Environment

B-Corporations: Best for the World

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Day 358 – I have written about B-Corporations throughout the year. These are businesses that put people and planet before profits. They have made a commitment to better their communities, ensure their employees work under the best conditions and that their product does not harm the planet and may even benefit it.

Every year the B Lab recognizes the top-performing B Corps creating the greatest impact through their businesses. The Best of the World highlights community, customers, environment, governance and workers.

Click on each category for a complete list of winners.

Best for the World: Community

Best for the World: Customers

Best for the World: Environment

Best for the World: Governance

Best for the World: Workers

Help support these amazing companies around the world that are making a difference in the world.

Tomorrow, choosing reducing over recycling.

Be a Scientist in Your Own Backyard

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Day 214 – Do you love science? Are you a big fan of nature? Do you want to help preserve and protect the environment? Well, it couldn’t be any easier to get involved in something that includes all these amazing things. Citizen Science Programs provides opportunities for students, teachers and the public to participate in scientific data collection. Some programs require training, while others do not. Some you can do in your own backyard.

There are Citizen Science Programs around the country and the world. This post will include projects that are nation wide, along with others that are focused on ones found in my home state of Illinois. I will also be sharing the ones that require little to no training. The information shared in this post is directly from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count

This program is the longest-running, citizen-science project related to birds.The next Christmas Bird Count Tuesday, December 14, 2021 through Wednesday, January 5, 2022. The Christmas Bird Count occurs December 14 to January 5 every year.  Sign up to receive information and results about all of Audubon’s community science programs through American Birds, our quarterly newsletter by email. 

BeeSpotter

BeeSpotter is a partnership between citizen scientists and the professional science community designed to educate the public about pollinators by engaging them in a data collection effort of importance to the nation. It is a Web-based portal at the University of Illinois for learning about honey bees and bumble bees and for contributing data to a nationwide effort to collect baseline information on the population status of these insects.

Bumble Bee Watch

Bumble Bee Watch is a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees. This community science project allows for individuals to; Upload photos of bumble bees to start a virtual bumble bee collection; Identify the bumble bees in your photos and have your identifications verified by experts; Help researchers determine the status and conservation needs of bumble bees; Help locate rare or endangered populations of bumble bees; Learn about bumble bees, their ecology, and ongoing conservation efforts; and Connect with other community scientists.

Citizen Science Projects at the Field Museum

Projects include Monarch Community Science Project, Collections Club and Helping to Unlock Biodiversity.

Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network

CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). They use low-cost measurement tools, stress training and education and utilize an interactive Web site to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications. 

FrogWatch USA

FrogWatch USA™ is a citizen-science program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) that invites individuals and families to learn about wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting data on the calls of local frogs and toads. AZA’s FrogWatch USA™ comprises a national network of skilled coordinators and volunteers who form a community with the goal of providing large-scale, long-term data on frogs and toads in the United States.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real time. More than 160,000 people join the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.

iNaturalist.org

Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. iNaturalist.org shares findings with scientific data repositories to help scientists find and use your data.

Monarch Watch

There are several ways for a classrooms to get involved with Monarch Watch. In addition to rearing monarchs, several ongoing research projects rely on student-scientist partnerships.

Project Squirrel

No matter where you live, city or suburb, from the Midwest to the East Coast, Canada to California, whether squirrels live in your neighborhood or not, you are encouraged to become a squirrel monitor. 

So, whether you’re a stay-at-home parent looking for something to do with the kids, or you’re a teacher looking for a cool project with your students, or a retiree looking for a new hobby, contributing to one of these projects would be very helpful and fulfilling.

To see more projects, check out the IDNR’s Citizen Science Programs, Lincoln Park Zoo and National Geographic.

Tomorrow, determining which is greener, shopping for your groceries on-line or in-person.

Watch Tomorrow: Climate of Hope

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Day 107 – Climate of Hope will air tomorrow, Sunday, April 18 at 11pm on ABC (check your local listing for time and channel). Though, I wish it was being televised at a more appropriate time, hopefully, many can DVR the program and watch later.

“Our America: Climate of Hope” is an hour-long special that will bring together ABC Owned Television Stations, trusted meteorologists and National Geographic Explorers to look at the impact of climate change and the innovations and ingenuity being applied to address it. The program will cover coastal flooding, wildfires and other environmental challenges that negatively impact communities. They will also discuss the disproportional impact those challenges have on communities of color.

Even though the video footage will be difficult to watch and will no doubt seem like an unwinnable situation, the program will cover cutting edge innovations, introduce young environmental leaders and offer practical solutions that we can all do to help reduce climate change. It’s definitely an hour we should all set aside and allow ourselves to be open to the ideas and suggestions being discussed. The change to a healthier environment starts with us.

Watch the trailer HERE for Our America: Climate of Hope.

Tomorrow, Recycle Popup recap.

1% for the Planet: Taking responsibility for the environment

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Day 43 – “It all started when two businessmen met and bonded over their shared love for the outdoors. Realizing their responsibility to protect our planet, they decided to give 1% of their sales back to the environment—whether or not they were profitable. In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement.” – 1% for the Planet

The idea is, since companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, they should protect those resources. They do this by donating to and volunteering with local environmental nonprofits.

“Our business and individual members give directly to highly vetted environmental nonprofit organizations. We’re here to certify that giving, and ensure our members’ donations make the most impact possible.” – 1% for the Planet

So, if your company wants to make a difference or you as an individual, want to protect the environment, 1% for the Planet has opportunities for everyone.

I’m happy to announce that I am a new 1% for the Planet individual member. Won’t you join me?

While you’re thinking about membership, there are other ways you can help. You can support businesses that support 1% for Planet. 1% for the Planet members have given back more than $270 million to the environment. Check out the directory to find a company.

To learn more, check out this video.

Tomorrow, give love to the planet this coming Valentine’s Day.

Happy Inauguration Day!

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Day 20 – I had another post planned for the day, but it seemed important to celebrate today. Not only is it an important day for the country, but it’s also an important day for the environment. Our newly inaugurated 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has committed to making the environment and climate change a priority during his administration. He plans to address many issues that threaten our planet and take action to improve our current situation.

Here are just a few of the changes we can expect:

Snake River in Grand Teton National Park
  1. Rejoining the International Paris Climate Agreement – working with countries around the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which drives global warning.
  2. Creating a new Cabinet-level position to address climate change – Former Secretary of State John Kerry will be the new climate envoy and have a position on the National Security Council that will report directly to President Biden.
  3.  Permanently protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – Banning new oil and gas permits on public lands and waters, modifying royalties to account for climate costs, and establishing targeted programs to enhance reforestation and develop renewables on federal lands and waters.
  4. Cleaning up the power sector – The Biden-Harris climate plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector to net zero by 2035.
  5. Complete overhaul of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – The former administration’s EPA had reversed or weakened dozens of environmental regulations, including a trio of Obama-era climate policies targeting emissions from vehicles, power plants and oil and gas facilities. Biden is expected to immediately move to restore and strengthen those efforts.

There is a lot of work to be done. However, as I watch the inauguration, I am filled with hope. I am hopeful that this administration will tackle the difficult undertaking of protecting our planet. Their success will be our success.

Let’s do our part to help!

Tomorrow, a product that will help you from ever needing to purchase another cleaning product in a plastic bottle.