Daniel Matthews is a freelance writer, editor and creative writer from Boise, ID. A specialist in insightful and extensive research, he prides himself on delivering unbiased and accurate information with the intent of effecting a positive change for environmental stewardship.
Daniel Matthews
Daniel Matthews is tagged in 22 stories.
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Breakthroughs Converging to Completely Derail Fossil Fuels
Cleantech / What will ultimately push fossil fuels back the way of the dinosaur? Purely and simply, is it our ethics and our resolve as consumers and brands that will end our dependence on dirty energy. The response to Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement — in which business and civic leaders vowed to continue working towards clean energy, anyway — is easily part of the mix. The response demonstrated a deep level of commitment. - 4 years ago
Even Though Bitcoin Wastes Power, Blockchain Can Be Sustainable
Finance & Investment / When you hear the word “cryptocurrency,” what’s the first thing that springs to mind? For many of us, it’s Bitcoin — the original, most highly valued, and most widely discussed cryptocurrency. And for many of us who care about conserving energy and innovating with sustainable solutions to climate change, Bitcoin isn’t exactly a household brand. - 4 years ago
Will Clean Meat Change the GMO Debate?
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / The environmentally devastating statistics on the meat industry are staggering. It seems predicated on the idea that the population needs to eat now, so the future can take care of itself. If humanity follows through on that idea, efforts at sustainability will go to waste. Before you slap another steak on the barbecue this summer, contemplate the following arguments against red meat as we know it: - 4 years ago
Want Economic Equality? Change Your Shopping Habits
Behavior Change / The more mature you get, the more you start to understand that the little, normal things you do and the routines you follow make a big impact over time. Leave the water running while you’re brushing your teeth, and you’re wasting up to 200 gallons of water each month. Bike to work every day, and you’re cutting down on household emissions by at least 6 percent while lessening vehicular pollution by about .97 pounds per mile. - 5 years ago
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Why Sustainable Concrete Will Be the Bedrock for Future Megacities
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / The US’s infrastructure is falling apart beneath our feet. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave our infrastructure a “D-” on its infrastructure report card. There are so many considerations for infrastructure repair, it’s mind-boggling. From aviation to wastewater systems to public parks, it all needs work. There are two common threads throughout: energy and concrete. - 5 years ago
How to Start a Sustainable Small Business
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Does the phrase “sustainable small business” refer to a small business that contributes to environmental sustainability or to a small business that will last? The answer is both. - 5 years ago
Why You Should Care About the NRDC's Antibiotics Scorecard
Behavior Change / Since 2015, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has been publishing its Chain Reaction report, produced in collaboration with Friends of the Earth, Consumers Union, Food Animal Concerns Trust and Center for Food Safety. Chain Reaction is basically a report card, showing how well major fast-food (and -casual) restaurants are doing at limiting their reliance on meat products raised on antibiotics. Here’s a look at 2017’s scorecard: - 5 years ago
Raising Our Children to Support Sustainability in a Capitalist Society
Marketing and Comms / When I was a kid, after a certain point I stopped wanting to do the things my parents forced me to do. You may have had a similar experience. The harder your parents tried to make you stay away from candy and obey curfew, the more you wanted to eat a ton of candy and break curfew. - 5 years ago
Utility Customers Affected by Irma, Harvey Unknowingly Supporting Dirty Energy
Cleantech / In the northwestern city where I live, when you walk out the door, the first thing you see is smoke. It blankets trees and houses, it hangs thick in the air, it covers the foothills, it seeps out from between buildings; it hangs, illuminated by streetlights at night. The shroud of smoke over the sun means less people are enjoying the great outdoors, but there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: People are still driving to work. Regardless of how much air pollution we have to contend with, the economy must go on. Yet this same economy is contributing to climate change. - 5 years ago
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U.S. Wind Power Gets a Boost from Startups, T-Mobile and … Big Oil
Cleantech / 2017 marks the dividing line. This is the year U.S. companies must decide whether they will make and keep sustainability initiatives outside of any federal mandate to do so. With the current administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and weakening of the EPA, a governmental push towards environmental sustainability is virtually nonexistent. - 5 years ago
Tired of Waste: How Hankook Is Working to Disrupt the Tire Industry
Product, Service & Design Innovation / For every single car that eats fossil fuels and emits greenhouse gases (GHGs), there are four tires propelling it down the road. Car owners know buying tires eats away at their pocketbook, but tires do more than just consume cash. The manufacture, distribution and disposal of tires contributes to pollution, and consumes rubber trees. Tire manufacturing depletes 70 percent of the world’s natural rubber. Natural rubber comes from Hevea brasiliensis, the rubber tree; 93 percent of the trees are grown in Asia, which increasingly needs rubber trees to preserve rainforests. - 5 years ago
New Penn State Research Finds 40% of our Energy Needs in Coastal River Outlets
Cleantech / In a world full of people who depend on water, the most urgent subject is scarcity. More than a billion people live in areas where water is scarce, and that number is likely to reach 3.5 billion by 2025. About 97 percent of the Earth’s water is saltwater, but only around 1 percent of it is potable. Water conservation is a big issue in first-world nations; we enjoy the luxury of plumbing, but a single leak can waste 3,000 gallons a year. Meanwhile, the sea level is rising at a rate of 3.4 millimeters per year. - 5 years ago
Report: Renewable Energy Job Opportunities Are Booming in the US
Cleantech / If anyone doubts renewable energy is the future for this country, they need only to look at employment numbers. According to a recent report from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), employers in the renewables sector are hiring people 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. - 5 years ago
Startup Going Head to Head with Tesla in Solar-Powered Smart Home Market
Product, Service & Design Innovation / In 2016, clean energy giant SunEdison set its sights on acquiring Vivint Solar, a rooftop solar panel installation company. In what unfolded as a sordid affair, Vivint terminated the deal. - 5 years ago
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Would Bill Gates’ Robot Tax Help Create Human Jobs?
The Next Economy / As a humanist, Bill Gates has been on something of a roll. Recently, he launched Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1 billion fund for startups working on promising sustainable energy solutions. This isn’t actually that much money compared to what’s needed for a game-changing solution, but Breakthrough Energy will be only part of the funding picture, and $1 billion is undoubtedly a real boost. - 6 years ago
Deloitte Seeking to Increase Board Diversity by Highlighting the Lack of It
Organizational Change / Can new information incite change? Deloitte is hoping so. The firm is focusing on diversity in corporate boardrooms, with the intent of helping executives understand just how important it is to include women and minorities in the boardroom picture. As part of the Alliance for Board Diversity, one of Deloitte’s aims is to increase board diversity to 40 percent representation from women and minorities, combined, by 2020. At the current rate, it looks like that won’t happen until 2026. - 6 years ago
Elon Musk Set to Benefit Under Trump, But Will Sustainability?
Product, Service & Design Innovation / NASA doesn’t just train astronauts and send them into space - it also does a good deal of Earth-related research, providing us with an overview of the planet’s continuing evolution, and making important contributions to our understanding of what’s happening to the Earth because of climate change. But with the coming inauguration of Donald Trump, that’s about to change. - 6 years ago
Square Wants to Rid the World of Paper Receipts. Why Hasn’t This Happened Already?
Organizational Change / Have you ever been thankful the cashier didn’t ask if you want a receipt, because you’re tired of the paper piling up? You do your best to recycle receipts, but there’re still those that slip through the cracks into the trash. Have you ever wondered why we still have paper receipts in a digital world? Your annoyance is well-placed. According to mobile payments juggernaut Square, these little paper slips inflict the following damage on the environment per year: - 6 years ago
Could Hemp Disrupt the Energy Industry?
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / In West Virginia, residents will soon be seeing a lot more green than they’re used to. And it may come in the form of dollar bills, too. Researchers from West Virginia University are teaming up with a new startup called Agri Carb Electric Corporation to investigate the farming infrastructure benefits of hemp. This will mark the first time West Virginia has allowed hemp cultivation in 70 years. - 6 years ago
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Is Privatizing National Parks the Solution to Sustaining Them?
Product, Service & Design Innovation / 2016 is the centennial of the National Park Service (NPS), and in February the agency got a present from the biggest tech company in the world – or, more accurately, the world got a present from Google and the NPS: On February 11th, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell hosted an event at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site to announce a Public-Private Partnership between Google and the NPS. - 6 years ago