Why digital meetings? Well, the transport sector is the fastest growing contributor to climate emissions, currently responsible for 14% of the total co2-emissions in the world. It is clear that weneed to decrease transport emissions drastically if we are to reach the Paris Agreements goals – to limit global warming to below 2 degrees.
The good news is that there are many simple things we can do to decrease these emissions; things that we as consumers and businesses can act on right now.
One of the easiest things we can do – that not only helps stop climate change but also can save us money and time – is to simply travel a lot less. For companies doing business where meeting people face to face is key, this means swapping from physical to digital meetings.
And even for the ones of us not yet affected by the urgency of the climate crisis, in the current day and age of the Corona virus, digital meetings have never been more relevant.
So how to do good digital meetings?
Choose a good video-service. At GoClimate we use google-meet and whereby.com, but there are lots of other similar services available. Our experience are that these services have improved drastically the last couple of years, coping with disconnects and audio-discrepancies a lot better than good old Skype did 10 years ago.
Secure a good internet-connection. This is a must. There are few things as frustrating as interruptions during the meeting, compromising the flow of the talk and increasing the risk of misunderstandings. One thing that helped us with this aspect was to switch the wifi-channel, so it’s a different channel than the other wifis in our office-building.
Get a high quality camera, microphone and speaker. For meetings with multiple participants this is also a non-negotiable. At GoClimate we were sponsored by Konftel with a brand new C20Ego-kit. We are delighted with the increased quality of video/audio and thereby the improved overall experience of our meetings as a whole. Thank you Konftel!
Make sure everyone can participate on equal terms. This means, even if you have only one person joining on distance, you cannot use a whiteboard that this person cannot see or contribute to. Resolve this by using tools like Miro, the virtual whiteboard! Everyone needs to have equal access.
Partner up! Another system that works well for us when we have only one person remote is to use a Buddy in the real meeting, who ensures that the remote collaborator is effectively included, and uses their computer as the channel for communication (the video connection).
If you’ve already taken a carbon calculator test, you should know approximately what the emissions are for your diet. If not, here’s a list of different ways of eating and how big or small the carbon emissions are per person per year.
Diet
The charts above are very clear and it might not come as a surprise to many of you that a plant-based diet is more climate-friendly.
Now, I’m not going to push you all to become vegan. But I do hope you will try to eat fewer animal products and more plants. It’s better for your health, the animals and the planet.
Meat production has increased 4 times in the last 50 years. And in many countries, it is common to eat some sort of meat with every meal – breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.
UN experts say that to be able to eat meat in a sustainable way, we should rather aim for having meat for ONE meal a WEEK.
Cow and lamb meat are the worst when it comes to environmental impact and should be cut down dramatically to reduce your personal emissions.
But it’s so much bigger than just about the amount of CO2 it creates. It’s not even all about the greenhouse gases (cow farts release high quantities of methane gas, which is many times more potent than carbon dioxide).
The consumption of animal products is also the main cause of deforestation in the rainforest. One of the planet’s most vital “lungs”, which captures the CO2 to then release oxygen. So the animal agriculture both emits an immense amount of greenhouse gases and remove the natural machines that suck CO2 from the air. It’s a double negative that doesn’t become a positive.
Another part of animal agriculture that worries experts is the high usage of antibiotics, which increases the risk of bacterias building up a resistance to it.
Food Waste
Did you know that 1/3 of all food that is produced for humans goes to waste? Tossing out edible food that took both resources like water, land use and creating greenhouse gases. Just imagine how much CO2 could be saved if we could stop food waste!
But of course, not all food waste happens in the home by us, the consumers. Edible food is first wasted when they don’t fit the aesthetic criteria (being too small, too big or too wonky). And then supermarkets sometimes order more food than they then accept, leaving literally tons of edible food going to waste before it even has a chance to be sold. And then as many of us are already aware of, many grocery stores throw away edible food to either make room for new items on the shelves. One broken egg makes the whole box being thrown away or when one of many vegetables or fruits in a pre-packaged bag is bad, they are all thrown away. Or perhaps it’s food related to holidays like Christmas or Easter that aren’t interesting for consumers after the holiday is over. It’s also common for products to be thrown away when it gets to close to “best before”-date even though the food will be good to eat long after that set date.
It’s calculated that in Sweden, the average worth of edible food thrown out each year per person is €400-600. Not only will minimizing your food waste save the planet, but it will save your wallet too. What would you do with an extra €400-600/year?
Location
Where your food was produced, packaged and shipped from also matters. Some food is flown in, others are shipped by cargo ships and others can be produced locally to where you live!
Try to opt for a diet with products that can and is being grown in the country where you live, or as close to it as possible.
Seasonally
If you opt for food that is in season, it’s both cheaper and there’s no need to grow it in energy-intensive greenhouses. Of course, eating seasonally and locally is the best, but it’s also worth keeping in mind that not all food that is shipped from overseas is in season from where it was grown either. So try to learn, or print a guide that shows you what food is in season when to make it easier for you to plan your meals accordingly.
How it is grown
In the hunt of creating genetically perfect crops and crops that aren’t attacked by any type of insects, the soil was left out of consideration. Monocrops and pesticides stripped the vital soils of nutrition and biodiversity, leaving it unable to
“Conventional wisdom has long held that the world cannot be fed without chemicals and synthetic fertilizers. Evidence points to a new wisdom: The world cannot be fed unless the soil is fed.”
And this is where Regenerative Agriculture comes in.
Unhealthy/dead soil can’t absorb and hold carbon, the ability to hold and infiltrate water decreases which leads to higher risks of drought and floods. The earth also loses its nutritional value and this leads to a loss in life and biodiversity in the soil which makes it hard to impossible to grow food.
When soil is healthy it absorbs carbon, helping to fight climate change. Healthy soil also holds and attracts water more easily. When the soil is healthy the biodiversity and nutrition it high, making it great for growing food.
This means that the way we grow things can either be part of the cause of creating climate change or be one of the most efficient ways to fight it.
Try to research if there are any farms in your country or near you that do regenerative farming and try to support them.
If you want to learn more about Regenerative Agriculture, you can join the nonprofit community Kiss the Ground.
Plastic has gotten a terrible reputation when it comes to food packaging. And in many cases, the plastic packaging is unnecessary and non-recyclable but what a lot of people miss in this discussion is that the emission of the plastic packaging is tiny compared to the carbon footprint of what is IN the packaging.
Meaning that if the plastic packaging keeps the food fresh for longer and therefore minimizes the risk of food waste, it is saving the planet.
Now, there are of course other issues with plastic than the carbon footprint. It is made from fossil fuels and can’t biodegrade, which basically means it will never disappear completely once its been made. And even if the plastic is recyclable, it should rather be called downcycling, as it can only be recycled very few times, and each time it loses its quality until it is no longer usable.
So when it comes to products that won’t go bad quickly, getting it package free is the best option. But if it comes to fresh produce that quickly go bad – plastic doesn’t necessarily have to be that bad. If it does keep your food waste down, that outweighs the downside to the footprint of the packaging.
Live a climate-friendly life. Illustration by Irene Danielsson.
What is the most important action one can take for the climate in 2022? Well, different actions have different effects. Try to think big. If it feels awkward to go out in the streets and demonstrate or contact politicians, take a digital course in climate action instead to get an understanding for what the most important thing you can do is.
Become an active citizen
Become an active citizen and put pressure on systems, rules and norms to change. You can do this by:
Think BIG! Take a free digital quick course – the Climate Leader – in how you can influence at a system level.
Influence your tenant owners’ association. Ask them for example to install solar panels and chargers for electric vehicles, improve insulation to lower your energy consumption, change into renewable electricity and introduce sharing services like carsharing. In addition to having a lower climate footprint, it also makes your apartment block more attractive and resilient for the future.
Put pressure on your workplace, your university or school. Ask if they have a climate-smart travel policy in place, if they can introduce a veggies first policy and advise them on calculating their climate footprint. We have developed a tool for companies to do that here.
Demonstrate – for the moment digitally. Join FridaysforFuture, Extinction Rebellion or a friend during the next climate strike if you feel a bit new and lonely in this type of context.
Support End Ecocide to make large-scale environmental degradation a crime. Fracking is one example that could potentially count as ecocide. Sign petitions, make a donation so that small island nations can afford to have representatives in place at international climate negotiations or get involved in the movement locally.
Contact your political party and demand that they adopt a policy in line with the Paris Agreement.
Become a conscious consumer. Reduce your own climate footprint and gain better knowledge of which area you should focus on. What makes the biggest difference for the climate – replacing the car with a bike for distances under 3 km or recycling every single package? Below we list what has the greatest climate impact for an individual.
Think half. Do half of the things that have the biggest carbon footprint in your life – eat half as much red meat, fly half as many times, buy half of the apparel and footwear you normally buy and use your car half as much. Or, focus twice as much on of what has a low climate footprint. Maximize your cycling, your train holidays and your vegan eating (tips – try Veganuary). Choose ONE area to focus on and it is more likely that it will happen.
Become a circulator instead of a consumer. Start using sharing services for stuff and transportation.
Check out the performance of your financial institutions at FairFinanceGuide and use your influence to demand change. Financial institutions like banks and insurance companies can use your money to facilitate the destruction of our planet by investing in for example coal companies. Ask them to stop doing that!
We have now offset another 50,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for taking part in this!
Renewable energy has to make up a larger share of the market globally, which is why we are now financing the Belen Wind Project in Turkey. The major purpose of the project activity is providing electricity from renewable sources to the rapidly growing Turkish electricity market.
The project is expected to generate about 135,000 MWh of electricity per year and prevent approximately 74,444 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually compared to the baseline scenario. Even though wind is increasing in Turkey, there is a heavy reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and coal, and the share of natural gas has grown to reach the same proportion as the other sources. We want to finance this kind of projects to show that there is support for sustainable energy, and spread awareness of the feasibility of better alternatives.
This project consists of an installation of 16 wind turbines, each having a capacity of 3000 kW, in Belen, on the Southeast Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The wind farm provides a total capacity of 48MW and is connected to the national grid. The project employs state of the art technology and installed high capacity 3MW turbines instead of 1.5MW turbines that used to be installed in the earlier days of wind energy developments in Turkey. These new turbines enable better use of the wind potential with a reduced project footprint area, minimising the impact on the natural environment.
It is worth mentioning that if not prepared and designed properly, wind energy can have negative environmental impacts. This is why it is important to do a so-called Environmental Impact Assessment. As we purchase credits from projects certified by Gold Standard, there has been a rigorous control of the risks as all projects have to comply with the “Safeguarding Principles and Requirements” . This covers human rights, gender issues, corruption, water and land use, and other potential impacts. Another important part of the project preparation is the stakeholder consultation, which is also documented in Project Design Document.
For this project in particular, it is described in the Project Design Document that ”…some trees will be cut in order to enlarge the road to the site and to clear the surroundings of the turbines. However; it was assured that new plantation will be done in return by local Forestry Management”. Other issues addressed in the preparation phase was the concern for bird migration in the area, and potential impact from waste and water usage during the construction phase. Having this information available is mandatory, and is how we know we can trust the project. It allows for accountability, so that we can hold the project developer responsible for the impacts and mitigation measures.
More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE
We have now offset another 25,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for making this happen!
This time, your contributions are funding the first ever wind farm in Indonesia. With 30 wind turbines reaching a total capacity of 75 MW, it is also the largest wind farm in all of South East Asia. Through this project, we are supporting Indonesia and its island Sulawesi to see beyond fossil fuels and stimulate both the development of the electricity grids and the national politics in a climate-positive direction.
Indonesia is a country that depends heavily on fossil fuels for its energy production. That in itself is not unique, but given its large population of 264 million, it is remarkable that there has been no wind power at all – until now. The potential for renewable energies in Indonesia is massive, estimated to 14 times their current demand. However, the country has very cheap coal, which sells domestically for less than the global market price, so the economic incentive for renewable energy is weak. In cases like these, the possibility to finance the development with sales of CO2-credits can be one solution to implement green energy projects.
This project has several benefits – Indonesians will now be able to see the positive impact of the wind power for themselves and we are proving the feasibility of this energy source in a local context. The project will also stimulate capacity development, as locals are recruited for the construction and operation of the facility. This breaking of new ground will facilitate for future wind energy projects. Moreover, it puts pressure on the development of the grids to become more flexible and interconnected, so that the electricity can be distributed in an efficient way.
The capital of Indonesia had a major power blackout earlier this year, highlighting the need for grid flexibility and a robust energy system. The politicians in Indonesia have also made a point to set the national target for renewable energy to 23% for 2025, which is twice as much renewables as in 2018 and therefore a significant contribution to the common goal of the Paris Agreement. Impressive! We hope that this is the first of many wind power plants in Indonesia, and are happy to see that there is already another one being built on the same island.
More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE
2020 is just
around the corner, and it has to be the year we all step up our efforts to stop
climate change!
This needs to be a year of massive action, on all levels. Of course, we are all hoping for radical climate policy on national level, but we also have to be part of the transition on an individual level. That way, we signal to both politicians and big business that we are serious about wanting change! And we need to move towards minimal CO2 lifestyles, as fast as possible.
I have always travelled a lot, and it is a major part of my identity. The world is such a glorious place and I am so curious to experience it! I am convinced that it has helped me become both more informed about the complexities of today, but also more compassionate towards others. This, however, has had a massive CO2 footprint. Only in 2019, my flight emissions were 3,19 tonnes of CO2e.
Feeling regret about our past emissions is hardly helpful. We need to start somewhere, and it is never too late to do better. But if we want to stop climate change, we need to start now!
Therefore, my new years climate resolution is to stay on the ground to keep fossil fuels in the ground! I am keen to explore my more immediate surroundings by train, foot and other climate friendly means of transportation. After all, travelling in Sweden and Europe has a lot to offer! On top of that, knowing how many tonnes of CO2 I can keep from getting into the atmosphere is definitely a good motivation.
On a train through Austria in 2017. Those landscapes!
Kalle is already standing steadily with both feet on the ground! So his commitment to the climate and the environment for 2020 is to not buy any new electronics or clothes! The GoClimate blog has posts about electronics and sustainable fashion if you want some inspiration to join Kalle on his journey. A pair of jeans is estimated to emit 6 kg CO2eq, whereas a 15-inch MacBook Pro is 560 kg CO2eq – and that is not considering the potential pollution and ethical concerns regarding mining for minerals.
Cissi has worked a lot on her own emission sources, and for 2020 she wants to, at least, participate at twice as many climate strikes compared to 2019 and have a larger impact on her surroundings by influencing her tenant owners’ association. By talking to her neighbours, she is aiming to take the lead to make the apartment block more sustainable. That way, they can make collective decisions (perhaps some solar panels?) but also she can reach individuals in her immediate surrounding and lead by example.
Evelina wants to focus on food and soil health for 2020. She wants to lower her food waste, eat more locally produced and learn more about regenerative farming.
Our collaborator Marlena has decided to “be a more annoying customer” – to ask at the restaurant if they have sustainable (MSC certified) fish, if the taxi company has electric cars, etc. By doing so, she will voice the demand for sustainable offers from customers to service providers. Doing so, in a positive and encouraging way! Take the lead!
Are you also staying on the ground in 2020? What is your pledge for a cooler future? Let us know and join us in being part of the solution!
If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you first need to know how big it is today. You need to know which parts of your footprint are the largest and how large they are in order to shrink it.
It can be extremely hard to know which changes you make that have the biggest impact. Knowing this ensures that you don’t spend most of your time and energy on something that will make a very small difference in relation to your emissions.
That’s why we are creating a series of blog posts showing you how to lower the different parts of an individual’s footprint, with the numbers and comparisons to show you where it might be worth making your changes, as we all have different lifestyles and our carbon footprints are all different.
Step 1 – calculate your carbon footprint
Here are some different tests you can try out. We suggest you try a few of them, as they are all different from each other and will together give a clearer picture of your ecological and carbon footprint.
In the upcoming parts, we will dig into the different categories below, providing examples of changes you can make and how much of a difference they can have.
We have now offset another 12,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for taking part in this!
Our most recent offsetting is a biomass project connected to the Svilosa pulp mill in Bulgaria, where the operations have been improved in order to use their waste for biofuels. Through this project, the biomass residues from the pulp production (mainly bark) are combusted in a specially designed biomass boiler to generate thermal energy in the form of water steam. This heat is then used directly in the production of the pulp, and thus the mill avoids buying energy from a nearby coal power plant, which they did before. The capacity of the biomass boiler is 19.732 MW (thermal).
This is an interesting project to finance because it is very clear exactly how much coal power we are avoiding, and it gives us maximum assurance that the amount CO2 avoided is accurate. The paper industry is very energy-intensive, so we can achieve significant impact by helping them transition to a more climate-smart production. Moreover, given the current state of consumption, many people concerned with the environment want to reduce the use of plastic. Paper is seen as a better alternative, which is why we think it is a particularly suitable industry to finance the transition of. Finally, this development is today classified as the best available technology, which means that we are helping this pulp become as modern and efficient as possible.
The pulp plant use FSC-labeled wood in its production, which indicates that they take a broader environmental responsibility, and they have also continued to invest in energy-efficient production after this effort. Another exciting aspect is that paper production is one of the industries where there is potential for developing so-called CCS technology, Carbon Capture and Storage, so that the plants can avoid even more emissions from the production.
When the project started, it was seen as an investment that would not have happened without this support from climate credits. This is what we denominate additionality when climate projects are being developed. Much has happened both in Bulgaria and globally since then with different national commitments and the development of international climate policy. We see this project as part of this transition process and something that we want to encourage. This factory is the only one of its kind in the region and it is valuable that they maintain a high standard as that sends the right signals both to neighbouring countries and to the EU. A sustainable industry also creates jobs and contributes positively to the country’s economy.
More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE
British Dictionary definitions for planned obsolescence:
“The policy of deliberately limiting the life of a product in order to encourage the purchaser to replace it: Also called: built-in obsolescence.“
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
Contrived durability
This kind of planned obsolescence is of using physical material that will break or deteriorate faster than other options.
An example of this in electronics is for producers to purposely choose to use cheap plastic or soft metals that have a shorter lifespan than other alternatives and therefore making the product less durable.
Prevention of repair
This a well known planned obsolescence used by for example Apple, where it’s hard to repair or change battery, where you need special tools to even unscrew the screws used in the devices making it even harder for customers to repair themselves.
When the products are made difficult to impossible to repair yourself, it is often cheaper to buy a new product than to pay a specialist to repair it.
Batteries is one of the most common pieces of electronics that are prevented to be repaired. While the design of phones for example can be thinner when the battery is placed in a way to be irreplaceable, making the phone itself stuck with an aging battery and therefor losing it’s quality while the rest of the phone is still fully functioning.
The lowered battery performance is often one of the main reasons people feel the need to renew to a new phone, since getting a new battery isn’t a choice, and in many cases if it is replaces the warranty of the product can be lost.
PS. Are you looking to lower your carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable world? We would love to help! Take responsibility for the carbon footprint of your lifestyle now!
Perceived obsolescence
This is an obsolescence where consumers are made to think their product is no longer desirable or that it is old and out of fashion.
This is very common in fast fashion but also in the technology business, especially when in comes to mobile phones. Releasing new models once or more a year, with slightly better software or slightly different design quickly makes your new phone several seasons old.
Systemic obsolescence
This technique is to systematically make a product obsolete by altering systems or functions that won’t work with the older products.
Such as no longer being able to maintain or where the manufacturer stop supporting the systems.
Some examples:
New software updates that don’t work on older models or where old software programs don’t work on newer models as deliberate choice by the manufacturers.
Another example is where they remove their service to repair products of a certain age, and this is typically a problem with products that are designed not to be repaired by the consumer. Like with a built in battery for example.
However, luckily there are third parties who offer their service to repair most type of technology.
Programmed obsolescence
This is a very lucrative kind of obsolescence, where the products are programmed to stop functioning after a certain amount of uses. Such as x hours of use or x amount of printed papers on a printer.
Obsolescence by depletion
This example is where the products rely on secondary consumables.
One of the most common examples of this is the toners for printers that seem to come in an infinite amount of shapes. The manufacturers stop producing ink/toners for printer models after a certain amount of time, making it harder to find toners for your specific printer with time. Ending up creating a need to get an entirely new printer.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO COMBAT PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE?
France has recently taken strong measures against planned obsolescence, and businessmen will be liable to prison sentences and companies will be liable to fines of up to €300,000 if these kinds of practices are found to be performed.
Demand longer warranties for the products and spare parts guaranteed.
Recycle our electronic waste properly and demand manufacturers eliminate dangerous substances contained in these products.
Support those brands who are creating products that are made to last.
Don’t buy new. Go for second hand and vote with your dollars that you do not want to take part in this environmentally destructive business plan.
FOR MORE POSTS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ELECTRONICS:
MORE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ELECTRONICS COMING SOON:
MINING FOR MINERALS
INTERNET IS BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
MODERN SLAVERY IN THE ELECTRONICS INDURSTY
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
PS. And remember, if you are looking to lower your carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable world, join us by taking responsibility for the carbon footprint of your lifestyle now!
We have now offset another 50,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project!
The project Santa Marta Landfill Gas Capture for Electricity Generation Project is a landfill gas to energy project. The projects involves the collection and utilization of landfill gas for generation of electricity.
Located in one of the most important landfills in the Santiago region of Chile, the project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by capturing, flaring and generating electricity from the methane gas (LFG) produced at the landfill. Methane is a powerful green house gas that is 28-36 more potent than CO2 over a 100 year lifespan.
The Santa Marta landfill spans over 700 acres and receives approximately 1.3 million metric tons of waste every year. The resulting LFG produces 28 MW of renewable energy into the regional grid.
This Gold Standard-certified project includes a plan to continuously support local communities through a nursery and day care in Lonquén, as well as investments in school infrastructure. This simultaneously creates new job opportunities for women staffing these facilities, and allows women working on the Santa Marta Landfill Gas Recovery Project to use the nursery while they are at work.
