No. 110: Seedy Business

Greg Rancourt -

'Seedy business' is very apropos this week but in different ways: I came across a fantastic seed bank program that helps improve the resiliency of our produce, and two major corporations, Exxon Mobil and Tyson Foods, were targeted with lawsuits for greenwashing.

It's too early to know how those lawsuits will play out, but between this and the Justice Department's more aggressive antitrust stance, I'm hopeful that we're going to see more accountability going forward.

There's an excited opportunity with Earthjustice for the technologically-minded below, and I'll help you find local restaurants with a lower carbon footprint. Most delicious resource yet? Let's do it.

~ Greg

What we're reading

Seed Savers Exchange is giving gardeners a way to protect heirloom crops and help preserve food biodiversity. (WaPo)

  • I love the idea of this program. The organization ships out seeds to gardeners around the country who plant them and report back on their viability in different environments.
    • The goal is to find varieties that are resistant to pests, diseases, and climate change. That way, if one crop fails, another could take its place.
    • Biodiversity matters because relying on just a few standardized crops increases vulnerability to disasters like droughts or disease outbreaks.
  • Seed banks preserve thousands of crop varieties. Perhaps the most famous one is Svalbard Global Seed Vault – you may remember that the founders won the World Food Prize this year for their work.
  • If you'd like to participate in the program, head to the ADAPT website. I don't have the green thumb for it, but talk about a great way to turn a hobby into social impact.

California’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, accusing the company of misleading the public about the recyclability of plastics. (NYT)

  • The state is seeking billions in damages, claiming that Exxon Mobil contributed to the global plastics pollution crisis.
    • Exxon promoted the idea that single-use plastics could be effectively recycled, but only 5% of plastic waste is actually recycled in the U.S. It's way lower than other recycled products.
  • The lawsuit also targets Exxon’s "advanced recycling" program, alleging it is a PR stunt with limited impact on real recycling efforts.
    • Advanced recycling was meant to create something of a circular economy for plastics, but because there are so many different types with color variations and impurities, it's hard to reuse them. Another headwind is simply that plastic is cheap – the recycled version doesn't provide any economic incentives to switch.
  • It'll be a while before we see a resolution to this legal battle, but it probably has a shot. Greenwashing lawsuits have been successful in the past – this is just an especially significant one.
    • Exxon wasn't the only one targeted this week. Check out this one on Tyson Foods for more reading.

Job of the week

I'm always keen to find jobs that give you the chance to put your stamp on an organization – after all, change is fundamental to social impact. That's why this week's opportunity with Earthjustice stood out to me: they're looking for a Chief Technology Officer who, as they put it, can take their IT department "from an operational support function to a strategic business partner." Change is in the air.

Naturally, you'll need to bring years of IT experience to the role, but it's worth it for this organization. Earthjustice has been operating in environmental law for half a century now, and you could help write the next chapter.

Community roundup

  • A reactor at Three Mile Island, famous for a nuclear meltdown decades ago, is going to be recommissioned to supply power to one of Microsoft's AI facilities. (The Guardian)
  • Speaking of AI impact, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai announced $120 million in funding to advance AI equity around the world. (TechCrunch)
    • As artificial intelligence proliferates, world leaders are concerned that it will exacerbate socioeconomic issues. The intent of this fund is to partner with nonprofits and NGOs to provide education and training on AI so fewer communities are left behind.
  • The Gender Equity Policy Institute released a new analysis of maternity mortality cases from 2019 to 2022 and found that they increased by 56%. (NBC News)
    • For comparison, the nationwide increase over the same period was 11%. The researchers point to the passage of a near-total abortion ban in 2021, Senate Bill 8, as the primary driver.
  • Claims under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act have expired, which awarded damages to victims of the Trinity Test but excluded people in New Mexico and on Native American lands. Now those groups are pushing Congress to reissue the act, and they have bipartisan backing from key senators. (Axios)
  • A provision within the Inflation Reduction Act called the REPLANT Act aims to eliminate the U.S. Forest Service's reforestation backlog by removing a $30 million cap on its Reforestation Trust Fund. The cap was set back in 1980 and hasn't been enough to keep up with demand; with the cap gone, the service has full access to the trust fund, increasing the available resources by five times. (TIME)

Hot job opportunities

Resource of the week

It wasn't long ago that we were talking about cultivated meat, and it popped up in my news research again this week. Anytime I see anything related to plant-based meat or cultivated meat, I'm reminded that I could be doing a better job of adjusting my diet to reduce my impact.

It's easy enough when I'm shopping at the grocery store – you know the heavy hitters as well as I do – but I wasn't sure if I could find, say, environmentally-friendly restaurants. I haven't seen many of them in by B Corp database for example.

Fortunately, I was able to find Happy Cow – they have a directory of vegan restaurants that is very easy to navigate, Google Maps style. If you live in a foodie paradise like I do, you'll see all sorts of options to check out.

I'm also seeing more restaurants mark vegan options on their menus to make it easier to pick out low-impact meals: something to look for the next time you dine out and want to make a small difference.

Test your knowledge

Last week I gave a nod to 1% for the Planet, which encourages businesses to contribute a portion of their sales to environmental groups. They do mighty fine work, but I had another motive for turning them into a trivia opportunity: their member directory is a good way to find companies and nonprofits near you that may be hiring. If you're all about environmental impact, be sure to give it a look.

News out of the Middle East this week was disheartening, not that it hasn't been for a while. There are a lot of fantastic people on the ground doing their best to help though, and sometimes we need a reminder that there is hope if you're willing to look.

What organization, founded in France, works around the world to provide emergency medical assistance in conflict zones and disaster areas?

Email me your guess, and I'll send one lucky winner a couple of One Work stickers!

I am scoping out local trivia nights for the first time in years. Sure, winning is fun – but isn't having the best team name even better? You can find me on LinkedIn and Threads.

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