SUSTAINABILITY  

Reusing mines

Former mines aren’t the first area you think of when it comes to sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, or the wellness industry, however a project in West Virginia is hoping to change that. Appalachian Botanical Company is growing lavender and raising bees on a former mining site, and then turning its harvests into essential oils, body creams, and other similar products. They have two main goals: to provide a economically sustainable path to rehabilitate mining land and to create dignified and well-paid job opportunities for individuals facing barriers to traditional employment. Appalachian chose lavender due to its tough nature and ability to withstand drought, and also test the soil to ensure that there are no left over contaminants from its previous users. With 40 acres now under cultivation and 85 jobs created in the process, the company is already having a positive social impact. 

INNOVATION

Sustainable fuel

The aviation industry gets quite a bad reputation when it comes to sustainability, primarily because aeroplanes use a petroleum-based fuel to fly. A new clean fuel company called Alder Fuel wants to change that by developing a low-carbon jet fuel that can be used as a 100% drop-in replacement for petroleum fuel (without needing to adapt existing engines). This is important as the only commercially available sustainable aviation fuel today still requires a 50-50 blend with regular fuel. Along with private investments from giants like United and Honeywell, Alder Fuels’ research is also supported by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency and the Department of Energy, with the company emphasizing the importance of public-private partnerships to decarbonize the aviation industry. 

THE LOW DOWN

• Houseparty, the early Covid-era video chat app, shuts down
• SpaceX prepares to send first all-civilian crew into orbit
• Murders of environment and land defenders hit record high
• UK urged to postpone COP26 as countries left out due to Covid
• World’s biggest factory to suck carbon from the sky turns on in Iceland
• Zero-waste shopping service to arrive in select Tesco stores

#Showerthoughts

• Wisdom teeth are not worthless, as they provide oral surgeons with a steady stream of income.
• When we get older, we realize that $100 is a lot more and a lot less than we initially thought it was.
• Popcorn is the quintessential movie food because, unlike chips, you can still hear the movie while eating it.
• The nice thing about not knowing anyone's age on the internet is that you can get in an argument with an 8-year-old and leave feeling superior.
• Due to scientific testing on animals, we'll probably have immortal mice before we have immortal humans.
  
  r/Showerthoughts

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