MARCH 2020
So far, 2020 has been a year filled with both good news and optimism, as well as some unprecedented events. We’ve seen states taking significant climate action (like New Mexico’s governor sign the Energy Transition Act into law) and electric utilities committing to new and more ambitious renewable energy goals (such as Tri-State Generation and Transmission and Xcel Energy in Colorado, and the Public Service Company of Arizona). We’ve also seen more environmental regulations eliminated at the federal level and a global pandemic forcing millions across the world to stay home and practice social distancing.
We know there hasn’t been a lot of good news to start off this new decade. And we know that most of us are having our patience tried as we try to flatten the curve. So, we at Lotus decided to keep this newsletter as full of positive, uplifting news as possible! Amidst the chaos of a global pandemic, we’ve seen emissions drop in many countries around the world. We are still working with our clients to help them track, model, and strategize how to reduce GHG emissions and provide a healthy, equitable climate for all citizens. As they say, this too shall pass. Let’s keep doing everything we can to make the world a better, more sustainable place!
Project Highlight - Holy Cross Energy’s Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory
Lotus recently began working with the Colorado cooperative utility Holy Cross Energy (HCE) to complete the company’s 2018 operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory. Based in west-central Colorado, HCE provides electric services to over 55,000 members throughout Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa and Pitkin counties.[1] This operational inventory will enable HCE to better understand trends in emissions, help HCE prepare for future local and state GHG policies, and allow HCE to develop internal GHG accounting capabilities. Lotus also reviewed the utility’s power supply emissions from 2005, 2014 and 2018.
[1] See: https://www.holycross.com/service-map/
Lotus Blog - What cities can do to reduce global carbon emissions
We’ve worked for years with towns and cities across the country to help them assess their emissions, model GHG reduction scenarios, and strategize the best way to reduce emissions at the local level. Cities are a significant global source of GHG emissions and will be a critical partner in designing a low-carbon future. In our most recent blog post, we’ll clue you into five of the key strategies that cities can take to make significant reductions in their emissions.
Discover how cities can reduce global carbon emissions in the Blogs section of our website!
podcast and book recommendations FROM THE LOTUS TEAM
Since we’re all spending a lot of time indoors and away from others this spring, the team at Lotus wanted to recommend some of their favorite podcasts and books to help pass the time!
Emily: “I recently read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and absolutely loved it. I also loved City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert.”
Hillary: “I love the podcast Totally Football Show;. I listen to every single episode.”
Julia: “I love The Interchange podcast for sustainability-related subject matter. For something completely non-sustainability related and just fun I suggest Everything is Alive. ”
Rachel: “I’m a big fan of the Stuff You Should Know podcast. Also highly recommend the Reply All podcast, and for a good mystery, Dateline (the TV show) also has a podcast version!”
Inspiring or Noteworthy News
In many ways 2020 has gotten off to a rocky start. So, in the midst of a global pandemic, we are only including inspiring articles in this quarter’s News section to remind us all that there is still good coming amidst the chaos! Here are our picks for inspiring news articles to start 2020 off on a happy note:
Local News
Tri-State Generation and Transmission will close all of its coal power plants and mines in Colorado and New Mexico by 2030.
Eagle County launches a new website for their recently completed Community Resilience Framework, which Lotus helped to support
The Sustainable Development Strategy Group recently released a primer on renewable energy credits (RECs), see their findings here.
A recent study by AAA finds that electric vehicles are competitive on lifetime costs with traditional vehicles.
Rocky Mountain National Park sets another attendance record in 2019.
ICLEI’s latest annual newsletter spotlights several Colorado communities, including Boulder and Fort Collins.
National News
Redundancy and overlap not a problem with collaborative climate action plans.
An updated version of the Local Clean Energy Self-Scoring Tool, which allows communities to assess and analyze their own policies, operations, and initiatives, was released at the end of 2019.
The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has released a State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) tool to help local governments understand and use localized projections for energy planning.
New Mexico’s Governor signed the Energy Transition Act into law; this bill requires that 50 percent of electricity be sourced from renewable resources by 2030, and 80 percent by 2040.
Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest retail and wholesale electricity provider, announced plans to source two thirds of its electricity mix from nuclear and renewables by 2030, and be carbon-free by 2050.
Xcel Energy announced more details in the utility’s plan to reduce its emissions by 80% by 2030 and to be carbon-free by 2050; as other utilities make similar commitments, the question of what to do with existing fossil fuel assets remains.
The Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives released a legislative framework for the CLEAN Future Act, which calls for the US to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Senate has also released its own similar legislation called the Clean Economy Act.
A new study looks at the ways that efficiency programs serve low-income communities and offers insights into opportunities to maximize impact.
Inside Climate News provided a year-end overview of state action on climate change and what is on the horizon.
Microsoft vows to reach carbon neutrality and remove all carbon emissions it has ever emitted since 1975 by 2050.
A bill intended to boost electrical vehicle adoption through infrastructure and battery technology improvements was introduced in the US House of Representatives.
Why do communities and schools need sustainability coordinators?
Two-thirds of new power generation capacity that will be added in 2020 will be renewable.
Starbucks details new sustainability measures including plant-based foods and sustainable packaging.
New bus lines are connecting West Coast cities and are popular among younger generations that are less likely to own cars.
Kansas City announces plans to remove fares from the public transportation system almost entirely; it will be the largest US city to make this change, which could support advancements in equity and emissions reductions.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill that will ban fracking; the legislation is co-sponsored by Senator Merkley of Oregon.
Super Bowl ads for electric vehicles increase significantly for Super Bowl LIV.
A new bill introduced in the House aims to make plastic producers responsible for plastic pollution.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos creates $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund to dole out grants to “any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.”
Here’s how social distancing and self-quarantine measures during the coronavirus pandemic may help fight climate change in the US and globally.
Global News
Take a look back at the biggest sustainability stories from 2019.
Finnish grocery chain tries to tackle excess food waste, offers daily “happy hour” for items close to their sell-by date.
World’s largest asset management firm BlackRock will begin considering climate change impacts centrally in its investment decisions.
The European Union has developed a trillion-euro financing plan to mitigate climate change and support a just transition for countries and regions that are currently heavily reliant on coal.
How you can help those affected by the Australian bushfires.
China has set new goals on plastic reduction, aiming to ban straws and other single use plastics by 2025.
The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity proposes moving 30% of the Earth’s surface into a conservation status to protect biodiversity and prevent mass extinction and climate change.
A hydrogen injection project in the UK may show how to reduce emissions in the heating sector through the use of clean-burning hydrogen gas.
Delta Airlines plans to spend $10 billion over the next 10 years to become the world’s first carbon neutral airline.
See how China’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak has dramatically improved air quality and has reduced the country’s emissions by 25 percent.
And emissions reductions are happening around the world as people stay home/telecommute.
Bonus mood booster article: here are the top wildlife photos from National Geographic in 2019!
We always appreciate your feedback, and any opportunity to support your work on climate action and sustainability. Please reach out to us with questions or comments. Also, if you have an interesting article that you think is worth sharing, please send it to us and we may include it in a future newsletter. Thank you and keep up the social distancing!