• Land

Governor Proposes $536 Million To Fight 2021 California Wildfire Season

April 13, 2021

• #30x30
• California
• climate change
• disaster
• Drought
• fires
• forest fires
• heat
• wildfires

As California’s wildfire season approaches, Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing $536 million in emergency and other funding to combat and prevent fires this year. The plan invests in additional firefighters, fuel breaks around vulnerable communities, and wildfire response capacity.  

Why This Matters: California’s 2020 fire season burned a record-breaking 4.2 million acres and experts say that severe drought may make this season even more destructive.

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• Sustainability

One Game Thing: Recycling Clothes Virtually and IRL

April 13, 2021

• Animal Crossing
• Game of Thrones
• H&M
• Looop
• Looop Island
• recycle

The retailer H&M, which has long given a discount to shoppers who bring in old clothes to recycle, is taking its “game” to a whole new level.  They’re partnering with Game of Thrones’ star Maisie Jones to promote their sustainability programs both online and in real life.  Jones now has an avatar, and both of […]

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• Energy

EV Battery Production in Georgia Charges Ahead Thanks To Settlement

April 13, 2021

• battery
• cars
• electric vehicles
• EVs
• Ford
• LG Energy
• SK Innovation
• VW

Scaling production of EVs in the U.S. will require a ramp-up in domestic battery production. Now there’s good news on that front. A battery factory in Georgia can move forward after LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation (South Korean companies), two of the world’s biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturers, settled a dispute. 

Why This Matters: The dispute threatened U.S. production of EVs. SK has contracts to produce batteries for electric Ford F-150 pickup trucks and Volkswagen SUVs.

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• Weather

Farmers in Northern Plains Brace For Drought

April 13, 2021

• agriculture
• Drought
• Northern Plains

by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer As summer approaches, the Northern Plains of the United States and the Canadian Prairies, which are the world’s key growing regions for canola and spring wheat, are experiencing a record-breaking drought.  Now, farmers fear that these parched fields won’t yield enough crop to satisfy unusually high demand. This fear […]

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