Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
Earth Overshoot Day, Solar Materials, Treadmill Power, Recycling Styrofoam, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday! It has been confirmed that August 1st was Earth Overshoot day. Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In other words, when we use more from nature than the planet can renew in a year. Human society consumes resources at a rate that would take 1.75 Earths to sustain.
Some more facts about Earth Overshoot Day:
The U.S. official Country Overshoot Day this year was March 14th. We would need over 5 Earth’s if everyone lived like an American.
Earth Overshoot Day is getting earlier every year. From 25 December 1970, the Earth Overshoot Day has moved to 1 August 2024, highlighting a steady increase in humanity's Ecological Footprint and a decline in Earth's biocapacity. There has been a 120% increase in population since 1970.
Learn more about how the date of Earth Overshoot Day 2024 was calculated here.
60% of humanity's Ecological Footprint is carbon.
The past does not necessarily determine our future. Our current choices do. Through wise, forward-looking decisions, we can turn around natural resource consumption trends while improving the quality of life for all people. Explore solutions in five key areas (cities, energy, food, population, planet) that are defining our long-term trends here. In hopeful news, there are already several effective solutions already in place, which you can explore on a world map!
Keep reading below for more sustainability news!
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
RESEARCHERS CREATE THIN FILM THAT COULD TURN ALMOST ANYTHING INTO A SOLAR-POWER SURFACE
Researchers at Oxford University have created a new solar power-generating material that “is thin and flexible enough to apply to the surface of almost any building or common object.” The new perovskite film, which Tina Casey at CleanTechnica called a “paint-on solar cell,” matches the energy efficiency performance of a traditional single-layer silicon PV and is almost 150 times thinner than a modern silicon wafer. Using a pioneering technique developed in Oxford, which stacks multiple light-absorbing layers into one solar cell, they have harnessed a wider range of the light spectrum, allowing more power to be generated from the same amount of sunlight.
This most likely won’t replace silicon-based solar panels altogether anytime soon. “We can envisage perovskite coatings being applied to broader types of surfaces to generate cheap solar power, such as the roofs of cars and buildings and even the backs of mobile phones,” said Dr. Junke Wang, a Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Postdoc Fellow at Oxford University Physics. “If more solar energy can be generated in this way, we can foresee less need in the longer term to use silicon panels or build more and more solar farms.”
A GYM AT BROWN UNIVERSITY IS RUNNING ON POWER FROM ITS TREADMILLS
In what started as Elina Pipa’s (pictured) student project at Providence RI’s Brown University, recently installed cardio machines, made by the company SportsArt, convert human energy into electricity. As students run, step, or row, the kinetic energy from their movements is fed into the building’s power system, helping to keep on its lights and even heat the fitness center’s pool. The school currently has eight such machines but will soon add 17 more.
Gym-goers can see that impact directly. On the cardio equipments’ panels, along with your time or mileage, the SportsArt equipment also displays the “instant watts” going to the grid based on your pace. Exactly how much you generate depends on that pace and the type of equipment itself. SportsArt says its equipment can generate up to 220 watt hours of electricity per hour of workout.
NEW STUDY SHOWS HOW STYROFOAM WASTE CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO POLYMERS FOR ELECTRONICS
Researchers from the University of Delaware (UD) and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a method to transform styrofoam waste into a valuable conducting polymer used in electronics. The study demonstrates that this upcycled waste material can be effectively used in devices as a high-value material.
The research was led by Laure Kayser, an assistant professor at UD, who collaborated with Argonne chemist David Kaphan. Their goal was to synthesize PEDOT:PSS from polystyrene, a common plastic found in disposable containers, using a process called sulfonation. This reaction involves replacing a hydrogen atom in the polymer with sulfonic acid, which enhances its properties. An unexpected finding was the ability to use stoichiometric ratios in the reaction, reducing waste and allowing precise control over the degree of sulfonation. This fine-tuning could be useful in other applications, such as fuel cells or water filtration.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
How the 2024 Paris Olympics handled the heat — and didn’t.
Biden administration announces more than $2 billion in grants to boost the US power grid.
Minnesota settles ‘deceptive environmental marketing’ lawsuit over ‘recycling’ plastic bags.
L.A. could soon get an “air mobility network” that will bring flying electric taxis to Los Angeles as early as 2026, ahead of major worldwide sporting events.
The U.S. Energy Department just announced $2.2 billion in funding to strengthen the grid and add clean energy. The funding will support eight projects across 18 states to strengthen the electrical grid against increasing extreme weather, advance the transition to cleaner electricity, and meet growing demand.
Progress is happening on the world’s largest wildlife crossing in California, set to be completed by 2026.
Fresh produce deliveries are now a covered medical benefit in Tennessee.
Six new sites have been added to UNESCO World Heritage list.
How South Korea recycles 98% of its food waste.