Golden straw: how Ukraine can make money from bio-waste and give up gas

In London, two community-driven initiatives are working side by side to engage residents in sustainable practices. Energy Garden, a community energy cooperative, has created green spaces in rail stations offers residents community gardens, nature education, and solar power. Repower, the other initiative, works with residents to communally invest in renewable energy for low-income neighborhoods while also providing those neighborhoods with energy jobs and mentoring services.

Getting to public transportation can be difficult for commuters. Microtransit is easing that burden and reducing emissions by replacing individual car trips. Partnerships between cities and companies ensure shared, on-demand scooters, bikes, or vehicles are available to help people reach public transportation.

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act uses tax credits to encourage the adaptation of and investment in renewable energy across the country.

New York City’s new curbside composting program collects food waste from residents in Queens to divert it from landfills. Microorganisms break down the food scraps in a process called anaerobic digestion that creates biogas used to heat 2,500 homes.

Biodynamic farming is slowly spreading across the United States as a practice that improves the health of a farm’s ecosystem by creating a sustainable system that uses its waste to generate its energy. This way of farming also involves practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

The Timberline Solar Energy Shingle roof is made up of solar-power integrated, nailable shingles that allow homeowners to keep the look of traditional roofing shingles while reaping the benefits of solar energy. This prevents aesthetic-related issues with homeowner associations and installation bottlenecks that complicate the process of installing solar panels.

A biogas facility in Dunga, Kenya, takes in the invasive water hyacinth plant and other organic waste, shreds the material, breaks it down with bacteria in an anaerobic digester, and uses the gas produced to provide cooking fuel to locals. The biogas is a cheaper, cleaner alternative to other fuels like wood and charcoal.

Taos Ski Valley, a ski resort in New Mexico, is now CarbonNeutral certified due to practices like reduction of emissions and on-mountain energy use, and investment in carbon offsets.

In a collaborative effort between developers, power companies, and the government, a new apartment complex in Utah will be almost entirely powered by solar energy. The complex, developed by Wasatch Premier Communities, will work with Rocky Mountain Power to determine how to integrate such technology into the region’s electricity grid. This kind of development is gaining ground in Utah, and those in the industry hope to educate others of the benefits of going electric.

Geoengineering, a term used to cover a broad range of large-scale, drastic measures to combat climate change, has the science and policy communities divided. These measures are currently being explored across the world, and while they could work as a response to climate change, many cite them as temporary band-aids that will only delay the effects of global warming. Many cite the need to understand the complexity of the issue and, rather than bandaging the issue, take a comprehensive, structural approach.