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Coal mine to receive a green makeover into a hydropower facility; sustainable coffee pods aim to cut waste; Florida passes balloon release ban; US eyes expediting clean energy permits.
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Coal mine to receive a green makeover into a hydropower facility; sustainable coffee pods aim to cut waste; Florida passes balloon release ban; US eyes expediting clean energy permits.
About EarthxNews:
A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.
EarthX & EarthXtra
Love Our Planet.
The Official Network of Earth Day.
About Us:
At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.
EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.
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TVTranscript
00:00Coal Mine Makeover, a first of its kind push to convert former coal mines into clean energy havens.
00:09And your daily dose of caffeine might soon also offer the planet a jolt of happiness.
00:15How your at-home pods are changing with the planet in mind.
00:19Plus, the Sunshine State wants to keep balloons out of their skies and coastlines.
00:23Why letting one go could potentially pop a lawsuit on you.
00:30Hello and welcome to EarthX News, where we focus on sustainability, conservation and the environment.
00:40I'm Christina Thompson. Let's get into some of the biggest headlines facing our planet.
00:44The Biden administration is moving to speed up permits for clean energy.
00:49Last year, as part of a bipartisan deal to raise the country's debt limit,
00:53Congress required changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
00:58These changes make the approval process for major construction projects easier,
01:03such as pipelines, power lines for wind and solar generated electricity, and highways.
01:09Projects that have a demonstrated long-term environmental benefit would receive expedited environmental reviews or bypass them altogether.
01:17Federal agencies would also be required to identify environmentally preferable alternatives to propose projects early in the permit review process.
01:26Also, the rules direct federal agencies to consider whether a proposed project would avoid or reduce the pollution that disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities.
01:37One environmental lawyer praised the changes, calling them, quote,
01:41A big deal because for the first time it prioritizes projects that have climate change and or environmental justice benefits, such as transmission lines that bring renewable energy to market.
01:52A former coal mine in Kentucky is about to be cleaned up.
01:56It will be transformed into a pump storage hydropower facility thanks to a Florida clean energy company.
02:02The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project is the first of its kind of build in the United States in more than 30 years, and the first built on mineland.
02:11Rye Development was one of five organizations that received bipartisan infrastructure law funding as part of the Department of Energy's Clean Energy Demonstration Program on current and former mineland.
02:23The facility is using a free resource, gravity, to produce energy.
02:28Essentially, water will be pumped from a lower reservoir to a higher one.
02:32When energy demand increases, the water flows downhill, turning turbines to generate electricity.
02:39Sandy Slaton, the vice president of Rye Development, said of the project, quote,
02:43The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project is not only a significant investment in Kentucky, it's an investment in strengthening our national electric grid.
02:52Construction on the $1.3 billion project is slated to begin in 2027, and it's estimated that it will take four to five years to build.
03:01America's first big rig hydrogen fuel station opens in Northern California.
03:07The truck stop operated by hydrogen fuel maker First Element currently serves 30 hydrogen fuel cell trucks at the Port of Oakland.
03:15The green fueling station is just one of many that state officials say they've been able to build using federal funds from the government's Hydrogen Hub Grant Program,
03:23an initiative aimed at accelerating the country's hydrogen economy.
03:27Governor Gavin Newsom, senior advisor for clean infrastructure, said the hub funding would allow construction of 60 more hydrogen truck stations in California,
03:36enough to serve 5,000 trucks and 1,000 buses.
03:40You might recall President Biden recently awarded the Golden State up to $1.2 billion in hub funding to build or expand on hydrogen projects that will help power public transportation,
03:52port operations and heavy duty transport.
03:55Transportation officials in Indiana are building a roadway aimed to wirelessly charge electric cars.
04:01State officials say construction started in April and the segment of road will be able to power both heavy duty and passenger electric cars as they travel at highway speeds of up to 65 miles per hour.
04:12Officials behind the project say if tech can power long haul trucks, it could be a major game changer in the effort to reduce emissions as industry analysts say big rig trucks are the most difficult vehicles to decarbonize.
04:25Heavy duty trucks normally require larger batteries due to their size, weight and the long distances they travel.
04:31However, if trucks could receive power as they drive, officials believe it would allow them to carry smaller batteries, lowering overall costs and reducing the number of stops needed to recharge.
04:43The state has teamed up with Purdue University on the project, which officials expect to be completed in May of 2025.
04:50Releasing balloons could soon be illegal in Florida.
04:54Lawmakers in the Sunshine State recently passed a bill banning the intentional release of balloons.
05:00The bill aiming to protect wildlife and coastlines is now headed to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it.
05:08Under the new policy, balloons willingly released outside would be considered a non-criminal littering offense and residents could face fines of up to $150.
05:19Speaking on the purpose of the ban, State Representative Linda Chaney, who sponsored the legislative effort, said,
05:25Balloons contribute to the increase in microplastic pollution, which is harmful to every living thing, including humans, polluting our air and drinking water.
05:34Now, if DeSantis signs the bill into law, it will take effect this summer.
05:38Two leading coffee pod manufacturers are working on more sustainable pods to cut down on waste.
05:44Keurig recently announced it will be releasing plastic-free pods in the very near future that will be wrapped in a plant-based coating, eliminating the need to recycle them.
05:56Meantime, Nespresso says a couple of its machines use aluminum pods, which are recyclable.
06:02The company also allows consumers to recycle their capsules through the mail, plus has tested other sustainable options, such as compostable paper capsules.
06:11According to the National Coffee Association, single-cup coffee brewers are the second most popular at-home preparation method behind traditional drip coffee makers.
06:21But sustainability is a problem, since the majority of coffee pods contain types of plastic which are not easy to recycle.
06:28Turning to wildlife news. Protections for a favorite game fish in the Golden State just got a bit stronger.
06:34State officials have now listed the Southern California steelhead trout as endangered.
06:39The move comes after decades of man-made water projects depleted its population by disrupting their natural habitat and restricting their ability to reproduce.
06:49Steelhead trout migrate to the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn.
06:54To do so, the fish require unimpended waterways as they are vulnerable to many stressors and threats.
07:00The trout's new endangered status means the fish cannot be harmed, harassed, or killed during any changes or updates to aquatic infrastructure.
07:08The organization Caltrout estimates that only about 500 steelhead adults remain in a region that stretches about 280 miles of waterways in California to the Mexican border.
07:20But now that the fish is on the endangered list, conservationists are hopeful that new safeguards will help bring the species back from the verge of extinction.
07:28Turning now to international news. The European Union hopes to be a leader on climate-friendly policies.
07:34But it is receiving pushback from a crucial demographic, its constituents.
07:39Alex Salvi has more.
07:42Farmers in Poland have a simple message for their leaders in Warsaw and bureaucrats at the European Union in Brussels.
07:49Enough is enough.
07:51Tens of thousands of members of the agriculture industry taking to the streets of the capital to protest the EU's proposed climate policies.
07:59They say the so-called Green Deal, which seeks to implement stricter environmental regulations, will only result in higher costs and lower profits.
08:08And argue that Prime Minister Donald Tusk is sacrificing the well-being of his citizens in order to appease his liberal allies in Brussels.
08:15This is slavery. According to the Green Deal, we must cultivate what they tell us, when they tell us.
08:21They tell us how we should cultivate the land, how we should dispose of manure.
08:25The demonstrations coming ahead of the June parliamentary elections across Europe, where right-wing parties are expected to make significant gains on a platform of reforming the continent's policies on immigration, the economy and the environment.
08:40The Polish Conservative Opposition Party, which was defeated in last year's election, is voicing its support for the latest protests.
08:48Demonstrators, in the meantime, are hoping their movement will stretch across the continent and send a message to bureaucrats in Brussels.
08:56I would also like for not only the Poles, but also the whole of Europe to finally wake up and start doing something about it.
09:03So that they don't take away our freedoms, do not dictate us how to live, so that democracy would reign in our country, in Poland and in Europe.
09:10Their dissent is putting pressure on Prime Minister Tusk, who is using his first few months in office to reverse the policies of the prior right-wing administration as he seeks to better coordinate with the EU.
09:25But he may hit a roadblock in the coming weeks if protesters have their way and the conservative movement that he's been trying to overturn ends up with greater power inside of the 27-nation bloc.
09:38For EarthX, I'm Alex Salvi.
09:41Alex Salvi, thank you.
09:43Sections of India's largest landfill burst into flames recently, adding to the country's growing climate challenges.
09:50Authorities say the massive inferno burned for almost 24 hours in late April, causing a thick, hazardous haze.
09:58Officials say plumes of toxic smoke continued to billow from the smoldering trash pile at the methane-filled site, even after the flames were brought under control.
10:08According to local news reports, residents living nearby complained of throat and eye irritation due to the lingering acrid air.
10:15Fire officials say while the cause of the fire remains unknown, landfill fires are often triggered by combustible gases from the decaying waste.
10:23Besides being indicators of India's waste management issues, the landfill fires also contribute significantly to the country's air pollution.
10:31According to local leaders, the toxic fumes the landfills sent out include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and furans.
10:41The world's largest carbon removal plant opens in Iceland.
10:45The facility, which started operating in May, is nicknamed Mammoth and has the capacity to suck roughly 36,000 tons of carbon from the air each year using a technology known as Direct Air Capture, or DAC.
10:59Industry analysts say the process works by using chemicals to literally suck the greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, like a vacuum, and then store it underground.
11:09Climeworks, the Swiss-based startup that owns the Mammoth plant, said it plans to store the carbon underground where it will be naturally transformed into stone, locking up the gas permanently.
11:20Mammoth is the company's second facility operating in the country.
11:24In 2021, Climeworks opened a plant named Orca with the capacity to remove 4,000 tons of carbon a year, which was previously the world's largest operational site.
11:34Coming up, a conversation about the fashion industry, the environment, and whether it's possible to get shoppers to buy less in an effort to protect Mother Nature.
11:43Stay tuned, there's much to come on EarthX News.
12:08We live in a world driven by consumerism, and some might say just buy less.
12:13But that's a concept that may be difficult to embrace, especially in the fashion industry.
12:18The very nature of the business is to create new trends, all with the goal of encouraging shoppers to buy more.
12:25That's despite various warnings that shopping is no good for Mother Nature.
12:29So will shoppers ever care about the destruction to the planet?
12:33Joining us now to discuss is TV news and fashion host, Katrina Zish.
12:37Katrina, thank you for coming on.
12:39We're talking today about the global apparel consumption.
12:42Right now, it is at 62 million tons per year, and it is not stopping.
12:47It's poised to hit 102 million tons by 2030, almost doubling.
12:52Why is this?
12:53Yeah, it's incredible because there are so many elements of fashion production, from merchandising, from textiles, that all include water.
13:05Some include plastics, and it's just nearly impossible to keep up with the waste product that is a result of all of the fashion production.
13:17Basically, the production is outpacing the removal of the waste and the landfills, and it's nearly impossible to keep up.
13:25So some fashion industry observers who are trying to change this, they say that the messaging that's being used about sustainable fashion is just too boring.
13:35Do you think that's true?
13:36I think that can be an element, but to be honest, I really think that, as you mentioned in the beginning of the segment, we are a consumer-driven culture.
13:46And beyond that, our brains are literally wired to enjoy consumption.
13:53Dopamine is actually released into our brain when we're shopping, when we purchase something new, when we put on something that makes us feel good.
14:03So this isn't simply about consumers saying, gosh, I really want to save the planet, so I'm going to change my buying habits.
14:10This is something that would require pretty much an entire rewiring of our society's brains and behaviors.
14:19And I believe that that is the biggest reason that we're not seeing a lot of forward momentum with this issue.
14:26Next time my fiance comments on how I went shopping, I'm just going to use that excuse.
14:30My brain is wired for it.
14:32Retail therapy is a phrase for a reason, and it's true.
14:35It's true.
14:36I'm just kidding.
14:37But recently, I have seen some pretty prominent influencers and fashion icons.
14:42They're rewearing and repurposing vintage designer pieces.
14:45For example, Kendall Jenner is pretty well known for this.
14:48I've seen her photographed multiple times stepping out in vintage fashion.
14:52One piece I'm thinking of is a 90s Dolce & Gabbana skirt that she wore as a dress.
14:56Does this give you some hope that repurposing pieces will one day become the norm?
15:00I think more and more we are seeing people either shopping their own closets, doing clothing swaps with friends, going back to vintage archival iconic items.
15:11And there's definitely a cool factor associated with that.
15:14So I think that is something that more and more fashion lovers and people in general will embrace.
15:21But again, that's not something that's completely new, but I think now we may see people doing it for different reasons than they did before.
15:28And Katrina, your advice to the consumer who wants to be sustainability minded, sustainability conscious.
15:34But they do, I mean, we do need to shop, right?
15:36Yes, we do.
15:37You might have kids that are growing up.
15:38You might need to buy them new clothes.
15:39Your size might be changing.
15:41What's your advice to them?
15:42I would say go along with what I always would say is called fashion math.
15:47Buying the cheapest of fast fashion may seem like a good idea at the time.
15:53But then what that does is it drives you then to buy more and buy more and buy more.
15:58And a lot of those items are the ones that are not environmentally friendly.
16:03So if you're going to buy a piece, say a sweater, invest in the best cashmere sweater, for example, that you can buy.
16:11And then you're going to wear that sweater, say, 100 times.
16:14And then you're actually going to end up calculating, say, in your mind, the cost of that sweater.
16:20Say it's a $100 sweater.
16:22You wear it 200 times.
16:24Well, guess what?
16:26You're going to be actually doing pretty well on that fashion math rather than buying one thing for 20 bucks
16:32at a fast fashion store that you wore once and throw it away.
16:36So it's about quality, not quantity.
16:39And you're going to look better and you'll also feel better.
16:41Katrina, what's your hope for the future when we look out and we see the photos at the landfills,
16:46we see all the items, the fast fashion that's being discarded.
16:49What's your hope for both the environment and also the fashion industry?
16:53I really hope, first, the fashion industry doesn't have to curtail its creativity.
16:58I hope that consumers don't have to give up that literal brain rush, that dopamine rush.
17:04What I do hope to happen is that on the back end, the manufacturing side,
17:09also the way clothes are produced and the materials with which they are produced,
17:14I really hope that on the manufacturing side, again, on the back end,
17:18that's where those dramatic changes happen and it doesn't compromise the creativity or the fun of fashion.
17:24Katrina Zisch, thank you so much for your expertise.
17:27Thanks, Christina.
17:29Coming up, we have an update on a conservation project aiming to protect an endangered tortoise species in the U.S.
17:36That conversation is just ahead.
17:38Stay tuned to EarthX News.
17:40Stay tuned to EarthX News.
18:08Recently, we reported on an effort to safeguard the endangered Mojave Desert tortoise in California,
18:13in which 70 baby tortoises were returned to the wild,
18:17a move scientists say was successful because the little ones woke up after hibernating in their natural environment for six months.
18:24Several wildlife organizations in the state are at the forefront of the initiative.
18:29And joining us now for an update on the project is one of the scientists involved with the effort,
18:34Dr. James Danoff-Berg, Vice President of the Conservation at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.
18:39Thank you so much for joining us.
18:41Can you tell us what the latest is on these 70 babies that just woke up from their deep sleep?
18:46Of course. Yeah, we're very excited to be a part of this process.
18:50This is this head starting program is a way to ensure the survivability of the species going forward.
18:57What the greatest times at which tortoises are at risk is when they're babies, when they're very young, especially.
19:04And so this cohort of 70 has been released out into the wild at Edwards Air Force Base.
19:09And so they are subject to all of the things that baby tortoises are subject to,
19:15but less of them because they are so much larger because of our head starting program.
19:20With the head starting program, we're releasing them at the equivalent of being around three or four years of age,
19:26as opposed to being the age that they actually are, which is only less than a year.
19:30So as a consequence, because they're so much larger, their tendency to be eaten by predators is a lot less.
19:37So of these 70 that we've released, they all have trackers.
19:42So of the 70 that we've released, only four have been actually preyed upon,
19:47three by ravens and one by a dog or a coyote.
19:51So that's sad to lose those four, of course, but that is much less than what they would have been
19:57if they had not gone through the head starting program with us.
20:01What do you hope to learn about the species now that they're awake from hibernation?
20:06What we really hope to learn is how they learn from what they've had in the experience
20:12in their very short lives.
20:14They've been trained on how to deal with predators.
20:16They've been trained on how to create burrows.
20:19A lot of being a tortoise is figuring out the world.
20:22And we have helped to reduce that learning curve for them.
20:27Is this the only group of the Mojave Desert tortoise that has been released into the wild?
20:32No, actually, this is our third cohort.
20:35Actually, second cohort that we've done.
20:37We have a third one that's going to be released later this summer.
20:40So this is an ongoing collaboration that we have with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
20:44and also the Edwards Air Force Base.
20:47This is a great three part conservation effort to try to ensure the survival of this really iconic species.
20:55And what's your hope for the future?
20:57What's next for the Mojave tortoise?
20:59Oh, more of the same.
21:01We want to continue to do this.
21:03It's not just effective scientifically.
21:06It's also so heartwarming.
21:08They are so insanely adorable as babies.
21:12Getting to care for them on a regular basis is really the highlight of, I think, a lot of my team's year.
21:18So we want to be able to expand and continue this project into the future.
21:24So we're in the process of trying to find ways to make that happen.
21:27They are very adorable.
21:28Sea turtles, turtles are my favorite animals.
21:30So I love that you guys are doing this work.
21:32Dr. Dan Offberg, thank you for coming on.
21:35Thank you for your time.
21:36That's it for this edition of EarthX News.
21:38Please join us again next week.
21:39I'm Christina Thompson.
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