

Family Planning: First Do No Harm   In 2017, researchers out of Sweden performed a meta-analysis[1] to determine which individual lifestyle changes have the most impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The four most important were living a car- and plane-free life, eating a plant-based diet, and “having one fewer child.” This last recommendation is, in…

Tropical forests[i] are nature’s most powerful carbon sinks, absorbing harmful greenhouse gas emissions through photosynthesis. When they’re destroyed, therefore, these sinks release all that stored carbon back into the environment; in fact, a landmark 2017 study[ii] determined that tropical forests now release more carbon[iii] than they absorb[iv] due to deforestation. Tropical forests thus present a…

Did you know that one piece of paper can be recycled and reprocessed up to seven times? Did you know that the emissions from the paper industry are estimated as 7% of the world’s annual total (higher than the emissions from aviation!)? Recycled paper has made its way into most homes and workplaces in the…

Household water use is an opportunity for huge savings within reach of most Americans. According to the Drawdown book, the average American uses 98 gallons of water per day. Of that amount, 60% is used indoors (toilets, washing machines, showers and faucets), 30% is used outdoors (watering lawns, gardens and plants), and 10% is lost…

Trees – the simplest, low-cost, low-tech solution for carbon sequestration. Afforestation is the practice of creating new forests where there were none before. By strategically developing planted forests (aka tree plantations), we can reduce the harvest of natural forest lands (i.e. the Amazon and others). Below are some of the benefits of afforestation: Carbon Synthesis…