Sustainability Weekly — CTA Architects P.C.

**Mondays are for…**

World Nature Conservation Day, Conservation Dogs, Nuclear Plant Reopening’s, and more!

by Alli DiGiacomo

Happy Monday! Today is World Nature Conservation Day! Celebrated every year on July 28th, it focuses on the idea that a healthy environment is the foundation of a stable and productive society. It is a good reminder of the increasingly urgent need to protect our planet’s natural resources and ecosystems, and how important it is to support and preserve national parks and organizations that restore habitats. I encourage you to celebrate nature a little extra today and try your best to buy local, reduce your water use at home, stomp on those lantern flies if you see them, and reduce your plastic use and waste.

If you haven't heard, there is another dangerous heat wave coming this week. Keep an eye out for GridRewards events and energy-saving protocols in the office. Stay cool!

Keep reading for sustainability news…

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

CHINA AND EUROPE SIGN A PLEDGE TO GO GREEN TOGETHER AS THE U.S. ABANDONS CLIMATE PROGRESS

At a recent summit in Beijing, China and the European Union agreed on a few small steps involving climate change and rare earth exports. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Agreement for its 10-year anniversary and agreed to collaborate more on fighting climate change. China also promised to allow emergency exports of rare earth minerals to Europe, although not nearly to the extent some European industries wanted. The press release states, “The two sides agree to demonstrate leadership together to drive a global just transition in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and are committed to: 1. Upholding the central role of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement and fully and faithfully implementing their goals and their principles,” and 6 other commitments. The full joint press statement on climate can be found here.

Trade tensions are still high, especially around Chinese-made electric vehicles, which Europe says are flooding its markets because of unfair subsidies. At the same time, China is frustrated with European limits on tech exports and tariffs. China is trying to play nice to avoid more tariffs from the U.S., but the two sides are also disagreeing over China’s ongoing support for Russia during the Ukraine war. This and China’s tight control over critical minerals has European leaders cautious and frustrated.

1,000 DOGS VOLUNTEER FOR THE FIRST-OF-IT’S-KIND STUDY TO SNIFF OUT INVASIVE SPECIES

Conservation dogs are specially trained to use their incredible sense of smell to help protect the planet, sniffing out everything from pollution and invasive species, to illegal or contaminating wildlife. These dogs work around the world, assisting with environmental justice efforts and protecting endangered species. Dogs like border collies and labradors have around 220 million scent receptors, compared to a human’s 5 million, and are high-energy. These dogs are similar to other serving dogs such as medical-alert dogs, seeing-eye dogs, bomb-sniffing and rescue dogs.

In a unique new study, Virginia Tech found that everyday dogs (not just specially trained ones) can help sniff out invasive species such as the spotted lanternfly. Over 1,000 dog owners showed interest, and 182 teams were chosen to participate. They trained at home using safe, non-hatching lanternfly egg masses, then they were tested indoors and outdoors. 82% correctly identified the eggs indoors and 61% outdoors, which beat human-only results. Some dogs even found live egg masses with almost no extra training. This study shows that with the right guidance, hobby scent-detection dogs across the country could become an important part of conservation work. It's also just a fun, rewarding way for dog owners to help the environment while bonding with their pets.

US REGULATORS ISSUED A FORMAL APPROVAL ON AMERICA’S FIRST NUCLEAR RESTART

For the first time in U.S. history, a permanently closed nuclear power plant got approval to reopen after it shut down in 2022. The Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan got the licensing and regulatory green light from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to restart operations. The plant's previous owner closed it just 11 before its last license expired, citing the need for costly upgrades. With a $1.5 billion loan from the Biden administration’s Department of Energy, combined with continued funding under the Trump administration, Holtec International has taken over and is preparing to bring it back online later this year. Some repairs still need final NRC approval, and anti-nuclear groups plan to appeal, but Holtec sees this as “a major milestone for U.S. nuclear energy”. If successful, this project will not only revive a dormant power plant but also shift Holtec’s business from waste storage and decommissioning into energy production, with plans to eventually add small modular reactors to the site.

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