This edition includes:

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• A biography on Rena Lee

• An report on the 28th Session of the ISA

• A book review of "Nowhere Left to Go"

• A selection of the latest sustainability news

• And more!

This edition includes:

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• A biography on Csaba Kőrösi

• An update on COP28

• A report on the 2023 UN Water Conference

• A report on the U.S. Bipartisan Senate Ocean Caucus

• An introductory analysis of Pratt's Sustainable Packaging Initative

• And more!

This edition includes:

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• A biography on Sheldon Whitehouse

• Poetry by Sylvia Stults

• An introductory report on the Tennessee Clean Water Network

• A final analysis of COP27

• And more!

This edition includes:

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• A biography on Simon Stiell

• A preliminary report on COP27

• And more!

This edition includes:

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• A biography on Yvon Chouinard

• Poetry by Sylvia Stults

• A report on the Earthshot Prize Council

• A report on artist Duke Riley's Brooklyn Museum exhibition, DEATH TO THE LIVING, Long Live Trash

• And more!

This edition includes:

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• A biography on Inger Anderson

• Poetry by Hilda Raz

• Information on Climate Week NYC

• A special report on the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

• A book report on "Breaking Boundaries: The Science of our Planet"

• And recent sustainability news!

Featuring:

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• A biography on David Wallace-Wells

• Poetry by Caroline Ebeid

• A special report on the 2022 UN World Ocean Conference

• And recent sustainability news!

Featuring:

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• A biography on Hazel Henderson

• Poetry by Simon Barraclough

• A special report on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

• And recent sustainability news!

Margaret Renkl, is an American nature writer and New York Times opinion columnist who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.  Renkl is the author of Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss (Milkweed Editions, 2019) and Graceland, At Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South (Milkweed Editions, 2021. She’s  a  graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Carolina.  In her nonfiction book, Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss, she  interweaves short pieces on nature and the natural world with family stories and memories from Renkl's life. In her other book, Graceland, At Last: Notes on Hope and...

Art Cooley, was a high school biology teacher who was part of a small band of people whose concerns about issues like the toxicity of the pesticide DDT led them in the late 1960s to start the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which  went on to become one of the nation’s largest environmental organizations. Cooley died on Sunday January 30, 2022 in Grand Junction, Colorado at the age of 87.  In the fall of 1965, he and about two dozen scientists, conservationists and high school students began gathering monthly in their homes in New York’s Long Island. They discussed environmental issues facing Island including preserving wildlife habitats and solutions to address the issue of groundwater...

From his advocacy to his companies, he is without doubt, one of today’s most prominent influencers when it comes to climate issues. Elon Musk co-founded and leads Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and 

The Boring Company. As the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, Elon leads all product design, engineering and global manufacturing of the company's electric vehicles, battery products and solar energy products. Since the company’s inception in 2003, Tesla’s mission has been to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Tesla launched Model S sedan in 2012 which received Consumer Reports’ Best Overall Car and has been named ultimate car of the year by Motor Trend...

Dr. E.O. Wilson, an evolutionary biologist, author, and professor, who produced groundbreaking research on biodiversity, passed away this month. He was considered the world’s leading expert in myrmecology: the study of ants. He wrote influential scientific books, two of which, titled “On Human Nature” and “The Ants,” won of the Pulitzer Prize.

Dr. Wilson co-authored a book that proposed the theory of island biogeography, which states that larger islands have a greater number of species than smaller islands. This theory became essential to conservation biology, as researchers could use it to predict how many extinctions would follow habitat destruction. By the 1980s, more species...

The question before us as we anticipate the opening of the Glascow Conference, COP26, in a few days, is whether the decision makers there will listen to the science, reflect on the many climate related catastrophes the world has experienced since the Paris Agreement in 2015, and agree to action plans to match all our aspirations. What are those aspirations... to slow, then reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the increasing, nearing irreversible climate changes that we have all witnessed in these past years.

The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to three scientists, Klaus Hasselmann, Giorgio Parisi, and and Sykuro Manabe, for their creation of climate models that have been foundational to our understanding of climate change. Dr. Manabe, a meteorologist and climatologist at Princeton University, has been credited for creating the first computer model that connected carbon dioxide emissions to global warming. Dr. Hasselmann, a physicist and oceanographer, created a model that connected weather phenomena to long term climatic trends. Finally, Dr. Parisi, a theoretical physicist, discovered the interconnections between disorder and fluctuations in natural systems like the Earth’s climate. This marks the first time a Nobel Prize has been awarded for climate science...

Humanity has known of the threat that climate change poses since 1988 when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was founded, and climate scientist James Hansen declared that “the greenhouse effect has been detected, it is changing our climate now” to the U.S. senate. In the three decades since, we have done little to prepare for the coming challenges, especially in the U.S., the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases. The U.S. has hindered and wasted global opportunities to combat climate change from rendering the Rio Declaration of 1992 toothless, congress not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, always claiming that the U.S. bore a disproportionate burden to reduce their gargantuan amount of emissions...

In July 2016, Patricia Espinosa took office as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international initiative designed to prevent anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from altering the earth’s climate, ecosystems, and humanity’s food security, and development. She is also a member of International Gender Champions, a network of leaders dedicated to gender equality.

Prior to her UNFCCC appointment, Executive Secretary Espinosa served as the ambassador of Mexico to multiple countries and as Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 until 2012. She specializes in climate change, global governance, sustainable development, gender equality, and human rights. She has assisted the Secretary-General, the United Nations System, and Parties to the Framework in securing the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Dr. D. Yogi Goswami is a Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Clean Energy Research Center at the University of South Florida. He is also a Co-Founder and Chief Science and Technology Advisor of Molekule, Inc.

He has published as an author or editor 22 books and more than 400 scientific papers. He is the emeritus editor-in-chief of the preeminent solar scientific journal Solar Energy. He also holds 31 patents and has been inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. 

A Chance Meeting at NGO Sustainability Would Come Full Circle. Back in 2019, what now seems like an eternity ago, Muzna (a graduate student from Pakistan) was interning at NGO Sustainability where Melissa had interned the year before. In a brief meeting among some of the then-current and previous interns, Melissa shared with the group her experience entering grad school and the impact that Roma & NGO Sustainability had on her journey there. Little did they know, that connection would come full circle, bringing Muzna and Melissa to work and live together one year later. 

At the close of the 2020 school year, Melissa and Muzna were both graduating from their graduate programs; Melissa with a Master of Science from the ESTEEM program at Notre Dame and Muzna with a Master of Science from the University of Michigan... 

Francis A. Via has more than 30 years of experience in directing industrial R&D, intellectual property, and market development at Stauffer Chemical Company, Akzo Nobel Inc., and GE.  He achieved more than a dozen commercial successes with novel materials and advances in process technology.  These yielded hundreds of millions of dollars in new markets or savings, in catalysts and separations processing, polymers, specialty chemicals, and pharmaceutical intermediates.

Dr. Via began his career with Stauffer Chemical Co. and, with its acquisition by Akzo Nobel in 1987, he became part of that R&D leadership team. 

Architect Bruce Becker is a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, with a focus on sustainable design. Becker is also a developer, playing both roles for many of his projects—the majority of his buildings have achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification since the early 2000s. Becker believes that pursuing energy efficiency and sustainability is an essential part of design practice. Apart from the obvious environmental benefits, his methods save money on variable costs like electricity, heating, and cooling.    

            One of Becker’s current projects, an iconic building in New Haven designed by Marcel Breuer, has garnered attention for his goal of creating the first net-zero hotel in the country.  In 1920 Breuer was one of the youngest students at the famous German art school, Bauhaus. During his time there he designed some of the most recognizable chairs in the world, the Wassily and the Cesca Chair. 

As author and journalist, Bill McKibben has mobilized increasing popular support and stronger action against the threat of global climate change within the United States. Born in Palo Alto, McKibben received his B.A. from Harvard University and holds honorary degrees from 18 colleges and universities. In 1981, McKibben interviewed former president Ronald Reagan, and it was this interview that prompted him to dedicate his life to environmental protection. McKibben, a global thinker, has educated citizens through his 17 published books. The End of Nature, released in 1989, pushed boundaries, regarded as the first book about climate change for a general audience. Bill, known as the nation’s leading environmentalist, also frequently contributed to magazines such as the New York Times, the Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, and Mother Jones.

Like the waves of the ocean that she has dedicated her life to protect, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a force to be reckoned with. Widely considered the most influential marine biologist of our time, Johnson began her career with a BA in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her dissertation focused on the ecology, socio-economics, and sustainable management of coral reefs. She has continued this multi-disciplinary focus throughout her career by specializing in urban ocean conservation. As a Black woman who spent her childhood in Brooklyn, New York, Johnson is adamant that sustainable ocean solutions should be intersectional.

With pleasant emphatics and a grandfatherly kindness, the English broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough has inspired global passions for nature and awe at Earth’s vast grandeur. He began his career with the BBC in 1952, and in 1954 he had his first television series called Zoo Quest, where he and a reptile curator, Jack Lester, filmed live animals in the wild and in zoos. Although only his first show, it expanded the BBC’s scope of educational programming offerings. In 1972, after 20 years, he left the BBC to work on personally-written and narrated freelance projects, winning multiple BAFTAs and Emmy’s...

Individuals incorrectly blamed Texas' widespread electricity failure during the recent storm on renewable energy. The governor of Texas responded to the events saying, "It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary for the state of Texas as well as other states to make sure we will be able to heat our homes."...

It is widely recognized that climate change perpetuates social inequalities. Individuals who are economically and socially marginalized are likely to be the most impacted by the consequences of climate change. Geographically, Asia faces immense vulnerability due to their amount of low-lying coastal areas. Demographically, the United Nations estimated that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women and only 30% of members of national and global climate negotiating bodies are women...

The appointment of former Secretary of State John Kerry as the Special Presidential Climate Envoy marks a historic first. Never before in United States history has there been a climate-oriented cabinet-level position on the National Security Council. Both President Joe Biden and Kerry have committed to major climate action...

Ou “Howey” Hongyi (欧泓奕) is an eco-activist representing China and her city of Guilin as part of the Fridays for Future movement. Ou, recently turned 18, has been greatly influenced by 17-year-old Swedish eco-activist Greta Thunberg; recognized for her bold activism following her school strikes in Sweden...

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, CT plays an important role in both monitoring ecosystem health and educating the local community. Originally founded in 1988, Maritime staff includes experts in the fields of conservation and animal husbandry...

On Thursday, October  8th, NGO Sustainability Co-Hosted a UN Side Event: “The Role of the Ocean in Climate Change and Sea Level Rise.” The webinar was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Portugal, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, and Roth Capital...

Representative Lucy Dathan has been a tireless champion for environmental protection throughout her career and she firmly believes that no matter what, everyone deserves the right to clean air and water...

“Since graduating from the University of the Connecticut where I studied Environmental Science with a concentration in Global Change, Geoscience and GIS (Geographic Information Systems), I’ve worked...

Krishnan Sharma recently spoke with NGO Sustainability interns about his important work at the United Nations. Mr. Sharma works in the Financing for Sustainable Development Office at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the UN...

Jack Engel, a junior at Westhill High School started an initiative early this year to pick up at

least one piece of trash each day. On Earth Day, he had participants in nine different states and

Washington D.C...

Phil Levieff is the founder of TecKnow, turning office buildings, businesses, and homes into "smart living ecosystems." Levieff believes we are at a defining moment where people have the power to choose what the world’s future will look like, by choosing sustainable energy and lifestyle. 

Without revealing many details, BP has pledged to eliminate or offset their emissions by 2050. The company says that they emit 50 million tons of greenhouse gases annually from oil extraction operations and refineries...

Tijani Muhammad-Bande addressed the
International Organization for Renewable
Energy High-Level meeting regarding the
threat faced by Small Island Developing States
(SIDS)... 

 While the Trump administration pushes to

eliminate regulations designed to reduce vehicle emissions California and 13 other states have vowed to keep enforcing stricter rules...

Travel, once an adventurous escape is the single worst action an individual can do for the environment. The amount of airline passengers has doubled since 2003...

David Attenborough, the mellifluous voice of the BBC’s “Planet Earth” and now an environmental conscience for the English-speaking world, said: “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilization and the extinction of much of the natural world is in the horizon.” ...

Climate change creates winners and losers. Norway is among the winners, Nigeria among the losers.

Lake Superior becomes the latest body of water to come under scrutiny after scientists discover the appearance of the largest mass of green, oozing algae ever discovered on the lake, stretching nearly 50 miles. Algae blooms are intensifying and are more extensive as a result of warmer water, heat waves and extreme weather associated with climate change...

President Alarado of Costa Rica admits that climate change is “the greatest task of our generation” and sees no point in waiting for more powerful countries to act first. The country’s climate action agenda includes revamping the transportation and implementing new waste treatment plants as well as recycling and composting systems...

Over the next two decades, the world’s energy system will undergo a huge transformation. Wind and solar power are poised to become dominant sources of electricity. China’s once-relentless appetite for coal is set to wane. The amount of oil we use to fuel our cars could peak and decline...

In a pilot study with a small sample size, researchers looked for microplastics in stool samples of eight people from Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and Austria. To their surprise, every single sample tested positive for the presence of a variety of microplastics...

"GLOBAL WARMING OF 1.5 °C(2.7 °F)" — The IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C(2.7 degree Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, it deals with the strengthening of the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty...

As part of Starbucks’ aim to serve sustainably one of their strategies is to eliminate plastics straws by 2020. The alternative to straws will be recyclable strawless lids and an option to use compostable straws for those who request them...

The melting ice caps are adding 200 billion tons of ice to the ocean each year, rising sea levels by half a millimeter annually. Scientists say that we have scarcely a decade to cut our greenhouse gas emission levels if we want to avoid the most devastating effects of global warming...

In recent years, researchers have discovered that the extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making our most important crops less nutritious by changing their chemical makeup and diluting vitamins and minerals. A new study has found that rice exposed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide contains lower amounts of several important nutrients...

In 2017, I had the privilege of traveling to Sumba Island to conduct a feasibility study of supplying solar home systems to a remote area in West Sumba. The current electrification in Sumba is only 24.55%, despite the island’s abundant renewable energy potential, such as wind, solar, water, and bioenergy...

Google’s corporate sibling, Sidewalk Labs, has plans to construct an innovative, technologically-advanced “city of the future” in Toronto. The city will be equipped with numerous sensors, data-collection devices, and cameras to store information in order to promote more effective long-term advancement...

Despite the decision of the President of the United State’s to withdraw from the Paris agreement in June, 7 in 10 Americans believe global warming is occurring, according to a Yale University survey. Former Vice President Al Gore, a longtime champion of strong action on climate change, said “President Trump does not speak for the country as a whole on the climate issue.. Of course he has the authority that any president has. But on this issue he is very much out of sync with the country as a whole.”...

“The state of South Australia announced on Friday that it had powered up the world’s biggest battery ahead of schedule: a feat already being heralded as one of this century’s first great engineering marvels and a potential solution to the country’s energy woes...The battery is the size of an American football field...

Hydro-Quebec is building a se​ries of dams that will generate enough electricity for more than one million homes. The ​$5.2 billion project​ on the Romaine River is part of an expansion the government-owned utility began in 2007, with the intention of selling power to the U.S. where nuclear reactors are closing...

“NYU Law will be opening the State Energy and Environmental Impact Center to help U.S. attorneys general from all parties combat the Trump Administration’s rollbacks of environmental protections.”...

The answer to creating jobs, improving access to fresh food and to help mitigate climate change could lie in small scale farming, in particular rooftop farming. New York City has “14,000 acres of unused rooftop that has the potential to feed millions” and with a new bill introduced this July for a comprehensive urban agriculture plan, rooftop farming finally has the potential to become a reality...

The ID TechEx Research report “Electric Vehicle Energy Harvesting/ Regeneration 2017-2037 explains how electric transportation, including aircraft, boats, and land vehicles is possible. It explores the complexities of a future of electric technologies, defines difficult or unreachable terminologies, and categorizes each type of technology and their benefits and disadvantages...

R.C. and Valari Staab built a house in Seabright New Jersey that could withstand a hurricane. The house sits fifteen feet above sea level with a boardwalk between concrete retaining walls doubling as a storm drain, so that the house is one with the wind and the water...

 New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg urged world leaders not to follow President Donald Trump's lead on climate change and declared his intention to help save an international agreement to reduce carbon emissions...

Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have increased the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2)  by 40 percent. This extra concentration has long fascinated scientists about the effects it has on plant growth, considering that CO2 fertilizes them and that plant growth around the world has accelerated at a staggering rate...

While there is a prevailing sentiment that island and beach resorts contribute to environmental degradation, resorts like the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort have developed programs designed to regrow damaged coral reefs...

People are exposing themselves to light and it’s having a cascading effect on their health on multiple levels. As lighting technology improves, companies are making more dynamic lighting that adjusts through the day. Apple introduced Night Shift so users can reduce the amount of blue light emitted from iPad and iPhone screens. Lighting Science has produced a line of biological bulbs that give off light meant to complement the circadian rhythm, not disrupt it...