Amy Boyer

Indigenous-led clean energy: The most encouraging news I got this week was on renewable energy initiatives from North American tribes, which provide jobs, decrease dependency on fossil fuels, and give tribes more control over their energy. The article highlights Grid Alternatives Tribal Program and Indigenized Energy, both of which are partnering with tribes in the US;  in Canada, Indigenous Clean Energy is mentoring First Nations peoples in renewable energy.

 Claire Inciong Krummenacher

Welcome back, Hot Take: This week, the podcast Hot Take returned with new episodes after a nearly year-long hiatus. The show focuses on the ways media and society are talking—and not talking—about climate change, and blends humor with serious conversations about facing the unequal distribution of climate impacts. A notable episode from the archives that aged well into 2022: "No Better Time for Climate Reparations" with Tamara Toles O'Laughlin.

 Courtney White

The power of Open Source: Open Source is one of the unsung heroes of the regeneration movement. This article from Civil Eats describes how Open Source is being used to repair farm equipment. A farmer friend of mine, Dorn Cox, helped start Farm Hack, which is an Open Source forum for regenerative farming innovation. He works closely with OpenTEAM to bring together silicon (data) with carbon (soil) for regenerative farming in very inspiring ways. Here is a talk he gave at the tech-heavy Redhat conference.

 Emily Jensen

Taxing soda in Mexico: Through ultra-processed foods research this week, I came across a great interview with the director of El Susto—a documentary that follows efforts to tax soda in Mexico at a time when Coca-Cola was cheaper than water. Beyond this powerful example of community action to stand up to Big Food, this article breaks down the scientific evidence behind the impacts of ultra-processed foods and beverages on human and planetary health, along with a host of policy solutions.

 Kavya Gopal

Decolonizing conservation: This piece on how the Wuikinuxv people steward their land from a whole ecosystem perspective brings into focus the wider movement to decolonize the discipline of conservation. The Indigenous authors of the underlying research paper remind us that in order to commit to regeneration, settler-led institutions must work with Indigenous communities as equals, and value their place-based expertise.

 Milica Koscica

Washington mandates electric heating: After similar attempts failed in New York and came close in California, Washington recently became the first state in the U.S. to pass an all-electric heating mandate requiring most new commercial and large multifamily buildings to install electric heat pumps for space and water heating. The rules will effectively ban the use of gas and traditional HVAC systems in new buildings. The new energy code goes into effect in Washington in July 2023, and came in response to the state's 2031 target to reduce energy consumption in buildings by 70%.

 Robert Denney

A step toward decarbonizing India: India’s largest power-generating utility company, NTPC Ltd., has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Energy Vault Holdings to deploy the latter company’s gravity-based energy storage technology in the country. The MoU represents the start of a long-term strategic partnership between the two entities, and it is a step towards decarbonizing India. In addition, Energy Vault will use waste coal ash to build the blocks used in its energy storage system as a means to promote a circular economy.

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