Climate anxiety is more common than you think. These students want to help.

Climate anxiety is more common than you think. These students want to help.

By Conrad Swanson, The Denver Post, May 26, 2023

You might have felt the symptoms before: A pit in your stomach, panic, existential dread, hopelessness, disenfranchisement, frustration and even anger.

Greenhouse gases are seeping into the atmosphere, warming the planet. Polar ice caps are melting, rising sea levels and altering the chemistry of the planet’s oceans. Wildfires spark more frequently, burn hotter, spread faster and wider. Waterways like the Colorado River are dwindling. Deforestation threatens even the planet’s most wild forests and jungles. Mining operations scar and poison beautiful, even sacred landscapes, endangering the way of life for those living in the area.

For some — especially young people facing decades of uncertainty – it’s too much.

And so the paralyzing fear sets in, the anxiety and depression. These problems are indeed existential threats, scientists repeatedly confirm, but what can any one person do to stop them?

“Anxiety stems from not being able to control or do anything,” Lizzie Weinreb, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, said. “And, for the most part, we can’t do anything.”

A majority of Americans suffer from some form of climate anxiety, according to a 2020 survey by the American Psychological Association. The anxiety is particularly pronounced in younger generations and can lead to a greater risk of developing depression, other forms of anxiety and substance abuse.

Weinreb, a senior and environmental studies major, and four other students – Andre Delay, Ella White, Emma Morris and Miles Sinderman – wanted to learn more about climate anxiety, how it’s affecting others at CU Boulder and to see whether they could offer any help. Their project started as an assignment in Lee Frankel-Goldwater’s Environment, Media, and Society class and ended up as a website and Instagram account to share their findings.

Frankel-Goldwater, an assistant teaching professor at the university, said the guidelines for the assignment were intentionally vague and he was pleased to see the group settle on the topic.

Sinderman said he pitched climate anxiety to the group to seize on an opportunity to delve deeper into a feeling that has plagued him since a trip to Costa Rica while he was in the eighth grade. While in Central America he looked around and realized that none of what he was seeing would be the same within a decade.

“It feels like everything’s slipping,” Sinderman, a junior and environmental studies major, said.

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Green campus living: a guide

As college and university campuses across the nation strive to implement green initiatives, students have a unique opportunity to take action and make a lasting impact by embracing eco-friendly habits and policies. College campus living is the perfect canvas for students to explore and create the sustainable life that works for them.

Summer isn’t over quite yet, but it’s the perfect time to plan for the steps you can take at the beginning of next semester. We encourage you not to worry about perfection, the pressure to do more, or a lack of reach, anyone will tell you it’s the small stuff that counts, so let’s get started.

Sustainable Move-In: When beginning your college year, consider using reusable or biodegradable packing materials. Swap out single-use plastic wrap and bubble wrap with eco-friendly alternatives like biodegradable packing peanuts or recycled paper. Additionally, opt for energy-efficient appliances and LED light bulbs in your dorm room.

Plug Into Green Power: Many campuses offer renewable energy options. Inquire about any available green energy programs. You can also use power strips with an off switch to minimize phantom energy usage and unplug chargers when not in use.

Green Transportation: If your campus is bike-friendly, invest in a reliable bicycle or use a bike-sharing program for short commutes. For longer trips, use public transportation or carpool with fellow students to reduce emissions.

Waste Reduction: Take full advantage of campus recycling and composting programs. In addition, encourage fellow students to participate in e-waste recycling program like ReturnCenter, which sustainably and securely recycles unwanted phones, tablets, and laptops. This will help divert harmful materials from landfills and promote a circular economy.

Conscious Dining: Bring your own reusable utensils, straws, and containers to campus dining halls. Choose plant-based meal options when possible, as they generally have a lower environmental impact than meat-based dishes. Seek out local or organic produce to support sustainable agriculture.

Efficient Laundry: Use cold water when washing clothes to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint. Air dry laundry instead of relying on power-hungry dryers. Consider using eco-friendly detergents free of phosphates and harsh chemicals.

Green Clubs and Events: Join or start an environmental club on campus to promote sustainable initiatives, raise awareness, and engage with the wider community. Organize and attend eco-friendly events like tree plantings, cleanups, and workshops on sustainable living.

Sustainable Study Materials: Opt for digital textbooks or rent physical copies to reduce paper waste. Take notes electronically or use recycled notebooks. When printing is unavoidable, print double-sided and choose recycled paper.

Advocate for Change: Encourage the university administration to invest in energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy sources, and green infrastructure. Engage with faculty to explore the incorporation of sustainability into curricula across disciplines.

Share Your Knowledge: Become an eco-ambassador by educating your peers and organizing awareness campaigns. Encourage friends and classmates to adopt sustainable habits and work together to create a greener campus.

Feeling more confident about ways to be more environmentally conscious while living on campus and beyond? Tell us about your own ideas and initiatives, tag @returncenter on Instagram and we’ll share your story.

Can nature inspire sustainable fashion?

Carolyn Bean, PNAS.org, May 10, 2023.

On a lab bench in Brooklyn, New York, a string-like fiber glows pink under a black light. In natural light, the strand loses its fluorescence, but keeps its rosy hue. Researchers at Werewool, a startup, aim to one day spin these fibers into yarn for fabric. Think hot pink yoga pants, says the company’s cofounder and chief science officer, Theanne Schiros.

This color may be fashion forward, but it’s not new. Indeed, the protein that colors this fiber has long made coral reefs glow. Schiros, an associate professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and her team build fibers with proteins synthesized to match those in nature’s palette. “Everything we could ever want for our clothing, you can find in nature perfected over 3.8 billion years,” says Schiros, who’s also a materials scientist at Columbia University in New York. With colorful proteins, she has no need for toxic dyes. And once these yoga pants perform their final downward dog, the garment should decompose, rather than pile up in a landfill.

Nature-friendly fashion is a pressing need as the industry’s environmental impact grows. In 2021, 54% of fiber generated was polyester, a synthetic typically produced from petroleum (1). With each wash cycle, polyester garments shed microplastics into our water. When discarded, they persist in landfills for decades or longer. And making a single cotton T-shirt requires 2,700 liters of water, according to the World Wildlife Fund (2).

Could the industry reinvent fashion following nature’s lead? Researchers heading up pilot projects want to dress the world’s population in eco-friendly threads. To succeed, they’ll need to reach across disciplines, scale up nascent technologies, and convince a public enamored with fast fashion that polyester has lost its appeal.

Glowing Garments

Founded in 2018, Werewool is currently experimenting with colorful proteins often used as markers to make cells glow—like the yoga pants pink from the Discosomacoral (which in pure form glows red) or a green fluorescent protein from a jellyfish. To turn these biomedical workhorses into fiber, they tweak the DNA sequences that encode these proteins to make the resulting protein structures amenable to binding with other molecules. Researchers then engineer bacteria to produce the designer proteins, which the team harvests and mixes with biopolymers—long, repeating chains of small molecules that are naturally produced by living organisms.

to access the full article, click here.

Sustainable Business Practices: How Entrepreneurs Can Make a Positive Impact

Sustainable Business Practices: How Entrepreneurs Can Make a Positive Impact

DigitalJournal.com, May 28, 2023, Press Release

Consumers are becoming more eco-friendly and driven by a need to know they are making a difference with every purchase.

From the food they eat, the clothes they wear, and even the services they use, customers now demand transparency on how they can make less environmental impact and cause less damage to the planet.

But how does this translate to integration in your business? And how can you guarantee you are making a positive impact and running a sustainable company, product or service to your customer?

“Entrepreneurs are finding that adopting sustainable business practices not only benefits the environment but also their bottom line,” says Santiago Vicaria, Senior Vice President for Ontop. In a legal and easy way, the digital platform has revolutionized how companies hire and pay international workers.

Santiago’s exemplary skills as an entrepreneur have supported the company to raise more than $35 million USD in venture capital funding.

He says: “I’m a true believer that startups create value for a lot of people, not just to the founders, but also for those who work for them and use them. This doesn’t just have to apply to the compensation and the exponential growth and support they can provide. They can also be sustainable and eco-friendly in a number of ways.”

Vicaria has worked with multiple aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs to aid them in their bid to create profitable businesses.

As a member of the exclusive CESA Alumni Association, he has had the opportunity to coach hundreds of individuals and was awarded the ‘Best Mentor’ accolade for his exemplary expertise.

Moreover, Angel has been able to assist businesses in raising over 100 million dollars in venture capital.

He says there are a number of ways entrepreneurs can make a positive impact through running a sustainable business.

“Energy efficiency is of course a great way to improve your sustainability if you have an office or location,” Santiago says.

“Of course, if you have a remote team, you are already one step ahead! But by reducing your company’s carbon footprint and implementing energy-efficient practices such as using LED lighting, energy-efficient appliances, and renewable energy sources like solar or wind, it gives you the scope to not only help save the environment but also lower the cost of energy bills.”

He also highlights reducing waste as another way to implement sustainable business practices: “Recycling, reusing, and repurposing materials can all help,” Santiago adds.

To access the full release, click here.

The importance of environmental education for a sustainable future

Earth.com, May 28, 2023, Charlie Fletcher

Education can make a difference in the fight against climate change. Recent surveys show that people with more education were more likely to view climate change as a threat and that, today, most people see climate change as a major threat to our planet.

However, promoting environmental education in schools can be tricky. Climate change is seen as a bipartisan “political” issue in some countries, and many educational bodies push against climate education entirely.

More must be done to ensure that young people have access to environmental education. Robust climate education will give the decision-makers of tomorrow the skills they need to advocate for nature, protect vulnerable environments, and mitigate the effects of global warming.

The Importance of Environmental Education

Education is often overlooked in the fight against climate change. While policy changes and global commitments are necessary to prevent global warming from further worsening, improved education is the first step toward achieving our goals.

Environmental education can help alleviate climate anxiety, too. This is broadly defined as a “chronic fear of environmental doom” and may be exacerbated by a lack of understanding. Educational resources that clearly explain the mechanisms behind global warming equip students with the knowledge they need to do something about climate change. This can help them feel empowered and foster a greater appreciation for the planet’s resources.

Environmental education can also promote critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. This is particularly important today, as students need to be able to evaluate the long-term impact of social, economic, and ecological policies. Combating climate change effectively requires a global effort and activism often relies heavily on a thorough understanding of the issue and the ability to persuade others that something must be done.

Improvements in public education may also promote a sense of stewardship and aid conservation efforts. In particular, environmental education programming can make a real difference to researchers who are advocating for policy changes.

For example, recent public programmes like the BBC’s Planet Earth II and Wild Isles appear to have significantly impacted researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Reflecting on the public program, Professor Callum Roberts states that the “UK must now deliver genuine protection for wildlife,” and should focus on building resilience against climate change.

Connecting Students with High-Quality, Reliable Resources

Environmental education can empower the decision-makers of tomorrow and improve the public understanding of climate change. However, connecting students with the resources they need to understand global warming can be difficult – particularly if students live in a nation like the US, where climate change is seen as a partisan “political” issue.

Climate-aware parents can introduce their children to climate change with outdoor play in natural environments. Natural playgrounds, like those built from sustainable materials and found objects, are the perfect place to discuss environmental protection and the importance of stewardship over the Earth’s resources.

Living a sustainable lifestyle at home can be an important part of children’s environmental education. Parents can help their kids understand the importance of sustainability by reducing their home’s carbon footprint together, by implementing and practicing environmentally friendly habits in the home. Simple sustainable activities — such as upcycling furniture and composting leftover food scraps as well as teaching children how to recycle – help reduce our own emissions and promote a sense of responsibility for the environment.

To access the full article, click here.

Who’s Responsible for Keeping E-Waste Out of Landfills? Everyone Is

SupplyChainBrain.com, April 10, 2023, Robert J. Bowman

The world is getting buried in electronic waste. Over the last eight years, an estimated 420.3 million metric tons of e-waste has been produced globally, and the number is expected to double by 2050.

The e-commerce boom is a major contributor to the problem, with many manufacturers and retailers failing to recycle or resell electronics that are returned by dissatisfied consumers.

The return rate for electronics purchased in big box stores is between 7% and 10%, but it’s roughly twice that for e-commerce, according to Chuck Johnston, chief strategy officer of reverse-logistics specialist goTRG. One reason is the inability of online shoppers to see and touch the products they’re buying, resulting in a greater number of unhappy customers. Another is the very culture of e-commerce, where returns of consumer electronics are an accepted part of the experience. (They’re even more common for items such as apparel, with online shoppers deliberately buying more sizes and colors than they intend to keep, then sending back unwanted items after trying them on at home.)

E-waste represents just 2% of what goes into the waste stream, but it accounts for 70% of the toxicity, Johnston notes. Yet consumers are only returning around 12% of the old or broken electronics products that they buy, meaning that the rest ends up in landfills.

Making matters worse in the U.S. is the lack of a federal regulatory mechanism for minimizing the disposal of e-waste. Europe is ahead in that regard, with its Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling requirement, as well as the Basel Convention on the control and disposal of hazardous waste. As many as 30 states are attempting to implement some form of regulation governing e-waste, but their efforts aren’t being coordinated, and it’s “next to impossible” to enforce rules that would prevent consumers from simply tossing their old cell phones and laptops into the trash, Johnston says.

Some retailers, both online and with physical stores, offer “trade-up and trade-in” programs that give shoppers a credit when they purchase new electronics products. But the larger problem, Johnson says, is the “consumptive nature” of the consumer, encouraged by the constant release of next-generation equipment by major brands.

The average lifespan of consumer electronics today is between four and five years, with rapid obsolescence built into products. “We’ve designed quality out of it,” Johnston says. “Things don’t last — they want you to buy. Consumers want a lower price point, more convenience and the latest bells and whistles; manufacturers create, and retailers sell. It’s a vicious cycle.”

Short of radically transforming the consumer’s mindset — and the foundation of the economy — there are steps that manufacturers, brands and retailers can take to minimize the amount of old electronics entering the waste stream. Chief among them is refurbishment, which nearly every major producer does to some degree, with the help of outsourced providers that specialize in that task.

Much more needs to be done, however. Johnston sits on the board of Repair.org, an industry association formed to promote “the right to repair.” Current membership consists of more than 400 companies, advocating for “repair-friendly policies, regulations, statutes, and standards at the national, state and local levels.”

Working against that effort is the tendency of some major brands to protect their intellectual property by refusing to let independent repair services touch their equipment. Apple Inc. has been especially protective of its products over the years, Johnston says, although it began relaxing that stricture in late 2021 when it announced a self-service repair policy, under which users could buy parts to fix their own iPhones and Macs.

To access the full article, click here.

Why IT Asset Management Is Vital to Successful Digital Work

Why IT Asset Management Is Vital to Successful Digital Work

BizTechMagazine.com, 2023, by Lauren Glenn Manfuso

With digital work here to stay, business IT teams are juggling a shifting technology inventory. Here’s how the right management tools can help.

The concept of digital work sounds relatively simple: Give employees laptops and send them home to do the same jobs they did in a corporate office. But for the IT teams tasked with procuring, maintaining and tracking company technology assets, digital work environments are often anything but straightforward.

This is where IT asset management (ITAM) becomes critical.  Today’s workforces aren’t just remote; they can be distributed all over the world. Employees require a suite of IT hardware and software to foster productivity and protect the company from cybersecurity risks. Meanwhile, the bigger the employer and the more dispersed the workforce, the bigger the headache for IT teams.

In a 2022 Forrester study, 51 percent of businesses reported that lost laptops and other edge devices had compromised their security. “A comprehensive ITAM program will provide consistent views to all assets in the organization,” says Forrester analyst Carlos Casanova. “It reduces duplication of effort across the organization, which is not only costly but also causes confusion and increases security and operational risks.”

What Is ITAM and How Does It Work?

The first thing to understand about ITAM is that it’s more than just a single product or technology. “When the term IT asset management is used,” Casanova says, “it’s often viewed in a narrow IT scope, which is mostly inventory management with some financial management component.”

In reality, however, ITAM is a holistic programmatic strategy that incorporates a range of technologies, policies and workflows to facilitate across-the-board management of all IT assets, including software, data and more.

By uniting the financial, inventory, contractual and risk management objectives attached to a company’s various IT assets, ITAM helps organizations to more efficiently and effectively manage the overall lifecycle of these assets and informs better tactical and strategic decision-making.

To access the full article, click here.

How IT Companies Can Embrace Sustainable E-Waste Practices

How IT Companies Can Embrace Sustainable E-Waste Practices, SupplyChainBrain, March 6, 2023, Bobby Wallace

The world is awash in what’s been called a “tsunami of e-waste,” and technology companies must accept accountability for stemming this tide.

In 2021, 57.4 million metric tons of e-waste, including IT assets, entered the global waste stream. That’s heavier than the Great Wall of China. This scenario makes it vital for businesses to operate with a positive environmental impact if they want to maintain brand loyalty, remain successful in the long term, and do what’s right for the environment and future generations.

With e-waste management playing a critical role in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, IT companies have the opportunity to develop new ways of doing business that reduce the environmental impact of their operations.

Embracing a Circular Economy Model

According to the MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy model is based on three principles:

Applying a circular economy model enables a company to reduce e-waste in several ways. It’s about more than recycling. Rather, it goes beyond the traditional industrial approach of “take-make-waste” to transform systems and eliminate waste and pollution, by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible.

When it comes to original equipment manufacturers in technology, the process encompasses the entire product lifecycle, from raw materials to packaging and the way those products make their way through the supply chain. The reserve logistics stage, however, is often overlooked.

To consider a product’s entire lifecycle requires companies to make a fundamental shift in the way it’s designed, produced, sold, used and discarded. Repair services are a vital part of this end-to-end process. They support the circular economy model by keeping products in service, lessening the impact on the waste stream, and enabling recovery and recycling for end-of-life products.

To access the full article, click here.

Gen-Z Candidates Want To See Real Sustainability Plans: Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Them

Gen-Z Candidates Want To See Real Sustainability Plans: Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Them, Forbes.com, February 13, 2023, Ted Dhillon

ESG (environmental, social and governance) is often viewed as a way for the financial markets to measure the social and environmental performance of a business. But it’s a lot more than that. Increasingly, prospective employees are using it as a measuring stick to decide where their next job will be.

ESG represents a set of principles that many prospective employees hold all over the world—the idea that businesses need to operate with sustainability at the forefront, doing as little harm to the environment as possible and promoting social responsibility and community building inside and outside the enterprise.

Generation-Z—the group many companies will draw their fresh talent from in the next two decades—already believes in these principles more than previous generations do.

My company draws talent from all corners, but especially from groups that have either studied or worked in environmental science. That’s because their values already align with our mission. It’s a natural fit for someone who wants to contribute to a climate change solution to gravitate toward companies that empower them to do just that.

But the Great Resignation that started with the pandemic is still taking a toll. Even companies outside the ESG industry that want to recruit and retain top talent don’t have the luxury of ignoring the class of climate change warriors. Enterprise leadership must think carefully about how they can align their values and practices with these prospects. It’s not enough to say you are pro-environment, diverse and inclusive—you have to show it and “pitch it” in the interview process.

To access the full article, click here.

4 Ways Remote Work Complicates Layoffs

Remote work layoffs are complicated, but anticipating the hurdles and being prepared for them is the best way for your team to keep moving forward.

Forbes, February 2023, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky

The transition to remote work has presented various difficulties for companies, and layoffs have not been an exception. I’ve assisted 21 organizations in their transition to hybrid and remote work and have learned that planning for all aspects of the employee lifecycle, from induction to departure, is crucial for successful remote and hybrid work strategies.

Cold Layoffs

One of the most significant difficulties with remote work is the lack of personal interaction between employees and their superiors. In the past, layoffs were often conducted in-person, providing a more human and compassionate approach. However, with remote work, many companies are opting for laying off employees through email, which can be perceived as cold and inconsiderate, leading to negative impacts on employee morale and company culture. This can result in legal action or negative publicity for the company, as seen with recent layoffs at Google, Twitter, Amazon, and Meta.

If your company is not well-known, you may be less likely to receive negative media coverage for impersonal layoffs, but only if the email is appropriate in tone. For instance, the CEO of PagerDuty, Jennifer Tejada, had to apologize after sending an email announcing that the company would be cutting 7% of its workforce and quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on leadership in difficult times. Such inappropriate messaging showcases the lack of personal attention and empathy in email layoffs, which are particularly harmful to remote employees.

Retrieving Company Assets

The shift to remote work has resulted in many employees working from their homes using company-provided equipment such as laptops, phones, and other devices, as well as office furniture such as standing desks and chairs. When layoffs occur, companies must retrieve these assets from remote employees.

This process can be challenging, both in terms of time and cost, especially if the equipment is not returned promptly. It is crucial for companies to have clear guidelines in place to ensure the process runs smoothly and efficiently.

To access the full article, click here.