Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

ONTONAGON COUNTY, MI The Ehlco forest area features 16,000 acres of gently sloping land covered by hardwood and conifer trees, which is bisected by the Big Iron River and inhabited by deer, black bears and wolves.

To the west, 25,000 acres in the Trap Hills features a boreal and northern hardwood forest with cedar swamps, rugged slopes and sheer cliffs that boast visibility up to 40 miles.

Both areas are among four big chunks of federal land in Michigans Upper Peninsula that preservation advocates want to see designated as wilderness, a level of national protection afforded to the wildest of lands which forever prohibits logging, mining and other resources extraction and restricts almost all vehicle access.

The Keep the UP Wild coalition wants the proposed designation for about 50,000 acres in the Ottawa National Forest. The effort launched last summer but has yet to be formally taken up by Congress, which gets to decide which lands become wilderness a place the Wilderness Act of 1964 defines as where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.

The effort has significant support from environment, conservation and climate groups, Democrats and eco-friendly businesses. However, it began drawing fire this summer from the timber industry and Republican lawmakers in Lansing, who see the proposed change as not just unnecessary but potentially detrimental to local economies tied to logging and other forms of outdoor recreation that would be prohibited under a wilderness designation.

On June 30, the Republican-led Michigan Senate approved a resolution to oppose the wilderness designation that was authored by Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan.

When I met with these groups to discuss this issue, they made it very clear that the only significant difference that would happen in their minds in this designation is going from hardly ever cutting trees to never cutting trees, McBroom said in Senate floor remarks. Thats just not acceptable for the people of the Upper Peninsula, who continue to need resource-based economics in order to let our communities survive.

The wilderness proposal represents a new wrinkle in the debate over public land in Michigan the sizable acreage of which has long been a sore point for those who say local tax revenues and economic development potential suffer when land is owned by the state and federal governments.

In this case, the land is already federally owned and advocates argue that a wilderness designation would benefit local areas by drawing visitors who want to hike in remote, scenic settings. Further, it would enshrine protections in perpetuity.

The biggest benefit to doing something like this is providing permanent protection to these areas, said Tyler Barron, a policy advocate for Keep the UP Wild with the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center. If these areas are kept as just simply U.S. Forest Service lands, they are kind of under a permanent risk of things like logging that should not ever be allowed in these areas.

In addition to the Ehlco and Trap Hills areas, the coalition wants to designate 8,000 acres near Berglund called the Norwich Plains and add 2,000 acres of wilderness to the existing Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness, which is one of 16 existing federal wilderness areas in Michigan that, together, encompass 294,000 acres in both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Although the exact boundaries and acreage of each area has not been finalized, the goal is to create a 40,000 contiguous wilderness between the Trap Hills, Ehlco and Norwich areas, which would be adjacent to and immediately south of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

The effort began after 2019 legislation named for late Congressman John Dingell designated more than 1.3 million new wilderness acres nationwide, expanded the National Parks system and protected land near Yellowstone from mining. Advocates for wilderness in the UP saw the bipartisan support the bill received in Congress and began a new push.

Unfortunately, tragedy befell the effort last year, when longtime advocate and former forest ranger Douglas Welker fell and died during a filming session at the Sturgeon River Gorge.

Welker was instrumental in helping select areas for a potential designation. The properties were specifically chosen for wilderness characteristics and a lack of major ATV or snowmobile trail networks.

Under a wilderness designation, certain activities beyond timber harvesting or mineral extraction are restricted. Only foot travel is allowed. Mountain biking is prohibited, as are any motorized vehicles such as ATVs and snowmobiles. Camping, hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, climbing, canoeing, rafting and kayaking are generally OK.

Motorized wheelchairs are granted special access under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Access prohibitions are a sticking point for some, who question whether the economic benefits of wilderness-based tourism outweigh the dollars that could be brought in by other outdoor recreation uses. Mountain biking is a growing slice of the outdoor economy in the UP particularly on the Keweenaw Peninsula, where a different coalition is attempting to preserve 32,000 acres near Copper Harbor, which has become a popular mountain biking destination.

The Ehlco area includes an existing 20-mile mountain bike trail that, presumably, could no longer be used under a wilderness designation, although Barron said it could be excluded from the wilderness depending on how the final boundaries are drawn.

Because the property is already federal, a wilderness designation would not change U.S. Forest Service operating costs or what local governments receive in payments in lieu of taxes, Barron said.

The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan Nature Association, Michigan Audubon and the Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association are among the Keep the UP Wilds 350 listed supporters.

From a tourism standpoint, its the openness of our land thats our number one seller, said Tom Nemacheck, UP travel association director Look at Isle Royale. Its a wilderness park and it attracts people for that reason. It draws a different type of consumer.

Mountain bikers already have lots of very high-quality designated trails that are being maintained, Nemacheck said. At this point, there are no conflicts we see where theres not enough for everybody to do what they want.

Absent from the coalition is the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy, which is neutral on the proposal, as is the Michigan Townships Association (MTA). The MTA has accessibility and public safety concerns, spokeswoman Jenn Fiedler said.

Andrea Denham, director of the land conservancy, said the organization is still weighing the proposal and wants to see where local governments and Indigenous tribes fall.

A lot of our economy depends on having a healthy ecosystem and people using it, but its also based on need for jobs and safety and hospitals and places to live and that takes a balance of development and protection, Denham said.

Its always a tension.

The Michigan Association of Counties opposes the designation due to traditional economic concerns but also because of the use restrictions, said Deena Bosworth, director of governmental affairs.

If youre going to take more sections of land and restrict those activities, that restricts more of the outdoor tourism activity, Bosworth said. These smaller areas are really dependent on a lot of that tourism for economic stability up there.

Bosworth was among those who submitted testimony during the Senate Natural Resources Committee hearing June 15, where McBroom laid out his argument and took comments from representatives of the logging industry.

Henry Schienebeck of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association argued for status quo management of the land, saying it was formerly logged decades ago and it lacks wilderness characteristics. Schienebeck echoed McBrooms resolution, which cites a 2006 evaluation by Randy Moore, now chief of the Forest Service, who determined that the lands potential as wilderness was marginal.

I carefully examined lands throughout the Ottawa for their potential as wilderness and have determined that a single roadless area on the Ottawa meets the criteria for inclusion in the national roadless areas inventory (the Ehlco area), Moore wrote.

While the Ehlco area has been added to the roadless areas inventory, I found that the area had no features or conditions that warrant a recommendation for wilderness study. The Ehlco area has a low to moderate wilderness potential. Although the area is relatively remote, few people are attracted to the area and there are few recreation qualities. Logged over the past 40-70 years when under private ownership, the area is not particularly scenic due to the young dense forest growing on relatively flat terrain. There are opportunities for solitude, but it is affected by the noise and operation of the nearby White Pine industrial complex.

The Trap Hills did warrant a special interest designation due to unique geologic, scenic, recreational, and botanic features of the area, Moore wrote.

Keep the UP Wild needs a Congressional champion to advance the wilderness designation. The hope is that U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., would introduce it in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Stabenows office told MLive only she has not made any commitments on this issue.

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Bid to designate 50k acres in UP as wilderness highlights tension over public lands - MLive.com

Associate Professor Bruce Dvorak, left, and Associate Professor Ahmed K. Ali stand beside the living wall on the Texas A&M University campus.

Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M Division of Marketing & Communications

Tucked between the three buildings of Texas A&M Universitys Langford Architecture Center, a living wall has been turning heads, gaining international attention and fueling cutting-edge research since it was installed in 2018.

A previously-bare brick wall is now home to an impressive 10-foot-tall structure housing soil, an irrigation system and a colorful assortment of drought-tolerant plants. Part of what makes this particular living wall stand out is its striking modular design: each plant is held by one of about 300 metal, diamond-shaped planters that can be removed and replaced for easy maintenance.

Recently replanted after the unprecedented freeze that hit Texas in February of 2021, the wall continues to be a popular photo spot as well as a demonstration of what collaboration and smart design can accomplish. The minds behind the wall, associate professor of architecture Ahmed K. Ali and associate professor of landscape architecture Bruce Dvorak, said theyre thrilled to see the beauty that this joint venture between their departments has produced.

It feels good to see something built that brings life to a space that had no life before, Dvorak said.

As Dvorak explains, the walls distinct design is not just for show it actually helps solve a number of problems he encountered with previous living wall systems.

I had been researching living walls on top of the Langford building, and if you go to the roof, youll see that none of those plants are alive, he said.

In addition to the blue and white planter modules that cover most of its surface, the living wall also features a line of 12 Aggie maroon modules at eye-level.

Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M Division of Marketing & Communications

Most systems on the market force plants to grow at an unnatural angle, or they simply dont offer enough soil space for them to spread out their roots, Dvorak said. To solve these problems, he partnered with Ali, who is known for adding value-by-design and finding new and creative uses for industrial byproducts and manufacturer waste-flows such as discarded sheet metal or single-use plastic matrix trays.

In our Resource-Based Design Research Lab, we activate the idea of circular economy through industrial symbiosis. As architects and designers, we employ our critical design thinking into some of the most difficult global problems that faces our time, Ali said. We are always looking for collaborators from industries and manufacturers that produce large volume, consistent, and predictable waste-flows and thinking about how to make beautiful and functional alternative building systems with them.

Together with a small group of graduate students, Ali soon devised a method of folding leftover sheet metal from the automotive industry into eye-catching and functional diamond structures that each hold their own plant. Crucially, Dvorak notes, this new system gives the plants plenty of soil and allows them to assume their natural, upright positions.

Theres room for those plants to grow, so we really designed it for larger plants that could survive in this extreme climate, Dvorak said.

The diverse assortment of plants receives water automatically through a drip irrigation system running behind the wall and because of the unique modular design, each plant can be given as much or as little water as it needs.

Naturally, Dvorak said, the wall continues to be an excellent hands-on research opportunity for students. They were heavily involved in the walls initial construction, and additional teams of students have taken an active role in monitoring plant health and survivability. The data theyve helped collect has formed the basis of two peer-reviewed papers on that subject so far.

The student effort has been a big part of the success of the wall, Dvorak said. They love getting their hands dirty and working on it, and theres a sense of pride in doing that.

Theres room for those plants to grow, so we really designed it for larger plants that could survive in this extreme climate.

As Ali notes, Langfords living wall has since attracted attention from researchers across campus and beyond, each focusing on a different facet of its design and functionality.

The walls diamond-shaped planters have been analyzed by professor Amine Benzargas team in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering to see how the folding process impacts the molecular structure of the metal, Ali said. Wastewater harvesting and irrigation researchers from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have taken an interest in walls like this as a vehicle for safely and efficiently reusing wastewater. Others approached Ali and Dvorak to experiment with different types of soil, and electrical engineers thought about imaging and sensor technologies to deliver smart nutrition to plants.

We are also working on urban agriculture, Ali said, noting that future designs could include larger modules built to house essential everyday crops. The war in Ukraine, and the pandemic revealed how fragile and broken the worlds supply chain system is. It is time for people, especially in urban areas, to rethink how they get their food.

Associate Professor Bruce Dvorak, left, and Executive Professor Thomas M. Woodfin perform a plant health assessment on the Living Wall at the Langford Architecture Center on June 22, 2022.

Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M Division of Marketing & Communications

As Ali and Dvoraks existing research shows, the wall has also done an impressive job of shielding the building behind it from excess heat essentially absorbing the brunt of the suns rays and leaving a layer of cooler air between itself and the brick wall underneath.

The practice of cutting energy costs by creating this kind of second skin or double envelope on a building is becoming increasingly prevalent, Ali said. And while most use a simple metal cladding to get the job done, the addition of air, soil, insulation, moisture, and plants as extra buffers could make living wall systems the superior option.

Imagine Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, all these big cities in Texas with a massive amount of exterior brick and concrete walls in the stifling heat of summer all of these emit heat back to the environment, Ali said. Just by adding this second layer, the impact on the environment and the building is exceptional.

Looking ahead, Ali and Dvorak are currently in the process of finalizing a patent on their living wall system. Theyre also working with Texas A&M Technology Commercialization to find industry partners interested in mass producing it.

At the end of the day, Dvorak said, the success of the wall and the interest it has garnered across many different disciplines demonstrates the need for integrated design in architecture and urban planning. Figuring out how to implement living walls and other beneficial systems from the very beginning of a buildings life is ultimately the key to creating smarter, more sustainable cities, he said.

You need the input of designers, ecology, living systems, mechanical systems, all those people, Dvorak said. If everyone is around the table, amazing things can happen. An ecosystem works all together like that. So how can we make cities and buildings more like that?

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A 'Living Wall' At Texas A&M Could Be The Key To Smarter Cities - Texas A&M University Today

Alasdair Rankin

By Alasdair Rankin, managing director, Aitken Turnbull Architects

Recently, I read an article about how academic innovationwas helping to spearhead a transition to reduce waste in the construction industry. The company that caught my eye was Kenoteq, a pioneering Edinburgh-based spinout from Heriot Watt University that takes construction industry waste (think rubble!!) and turns it into building bricks.

It was clearly borne out of extensive research and innovation, and it got me thinking about how critically important this element of promoting circular economy initiatives has to be for our net zero aspirations and not least, how architects and designers can fulfil a vital role in maintaining the momentum.

Globally, we use the equivalent of 1.6 Earths a yearto provide the resources we use and absorb our waste.This means it takes the planet one year and eight months to regenerate what we use in a single year. Very much like running up financial debts, when we draw down too much resource from our natural environment without ensuring and encouraging its recovery, we run the risk of local, regional, and eventually global ecosystem collapse.

The risk of impacting the economy is frequently used as a reason to delay or reduce commitment to necessary environmental change. The circular economy decouples economic growth from the consumption of finite resources removing this excuse.

Like Kenoteq, and many others, this is about redesigning products, services, and the way our businesses work to shift our whole economy from one that is locked into a take-make-waste cycle to one that eliminates waste, circulates products and materials, and respects our environment.

For architects and designers, the future needs to be about embracing these changes and upskilling our workforce to continue to challenge the currently accepted practices.

Architects and designers have a privileged position in the industry, taking projects from conception to completion. We are uniquely placed to influence everything from the selection of sites to the design and specification of products.

We can advise, and hopefully inspire, clients through the journey to look not just to minimal standards but to embrace the wider opportunities for engaging with the circular economy in everything from the adaptive reuse of buildings to the disposal and redistribution of furniture and assets from their existing or former properties.

We need to embrace the circular economy to achieve net-zero. While something like 55% of emissions can be tackled by the transition to renewable energy, the remaining 45% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the way we make and use products and food and manage land.

To deliver the climate and biodiversity benefits of a circular economy, businesses and governments must work together to change the system, and this means redesigning the way we live and work. This shift will give us the power to not only reduce waste, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions but also to grow prosperity, jobs, and resilience.

We are continuing to witness an abundance of positive circular innovation centred on tackling climate change, but our next steps must be to ensure that continuing innovation is supported and enabled by Government to accelerate and scale.

Transitioning to a circular economy requires all stakeholders across the system to play their part.

Within that, the role of the architecture and designer community cannot be over-emphasised.

Read the original here:

Architects and designers must embrace the circular economy - Project Scotland

TORONTO, July 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Strategic Minerals Europe Corp. (NEO: SNTA) (FRA: 26K0) (OTCQB: STNAF) ("Strategic Minerals" or the "Company"), a company focused on the production, development and exploration of cassiterite concentrate, tantalite and columbite concentrate, announces production results for June and the second quarter of 2022 ("Q2 2022") at its Penouta Mine located in the north-western Spanish province of Ourense.

In June 2022, Strategic Minerals increased its primary concentrate production to 72.2 tonnes, 8.3% higher than in May 2022 and 2.6 times greater than the average monthly production in 2021. June production comprised 62.5 tonnes of cassiterite concentrate with 71.4% tin content and 9.7 tonnes of tantalite/columbite concentrate with 22.6% tantalite and 24.8% columbite content.

On a quarterly basis, the Company increased its primary concentrate production to 181.7 tonnes in Q2 2022, 69% higher than Q2 2021. Production comprised 153.3 tonnes of cassiterite concentrate with 71.2% tin content, and 28.4 tonnes of tantalite/columbite concentrate with 23.0% tantalite and 25.0% columbite content.

June and Q2 2022 Production

April

May

June

Q2 2021

Q2 2022

Total concentrate (tonnes)

42.8

66.7

72.2

107.0

181.7

Cassiterite (tonnes)

38.41

52.4

62.5

80.0

153.3

Tin (%)

70.6

71.3

71.4

63.7

71.2

Tantalite/Columbite (tonnes)

4.41

14.3

9.7

27.0

28.4

Tantalite (%)

18.8

24.5

22.6

15.5

23.0

Columbite (%)

21.4

26.2

24.8

16.7

25.0

1.

The number of tonnes of cassiterite and tantalite/columbite produced in April has been revised from that stated in the Company's press release of June 7, 2022. The total tonnes of concentrate produced has not been revised from the initial report.

In Q2 2002, Strategic Minerals consolidated its transition to open pit mining, increasing production and the quality of its final products. Further improvements in the second quarter included the installation of eight shaking tables and a Falcon gravimetric concentrator to increase the gravimetric process capacity and recovery of metallic minerals.

"We are very pleased with the continuing improvement in quantity and quality at Penouta, which reflects our success at launching production from the open pit mine and the optimization of the new primary crushing plant at the facility," said Jaime Perez Branger, CEO of Strategic Minerals. "I congratulate our team on the ground for achieving this growth while maintaining a commitment to health and safety."

About Strategic Minerals Europe Corp.

Strategic Minerals' wholly-owned subsidiary, Strategic Minerals Spain, S.L. ("SMS"), produces, identifies, explores, and develops mineral resource properties critical to the green economy, predominantly in Spain. SMS holds permits and a license for the Penouta Project, which allows the Company to produce and conduct exploration, and an investigation permit at the Alberta II Project, allowing it to conduct exploration work already underway. SMS is the largest producer of cassiterite concentrate and tantalite in the European Union and has been recognized within the EU as an exemplary company of good practices in the circular economy. The Company is well-positioned as a major producer of sustainable and conflict-free tin, tantalum, and niobium and is exploring for lithium. Strategic Minerals is a "reporting issuer" under applicable securities legislation in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

Additional information on Strategic Minerals can be found by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release, including without limitation, management's beliefs regarding maintaining the current levels of production and meeting guidance targets. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Strategic Minerals to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risks Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 29, 2022, which is available for view on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com.These risks include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with the mining and exploration industry, such as operational risks in development or capital expenditures, the uncertainty of projections relating to production, and any delays or changes in plans with respect to the exploitation of the site. Forward-looking statements contained herein, including but not limited to the Company's anticipated exploitation of Section C of the Penouta Property and its use and development thereof, its use of the mineral processing capabilities, the ability to optimize and expand production, and its ability to increase the quality of the concentrate, are made as of the date of this press release and Strategic Minerals disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Strategic Minerals' operations could be significantly adversely affected by the effects of a widespread global outbreak of a contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of illness caused by COVID-19. It is not possible to accurately predict the impact COVID-19 will have on operations and the ability of others to meet their obligations, including uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, and the length of travel and quarantine restrictions imposed by governments of affected countries. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could further affect operations and the ability to finance its operations.

SOURCE Strategic Minerals Europe Corp.

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2022/27/c5078.html

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Strategic Minerals increases Tin and Tantalum production in June and Q2 2022 at its Penouta Mine - Yahoo Finance

Overview

Notes on the state of recycling in Washtenaw County from Theo

Special Projects

There are two projects, one with each authority.

WWRA (Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority) will be conducting a quality improvement grant through TRP, and EGLE, and audit of materials, re-stickering all their drop off bins with what is and isnt recyclable, sending a postcard to all residents of the authority with the locations of what is and isnt recyclable, conducting an in person survey at drop off sites, sending a follow up postcard with the top issue (the most concerning type of contamination), and then conducting an audit to see if contamination is reduced. TheArtificial intelligence cameras are deployed in the recycling drop offs and take pictures of the materials, they can identify different materials and note what contamination is present in different bins. That creates a source of information that can help us in messaging and outreach to residents.

WRRMA (Washtenaw Regional Resource Management Authority; I know- two authorities that do similar things with similar acronyms!), is doing a follow up to the grant-funded cart tagging project WRRMA did last year. This phase 2 will just be for the City of Ann Arbor and started on the 11th- lasting 4 weeks. Our results from last years project showed Recycling behavior improved with educational outreach- we saw a reduction in contamination by 42% over the course of the project! We wrote up a program report of everything for the deep dive (or a skim of the 1 page overview on page 3). Contamination from the Audit was initially just under 20% as a whole authority, and went down to a little over 11%.

The City of Ann Arbor just conducted an audit of the material and I should have that contamination rate soon (Ill ask if I can disclose those results in a meeting this afternoon at 4:30).

WRRMAs phase 3 project is conducting an App to Action grant later this summer and will focus on increasing recycling participation rates. There are some households that didnt recycle last year during the course of the project and well be doing outreach specially to these households to try to understand what barriers we can help them overcome in order to participate in recycling.

Recycling markets

Recycling markets had taken a big hit with green sword (when China implemented strict quality standards on imported recycling) in 2018, but have been recovering in the last couple years. Cardboard has been quite good. With the price of oil going up, plastics (especially milk jugs and soda bottle types) are doing quite well.

I cant speak to the profitability of recycling as that would be a question for the individual Material Recovery Facilities (Recycle Ann Arbor or WWRA).

Recycling only materials that are recyclable means/The upside of not putting contamination in the recycling is:

Advice for better recycling

To do better at recycling; check the guidelines (look at the sticker on your bin, the materials from your hauler, put it on your fridge and if you get the hard to know ones- look at either the A-Z guide through Recycle Ann Arbor, the WRRMA waste wizard (if in City of Dexter, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Saline, or townships of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Pittsfield), or the WWRA guidelines if you are in the Western municipalities that have those drop off bins. It is a good idea to check for updates annually as things change- for example, Ann Arbor stopped taking scrap metal this year. WWRA still accepts it.

Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) joins the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE)

Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) has joined the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit organization that works with communities, companies, and governments to transform recycling, and nearly 100 other Michigan communities to help residents recycle more, better.

Starting in June 2022, and with the assistance of a $27,382 grant, the WWRA drop-off recycling program will be able to improve signage, engage with residents at drop-off recycling sites, and make site improvements to help residents be able to access recycling easier, and understand what is and isnt recyclable.

Recycling is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do, said Marc Williams, WWRA Facility Manager. Recycling properly saves our taxpayers money by reducing the cost of sending recyclable materials to the landfill, supports jobs, and improves the health of the environment. We have such a great community of recyclers and I know they want to recycle the right way and through this campaign, we are providing them personalized, real-time feedback to do just that.

The Recycling Partnership is excited to continue working with MI EGLE and Michigan communities to improve residential recycling across the state, said Cassandra Ford, Community Program Manager at The Recycling Partnership. Through this project, we are helping capture more quality recyclables that are then transformed into new materials, as well as creating and supporting jobs, less waste, and stronger, healthier communities.

EGLE is excited to continue working with The Recycling Partnership and Michigan communities to continue to improve residential recycling through these quality improvement projects, said Emily Freeman, Recycling Specialist with EGLEs Materials Management Division. We all have a role to play in the circular economy and these grants will help even more Michigan communities engage with their residents and improve the quality of recyclable materials collected in curbside and drop-off programs across Michigan.

This year, over $790,000 in grant funding will be allocated to 13 recycling program grantees, representing more than 362,000 households across the Great Lakes state this year. Overall, these 13 new grantees are building on the impact made during a 2021 project with a similar goal to improve recycling across Michigan that reached 100 communities and expand Michigans award-winning Know It Before You Throw It campaign, aimed at increasing the states recycling rate to 30% by 2025.

Learn more about where you can recycle, as well as what is and is not acceptable at wwrarecycles.org.

About the WWRA

Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) is a not-for-profit partnership of and subsidized by five municipalities (Townships of Dexter, Lyndon, Manchester and Lima, and the City of Chelsea) working together to find alternative ways to handle waste and promote reducing, reusing, and recycling. The townships are served by convenient drop-off centers while the City of Chelsea has weekly curbside recycling pick-up. For more information, visit http://www.WWRArecycles.org.

About The Recycling Partnership

At The Recycling Partnership, we are solving for circularity. We mobilize people, data, and solutions across the value chain to unlock the environmental and economic benefits of recycling and a circular economy. We work on the ground with thousands of communities to transform underperforming recycling programs and tackle circular economy challenges. We work with companies to make their packaging more circular and help them meet their climate and sustainability goals. And we work with the government to develop policy solutions that will address the systemic needs of our residential recycling system. Since 2014, the nonprofit change agent diverted 500 million pounds of new recyclables from landfills, saved 968 million gallons of water, avoided more than 500,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, and drove significant reductions in targeted contamination rates. Learn more at recyclingpartnership.org. (Source: *directly quoted* https://chelseaupdate.com/wwra-joins-michigan-recycling-partnership/)

Types of Recycling Contamination

Contaminants turn your recycling into nothing more than trash. There are many types of recycling contamination, including plastic, food waste, and more. Some contaminants are worse than others and most are easily avoidable, as you can see from the following list of recycling contamination statistics:

#1 Contaminant: Plastic Bags - Plastic bags and items made from their plastic material (i.e. shrink wrap, bubble wrap, plastic bags, newspaper bags, trash bags, etc.) are the worst recycling contaminator of all. Keep them out of the bin to save the sorters at your local recycling facility a huge amount of extra removal work while also saving their machines the hassle of getting clogged.

Contaminant: Food Waste - Otherwise recyclable items quickly become garbage when they carry the remnants of the food that they once held. Some great examples of food waste contamination can be found in paperboard take-home boxes full of food and the recyclable jar/can that hasnt been emptied or rinsed out. It may seem environmentally sound, but paperboard thats used to carry food usually heads to the landfill. The same can be said for food waste left in recyclable jars and cans; one notable exception being a well-scraped peanut butter jar.

Contaminant: Hazardous Waste - Containers for paint, automotive fluids, or pesticides must be disposed of separately or, for some facilities, cleaned out before they can be recycled. Check with your local recycling and/or household hazardous waste program manager to determine the methods necessary to make sure these items can be recycled.

Contaminant: Bio-Hazardous Waste (and Diapers) - If you are trying to recycle something that has any human fluid on it, dont. Syringes, needles, diapers, and any other sanitary product are not recyclable and can be potentially dangerous to handle.

Why Recycling Contamination Matters

So, why does this information matter for the future of recycling? Why is recycling contamination important? Lets take a closer look at the harm that contaminants can do.

Recycling Becomes Impossible - When the occurrence of contaminants in a load of recycling becomes too great the items will be sent to the landfill even though some of them are viable for recycling. This typically happens because recycling is a business: If extra costs add up simply to separate out the contamination, it is likely that a use for that money will be found elsewhere.

Recycling Machinery Maintenance - Plastic bags, as mentioned, can wrap around the shafts and axles of a sorting machine and endanger the sorters who have to remove them. When the machine breaks and the sorters have to dig them out, that is time and energy wasted.

Unsafe Work Environments for Those Sorting Your Stuff - When improper, non-recyclable items contaminate the sorting bins, recycling workers can be exposed to hazardous waste, vector-borne diseases (living organisms that can transmit infectious diseases between humans or from animals to humans), and other physically damaging items.

Devaluation - The paper, cardboard, plastic, and metal commodities in your recycling have value aside from benefitting the planet. If a contaminant is present, the quality of the recyclable is reduced or eliminated. This gives recycling less market value, and the local recycling program may suffer as a result. Ultimately, this could result in an increased cost of service.

Damaged Recycling Relationship - When you combine the above-mentioned issues, a recycling facility can begin to get weary. When this happens, it is not uncommon for these facilities to refuse service to repeat offenders. That means that all the otherwise recyclable goods (that could be used again!) will end up in the landfill. (Source: *portions used, directly quoted* https://www.rubicon.com/blog/recycling-contamination/

Transcription

David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And, today, we're going to revisit something we've discussed repeatedly over nearly three decades on Issues of the Environment, and that's recycling. I'm David Fair, and if you look back to the 1800s, recycling as we know it didn't exist, but people were way better at it. If the elbows in their shirt wore out, you'd take the sleeves off, turn them inside out. Literally. If everything you wore, sat on or used in your house was probably something your family made, and you had a very different sense of the value of material goods. Then, in the late 19th century, many cities separated reusable trash from garbage designated for a landfill. But by the 1920s, that sort of separation wasn't happening and not much was recycled apart from metal at scrap yards. So, we've been playing catch up ever since. As we speak, there are growing efforts in Washtenaw County to improve the quantity and quality of recycling. And that's why our guest is here today. Theo Eggermont is Washtenaw County's Director of Public Works. And, Theo, thank you for the time.

Theo Eggermont: Thanks for having me on.

David Fair: Do we have a pretty good recycling rate in Washtenaw County in 2022?

Theo Eggermont: So, ours is a little bit better overall than the rest of Michigan, but Michigan as a whole is actually pretty low. Michigan as a whole is about 19% as of 2021. We estimate we're a little bit closer to 30% here in Washtenaw County, but a lot of those are based on estimates, and we're working to get better metrics in the future.

David Fair: So, in Washtenaw County, how frequently are non-recyclable materials being found in the recycle bins we put out to the curb?

Theo Eggermont: Very frequently. We actually did an audit last year, and we had taggers going around looking at what was in WWRMA, which is the Washtenaw Regional Resource Management Authority. They conducted a quality improvement grant, and we found quite a bit of contamination last year within those households.

David Fair: So, based on what you see through those audits, what are some of the items that people seem to think are recyclable but simply aren't?

Theo Eggermont:Yeah. The biggest thing that we see is plastic films. You know, things that overwrap like around water bottles, that kind of shrink wrap type material, garbage bags, whether that's recycling in trash bags or just that plastic film. That was 82% of the tags that we gave out last year.

David Fair: And I want to get into those plastics more in a moment, but I do want to follow up by asking what are the ramifications to the actual recycling process when a bin is contaminated with those non-recyclables?

Theo Eggermont: Yeah, the biggest thing is the whole process becomes a lot less efficient. So, that plastic wrap when it goes through the material recovery facility where materials get separated into different categories and then shipped off to become new products, it goes up a conveyor belt or a series of gears. And that wrap gets caught up in those gears. And they actually have to have people every day shut down the facility and tear out all that wrap.

David Fair: Gets expensive, doesn't it?

Theo Eggermont: It's expensive. I did a tour last year, and it was four hours a day for two people at the facility where they had to close down. So, that's a lot of time, effort, and it's also a safety concern for those people because it's not the safest job to be up there climbing on all those gears.

David Fair: WEMU's Issues of the Environment and our conversation with Washtenaw County Public Works Director Theo Eggermont continues. And I mentioned plastic. Over the past few months, there have been a number of articles written based on a report by Greenpeace called "The Myth of Single Use Plastic Recycling." It says only 9% of all plastic is actually recycled, and the kinds of plastic that are recyclable are actually very limited. Therefore, most ends up in a landfill, or it's burned. In either way it's more harmful to the environment. That sound about right here in Washtenaw County, too?

Theo Eggermont: Yeah, we need to have more capacity for those difficult to recycle plastics, you know, those things that fall outside of the one, two and five. The one, two and five are the more recyclable and more valuable materials. And the, you know, two through four and six really isn't that recyclable. Seven, you don't see that much of. But those other plastics, we need to develop the place here in Michigan to actually use those materials and turn them into something new.

David Fair: And I don't think people are ill-intentioned in any way. I'm sure, at some point or another, I've put the wrong kind of plastic or material in my recycling bin. That's why there were ongoing public education campaigns. And, as I mentioned at the outset, you do have a couple of programs designed to help. Tell me about the artificial intelligence endeavor that's being conducted through the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority.

Theo Eggermont: Yeah, so, Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority--that's Lyndon Township, Dexter, Lima, Manchester, and Bridgewater--they got a grant through the Recycling Partnership, which is a national nonprofit, and with EGLE supporting those efforts. And they're going to be conducting an audit, doing an intervention, and that includes a lot of education and also gathering a lot of data. One of those things that they're doing is to gather data, is they're actually doing a pilot with a company called Compology, and they put these artificial intelligence cameras inside the bin, and it takes a picture. I think it's like three times a day. And that gets processed, and they can put out information about what that picture shows and what contamination is available. It also can give you data on how full the container is, so that they don't have to send a truck driver out, if you have an empty bin, which ends up saving them diesel and staff time as well. So, we're looking to use that information from those cameras to give to inform our future educational efforts with WWRMA.

David Fair: And I would assume that utilizing that information that it would expand just beyond the surface area of the Recycling Authority in Western Washtenaw.

Theo Eggermont: Yes, there are different collection in different parts. But, yeah, it will help us at the county level dictate some of our educational efforts in the future as well.

David Fair: We're talking with Washtenaw County Public Works Director Theo Eggermont on 89 one WEMU's Issues of the Environment. And another program you referenced earlier has been up and running in Ann Arbor since July 11 through the Washtenaw Regional Resource Management Authority. It's running into early to mid-August. Last year, phase one had people tagging recycling bins, as you mentioned, that were contaminated. And in going through that process, would you call the results of phase one a success?

Theo Eggermont: Yeah. I was very excited about the success that we saw. We ended up reducing the contamination that we saw from our audits. It was around 19%, 19 and a half, and we were able to reduce that down to about 11. So, a 40% reduction in the amount of contamination that we saw by volume. So, that was very big.

David Fair: So, we're in phase two now. This is the next follow-up. What exactly are they doing in this second phase?

Theo Eggermont: Yeah. So, the City of Ann Arbor has--since we conducted that audit and that program last year--the City of Ann Arbor has joined in. So, we're doing the same thing we did last year in the City of Ann Arbor. They've conducted their sample audit, which, again, is a sample. It only includes single family households, and it's not a compositional audit. So, it's not every piece of material that ends up in the system. But we're getting an indication that our contamination in the City of Ann Arbor from those households is around 16%, which is actually pretty good for a municipality. As I noted before, the whole is closer to 20% when we started. So, they'll be conducting that program and notifying, especially since there's a new MERF, there's some changes in materials. And so, giving some more education about, you know, you can put scrap metal in at the end as part of the new curbside program and the MERF that they're there using.

David Fair: And MERF, of course, stands for Material Recovery Facility. Will there be a phase three?

Theo Eggermont: Yeah, and we, in partnership with WRRMA, have been working on this phase three which is app to action. So, all the data from those past two phases is or will get entered into this app that we use, and we can tell where and what our participation rate is. And so, we're looking to increase the participation of people who are recycling curbside and get that number up. That number is around 64% from what we had last year. And then, we'll add in what the City of Ann Arbor is, and the participation rate is the people who didn't put their curbside recycling out during the sample for collection cycles. So, we're looking to find out more information from people. What are the barriers to recycling? Why are people not putting out their cards? Find out more, and then encourage them to overcome those barriers, whether it might be information about as simple as how to get a cart in your municipality, so that you can participate in the recycling program.

David Fair: So, we've already seen some improvement. We expect more in the very near future, but we'll probably never get to 100% compliance. So, what is kind of the strategic plan beyond these phases and this educational outreach program?

Theo Eggermont: Yeah. The phase for us is we want to continue to get better metrics, so, that's a big part of this, and then work with the two different authorities to continue their educational efforts. And we have good indication that there's a lot of value in that system. So, if we invest in our education outreach efforts and our material recovery facilities and partner together, we can improve the system overall. I mentioned some stats at the beginning of the program, and I'll put it in the larger context with the state of Michigan. There's a a program called NextCycle, and they've done an analysis. And they found that increasing the recycling rate in Michigan from 19% to 45% will add 138,000 jobs and 9 billion in annual labor, 34 billion in economic output, which actually rivals the tourism industry, which is crazy to me. So, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 7 million tons a year. So, there's just a lot of value within the system that we're throwing away and putting in a landfill. So, that's the goal.

David Fair: 3] Well, certainly worth the investment of time and effort. Theo, thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate it.

Theo Eggermont: Thank you.

David Fair: That is Theo Eggermont. He is Washtenaw County's Director of Public Works. For more information on enhanced recycling efforts, visit our website at WEMU dot org. Issues of the Environment is produced in partnership with the office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner. And you hear it every Wednesday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti.

Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support.Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.

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Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363or email us atstudio@wemu.org

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Issues of the Environment: Improving recycling rates and quality of recycling materials in Washtenaw County - WEMU

Commentary

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet would benefit from an intervention since it appears they need professional help with their obsessional behaviour.

I offer this suggestion more in alarm than astonishment, because they are poised to do to the agricultural industry what they have been doing to the oil and gas sectorwhich will drive farmers out of business, increase food prices, damage the economy, exacerbate regional tensions, and reduce the ability to feed millions of hungry people during a global food emergency.

Since 2015, the Liberal governments remorseless hostility to the resource industry has resulted in skyrocketing energy prices, relentless tax hikes, debilitating regulations, failed pipeline projects, compromised energy security, intensified Western alienation, and has crippled our ability to help Europeans beholden to Vladimir Putin.

The latest assault is a new cap on oil and gas emissions.

In fearful symmetry, and ostensibly for the same reason, Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, is mandating a 30 percent emissions reduction of nitrous oxide in fertilizers.

According to the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, insisting on an absolute rather than an intensity-based reduction would diminish canola and wheat revenues by $840 million annually, and cut profits for a farmer with 2,000 acres by about $40,000.

It would also render unachievable the feds goal to expand Canadian agriculture exports from $55 billion in 2015 to over $85 billion by 2025. That would be very unfortunate since as many as 323 million people are, or at risk of suffering from acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

The major problem for importers (but not for Canadian farmers) is that global food prices were 23 percent higher this May than last year. Clearly, the mandated reduction in fertilizer use runs counter to the United Nations goal of eliminating world hunger by 2030.

Trudeau apparently believes ignoring that calamity, and the European energy crisis, is justified because of the existential threat of global warming, even though Canada can do nothing measurable about it by reducing domestic emissions, which are only 1.5 percent of the global total.

His blinding zealotry does not allow for a balanced discussion about more effective and less costly alternatives to reducing emissions, including investment in clean technology and the development of nuclear energy.

Moreover, it gives short shrift to the best strategy to protect Canadians from the effects of global warming and extreme weather events: a coordinated federal, provincial, and municipal mitigation plan.

Trudeaus fixation has become an obsession.

His preoccupation with a climate emergency has morphed into a moral, quasi-religious imperative that tolerates no dissent and justifies policies, irrespective of their harm to Canadians and people around the world. Perhaps for political consumption, the only permissible evidence of success is domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions rather than the impact on net global emissions, which is the relevant measurement.

Furthermore, it ignores a fundamental shift in thinking occurring in Europe (and elsewhere) where they are becoming desperate for fossil fuels, includingcoal, in order to avoid blackouts and moderate soaring energy prices. They are also realizing that intermittent wind and solar cannot alone save the day, given the current limitations of storage technology.

Finally, net zero is very unlikely to be achieved in Canada or globally in the timeframes set out, and every knowledgeable government knows that (after all they missed each target they ever set), but will not publicly admit the incontrovertible reality.

People react bitterly when their livelihoods are deliberately threatened by an overweening government. After all, why should they bear a disproportionate burden when politicians, whose personal lifestyles hypocritically contradict their censoriousness, are personally unaffected by the narrow call to sacrifice?

The recent truck convoys in Holland (some sporting Canadian flags) speak to the desperation of Dutch farmers pushed to the brink by environmental scolds.

It is no stretch to predict that electorates in developed countries, especially the working class and the poor, would not forgive governments for policies that deliberately subject them to rampaging inflation, grinding taxes, and electricity blackouts.

Citizens in developing countries, like Sri Lanka, overthrow political leaders blamed for widespread hunger and unaffordable cooking gas and fuel, and for whom talk about renewable energy is understandably irrelevant.

Reality bites, whatever delusions the elites may harbour.

The International Renewable Energy Agency puts the cost of climate change actions at $131 trillion by 2050. It is doubtful that advanced economies are ready to pay the bulk of that staggering sum, or that autocracies or developing economies care about the moral preening of western democracies.

For Canada, the number is about two trillion dollars over 30 years, roughly the size of our GDP, or $60-$80 billion a year, according to RBC. That massive expense would require a major sacrifice in social services and/or brutal tax hikes.

At some point, green policies become too damaging to society and to the individuals they are allegedly designed to save. That time is now, although all indications are our government didnt get the memo.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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Joe Oliver was the minister of finance and minister of natural resources in the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Canada.

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Joe Oliver: The Liberal Cabinet Needs an Intervention - The Epoch Times

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today San Diego Gas & Electric announced that it has successfully deployed an innovative technology that enables eight electric school buses to put electricity back on the grid when needed such as on hot summer days. A collaborative effort between SDG&E, the Cajon Valley Union School District and locally based technology company Nuvve, this is the first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project to become operational in Southern California, helping to advance clean air and climate goals while also bolstering grid reliability.

This is also the first V2G project to come online in the nation, following the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) vehicle-to-everything (V2X) initiative announcement in Los Angeles in April. SDG&E, which started on the project prior to the announcement, is a signatory to the departments V2X memorandum of understanding (MOU). The agreement is designed to bring together resources from DOE National Labs, state and local governments, utilities, and private entities to unlock the potential of bi-directional charging to increase energy security, community resilience, and economic growth while supporting the nations electric system.

As part of the five-year pilot project, SDG&E installed six 60kW bi-directional DC fast chargers at Cajon Valleys bus yard in El Cajon. The pilot was celebrated at an event on Tuesday, July 26 with project partners and San Diego County District Two Supervisor Joel Anderson.

This pilot project is a great example of our region being at the forefront of testing and adopting innovative technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen the electric grid, SDG&E Vice President of Energy Innovation Miguel Romero said. Electric fleets represent a vast untapped energy storage resource and hold immense potential to benefit our customers and community not just environmentally, but also financially and economically.

On average, cars are parked 95% of the time. California is home to 1.1 million EVs, the largest concentration of EVs in the nation. Starting in 2035, all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California are required to be zero-emissions. Many local agencies and local companies are working to transition to electric fleets under SDG&Es Power Your Drive for Fleets program, which provides infrastructure support. In addition to Cajon Valley, SDG&E is also working with San Diego Unified and Ramona Unified School Districts on V2G projects.

Pilots like these are critical to advancing industry knowledge and commercialization of new technologies that help create jobs and build a clean energy future, said Office of Technology Transitions Commercialization Executive Rima Oueid. I am thrilled to see this project go live less than three months after the DOE launched our V2X initiative, validating the value of public-private partnership.

With the bi-directional chargers now in operation, Cajon Valley can participate in SDG&Es new Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP), which pays business customers $2/kWh if they are able to export energy to the grid or reduce energy use during grid emergencies.

We jumped at the opportunity to be part of this pilot project because of its potential to help us build a healthier community and better serve our students, said Assistant Superintendent Scott Buxbaum. If we are able to reduce our energy and vehicle maintenance costs as a result of this project, it frees up more resources for our schools and students.

V2G technology works by allowing batteries onboard vehicles to charge up during the day when energy, particularly renewable energy such as solar is abundant. The batteries then discharge clean electricity back to the grid during peak hours or other periods of high demand.

School buses are an excellent use case for V2G, said Nuvve Co-Founder, Chair and CEO Gregory Poilasne. They hold larger batteries than standard vehicles and can spend peak solar hours parked and plugged into bi-directional chargers. Nuvves technology enables the grid to draw energy from a bus when it is needed most, yet still ensuring the bus has enough stored power to operate when needed.

This V2G project is part of SDG&Es extensive portfolio of clean transportation and fleet electrification initiatives. To learn more about SDG&Es Power Your Drive for Fleet programs, please visit sdge.com/fleet.

SDG&E is an innovative San Diego-based energy company that provides clean, safe and reliable energy to better the lives of the people it serves in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The company is committed to creating a sustainable future by providing its electricity from renewable sources; modernizing energy infrastructure; accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles; supporting numerous non-profit partners; and, investing in innovative technologies to ensure the reliable operation of the regions infrastructure for generations to come. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE). For more information, visit SDGEnews.com or connect with SDG&E on Twitter (@SDGE), Instagram (@SDGE) and Facebook.

Cajon Valley Union School District focuses on the positivity of each student's unique strengths, interests, and values. Recently showcased during the National Safe School Reopening Summit, Cajon Valley has garnered national recognition as a leader in educational excellence and innovation. Serving over 60 square miles of San Diego's East County, Cajon Valley Union School District offers personalized education, with programs that develop students into happy kids, healthy relationships, on a path to gainful employment, making El Cajon the best place to live, work, play and raise a family. Visit our website at http://www.cajonvalley.net.

Nuvve Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: NVVE) is leading the electrification of the planet, beginning with transportation, through its intelligent energy platform. Combining the worlds most advanced vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and an ecosystem of electrification partners, Nuvve dynamically manages power among electric vehicle (EV) batteries and the grid to deliver new value to EV owners, accelerate the adoption of EVs, and support the worlds transition to clean energy. By transforming EVs into mobile energy storage assets and networking battery capacity to support shifting energy needs, Nuvve is making the grid more resilient, enhancing sustainable transportation, and supporting energy equity in an electrified world. Since its founding in 2010, Nuvve has successfully deployed V2G on five continents and offers turnkey electrification solutions for fleets of all types. Nuvve is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. and can be found online at nuvve.com.

Nuvve and associated logos are among the trademarks of Nuvve and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Nuvve Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding Nuvve and Nuvves strategy, future operations, estimated and projected financial performance, prospects, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words could, should, will, may, believe, anticipate, intend, estimate, expect, project, the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Nuvve disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Nuvve cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Nuvve. In addition, Nuvve cautions you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to the following factors: (i) risks related to the rollout of Nuvves business and the timing of expected business milestones; (ii) Nuvves dependence on widespread acceptance and adoption of electric vehicles and increased installation of charging stations; (iii) Nuvves ability to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting (iv) Nuvves current dependence on sales of charging stations for most of its revenues; (v) overall demand for electric vehicle charging and the potential for reduced demand if governmental rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives are reduced, modified or eliminated or governmental mandates to increase the use of electric vehicles or decrease the use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly through mandated limits on carbon emissions, are reduced, modified or eliminated; (vi) potential adverse effects on Nuvves backlog, revenue and gross margins if customers increasingly claim clean energy credits and, as a result, they are no longer available to be claimed by Nuvve; (vii) the effects of competition on Nuvves future business; (viii) risks related to Nuvves dependence on its intellectual property and the risk that Nuvves technology could have undetected defects or errors; (ix) the risk that we conduct a portion of our operations through a joint venture exposes us to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control; (x) that our joint venture with Levo Mobility LLC may fail to generate the expected financial results, and the return may be insufficient to justify our investment of effort and/or funds; (xi) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (xii) the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect directly on Nuvve and the economy generally; (xiii) risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to our joint ventures; (xiv) risks relating to privacy and data protection laws, privacy or data breaches, or the loss of data; (xv) the possibility that Nuvve may be adversely affected by 3 other economic, business, and/or competitive factors, including increased inflation and interest rates, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and (xvi) risks related to the benefits expected from the $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 3684). Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact the operations and projections discussed herein can be found in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by Nuvve with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 31, 2022, and in the other reports that Nuvve has, and will file from time to time with the SEC. Nuvves SEC filings are available publicly on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov.

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SDG&E and Cajon Valley Union School District Flip the Switch on Region's First Vehicle-to-Grid Project Featuring Local Electric School Buses Capable...

Sustainable Future

Our climate crisis is natures debt collector, and it will not be kind to future generations. It will hold them hostage unless we invest in its 'stocks'

Opinion:While discussing the natural world in business terms strips its inherent life-giving holistic value, our capitalist structures and systems speak this business language fluently. So this is from where I write today.

As a young person thinking about the future, and our current trajectory as a species, it is difficult to imagine a world without crippling debt, limiting our possibilities, and threatening our very lives.

This debt will not be purely financial. It will not just be the transition debt or adaptation debt although that debt will also be colossal. There are things we can buy our way out of but in many instances, it will be too late. No amount of money will get back what we have lost what we have spent and what we have compromised.

The way we have traded, and continue to trade, our natural capital is not just bad business, it is reckless negligence. Our natural capital has been squandered. We are actively bankrupting those who will take over from us.

These future leaders are already rising to the challenge of reimagining what the future of business looks like. A future that recognises the inherent, intersectional, and holistic value of our natural world and our undeniable reliance on it.

We all, both individuals and businesses, rely on natural capital to live (literally) and thrive (economically). Our oceans, land, minerals, ecosystems, freshwater, and air. We also rely on its services from growing the food we eat, to producing the materials we use for buildings, medicines, and fuel. Insects pollinate our crops, birds distribute seeds, and our forests provide natural flood defences.

Paying for services and resources is such a basic concept in our business world so its hard to understand why its not a standard consideration for how we treat the environment as supplier. And while this is not how I consider the environment it is the best analogy I have for communicating the responsibility that organisations have to the natural world we are all a part of.

The list of natural services is extensive, and this does not even begin to include all the emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits we connect with as the human components of these complex natural systems.

However, most of the services and immense value provided by nature are economically invisible in our business world. We hardly consider them; we barely report on them, and we do not have clear plans for repaying them. The mere mention of GDP will often incite eye rolling from younger members of society. How can we value something that excludes the fundamental systems that allow it to exist? How can we be excited about GDP growth when we know it is systemically tied to the destruction of all that gives us life?

So, when you think about the natural capital you are reliant on, would you consider your organisation to be borrowing or stealing?

If we are borrowing, then we need to acknowledge the real bill and start repaying nature for what we have taken. And these bills also need to be paid in the currency that is of actual value to nature and emerging generations restoring the stocks we have taken, embedding nature-based solutions and considering the broader ecosystems we all operate within.

Because the truth of the matter is, if we do not start taking that seriously, these bills are going to end up being the kinds of bills we can never pay our way out of. Our climate crisis is natures debt collector, and it will not be kind to future generations. It will hold them hostage. And, when we consider the potential scenarios of climate change, this is going to feel a lot like torture.

For many, especially in developing countries, this torture is already manifesting in food insecurity, scarce water supplies, unbearable heat, and political instability with war for resources and global health.

Here we sit, comfortably in the economic systems benefiting us today, while the natural systems and people we exclude along the way are the canaries falling silent in the coal mine.

Paying for services and resources is such a basic concept in our business world so its hard to understand why its not a standard consideration for how we treat the environment as supplier. And while this is not how I consider the environment it is the best analogy I have for communicating the responsibility that organisations have to the natural world we are all a part of.

And from an economic standpoint, this is especially critical for a country like New Zealand. We are a resource-based economy. Our economic system is almost entirely dependent on finite natural resources. Thirteen of our top 20 export commodities depend on natural capital, which is more than 70 percentof New Zealands entire export earnings.

How can we be so dependent on something that we are not actively restoring? Why are nature-based solutions not the first thing we think of when we audit our impacts, especially when we think about future generations? What kind of existence will we leave for them if the natural world has been so depleted there is nothing left to enjoy or marvel at, let alone prosper from?

To see nature-based solutions so explicitly in the Emissions Reduction Plan is a massive step in the right direction. Recognising how inextricably linked our climate crisis is with our biodiversity and natural degradation is critical.

This is a fantastic opportunity for all to learn about and embrace the kind of action that truly enhances and restores our natural world. The kind of action that mitigates the environmental debt our legacy is handing over to future generations.

Actions like this require collaboration. They require organisations, industries, sectors, and systems to understand the collective way forward. A way forward that acknowledges the natural world we exist within and all the reciprocal relationships we share with it in a way that ensures its wondrous stocks are around for generations to come.

Because while our natural world is not a business, our capitalist structures and systems continue to take precedent.

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Toronto, July 12, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) today affirmed the A1 and (P)A1 long-term debt ratings of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and revised the outlook to stable from negative. Concurrently, Moody's affirmed the a3 baseline credit assessment (BCA) of the province.

Affirmations:

..Issuer: Newfoundland and Labrador, Province of

....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture , Affirmed A1

....Senior Unsecured Shelf, Affirmed (P)A1

.... Baseline Credit Assessment, Affirmed a3

Outlook Actions:

..Issuer: Newfoundland and Labrador, Province of

....Outlook, Changed To Stable From Negative

RATINGS RATIONALE

RATIONALE FOR THE STABLE OUTLOOK

The change in outlook to stable from negative reflects Moody's opinion that despite still facing several years of consolidated deficits, Newfoundland and Labrador debt burden, as measured by net direct and indirect relative as a share of revenue, will stabilize within a range of 240-250% over the next 3-4 years. The stable outlook also reflects Moody's assessment of reduced risk that the province will need to support the Muskrat Falls electricity generation project, following a CAD5.2 billion support package provided by Canada.

RATIONALE FOR THE AFFIRMATION

The a3 BCA and A1 / (P)A1 long-term debt ratings reflect the mix of credit strengths including sufficient fiscal flexibility to achieve desired targets and strong debt management as well as credit challenges of elevated debt and interest burdens, continued multiple years of forecasted deficits and a resource-based economy that creates revenue volatility for the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador has a strong institutional framework that provides for unfettered access to a broad range of tax bases and wide discretion over expenditure decisions. As such, the province has the capacity to adjust revenue and expenditure measures to meet budget targets set out each year. In 2021-22, the province estimates that its consolidated deficit was CAD400 million (equal to 4.6% of revenue) compared to the originally budgeted deficit of CAD826 million (9.7% of revenue).

The province's debt management is considered to be strong, which aids in keeping fiscal pressure at a minimum from the elevated debt burden. With minimal exposure to foreign exchange risk or variable interest rates the province is able to plan for debt service payments far in advance. The province retains strong access to capital markets and sufficient liquidity to allow it to avoid issuing when markets are turbulent.

Nonetheless, the province has an elevated debt burden, which Moody's notes reached 275% of revenue in 2020-21. While the slower pace of debt accumulation and resilient revenues across the next 3-4 years will allow the debt burden to stabilize within a range of 240-250%, this level is still considered elevated relative to other A1-rated global peers. The high debt burden also correlates to a high interest burden which is expected to remain above 10% across the next 3-4 years, the highest among Canadian provinces.

Newfoundland and Labrador also faces ongoing deficits, including a CAD351 million (3.9% of revenue) deficit in 2022-23, before balancing the budget in 2026-27. While the province has unfettered access to a broad range of tax bases, the revenue sources of Newfoundland and Labrador are volatile and less dynamic than other provinces. Labour and income metrics, which are among the social risk metrics monitored by Moody's, are typically lower than many Canadian provinces which constrains revenue generation. Additionally, the relative importance of offshore oil royalties, which are driven by volatile global prices for oil, also add to revenue uncertainty. This reliance also exposes the province to long-term risks around the pace of carbon transition.

The A1 ratings of Newfoundland and Labrador incorporate the BCA of a3 and Moody's assumption of a high likelihood of extraordinary support from the Government of Canada (Aaa stable), should Newfoundland and Labrador face an acute liquidity stress.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

Upward rating pressure could arise if both the debt and interest burdens were to decline materially or if the liquidity holdings of the province were to increase. Downward pressure could arise if there are material downward adjustments to the projected path back to balanced budgets. A material increase in either the debt or interest burden above Moody's current expectations would also lead to downward rating pressure.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Newfoundland and Labrador has a highly negative E issuer profile score (E-4) which largely reflects the highly negative risk stemming from the risk of carbon transition, as evidenced by the fiscal challenges raised by the volatility in oil prices. As with other Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador also faces moderately negative risks stemming from physical climate change, as the province is subject to low scale hurricanes that move up the North American eastern coast which can bring high winds, heavy levels of precipitation and rainfall.

The moderately negative S issuer profile score (S-3) reflects the mix of severely negative demographic risk, stemming from the aging population which creates long-term pressure on health expenses, as well as moderately negative labour and income risk and neutral-to-low risk across the remaining social factors measured by Moody's.

The neutral-to-low G issuer profile score (G-2) captures the positive risk from the very strong institutional and governance framework inherent to all Canadian provinces offset by neutral-to-low risk stemming from budget management and transparency and disclosure.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Regional and Local Governments published in January 2018 and available at https://ratings.moodys.com/api/rmc-documents/66129. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found on https://ratings.moodys.com/rating-definitions.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the issuer/deal page for the respective issuer on https://ratings.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website https://ratings.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://ratings.moodys.com/documents/PBC_1288235.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on https://ratings.moodys.com.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moody's Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. Further information on the UK endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on https://ratings.moodys.com.

Please see https://ratings.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the issuer/deal page on https://ratings.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Michael YakeAssociate Managing DirectorSub-Sovereign GroupMoody's Canada Inc.70 York StreetSuite 1400Toronto, ON M5J 1S9CanadaJOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

Alejandro OlivoMD-Sovereign/Sub SovereignSub-Sovereign GroupJOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454

Releasing Office:Moody's Canada Inc.70 York StreetSuite 1400Toronto, ON M5J 1S9CanadaJOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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Moody's affirms A1 rating of Newfoundland and Labrador, changes outlook to stable - Moody's

Oil and gas revenues addedmore than $1.7 billion to New Mexico coffers in the first four months of the year more than in any other four-month period in state history.

A lot more.

Records compiled by the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department show that year-on-year, revenues from January through April more than doubled from $782 million in 2021 itself a record year. (Records lag by two months to allow producers time to report their production numbers.) This money gusher comes from increasing production in New Mexicos portion of the Permian Basin currently themost productive oilfieldon the planet and skyrocketing oil and gas prices brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

This story is by Capital & Main and is republished with permission.

State Sen. George Muoz (D-Gallup), vice chair of the powerful Legislative Finance Committee, says that committee economists peg the states likely take from oil and gas at $5.2 billion for the fiscal year roughly a billion more than last years oil and gas revenue. That tally may rise if world oil prices remain high.

Mountains of money are generally a good thing for anyone, but the unplanned windfall does come with complications. The first is thekindof money brought in by oil and gas production. Roughly speaking, state government views revenues in two ways: as one-time or recurring income. Recurring money remains fairly steady year after year. For example, people will generally remain employed and use their earnings to buy things, making income and sales taxes a reliable source of steady, recurring revenue for the state.However, record-breaking fossil fuel revenue is treated as one-time money: It cant be counted on to repeat, so it cant be used to create new programs, add permanent jobs or increase pay for state employees across the board. One-time money can build police stations and water treatment plants and schools, but it cant pay the people to fill them. And that makes budgeting difficult. When you have that one-time money surpassing recurring money, it becomes a little topsy-turvy, Muoz says. And he says that his committees economists are predicting that that is exactly what is about to happen.

The second problem stems from the first: This is oil money, and oil money has a roller-coaster history and a murky, finite future.

I have ridden the roller coaster, Muoz says. I came in in [2009] where we had to cut a billion dollars out of the budget because fossil fuel production had tanked during the Great Recession. Its not something he wants to do again.

Kelly ODonnell, a New Mexico economist who keeps tabs on the oil and gas industry, agrees that this isnt the states first boom year but that history rarely serves as a guide. New Mexico has had a tendency towards selective amnesia about these things, she says. We are always surprised when the bad times show up. Yet they always do.

To progress economically, over time, we are going to have to get out of this boom-bust resource cycle, she says. When it goes down next time, it may not come back up, and we have to be prepared for that reality.

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New Mexico sits atop half ofthe Delaware Basin, the most lucrative portion of the greater Permian Basin, and the states fossil fuel production continues to grow. New Mexico was the first state to return to and then exceed pre-pandemic oil production levels earlier this year after they cratered in early 2020 as the planet closed down in the face of COVID-19. Nationally, only Texas and the offshore fields in the Gulf of Mexicoproduce more oil.

The Tax and Revenue Departments figures do not account for all oil and gas revenues collected by the state they dont include revenue from federal mineral leases, for example but they do reflect how much is coming in. The total is calculated during the states fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

And while oil and gas revenues tallied by Tax and Revenue for the full 2022 fiscal year wont be known for another two months due to the reporting lag, they are already nearly double all of last years take: $3.6 billion this year compared to nearly $2 billion last fiscal year.

A large chunk of the oil and gas tax bonanza will go to long-term economic and social investment, primarily theEarly Childhood Trust Fund. Set up in 2020, the fund invests in the health and education of the states toddlers, with an eye on their and the states future development. If we invest in our people, if we have the workforce ready to attract employers, if we have the schools ready to attract employers over the long term that will improve our situation, says State Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo), chair of the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources committee.McQueen also argues that the windfall should be used to cap abandoned oil and gas wells. We should do that while the money is flowing, he says. When its not flowing, the state can get left holding the bag. And he says that maybe even a higher priority is hiring more oil and gasfield inspectorsat the Oil Conservation Division and Environment Department to find leaks and prosecute offenders. The reason you cap abandoned wells is because of the methane leaks, right? Theyre tied together, he says. But hiring inspectors for more than a year requires long-term funding, not a one-time windfall.

Funding additional oversight programs and positions is unfortunately not ultimately up to the executive, says Nora Meyers Sackett, press secretary to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Last year the administration proposed funding for additional regulatory staff at both [the Oil Conservation Division and Environment Department] that were not funded by the Legislature, which does affect the states ability to monitor and enforce pollution regulations.

Sen. Muoz says hes eyeing funding increases for capital projects that were approved last year. All those projects are underfunded, he says, because of recent sharp inflation which is also driven by increasing energy prices. One-time money could cover those increases.

But his ongoing concern is paying state employees a wage that can compete with private-sector jobs. Were going to have to raise those payments in order to recruit engineers, lawyers, those degreed staff to get them back to state work, he says. But once again, that would require recurring money, not one-time oil and gas payouts.

Its like you only get one apple off the tree, Muoz says. And everyone will try to get a bite during New Mexicos notoriouslyshort legislative session. Last years session was 30 days. And though the upcoming session will be twice as long, it still may not be enough time to thoughtfully deal with the complications of this sudden cash infusion. The bigger the budget gets, he says, the harder it becomes to manage.

* * *

I think that theresource cursereally explains a lot of New Mexicos difficulties, ODonnell says. Before going into the private sector and becoming a research professor of economics at the University of New Mexico, she held a number of leadership roles under former Gov. Bill Richardson, including director of state tax policy, deputy cabinet secretary for economic development and superintendent of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.

The resource curse theory explains why developing countries often underperform when their revenues are based on extractive resources usually fossil fuels. The developing economy relies heavily on the one money stream, both because it is lucrative and because of fears of upsetting the apple cart. Thus, it locks itself into an economic cycle tied to natural resources.

Its becoming increasingly clear to New Mexicans, in the wake of the most recent fires, that climate change is here, and that it has the potential to destroy the state and, really, to destroy the economy, ODonnell says. Putting all of our eggs in the oil and gas basket, to mix a metaphor terribly, becomes increasingly problematic.

A productive industry can and should also be a responsible one, says Meyers Sackett at the governors office. We remain committed to holding those who do not comply with our methane and ozone rules accountable. There is no situation where we will accept anything less than compliance, but there is every opportunity for the industry to exceed our requirements.

I dont care how high oil and gas gets this year, says Lucas Herndon, energy and policy director of ProgressNow New Mexico. I dont care if it stays high this year. I dont even care if it stays high next year. What I can guarantee is that sometime in the next two to five years, oil and gas will crash again.

He says that oil and gas is not a sustainable method for funding the state government. It never has been and it never will be It always goes back down.

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New Mexico's oil and gas revenues are breaking records and complicating budgets - New Mexico Political Report