Trick or treat

Hi Earthlings! Did you know Americans purchase almost 600 million pounds of candy every Halloween? That’s equivalent to the weight of nearly 6 Titanics, 1,500 Antarctic blue whales, or approximately 49,500 elephants. We won’t do the math to figure out what percent of that is single-use plastic waste but we’re confident it’s a tragically large number. We have a guilt-free treat for you — nine climate stories about wins and progress happening in our communities. 

We explored some ways to make Halloween treats a little less spooky. Read the full breakdown on Instagram.

The United States EPA is spending $128M on environmental justice projects. The agency will support 186 projects across the country, using funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure disadvantaged communities historically left behind by underinvestment have access to clean air, water, and climate resilience solutions in alignment with the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. EPA.gov

British Columbia announces $300 million Indigenous conservation. The funding from the B.C. government and B.C. Parks Foundation will finance ecosystem protections—speed up efforts to protect vital ecosystems, protect beautiful and rare forests, conserve critical habitat, and protect against the effect of climate change—including Indigenous stewardship, guardian programs, and low-carbon economic opportunities. The Narwhal

The US grid is getting a $3.5 billion upgrade. The largest-ever investment in the U.S. electric grid, thanks to the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is intended to prepare the power grid for more renewable energy capacity, and prevent blackouts caused by increasingly severe climate disasters. The funding targets 58 projects across 44 states, cumulatively, expecting to leverage $8 billion in grid expansion and resilience investments. Grist

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2023 was introduced. The U.S. bill, introduced by three Democratic members of congress, addresses the climate and environmental justice impacts of plastic pollution—a growing fossil fuel sector—aiming to reduce plastic production and hold companies financially responsible for their pollution while moving our economy away from its over-reliance on single-use plastic. Grist

Scientists had a breakthrough in EV battery recycling. Swedish researchers have developed a new method of recycling batteries from electric vehicles that allows recovery of 100% of the aluminum and 98% of the lithium. Using oxalic acid derived from plants—rather than harmful chemicals— researchers were able to separate the materials without losing the other metals. Good News Network

Community fridges are fighting hunger and food waste. A network of community fridges—fridges that volunteers stock with free food—has been growing since the pandemic, now with hundreds of fridges that support access to food in cities from Miami to Anchorage. Thousands of pounds of food move through these fridges each month, avoiding being part of the 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions from food waste. Fast Company

People are switching from lawn mowers to lamb mowers. Across the world, the original lawn mowers are coming back. Sheep are appearing at solar farms, vineyards, cemeteries, golf courses and even atop green roofs. Europe is investing in “fire flocks,” herds of sheep to thin vegetation and reduce wildfire risk. California is enlisting goats as firefighters across the state, while the University of California at Davis relies on sheep to keep its campus in good health. Washington Post

Biden is putting $8 billion into solving America’s groundwater crisis. Rural areas across the Western U.S. that rely on underground aquifers as their only source of water are struggling from droughts, contamination, or farming irrigation over-pumping. The new funding supports a suite of infrastructure projects for piping, reservoirs, and treatment facilities to address these issues. Fast Company

Abandoned coal mines are being used for geothermal energy. An old coal mine has been providing an English town with green energy for the last six months, using warm water to heat hundreds of homes and businesses. After decades of disuse the coal mines gradually flooded with water warmed by the earth, and this system pumps the water through heating networks and back into the mining system where it is heated again. Euro News

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