Fashion brands are making a stand against textile waste.
Great! Who is involved?
Brands like Adidas and H&M Group are coming together to research the most effective ways to manage clothing waste. This is all in a bid to make the world of fashion more circular and sustainable.
Why are they doing this?
Textile waste has a massively detrimental effect on the environment and can be incredibly damaging. It’s hugely positive that some of the biggest brands around are working to make things more sustainable, and hopefully others will follow their lead!
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Every Can Counts. This is a not-for-profit recycling programme, encouraging people to recycle more often, to protect our planet.Support them here.
Trees For Cities. They are working to plant more trees within large metropolitan areas, for the betterment of people and planet.Support them here.
Solar power continues to wrack up wins in the United States, and this time it’s in New York State. The state recently posted record-breaking solar power numbers.
New York state’s power grid met about 20% of its electricity demand with energy from the sun for one hour last week, marking the highest-ever output from solar generation.
A record-setting 3,330 megawatts (MW) of solar power was produced during the noon hour on May 18. This amount of energy is enough to power anywhere between 2.7 million and 3.3 million homes.
“New York is one of the most robust solar markets in the U.S. with programs such as NY-Sun driving significant growth across the state,” said Doreen Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
This is a big step toward New York’s climate mandate goals, with an act requiring all power generation to come from clean sources by 2040, including 70% from renewable energy by 2030.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
American Civil Liberties Union. This is one of the largest civil liberty defense organizations in the US. Find out more and support them here.
Human Rights Campaign. This is one of the largest equality-focused organizations in the US. Find out more. The Trevor Project. They focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for queer youth. Support them here.
One of the most iconic animals in North America is returning. There was a point in time when as many as 60 million bison roamed the North American Great Plains, a flatland region that includes Alberta, Saskatchewan, and several US states, but after colonial expansion into the Midwest, the bison were nearly wiped out.
In the past, we at Smiley News have written about US plans to help restore bison populations and now Canada has plans to do the same.
“When the buffalo was first taken away, our way of life was severely impacted,” said Violet Meguinis, the consultation director for Tsuut’ina Nation. “We used to follow the buffalo…. Wherever it roamed and we followed it. We got everything off the buffalo.”
But now, because of primarily indigenous intervention, many bison are being reintroduced to the area. Around 370 bison were introduced in a single paddock, and they’re aiming for 160 calves by the end of the year.
“It’s exciting for us,” said Brennen Starlight, one of the workers on the buffalo paddock. “We like to see different nations and different reserves get buffalo.”
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here.
Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more. American Forests. A conservation organization focused on preserving and protecting American forests. Support them here.
With knowledge comes power – and this applies to little more than it does climate action. While many people, particularly young people, are becoming concerned about the state of our planet, it can be hard to know what we can do to help.
This is where Jess and Bethia come in. Parents and neighbours with a passion for the planet, Jess and Bethia got talking and decided that, if no one else was going to step up, then they would.
Founded in 2020, their CIC – Planet & People – works to positively engage schools in climate action. This is mainly done through workshops and assemblies to help them think about the environment in their every day, and help leave their children with passion, and hope, for the future of the planet.
“We knew we had found something really powerful and important, we wanted to get the message out,” explains Jess Carter, one half of Planet & People. “We felt like it wasn’t something schools were particularly able to do right now … they don’t really have the resources or have the time in their schedules to include environmental stuff.”
Before Planet & People, Jess was an environmental professional, while Beth taught Geography for 13 years – making them pretty much perfect for helping kids understand our climate.
“I have been lucky enough to experience the natural value all around us for a long time and have my eyes open to what’s here; not just in the rural environment, but everywhere,” explains Jess. “Our lives are absolutely dependent on how we look after the natural world … I think, more and more as we see the climate crisis come to light, you see that we’ve really got to do something. It’s no longer just for experts. It’s for everybody. We really need to play our part.”
In its simplest form – the mission of Planet & People is to empower people to make change for a better future. They’re doing that in the best way that they can; by teaching children, who are the custodians of our planet’s future, along with families and businesses, who have such a huge effect on our world.
Much of Planet & People involves Jess and Bethia going into schools, where they run workshops that find fun, empowering and inclusive ways to engage young people and children with the environment.
“We’ve developed a workshop series called the Planet Action workshops … and it kind of came from COP26,” says Jess.
“We did a workshop called Speak Up, which was about how to get young people to use their voices and be part of the climate change conversation. Since then, we’ve come up with loads of really positive environmental workshops, which can call people to action and inspire young people to make a difference in their own lives, whether it’s at school or at home. So that young people really can have a voice and can make a difference.”
In the last year and a half, Planet & People CIC have delivered these workshops to over 7000 children in the Devon area – making a difference in thousands of lives, and a ripple effect that will benefit the whole planet.
Bridging the gap between primary schools and climate change, the aim of Planet & People is to talk about hope and positivity. Eco-anxiety is so real, even among children, and Jess and Bethia want to do everything they can to help give these children hope that they can make a difference, as long as they are given the right information.
“Eco-anxiety is like any other type of anxiety – just break it down and realise that there’s power in nature,” says Jess. “We just need to enjoy what we’ve got.”
One of the most important steps in the climate fight is to switch to cleaner, renewable energy, cutting back on emissions from fossil fuels. So it’s good news that investment in renewables and specifically solar projects in 2023 is expected to outpace investment in oil production for the first time.
Annual investment in renewable energy was up by nearly a quarter since 2021, compared with a 15% rise for fossil fuels according to the International Energy Agency.
“Clean energy is moving fast — faster than many people realize,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “For every dollar invested in fossil fuels, about 1.7 dollars are now going into clean energy. Five years ago, this ratio was one-to-one.”
Around $2.8 trillion is set to be invested in energy worldwide in 2023, of which more than $1.7 trillion is expected to go to renewables, nuclear power, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency improvements. The rest of those investments will go to non-renewables like oil and coal.
In 2023, renewable investments hit about $1 billion a day, or around $380 billion a year.
“This crowns solar as a true energy superpower. It is emerging as the biggest tool we have for rapid decarbonization of the entire economy,” Dave Jones, head of data insights at energy think tank Ember, said in a statement.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here.
Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more.
American Forests. A conservation organization focused on preserving and protecting American forests. Support them here.
A ‘super reserve’ in Dorset is creating a haven for wildlife.
Awesome! Tell me more.
The Purbeck Heaths ‘super national nature reserve’ aims to imitate conditions and ecosystems that haven’t been seen for thousands of years.
The sandy environment of Dorset is the perfect place to recreate the ‘savannah’ that would have once existed on British shores – and is the ideal habitat for a number of creatures, including the sand lizard.
What makes it so special?
Environmentalists are using current species as a stand-in for now-extinct animals. Cattle for aurochs, ponies for tarpan horses, and even adorable piggies rather than boars.
All this is coming together to create an amazing, self-sustaining ecosystem that is great for the environment, and for our animals.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Woodland Trust. This is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage.Support them here.
Rewilding Britain. They aim to tackle the climate emergency and extinction crisis, reconnect people with the natural world and help communities thrive.Find out more here.
Born Free. This is a wildlife conservation charity that’s passionate about wild animal welfare and Compassionate Conservation.Find out more here.
Scientists now believe that seaweed could be the key to tackling crop fialure.
Tell me more!
Extreme weather events caused by the climate crisis are affecting crop yields around the world. Luckily, we have a food source that is sustainable, grows extremely quickly, and actually benefits the climate – seaweed!
Seaweed?
That’s right. Humans have been eating seaweed for thousands of years (fun fact; all types of seaweed are edible! Though some you may not actually enjoy eating), and scientists believe that one in particular, called Ulva, could be the staple crop we need to keep Europe fed.
33 countries, including the UK, are working together to get ‘seawheat’ onto supermarket shelves, in all its nutrient-rich glory.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Climate Reframe. Climate Reframe is committed to supporting the climate and environment movement in its transformation towards greater justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). Find out more.
Rewilding Britain. They aim to tackle the climate emergency and extinction crisis, reconnect people with the natural world and help communities thrive.Find out more here.
Australian tech firm Atlassian has issued a ‘net zero guide’ for companies.
Tell me more.
Atlassian founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar have spoken up, telling companies the best ways to go green and get down to that all-important net-zero target.
The guide, succinctly named “Don’t F&*! The Planet”, shows companies how to make essential changes – including how they should cut their carbon emissions by 90% before claiming ‘net zero’.
Atlassian as a company has committed to net-zero as well as other eco-friendly guidelines, but says that we can only make a true difference, if companies are working together in ‘lockstep’.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Every Can Counts. This is a not-for-profit recycling programme, encouraging people to recycle more often, to protect our planet.Support them here.
Trees For Cities. They are working to plant more trees within large metropolitan areas, for the betterment of people and planet.Support them here.
As climate change becomes more apparent with catastrophic weather events battering countries around the world, some countries are planning to ramp up their climate action. One such country is Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva plans to commit the country to a more ambitious climate change goal this year. This comes after his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, cut back many of the climate goals and policies that Brazil had in place.
Lula’s government pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
“Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis,” Lula said.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here. Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more.
The governator is collaborating with Scotland on climate action.
Sorry, what?
That’s right – the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is collaborating with Scotland, which has been lauded as a “trailblazing” nation when it comes to renewable energy.
Plus, Arnold was previously the Governor of California, which, along with Scotland, is a leading member of the Under2 Coalition – a global network of states and countries dedicated to being net-zero by 2050 at the latest.
Today, Arnold is aiming to work with Scotland to help put a stop to the climate crisis, once and for all.
We love to see it!
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Climate Coalition. This is the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action against climate change. Find out more and support them here.
Climate Reframe. Climate Reframe is committed to supporting the climate and environment movement in its transformation towards greater justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). Find out more.
Rewilding Britain. They aim to tackle the climate emergency and extinction crisis, reconnect people with the natural world and help communities thrive. Find out more here.
