Climate. We Can Do This. Six Great Projects.

By Karen

Are you worried about climate change? Are your children demanding that you be worried? And do you think there is nothing you or anyone else can do to avoid utter doom?

I used to think it was all over, but I now have a much more optimistic mindset. I now think we are making progress, but that progress is seldom shared in the media, maybe because doomsday stories get more clicks. Key to progress is young people who are passionate advocates with great ideas. And, technology and art, together, can advance great ideas faster.

What made me feel a bit lighter in spirit? I have just returned from an Aspen Institute Climate conference, in Miami Beach—the perfect place for the discussion, as it faces an existential threat, very soon. But also because Miami’s politicians are actually working together to create solutions. The mayors of Miami (Suarez, R), Miami-Dade (Levine Cava, D); and Miami Beach (Gelber, D) are an inspiring sight as they work together to save the region. Bipartisan purpose-driven action is possible.

I heard about many projects that seemed to me to be incredibly creative. Here are my top six, because they are plainly the product of truly outside-of-the-box thinking by people who know well what the box is:

1. First, red seaweed. Growing up, Joan Salwen worked on a cattle farm in Iowa—though she did a lot of high powered things after that. She knew that cows were a major producer of methane—burps, not poops. What was her solution? Red seaweed. Of course. Apparently, when minimally processed and fed in small amounts to cattle, the natural oils in a variety of Asparagopsis taxiformis, an abundant red seaweed, stops the formation of methane and dramatically reduces the cow’s emissions. Salwen’s company, Blue Ocean Barns, grows and sources this seaweed, and processes, markets, and certifies it as an additive for livestock feed. In trials, the additive has reduced methane emissions in cows by up to 90%. Brilliant.

2. A company called Renewell has another great idea for addressing methane. Defunct oil wells leak methane, and there are a lot of them. It is costly to plug them so that they stop leaking. Renewell has has figured out they are a perfect place to store energy, because they are very deep and narrow. Outfitting them for storage also makes them safe. The company’s motto: Oil wells that end well. Ingenious.

3. Another fabulous concept: changing the way seawalls are made. We will need a lot of seawalls, as water rises, and with both extensive permitting and construction processes it takes a long time to get the old concrete and rebar models in place. The Living Seawalls by Kind Designs company is making 3d printed living seawalls that can be made quickly, function like coral reefs, and collect water quality data. They can last 100 years. Genius.

4. Then there is CalWave Power Technologies. The company aims to displace 500 million tons of GHG equivalent (greenhouse gases) annually by 2050. How? Waves. The company says ocean waves are 20-60 times more energy-dense, predictable, and consistent compared to other forms of renewable energy. They are available at night and during winter. Smart.

5. We know electric cars are good for the environment, but those of us who do not live in single family homes have a hard time finding charging stations. Enter GoPowerEV. The company make small devices that can be used easily and cheaply in your shared garage.

6. A few decades ago, I had to learn a lot about nuclear power. I met lots of people in the industry. Not one women. Imagine my pleasure at seeing a panel of three incredibly bright and accomplished women, Caroline Cochran, Melissa Lott and Rita Baranwall, and their moderator, Alan Ahn, on a panel called Out With The Old; In with The Nuclear. Some of their bright ideas: small reactors that can provide distributed power instead of the hub and spoke grid we live with now, and using spent fuel to power those small reactors. Apparently these clever ideas are coming together not because the nuclear technology is new, but other technologies and materials are making these ideas a reality. I don’t suppose these advances occurred only because women are now big nuclear energy players, but women do know how to network across industries!

Obviously, the climate problem we face is huge, and these ideas alone are probably not enough, even if they all work. But just hearing about how people are thinking was totally energizing, as was the faith everyone had that success would come from the combination of young people’s passion and older people’s knowledge. I am now convinced we can get this job done, if we all do something—check out John Doerr’s book, which has a plan for each of us. Figure out what you can do, support people thinking great thoughts, and reward politicians putting the public good ahead of their own political safety.