Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
National Bike to Work Day, Climate Reports, Fungi Bricks, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday! Today is National Bike to Work Day, an entire day dedicated to encouraging people to cycle as a healthy and sustainable form of transportation! This comes at a time when NYC bike ridership is at an all time high of an estimated 226 million trips taken annually.
Also, don't forget CTA's Spring 2025 Bike Challenge is still happening this month!
Keep reading for sustainability news…
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
SCIENTISTS ARE REVIVING A MAJOR CLIMATE REPORT
After the Trump administration dismissed approximately 400 scientists working on the National Climate Assessment (NCA), two leading scientific organizations announced they would step in to fill the void. The American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union said they will work together to provide peer-reviewed research that assesses the current and future impacts of climate change on the U.S. The NCA, mandated by a 1990 federal law and released every four to five years, provides critical projections on climate change’s future impacts in the U.S. The report due in 2027 is now up in the air as the administration reevaluates it and slashes relevant funding.
One climate scientist said that the two groups stepping in to fill these scientific research gaps “is a testament to how important it is that the latest science be summarized and available.” The long-term projections of the NCA help the country plan for future climate challenges, forecasting 25-100 years into the future. Current climate data influences practical decisions like stormwater infrastructure and flood zone mapping. Unlike global climate reports, the NCA focuses on regional and local effects, making it vital for U.S. adaptation strategies. The societies hope to produce the report within a year. Past assessments have warned of worsening health, environmental, and economic impacts due to climate change. Climate change affects everyone, regardless of political affiliation, so there should be a universal urgency.
SCIENTISTS BUILD SELF-REPAIRING BRICKS MADE FROM FUNGI
Scientists at Montana State University Bozeman are developing a sustainable, self-repairing alternative to concrete using fungi in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of traditional cement production. Cement accounts for about 9% of all man-made carbon dioxide emissions globally. The research team has created a bio-based building material by combining fungal mycelium with calcium carbonate through a process called biomineralization. This results in hardened, bonelike structures known as “scaffolds,” which serve as a strong base for keeping microbes alive. The innovative material is considered “living” at first, up to four weeks in current lab trials, but researchers are working to extend that to months or even years. The living properties have the potential for features like self-healing cracks or detecting poor air quality in buildings. While these materials are still far from replacing concrete on a wide scale, experts believe they could become available for smaller, single-story buildings within five to ten years.
FARMERS ARE INCREASINGLY TURNING TO FARMING SOLAR ENERGY
Farmers in California’s Central Valley are turning to solar energy as a profitable and sustainable alternative to traditional agriculture, especially in the face of worsening water scarcity and the climate crisis. Known as "agrisolar," this involves retooling farmland to install solar panels, which not only generate electricity for on-farm use and sale but also save significant amounts of water. A recent study found that farmers can earn an average of $124,000 per hectare annually, 25 times more than from growing crops, by harnessing solar power. The energy produced could power 500,000 homes and save enough water to hydrate 27 million people each year. Unfortunately, recent California policies have decreased the rates farmers receive for solar energy by 75%, making the economics of solar investment less attractive. Still, many farmers are creatively integrating crops and livestock with solar arrays. For example, growing shade-tolerant crops like berries and greens under panels helps reduce soil evaporation and irrigation needs, while grazing livestock fertilizes the land and increases biodiversity. Thinking long term, at the end of useless life of the solar panels, when they are removed the revitalized soil can support crops again.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
Environmentalists want to turn ocean garbage into hydropower. They're building a ship that does.
Increasing swaths of the U.S. will no longer get 24-hour weather alerts.
Global recycling rates have fallen for the eighth year running.
Plastics in everyday objects may disrupt sleep in same way as caffeine, study finds.
Toxic wildfire pollution infiltrates homes of 1bn people a year, study finds.
Trump administration backtracks on promise to protect drinking water from forever chemicals.
Security experts discovered ‘unexplained’ pieces of communication equipment in Chinese-made solar power inverters.
Less than one year after dams and reservoirs were removed, wildflowers are blooming along the Klamath River.
Locals built a bridge made out of recycled fire hoses to help endangered monkeys cross a busy road in Malaysia.
If you want to claim the solar tax credit, install now.
A new analysis finds that China’s emissions have declined by 1% over the last 12 months despite power demand growth, the result of surging clean energy construction and marking the first time the nation’s emissions have consistently reversed.
“Pretty Privilege” is prevalent in conservation.
Don’t toss it, 3D print a fix for it!
Meet the woman saving cheetahs from extinction.