It’s Plastic-Free July, the No-Waste Challenge, Judge Tells Australia, “It’s About the Kids”, 3,000 EV Battery Swap Stations Installed in China!

NO WASTE CHALLENGE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

 The No Waste Challenge is a global competition initiated by What Design Can Do (wdcd) and initiated in collaboration with the Ikea Foundation. It called upon all creatives, hackers, and dreamers to submit bold solutions to reduce waste and rethink our entire production and consumption cycle. By the end of the open call, 1409 ideas had been submitted to the competition, from bioplastic made from banana peels to the world’s first flower upcycling hub.  

The no waste challenge is based on the theory that waste drives climate change. But what drives waste? Every year we dump a massive 2.12 billion tonnes of it worldwide. This is partly because we’ve created an economy in which 99% of the stuff we buy is trashed within six months. If all this waste was put on trucks, they would stretch around the earth 24 times.

We are already consuming 75% more resources every year than the earth can sustain in the long term. And this overshoot is set to increase by a stunning 70% by 2050 unless we make some major changes — and fast. 

we believe that design has the power to raise awareness and change how things are made and what they are made of. Design also has a role to play in shifting narratives and facilitating alternative visions of the future. 

On may 27th, 85 outstanding projects were nominated for the top prize. These projects will now move on to the final round of the competition, which will see 16 winners announced by 15 july. And for a glimpse of the nominees, surf on over to TheClimate.org/episodes and click on the link in transcript of this story. We’ll keep you in the loop!

DEEPER DIVE: NoWasteChallenge

PLASTIC-FREE JULY

Did you know July is Plastic-free month? 

I did not know that. That’s neat wacky stuff.

“Plastic Free July” is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation started by Australian Rebecca Prince-Ruiz.

She and a small team in local government in Western Australia conceived and implemented the idea way back in 2011. According to PlasticFreeJuly.org’s website, millions of people across the globe take part every year.

Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

An IPSOS survey- link will open in a new window revealed that 29% of people surveyed worldwide were aware of the Plastic Free July challenge and almost half of those chose to take part in 2018. In July 2020 alone, an estimated 326 million people across the globe took part in the challenge from 177 countries. 

Participants:

•   reduced their household waste and recycling by 21kg per person per year (almost 5%)
•   contributed to a total saving of 940 million kg of plastic waste each year
•   8.5 out of 10 people made changes that have become habits/ a way of life

On their website, you can read inspirational stories from participants reducing single-use plastic waste at home, work, or in their community. Learn about the steps they took, the challenges they overcame and lessons learned. Do you have a story to share that will inspire and empower others? You’re even invited to submit your own story. Again, that’s PlasticFreeJuly.org. 

DEEPER DIVE: PlasticFreeJuly, Story submissions, The Guardian

AUSTRALIAN COAL GIANT WHITEHAVEN COAL, LTD. MUST CONSIDER CLIMATE IN MINE APPROVALS

Australia’s government has been ordered to consider risks posed to young people from climate change in a looming decision on a coal mine expansion — a ruling that could set a precedent for all fossil fuel projects.

According to a recent ruling by Federal Court of Australia Judge Mordecai Bromberg, the Australian government, as represented by Environment Minister Sussan Ley must now assess the consequences of additional greenhouse gas emissions from raw materials produced if Whitehaven Coal Ltd. is permitted to extend an operation in New South Wales.

“The risk of harm that the minister must take reasonable care to avoid is personal injury or death to the children arising from the emission of carbon dioxide from the burning of coal extracted from the extension project,” Bromberg said in the judgment. Whitehaven declined to comment on the judgment.

Ava Princi, 17, one of the students that brought the suit, said she was “thrilled” by the judgement because it was the first of its kind.  “We understand it is the first time a court of law, anywhere in the world, has ordered a government to specifically protect young people from the catastrophic harms of climate change,” she said. 

According to Bloomberg Green, It’s the latest legal challenge to the fossil fuel industry as climate campaigners seek to use courts to press companies to accelerate efforts to address global warming. A May ruling in The Hague ordered Royal Dutch Shell Plc to cut emissions faster than planned, and there are about 1,800 climate litigations pending around the world, according to Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

DEEPER DIVE: BloombergGreen, Straitstimes, EHN

CHINESE EV MAKER NIO, INC. TO BUILD 3K BATTERY SWAP STATIONS BY 2025 IN CHINA 

Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer Nio has so far built around 300 battery-swap stations — places where drivers can go to quickly get their car battery swapped out for a fresh one rather than waiting for it to re-charge. Having now sold around 120,000 EVs, Nio will make offering more charging stations a priority, President and co-founder Qin Lihong told a media briefing.

Nio is unique among automakers in building a full-scale network of battery-swapping stations. The company said it completed its 500,000th battery swap in China last June. By the end of 2022, the company expects to have a battery-swapping network in Norway as well, allowing for transit between five major cities.

Nio also announced that it will make Norway the first market for its electric cars outside of its home country. Plans include a small network of company-owned showrooms and battery-swapping stations.

Nio Inc. plans to add at least 3,700 battery-swap stations by the end of 2025 as it seeks to further the adoption of electric cars in the world’s largest auto market.

Range anxiety has been a major hurdle in EV uptake, particularly in a country like China where distances can be vast. Rival Tesla Inc. has built more than 850 so-called supercharging, or fast charging, stations and 6,500 charging piles in China.

Why does this matter to us? Standardized batteries and battery-swapping networks will allow for faster adoption of EVs in this country. Why? Because we’re an instant-gratification nation. It’s practically unheard of for most Americans to be willing to wait 2-3 hours for their EV to charge. But, thanks to Jiffy Lube, and other fast oil service companies, ask them to wait 20 minutes for a battery swap? That we can do.