No. 119: Climate Leave

Greg Rancourt -

You've heard of snow days. Are we heading for "climate days"?

Spain seems to think so. Major flooding hit the country in October, and after reports that employees were trapped in floodwaters and business parks, lawmakers have passed a law granting paid leave during climate disasters. Perhaps other countries will follow suit – Spain is far from the first country you'd think of being susceptible to climate change.

One of my favorite international social impact companies has a local opportunity this week, so be sure to check out the featured job – and if you need a night off from cooking after all the holiday shopping and decorating, there's an app targeting food waste you'll want to know about. Let's dive in.

~ Greg

What we're reading

Spain has introduced a law granting employees four days of paid climate leave to address workplace risks during climate disasters. (Business Insider)

  • This follows criticism of companies that required employees to work during Valencia's floods, which killed over 200 people and caused widespread devastation.
    • The economic impact of the floods is not insignificant: Spain’s GDP is projected to drop 0.2% in Q4 due to damages.
  • Employees qualify for the leave when climate alerts advise staying home, ensuring they are not forced to risk their safety to go to work.
    • It's not like the entire country shuts down during a disaster; this is a case-by-case situation where employees can take the day off if it's not safe for them to go to work and they can't work remotely.
  • The paid time off is great, but I'm also happy to see preparedness make its way into the law as well. Companies will be required to implement risk-prevention measures for climate emergencies and communicate them to employees.
    • My initial thought is that this becomes no different than planning for a natural disaster. When I lived in Florida, for example, my employer had hurricane plans and tornado drills.
    • That said, the language here is notable. No one calls it climate leave when you stay home due to a catastrophic hurricane, raging wildfire, or 100-year flood. I suspect the end result – paid leave in those conditions – would be palatable to both sides of the aisle in the U.S., but it would need some serious rebranding here to pass.

A historic 31,000-acre land return to the Penobscot Nation in Maine is breaking ground in Indigenous-led conservation. (Inside Climate News)

  • This is now the largest U.S. tribal land return without restrictions. The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit, has transferred the land to the Penobscot Nation.
    • No restrictions or easements are tied to the land, allowing for full tribal stewardship. That lack of strings attached is notable – even when lands were transferred to tribal nations in the past, organizations often stipulated additional requirements.
  • Given that, you might be wondering why those stipulations have gone away. From what I can tell, the answer is pretty simple: tribes have historically been good stewards of the land under their control.
    • Studies show Indigenous-managed lands often outperform traditionally protected areas in biodiversity and forest conservation.
    • In this specific land return, the Penobscot Nation aims to restore Atlantic salmon habitats and foster regrowth in the forest while keeping the land open for public recreation, such as fishing and hiking.
  • Could this become the predominant land conservation model going forward? It sure seems like a win-win for both conservation groups and Indigenous peoples.

Job of the week

If you've ever played with the default search engine settings on your phone, you've probably stumbled onto the featured company this week, Ecosia. The premise is simple: when you search the web, Ecosia plants trees. Granted, it's a more simplified search experience, but I still use it as my main search engine whenever I'm browsing the web.

Ecosia is hiring a Country Marketing Manager to drive growth in the United States. The role is remote, and one of the best parts is the chance to work with an international team: the primary office is based in Europe and relatively small at around 120 employees. Definitely check out the search engine itself, and if you love the mission, give this role a look!

Community roundup

  • Aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in an airstrike in Gaza last week. This is the second time this occurred in the region; earlier this year, WCK made headlines after Israeli forces mistakenly targeted one of their vehicles in April. (NPR)
  • Australia has passed a law banning social media for children under 16, the first of its kind. Social media companies will start rolling out new age-verification requirements to comply with the law. (AP News)
  • The plastics industry has been pushing back on negative press through a series of social media influencer campaigns, and the campaigns received more than double the number of impressions (times a campaign was viewed) than originally anticipated. (NYT)
    • The organization behind the influencer campaigns did have its ads pulled for not disclosing its involvement, which is required for more controversial ad categories.
  • Despite pandemic setbacks, high school graduation rates have increased overall per a new study of data from 2011 to 2022. (Axios)
    • This does not account for differing standards between states, but the trend is nevertheless encouraging.
  • New regulations that went into effect in January 2024 are making it easier for Native American tribes to repatriate (or return) items stored by universities and museums to their proper owners. (ABC News)
    • In order to display the items, these organizations now need the permission of the Native American tribes. The tribes have been seeking to return the items but found it especially challenging to do so without knowing what items are being stored.

Hot job opportunities

Resource of the week

It's pretty rare that I install a new app on my phone, but I came across Too Good To Go a few weeks ago and have been anxious to share it with you. Restaurants throw out a lot of food at the end of the day, and aside from being wasteful, that food emits methane when it breaks down in a landfill. Too Good To Go gives restaurants a way to reduce their waste; a restaurant builds a "surprise bag" that you can purchase through the app for a bargain, meaning you get a sweet deal on good eats, and less food goes to waste.

In my own usage, I would say you're more likely to find hits if you live near a major city. The surprise bags change on a regular basis though, so I like to check the app often to see if there's a new find to be had. It's definitely worth a download, especially if you eat out regularly.

Test your knowledge

Last time we talked about the ribbon as an icon of social impact, where every cause seems to have its own color. You'd be surprised by just how many of them are out there. Mental Health Awareness, which is celebrated in May, is represented by a green ribbon; when next year rolls around, keep an eye out for it.

Climate gets most of the focus in the news these days, but biodiversity is an adjacent issue with similar consequences. This week's question centers on one of the most famous icons in extinction:

Which flightless bird species went extinct in the 1600s and has since become a symbol for extinction?

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

I drove up to Long Beach, WA after Thanksgiving and had saltwater taffy for the first time in years. The problem with having taffy so infrequently is that you forget the flavors are a lie; most could be described as "vaguely fruity," but I'm still buying it anyway...and hopefully keeping all of my teeth. You can find me on LinkedIn and Threads.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? You can sign up for it here and read past issues from our archive here.