Five Companies Changing How We Meet the Climate Challenge

Apr 22

Saving this planet is going to take a whole lot more than the effort we’ve collectively put forward so far. Sure, separating your trash, skipping meat one day a week, or taking public transportation will get us closer to averting the in-progress climate disaster. But it was never going to be enough. We need a bigger shift where we all use our talents, time, and energy to solve our greatest existential threat.

The last year gave us a small and fleeting glimpse of what’s possible. Putting the brakes on travel and consumption led to many ecological benefits including emissions dropping by 17% and the usually murky waters of the Venice canals clearing up. It doesn’t take much, just our willingness to curtail some of our most harmful activities and not destroy the planet we live on. In time, many of the systems we’ve harmed could heal.

We need to stop thinking there is a tradeoff between prosperity and the environment. There’s more to a flourishing society than resource extraction. This shift will require huge changes to how we think about the environment. Everything from revolutionary ideas like the Rights of Nature to reframing the value of resources to new business models that consider more than just profit.

It also means that every one of us has a decision to make about how we spend our productive hours. If many of the systems that are in place now got us to the precipice of disaster, then can we really afford to continue supporting these systems with our working lives? Instead, shouldn’t we be working to further those enterprises that aim to mitigate the damage, create new solutions, build new paradigms, and restore what has been lost? We all have a part to play in the work ahead

Last year for Earth Day I wrote about a few companies that were making a real positive impact on the environment. They were mostly large companies with aggressive sustainability and environmental goals. Due to their size and reach, those companies will no doubt make a huge positive impact with those efforts. However, this Earth Day I want to highlight what the next economy could look like. What if companies were in the business of improving the planet as their main objective and not just as a corporate initiative? What if business was designed from the ground up with the planet in mind? Here are some examples of what is possible.

ISeeChange

The effects of climate change are real and we’re all feeling them. And our most vulnerable communities are experiencing those effects the most. Does Winter feel warmer and shorter than you remember as a child? Are those cherry blossom trees blooming earlier than ever before? Are extreme weather events like storms and wildfires more common and more severe?

Documenting those changes isn’t just for scientists watching the arctic ice sheet melt away to nothing. With the ISeeChange mobile app you too can document what you see in your own neighborhood and share those observations with others. More importantly these observations help inform critical infrastructure design decisions that mitigate climate change effects like flooding and extreme heat.

What we love about ISeeChange: Many citizen science projects aim to educate their participants and have them gain a newfound appreciation for a particular field of study. ISeeChange turns observations into data points for civil engineers to design improvements that keep our cities livable. It’s science in action to better people’s lives.

DroneSeed

Welcome to a world with a fifth season, Fire Season. The frequency and severity of forest fires has been on a steady increase for years. While we feel the effects of these events most acutely when the skies turn brown and the smell of ash is in the air, the lasting damage is far worse. Nature’s ability to reforest itself has been extremely hampered by how often and how severely today’s fires strike.

We generally shudder when we see the word “drone”, a term typically associated with war and surveillance. But DroneSeed’s pragmatic approach exemplifies what can be done when an enterprise is focused on solving the reality of climate change. They spent time with foresters to learn about their pain-points in the field. They talked to nursery managers about breakthroughs in seed enablement. And they listened to climate scientists about the best tools to sequester carbon. Using what they’ve learned, DroneSeed then created a solution that uses drones to reforest areas six times faster than traditional methods. Not only is it faster but it is much safer as it doesn’t require human planters to work in the field.

What we love about DroneSeed: Not only is DroneSeed helping to solve a real problem brought on by climate change, they’ve managed to improve results over the traditional planting methods by a factor of six. It’s an incredible intersection of innovation meeting the moment. They are proving that we can create a richer, happier, and healthier society through environmental stewardship.

Peak Design

I can almost hear the outcry from those that say we will have to live with inferior products in order to stave off climate change. In some cases this might be true but the tradeoffs are well worth it to have clean air and water. While you might enjoy your water coming from a virgin plastic bottle more than a plant-based package, the trade off is no doubt worth it. However, we don’t have to make these tradeoffs across the board.

Take camera gear for instance. Peak Design is what an environmentally and socially responsible business can look like. They have taken into account their entire product’s lifecycle and every part of their business — including emissions resulting from their products’ creation, the facilities related to manufacturing and business operations, and the materials they use. They’ve also made efforts to advocate for social values including diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What we love about Peak Design: Well, this video sticking it to Amazon for their unfair business practices certainly grabbed our attention. However, the real reason we think Peak Design is great is it’s modeling of how a business delivering quality consumer products can remain carbon neutral. If Amazon is really looking for something to steal from Peak Design, that should be it.

Plaine Products

Plastic makes the world go ‘round, even as it chokes the oceans. Single use plastics are destroying the planet and our bathrooms are filled with them. You might feel that separating your trash is enough to solve this problem but I’m sorry to break it to you, recycling is a lie sold to you by the packaging and oil industries.

Plaine Products understands that unless we make a change by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. To avoid that rather bleak outcome, they’ve built a business around environmentally friendly bath and body products. Instead of plastic containers that only make it into the recycling bin one out of six times, they use reusable aluminium containers. Their tagline — refill, reuse, rejoice — tells you all you need to know about their approach to the circular economy.

What we love about Plaine Products: They are providing a great example of a business that is changing the well-established plastic bottle paradigm. On top of that they are carbon neutral, use vegan ingredients in their products, and are a certified women-owned business. We should all be rooting for their model to go mainstream.

Water Block Kids

The solutions we need will have to go well beyond replacing the products we use today with less environmentally harmful alternatives. We’ll need new engineering solutions to mitigate the changing climate. Just like how industries were disrupted as software ate the world and traditional processes went digital, civil engineering is poised for a similar disruption. Many of our civil engineering challenges will be how to mitigate the effects of climate change or engineer solutions to avoid externalities of our presence on this planet.

Water Block Kids believes we all deserve to be a part of the decisions made about our built environment — including kids! Our kids should understand what’s happening in their communities, and the professions involved in making decisions on their behalf. This is why they believe that design should be a fundamental part of a child’s learning.

Water Block Kids understands this will be an all hands on deck challenge. Their program for kids creates more access in design and environmental practice so that today’s youth can be a part of tomorrow’s solutions. The world needs more educational programs that open access to people from diverse backgrounds to play a key role in improving the environment.

What we love about Water Block Kids: Design leadership has a shocking lack of diversity and programs like Water Block Kids give children access to the programs that could spark the next great innovation in our built environments. With the right encouragement and resources, we all can work to improve the environment.

Let’s Make a Better World Together

There are so many more innovative companies, big and small, working to change the world for the better. We will have to shift how we think about business, engineering, scientific observations, and much more if we are to change the trajectory of climate change. The companies listed here are all making great strides in the right direction. I only hope more of us will join them.

Do you know of an innovative company that is working to improve the environment? Please share them with us.

Dan LaBelle