Southface Institute: Blog

The majority of Americans agree that global warming is happening and climate change is a pressing issue, yet few people are talking about it. An effective way to approach these conversations is sharing what we know, how we feel and why we care. How can we continue the conversation and create the trust on which common ground is formed?

Whether it's at a family dinner or during a presidential debate, talking about climate challenges with others can be very difficult. Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, knows just the trick when it comes to speaking to people from different backgrounds and belief systems about the climate crisis.

To address the increasing greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, architects and designers are promoting the built environment as a solution to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Various manufacturers have innovated materials that are carbon-sequestering in their very composition. This creates opportunities for building professionals to use new forms of concrete, glass, plastic and others that help reduce emissions.

Consumers, shareholders and employees are starting to demand that companies take responsibility for their carbon emissions. Since buildings contribute to nearly 40 percent of all carbon emissions, companies have an opportunity to make a real difference by building energy-efficient workplaces.

As communities close to home and around the globe experience increasingly severe and frequent weather impacts, climate change is top of mind for individuals and countries alike. One of the greatest culprits in a warming Earth is the increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Studies have said that the cost of climate change-related disasters could reduce the U.S. GDP by 6% to 14% by the end of this century. Allocating funds to disaster recovery means taking them away from other areas essential for growth. NOAA calculated that for 2017 and 2018, productive growth investments lost $400 billion because of what was instead used to respond to climate-related disaster.

We may be aware of how much CO² our cars emit or is produced by the energy they consume, but are we aware of how much carbon is released into …

Continue reading "Calculating the Real Carbon Footprint of Our Purchases"

From the United Nations’ international studies and accords to strategic planning efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense, impacts of a rapidly changing global climate are being recognized and addressed around the world. Scientific data shows not only intensifying severe weather events and changing weather patterns but also accelerating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, dying coral reefs, rising seas and vanishing glaciers. The pace of change continues to sound alarm bells in the scientific community and with the common citizen, businesses and governments as well.

Each year millions of tons of plastic waste pollutes our ecosystem and kills thousands of animals. Plastic pollution is our planet’s defining challenge and the focus of this year’s World …

Continue reading "5 Ways You Can Beat Plastic Pollution Today"