
What are the 100 solutions that can make real a sustainable society? Scandinavian think tank, Sustainia, today launches a global campaign to find the answers.
With a worldwide campaign alliance of companies and organizations, the goal is to identify the world’s 100 leading sustainability projects and technologies across sectors such as food, fashion, energy, smart homes etc. Collectively, the solutions form a comprehensive guide to state-of-the-art sustainability practices in industries and regions.
“Sustainia100 raises awareness about the man-made effects on our environment by giving us 100 man-made solutions," says Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chair of the United Nations (UN) climate change panel, IPCC, and supporter of the campaign.
"With this solution-based approach, Sustainia100 delivers a clear and comprehensive call for action to a broad audience of politicians and corporations as well as civil society."
Former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, EU commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard and UN Global Compact are also part of the campaign to turn spotlight on cutting-edge innovations that can lead the transition to a sustainable society.
From Feb. 3 to March 14, the Sustainia100 is open to submissions for sustainability innovations and projects worldwide. Submitted projects should relate to at least one of ten categories: buildings, food, fashion, transportation, IT, education, energy, health, smart cities and resources. Submissions can be made to Sustainia via: www.sustainia.me.
Intelligent Thermostats, Skyscrapers and Off-grid Solar Lights
Last year, the submitted projects included energy-efficient home thermostats, Chinese skyscrapers with build-in wind turbines and plastic bottles harvesting sunlight in the Philippines. With all innovations being readily available to industries and consumers, the selected solutions collectively form a guide to an achievable sustainable society.
“The Sustainia100 campaign is for the people and by the people. For too many years, we have been waiting for a political breakthrough," says Erik Rasmussen, founder of Sustainia.
"We cannot afford to wait longer. With Sustainia100, we identify the leading available solutions that make it possible to start building a sustainable future today."
It is the third year the Sustainia100 guide is published. The guide was launched at the Rio+20 summit, June 2012, with 100 solutions representing 45 countries. This year’s selected Sustainia100 solutions will be presented in Oslo, June 14, with innovators and campaign partners present.
Best Project Awarded by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, a jury will select the most groundbreaking solution from the Sustainia100. The winning solution will be honored with Sustainia Award at a ceremony in Copenhagen, Oct. 30. Joining Schwarzenegger in the jury are; former Prime Minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland; Chairman of UN’s climate panel Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri; and EU Commissioner of Climate Action Connie Hedegaard.
“Solutions are transforming our homes, reshaping our cities, and bringing new ideas to entire communities. By sharing what is already working and pushing for new innovations, we will ensure sustainable growth and job growth at the same time," says Schwarzenegger.
Last year’s Sustainia Award winner, Israeli company TaKaDu, presented a new generation of water-grid technology. The software solution locates and classifies leaks and pipe bursts, and alerts utilities immediately. Since the win in Copenhagen, TaKaDu has received broad global attention.
"Being selected as a Sustainia100 solution and winning Sustainia Award opened doors to an audience of global sustainability leaders as well as new business prospects," says founder and CEO Amir Peleg.
"As a young venture, it has been a great opportunity to spread knowledge world-wide of our water-grid technology that saves water here and now."
Visit EcoWatch’s SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS page for more related news on this topic.
At first glance, you wouldn't think avocados and almonds could harm bees; but a closer look at how these popular crops are produced reveals their potentially detrimental effect on pollinators.
Migratory beekeeping involves trucking millions of bees across the U.S. to pollinate different crops, including avocados and almonds. Timothy Paule II / Pexels / CC0
<p>According to <a href="https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/beekeeping-how-to-keep-bees" target="_blank">From the Grapevine</a>, American avocados also fully depend on bees' pollination to produce fruit, so farmers have turned to migratory beekeeping as well to fill the void left by wild populations.</p><p>U.S. farmers have become reliant upon the practice, but migratory beekeeping has been called exploitative and harmful to bees. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/health/avocado-almond-vegan-partner/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported that commercial beekeeping may injure or kill bees and that transporting them to pollinate crops appears to negatively affect their health and lifespan. Because the honeybees are forced to gather pollen and nectar from a single, monoculture crop — the one they've been brought in to pollinate — they are deprived of their normal diet, which is more diverse and nourishing as it's comprised of a variety of pollens and nectars, Scientific American reported.</p><p>Scientific American added how getting shuttled from crop to crop and field to field across the country boomerangs the bees between feast and famine, especially once the blooms they were brought in to fertilize end.</p><p>Plus, the artificial mass influx of bees guarantees spreading viruses, mites and fungi between the insects as they collide in midair and crawl over each other in their hives, Scientific American reported. According to CNN, some researchers argue that this explains why so many bees die each winter, and even why entire hives suddenly die off in a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.</p>Avocado and almond crops depend on bees for proper pollination. FRANK MERIÑO / Pexels / CC0
<p>Salazar and other Columbian beekeepers described "scooping up piles of dead bees" year after year since the avocado and citrus booms began, according to Phys.org. Many have opted to salvage what partial colonies survive and move away from agricultural areas.</p><p>The future of pollinators and the crops they help create is uncertain. According to the United Nations, nearly half of insect pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, risk global extinction, Phys.org reported. Their decline already has cascading consequences for the economy and beyond. Roughly 1.4 billion jobs and three-quarters of all crops around the world depend on bees and other pollinators for free fertilization services worth billions of dollars, Phys.org noted. Losing wild and native bees could <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-bees-crop-shortage-2646849232.html" target="_self">trigger food security issues</a>.</p><p>Salazar, the beekeeper, warned Phys.org, "The bee is a bioindicator. If bees are dying, what other insects beneficial to the environment... are dying?"</p>EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to more than 7% of all the world's plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. One such species, the Pharohylaeus lactiferus bee, was recently rediscovered after spending nearly 100 years out of sight from humans.
Trending
Scientists have newly photographed three species of shark that can glow in the dark, according to a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science last month.
- 10 Little-Known Shark Facts - EcoWatch ›
- 4 New Walking Shark Species Discovered - EcoWatch ›
- 5 Incredible Species That Glow in the Dark - EcoWatch ›
FedEx's entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet will become 100 percent electric by 2040, according to a statement released Wednesday. The ambitious plan includes checkpoints, such as aiming for 50 percent electric vehicles by 2025.
Lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic had the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by around seven percent, or 2.6 billion metric tons, in 2020.
- Which Is Worse for the Planet: Beef or Cars? - EcoWatch ›
- Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit Record High Despite Lockdowns, UN ... ›
- 1.8 Billion Tons More Greenhouse Gases Will Be Released, Thanks ... ›