Sustainability
Why Bitcoin Mining Is So Bad For The Environment
Although Bitcoin is a digital currency, its impact on the environment creates real-world harm. Numbers don’t lie. A single Bitcoin transaction requires 2,167.44 kWh of electricity and emits 1,029.54 kg of CO2. To put that in perspective, according to Digiconomist, that’s enough energy to power the average U.S. household for 74.29 days and the carbon […]
Why You Should Care About Covid Pollution — And How to Help
Disposable masks and gloves are wreaking havoc on our environment and harming wildlife. But there are simple ways we can all help curb covid pollution to protect our planet. The fish in the glove was a bleak warning sign. In August 2020, citizen scientists working in the Oude Vest, a canal in Leiden, the Netherlands, […]
Why We Have to Curb Methane Emissions Now
Methane emissions warm the planet at a much faster rate than carbon dioxide. Reducing the amount of this long-overlooked greenhouse gas is key to fighting climate change. Sharon Wilson, a senior field advocate at Earthworks, has been observing oil and gas facilities for more than a decade, so she’s found herself in the presence of […]
7 Sustainability Trends You’ll See in 2022
As industries, governments, and brands take the climate crisis more seriously, expect to see a bigger shift toward sustainable products and practices. Here are the sustainability trends we predict you’ll see in 2022. 2021 was rife with climate catastrophes, a global pandemic, political unrest, and accelerated global warming. And at the end of the year, […]
The 2021 Climate Change Wins Keeping Us Optimistic
We still have work to do, but 2021 saw big wins in the fight against climate change. Here are the 12 wins we’re excited about. From Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes measures to mitigate climate change to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the U.S. and international community are taking the […]
Our Sustainability Resolutions For 2022
We all have a responsibility to create a better future for people and the planet. These are the Avocado Editors’ sustainability resolutions for 2022. Low-waste living and sustainability are always top of mind for the Avocado Team. But as the effects of climate change worsen, we know we can do more to lessen our environmental […]
Why We Need to Go Beyond Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles will drastically reduce global carbon emissions. But lithium mining required for batteries has major social and environmental costs. Innovations are making extraction of the precious metal more sustainable. Peehee mm’huh, or Thacker Pass, in Humboldt, Nevada, is a vast, largely untouched expanse of wilderness. And if you’ve ever had the chance to sleep […]
How States Are Fixing Our Broken Recycling System
Much of what we recycle either can’t actually be recycled or ends up in landfills. States like Maine and Oregon are hoping to fix our broken recycling system by putting more responsibility on the companies that make these products. It’s 9 a.m. A noisy blue truck trundles down your street, carrying with it your week’s […]
The Packaging Startup Helping Big Brands Tackle Waste
Copenhagen-based Paboco is partnering with companies like Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, and L’Oréal to pioneer a shift to bio-based bottles. Since the 1950s, the rate of plastic production has grown faster than any other material, and in the early 2000s, global output of plastic waste rose more in a single decade than it had in the previous […]
The History of Hemp
Hemp is a superplant, and one of the most sustainable natural fibers in the world, used for everything from clothing and medicine to building materials and oils. But the history of hemp is complicated. Hemp is a sustainable, multi-dimensional plant with more than 60,000 uses, from home-building and medicine to clothing. The earliest known uses […]
Why You Should Care About Slowing Ocean Currents
Scientists say ocean currents are becoming slower and less stable, which could trigger extreme changes in weather patterns and climate. The next time you gaze at seawater lapping at the shore, spare a thought for the bigger systems behind the movement of the world’s oceans. The combination of waves, tides, and currents is complex and […]