Sustainability Weekly

SUSTAINABILITY
Written By Dara Magagnoli

Fridays are for…

Plastic Lawsuits, Solar-powered Water, Native Plants, and more!

by Alli DiGiacomo

Happy Friday! Despite everything going on here in New York and all over the world, I hope some of you found time to attend some of the events of NYC Climate Week 2024. I attended the Sustainable Cities Summit, toured the Billion Oyster Project on Governors Island, and attended an event hosted by the Biomimicry Institute. Stay tuned over the next week or two to hear what I learned! 

Also, thank you to everyone who volunteered with us at Materials for the Arts (MFTA) last week. MFTA is NYC’s largest creative reuse center that depends on volunteers like us. Not only is it important because it provides NYC arts nonprofits and public schools with access to free materials, but also keeps valuable materials out of the landfills. I personally was inspired most by one of the current artists-in-residence, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. I encourage you to check out her website and Instagram!

Keep reading for more of this week’s sustainability news… 

T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S

CALIFORNIA SUES EXXONMOBIL FOR MISLEADING PUBLIC ON RECYCLING PLASTICS

The California attorney general, Rob Bonta, has filed a groundbreaking lawsuit accusing ExxonMobil of misleading the public by promoting chemical recycling as a solution to the plastics crisis. The lawsuit builds on findings from ProPublica, which had previously exposed the oil giant’s exaggerated claims about its chemical recycling process, known as pyrolysis. ExxonMobil has advertised that products made with this process contain up to 30% recycled plastic, but it was revealed that less than 0.1% of the recycled content actually comes from discarded plastic. This discrepancy stems from a controversial accounting method called mass balance, which allows companies to inflate recycled content in select products by reducing it elsewhere. 

The lawsuit alleges that ExxonMobil has a significant financial interest in having mass balance methods widely accepted, letting them continue public deception, while simultaneously contributing to the plastic pollution crisis. Bonta called this practice the company’s largest “greenwashing campaign,” accusing ExxonMobil of falsely presenting chemical recycling as a sustainable fix for the plastic crisis. The lawsuit seeks to establish a fund, potentially in the billions of dollars, to mitigate the harm caused and educate the public about the truth behind plastic recycling.

It is worth noting that this lawsuit follows decades of ExxonMobil misleading the public, first by promoting traditional recycling, which it knew was ineffective for plastics, and now by pushing chemical recycling. This case is comparable to the tobacco industry lawsuits of the 1990s, a turning point in holding the plastics industry accountable for deceptive advertising.

SOLAR-POWERED GENERATORS CREATE WATER ‘FROM THIN AIR’ TO PROVIDE WATER TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED

Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) are offering a sustainable solution to water scarcity by extracting water "from thin air." Developed by San Francisco-based startup Aquaria Technologies, these generators use heat exchange and condensation to collect moisture from the atmosphere, even in the driest regions, and then filter it to produce safe drinking water. AWGs are becoming more efficient and affordable, and can be used in a range of settings from residential homes to drought-stricken communities and disaster zones.

Aquaria's goal is to help alleviate the global clean water crisis, with an estimated 2.2 billion people lacking access to safe water. One of the flagship models can produce up to 264 gallons of potable water per day, potentially replacing a home's reliance on municipal water. Another station model can provide water for up to 1,500 people in outdoor areas like parks and construction sites. 

Recently, Aquaria is making solar-powered models that reduce environmental impact by cutting energy costs close to zero. The company’s Frontier Access Program partners with NGOs and sustainable development groups to bring clean water to the areas that need it most. Despite the initial cost, these AWGs have the potential for monumental savings and, most importantly, could provide life-saving water access in regions facing severe shortages.

ILLINOIS LAW PREVENTS HOAS FROM BANNING NATIVE PLANTS

Homeowner associations (HOAs) across the country, including many in Illinois, have adopted prohibitions against native plants. Now the state has passed a new law that supports native plantings. While the new law doesn’t eliminate HOAs’ ability to adopt “reasonable” rules around native landscaping, the law’s language addresses several of the most common complaints leveled against native plants. 

This is important because native plants support biodiversity, improve stormwater absorption, and mitigate climate change impacts, among other benefits. The law specifies that native species must be indigenous to Illinois, which are those present before European settlement, such as milkweed that is critical for endangered species like the monarch butterfly.

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