Last week we shared the NPR and PBS investigation into lies told by the fossil fuel industry, this week let’s look into one of those lies. The idea of the personal “carbon footprint” was an advertising campaign from British Petroleum (BP) complete with their “carbon footprint calculator” to let individuals know how they personally are having a negative impact on the planet. Our actions do have an impact on the planet, but not in the way a multi-billion dollar oil company impacts the planet. Ten years ago, BP leaked hundreds of millions of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. We all know we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, BP does not have any interest in change. The company recently made their largest gas and oil field reserves purchase in twenty years. Read the entire story about one of the most effective marketing campaigns in history here.

There are changes we can and should make to reduce our impact on the planet. For the first time, researchers have released a global estimate of synthetic microfibers released by washing clothing. The researchers estimated that about 2.8 megatons were released between 2006 and 2016. Solving the plastic crisis will take systemic change, but we can take steps to help when we do our laundry. We can be intentional about the clothing we buy, choose natural fibers over synthetic- merino wool makes a great substitute for synthetic outdoor gear. You can also use a microfiber trapping bag. You can read the first of its kind study here.

September is National Honey Bee Month, honey bees help the production of about 90 commercially grown crops in the US and are valued at $15 billion because of their important task of pollinating the fruits, nuts, and vegetables that we eat. Honey bees need our help! Honey bee colony loss rates average 30% every winter, a drastic increase from the historic 10% to 15% loss. The increased honey bee mortality rates are attributed to habitat loss, mite infestations, diseases, a lack of genetic diversity, and dangerous pesticides. Here is some great information about honey bees!

(Photo Credit Clean Fairfax)

Ten years ago world leaders met in Japan to establish a global plan to conserve biodiversity, promote sustainability, and protect ecosystems. The world failed on every initiative laid out in the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. There was a little bit of good news in the UN Biodiversity Outlook report, global deforestation has fallen by over 30%, some areas have been successful in removing invasive species, and a few fish stocks are beginning to rebound. However, habit loss is increasing, our demand for fossil fuels continues to increase and global access to fresh water is reaching dangerously low levels. Read the entire report here.

To send you off with some good news, climate change is real, but we will still be able to eat avocados. A researcher at the University of Queensland was able to successfully use cryptopreservation, the same process used to preserve sperm or eggs, to preserve avocado cuttings for future generations. Avocado toast is delicious, but this research is more important than that, it is industry saving. Since 2011 laurel wilt fungus has destroyed Florida’s avocado trees, with the tree loss adding up to $42 million. Read about the two year project here!

(Photo credit Clean Fairfax)