Issuu

DECEMBER 2019 | IMPACTINGOURFUTURE.COM

An Independent Supplement by Mediaplanet to USA Today

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Jane Fonda

The actress and activist talks about leading Fire Drill Friday actions in D.C.

Learn about the sustainable building materials you need to keep your home safe A message from the youth leadership of the climate movement

MEDIAPLANET IS COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY â€” PLEASE RECYCLE THIS ISSUE.

The Benefits of Building With Net Zero Design in Mind Ben Stapleton, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council-Los Angeles, shares five features that builders, architects, and homeowners can utilize to bring their buildings closer to net zero energy consumption. Energy efficiency Building direction can ensure sunlight is used more efficiently, and strategically-placed trees and vegetation can provide a passive cooling system. Daylighting Using natural light produces better light quality and also helps adjust circadian rhythms for people who spend most of their day indoors. Insulation and sealing Insulation and sealing are making a comeback under net zero design. People are thinking more about the building envelope and the role that plays in a building’s energy use. Retro-fitting existing homes You don’t need to construct a brand new building to reach net zero. Replacing doors and windows, and improving sealing to prevent heat/cooling leakage can make existing homes more efficient. The building process Modular building cuts down on construction waste because it takes place in a factory, eliminating much of the waste, and eliminating or controlling other pollutants. “You want to look at a building design project holistically,” Stapleton said. “You want to make sure the design is a good fit while looking at its sustainability.” n Sue Poremba

Why America’s Clean Energy Future Is Within Reach Clean energy solutions are becoming viable and cost-saving alternatives to fossil fuels, but they also could come with a wave of green careers for women, minorities, and veterans. Here’s how we can realize this clean energy future.

Ken Berlin President and CEO, The Climate Reality Project

t’s easy for Americans today to look at the climate crisis unfolding across the country and feel discouraged. California is in flames (again). Farming families from Minnesota to Iowa are staring at billions in damages after record floods swallowed homes and entire crops. Meanwhile, the federal government won’t even admit there’s a problem. But today, there are more reasons for hope. First, Americans are committed to solving this crisis — with or without the federal government. City and state governments in red and blue states alike have stepped up to fill the void with their own bold and ambitious commitments. The country’s most well-known businesses have embraced sci-

ence-based targets to curb their emissions and decarbonize their supply chains. Polls show that 7 out of 10 Americans support government action on climate. Second, the tools to halt rising temperatures and end the crisis are here now. Most compellingly, a dramatic clean energy revolution is already under way, ushering in the energy system of the future — one that is affordable, resilient, reliable, integrated, and diversified, thanks to renewables like wind and solar. The driving force What’s driving this revolution isn’t government policy but simple market forces, powering an unstoppable shift away from the fossil fuels that choke our air and waterways, and accelerate global warming. Between 2009 and 2017, solar and wind energy prices dropped precipitously, to the point where, in 2018, electricity generated from utility-scale solar projects cost less than half of what power produced from coal plants did. The result is that transitioning to clean energy will actually save us money.

Studies have shown that clean energy portfolios will be cost-competitive with new natural gas plants soon — by 2030 with current plans. Many already are. Other recent studies have shown that we could lower the cost of electricity for millions by replacing 74 percent of operating coal plants with wind and solar plants. A fair opportunity This clean energy transition also presents a major opportunity to tackle inequality and create a truly inclusive economy. Renewable industry jobs like solar installer and wind turbine technician are good, blue-collar jobs that pay fair, living wages. And rather than eliminating jobs, renewables offer former fossil fuel workers green careers with a future, all in a sector with huge growth potential. While the market dynamics are favorable and the momentum is on our side, we still have work ahead to realize the clean energy system and future we want. America’s clean energy future is within reach. All we need to do is seize the opportunity. n

Publisher Eliana Marzullo Business Developer Jordan Hernandez Managing Director Luciana Olson Lead Designer Tiffany Pryor Designer Tiffany Jackson Lead Editor Mina Fanous Copy Editor Dustin Brennan Director of Sales Shannon Ruggiero Director of Business Development Jourdan Snyder Director of Product Faye Godfrey Content Strategist Vanessa Rodriguez Cover Photo John Russo All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today. FOLLOW US: @MEDIAPLANETUSA

2 • IMPACTINGOURFUTURE.COM

INQUIRIES: US.EDITORIAL@MEDIAPLANET.COM AND US.ADVERTISE@MEDIAPLANET.COM

PLEASE RECYCLE

Building to Last in a Changing World

PHOTO: KEVIN D’EMIC, MALBRO CONSTRUCTION

nity,” D’Emic said. “This home highlights the fact that Breezy Point is here to stay and will be for some time.” Azaroff agrees. “Whatever you’re designing today should be designed with the future in mind. We built this house to last for the next 50 to 100 years.”

Beset by wildfıres, hurricanes, and other threats, contractors, builders, and homeowners are seeking more resilient and sustainable building materials to keep people’s lives and the environment as safe as possible. SPONSORED

hen the California wildfires threatened their Santa Rosa home, Jessica Lynn Link and Andrew Christian Johnson were certain their home was lost. “I was actually in the house and I smelled smoke,” Jessica says. “We grabbed the dogs, then as we were leaving it was showering ashes on us. I knew the house was gone.” “We came up here and everything was just black all around,” Andrew recalls. “And then we get up here and our house was, in relative terms, fi ne. Spectacular, even.” They credit this minor miracle to their decision to use James Hardie® fi ber cement siding on the house — a deci-

sion originally made for aesthetic reasons. “I had a very specific look that I wanted for the outside of the house,” Andrew says. “The siding gave me that — plus the positive aspect of providing fire protection.” Durable This wasn’t an accident. “Our products don’t burn,” says Sami Rahman, vice president of product management at James Hardie Building Products. “The ingredients that go into fiber cement (sand, cement, and cellulose fibers) are all designed to deliver long-term performance in multiple conditions. Using our Engineered for Climate® platform, we’re able to protect against water, weather, pests, and fire.” The durability of fiber cement is directly tied to its status as a very sustainable product. “I always think about it in two frames,” says Rahman. “What is the benefit for the

homeowner, the consumer — it actually matters to them every day — and what are these products supposed to do on the wall, on the floor, on the roof — how does that contribute to sustainability? Using fewer resources, fewer materials, and having a longer life cycle to prevent or defer replacement — all of that contributes to sustainability.” Across the country from Andrew and Jessica, another community can attest to the durability and sustainability of fiber cement siding products. Breezy Point, a community in Queens, New York, suffered through Hurricane Sandy in 2012, prompting architect Illya Azaroff and Kevin D’Emic, project manager at Malbro Construction, to choose James Hardie fiber cement siding for a recent home project there, citing its resiliency and impact resistance. “When the storm first happened, there was talk about doing away with the commu-

Sustainable James Hardie backs their fiber cement siding products with a remarkable 30-year non-prorated warranty. That means less waste because homeowners will need to replace their siding less frequently. James Hardie products are also made from natural and recycled materials, unlike vinyl siding which is made from petrochemicals. It also resists rot and pest damage better than wood-based siding. “Sustainability comes in a few areas,” says Rahman. “There’s designing a product that uses raw materials that are sustainable and are processed in a sustainable way; then there’s manufacturing and transportation — using recycled water, making sure that our environmental management systems comply with best-in-class standards, and locating our manufacturing sites close to where the raw materials are and where homes are being built, to minimize our transportation footprint.” That makes feeling good about the choice of building materials a little easier — but for homeowners, the key benefit might just be “future-proofing” their homes in the face of increasingly extreme weather. As Andrew Johnson notes, “James Hardie siding really helped keep our house safe through the fire.” “It’s a win-win-win,” Rahman says, “from a consumer standpoint, a builder standpoint, and a sustainability standpoint.” ■ Jeff Somers MEDIAPLANET • 3

Jane Fonda Is Calling for Climate Action Now

ple can get involved with climate action. “First of all, we have to vote,” Fonda said. “People have to vote. They have to understand this is our future that’s at stake. That’s what all these young student climate strikers are telling us — it’s our future you’ve compromised.”

PHOTO: FIRE DRILL FRIDAYS

With her Fire Drill Friday actions, Jane Fonda is using her profile to mobilize people in the fight against the climate crisis.

n October 11, Jane Fonda staged her first Fire Drill Friday action in the nation’s capital to enact action on climate change. She was arrested and has been arrested every Friday since. The star of Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie” has returned to activism after realizing the threat of climate change is a global emergency. “We are facing a true crisis,” Fonda said. “We have to act as if 4 • IMPACTINGOURFUTURE.COM

our house is on fire, because it is.” Fonda got involved in climate action after reading Naomi Klein’s new book “On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.” Fonda approached Klein — as well as Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace USA, and Bill McKibbon, founder of 350.org — and discussed a plan. “There were various ideas exchanged and we settled on getting arrested every Friday,” Fonda said.

An extreme lesson As well as her Fire Drill Friday actions, Fonda hosts “teach-in” sessions, live-streamed every Thursday, with discussions and information sessions that examine the hurdles posed by climate change, including migration, agriculture, and elimination of jobs. “This is how people can learn, and they’re being archived,” Fonda said. There are many ways, aside from getting arrested, that peo-

New territory These transitions are immense, and Fonda has no disillusions about the size of the undertaking. “Humankind has never been in this situation before,” she said. “This is wholly new, and it requires extreme actions. Not violence, but numbers. Even the scientists, who are usually very neutral, have said that the only way we’re going to do this is through massive social mobilization on an unprecedented scale.” The best way to participate in this social mobilization, Fonda said, is to connect with local organizations. “When they call you into the streets to protest, join, go into the streets,” she said. “If there is a pipeline or a fracking development being done near you, put your body on the line, try to stop it.” Only in great numbers, with inclusive participation and diverse leadership, will climate action be possible. “We may have disagreements,” Fonda said, “but we have to understand that it’s going to take all of us, every one of us together, to go up against the fossil fuel industry. They’re going to fight us with everything they have and they’ve got a lot. We’re telling them to leave $14 trillion worth of stranded assets in the ground. “They are going to fight that. We need all of us to be together. So whatever differences we have, let’s set them aside and have empathy for each other and understanding, and move forward.” n Ross Elliott

Ted Danson’s Mission to Protect the World’s Oceans Our oceans are facing an environmental crisis, and actor Ted Danson, who works with Oceana, is calling for people to step up and advocate to protect them.

ur planet is facing an environmental crisis. Climate change is drastically harming the world’s oceans, which are now polluted, overheated, and over-fished. Founded in 2001, Oceana is dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans, and Ted Danson, star of “Cheers” and “The Good Place,” has been involved as a board member from the beginning. In the early 2000s, the Pew Foundation funded

Oceana to act as an international organization working to protect the oceans. A critical resource Given that oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and account for 97 percent of the Earth’s water, protecting our oceans is vital for environmental advocacy. “If we were to do everything we needed to do to protect the oceans, we would really be tackling all the major issues,” Danson said. “We’d have to face cli-

mate change because of the impact on our oceans. We’d have to deal with pollution. “We desperately have to change, or we will have more fires than we already have, more droughts, more floods, more forced migration because we can no longer grow crops,” he said. “This is what we’re being told, not by extremists, not by people who are overly excited, but by scientists saying this is real. And it’s already here.” ■ Ross Elliott

PHOTO:BARBER PHOTOGRAPHY

Don’t Wait for Hot Water

Less than 1 percent of the fresh water on Earth is readily accessible for human consumption. A typical family of four wastes up to 12,000 gallons of water per year just waiting for water to heat up. That’s the equivalent of 90,840 plastic bottles worth of water (16.9 fl. oz. each) per family, per year just poured down the drain. That also means it’s your money in utility fees going with it. APCOM® Recirculation Systems help reduce this waste with an energy-efficient, easy-to-operate solution for instant hot water throughout your home. With fully automatic operation and low operating costs, these recirculation systems offer the comfort and convenience of instant hot water while saving you water, money, and time. Visit DontWaitForHotWater.com to find the right pump for your home or to learn more about the sustainability benefits of APCOM® Recirculation Systems.

MEDIAPLANET • 5

This Next-Gen Refrigerant Could Reduce the Impact of Global Warming Inside our air conditioners, refrigerant is the lifeblood of indoor comfort systems. It makes conditioned air possible, carrying away heat and allowing cool air to comfort us inside homes and buildings. Until recently, that refrigerant had what scientists call high Global Warming Potential (GWP). With 1.6 billion air conditioning units in the world — a number predicted to double by 2050 — developing a refrigerant that minimizes climate change could provide meaningful environmental advantages. This is why many in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry are excited about R-32, a next-generation refrigerant that is remarkable because of its low environmental impact. What is R-32? Compared to today’s most widely used refrigerants, R-32 has one-third the GWP. Plus, R-32 features an ozone depletion potential of zero. A pure, single-component refrigerant, it’s easier to reuse, reclaim, and recycle than other common refrigerants that are blends. Air conditioning’s environmental impact rests a combination of the refrigerant used and energy consumed. In contrast, this next-gen refrigerant also conveys heat effıciently, allowing it to reduce electricity consumption up to 10 percent compared to air conditioners using the older standard, R-22. In fact, if all the world’s air conditioning units were converted to R-32, the impact on climate change would be reduced by the CO2 equivalent of approximately 800 million tons, or 19 percent, in 10 years. As more people demand indoor comfort, transitioning to R-32 has the potential to reduce air conditioning’s global impact on climate change while delivering the performance and energy effıciencies needed to cool our buildings. 6 • IMPACTINGOURFUTURE.COM

This Hip-Hop Artist Is Making Climate Change a Mainstream Subject Climate change isn’t an issue that resonates with everyone, but indigenous activist and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez wants to change that. Through his work as youth director of the organization Earth Guardians, Martinez is striving to get more people, especially youths, involved in protecting the environment. “Now more than ever, the communication and the story around the climate is what’s preventing this conversation from reaching the mainstream,” said the 19-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, whose first name is pronounced “shoo-tez-cat.” His primary method of getting conversations started and raising awareness is meeting people where they are and emphasizing that climate change isn’t only about protecting forests and the ocean. In fact, he stresses, it reaches much further. “You don’t have to be an avid, outdoorsy advocate of nature and tree-hugger type of person to care,” Martinez said. “It could be access to clean water because of an oil refinery in your community or your connection to the movement could be your family is misplaced because of rising sea levels. “Everything from our economics, to our politics, to our agriculture systems are all in complete transition and breakdown right now, and they will continue to

PHOTO:JOSUÉ RIVAS