⚽ The Carbon Footprint of Global Sports

Happy Friday morning! ☀️ Are you still reeling from last weekend’s Wimbledon final? We’re team Alcaraz and can’t stop watching his emotional (and hilarious!) post-win interview.

With Wimbledon behind us, we’re now fully focused on the Women’s World Cup ⚽, which kicks (🦶) off this week! It’s going to be historic tournament for a number of reasons (you’ll see when you start reading below 😉)!

In other news, we’ve got some amazing stories from around the world this week and a list of climate-friendly swaps for parents. Enjoy!

P.s. stick around until the end for a quiz that will test your climate knowledge and a chance to win a gift card!

European parliament makes a HUGE move to restore nature 🌳

The European Parliament passed a groundbreaking Nature Restoration Law last week! It’s the first major legislation to protect biodiversity in the EU in over 30 years!

What does it stipulate? Under the new law, the EU must invest in restoring over 20% of it’s land and sea areas and reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030. 🏞

This law is a win-win-win! It’s great for industries like farming and fishing. It’s essential to reducing the continent’s food security risk. And it’s a win for biodiversity — over 80% of Europe’s habitats are suffering and in desperate need of a law like this to restore wild spaces.

France will pay for clothing repairs to cut waste 👕

France has launched a new scheme to tackle clothing waste by offering a "repair bonus" to incentivize people to mend their clothes and shoes instead of throwing them away.

How does it work? Starting in October, individuals can claim back between €6 and €25 for repair costs at participating workshops and cobblers. With an estimated 700,000 tonnes of clothing discarded annually in France, the government aims to reduce landfill waste.

The new initiative is part of France’s broader goals to clean up the textile industry, fight fast fashion, and promote a circular economy. We hope similar waste reduction policies come to North America soon!

Women's World Cup: the fight for gold the planet 🌎

Women's World Cup soccer players have organized a groundbreaking climate action campaign, the largest in soccer’s history 💪!

Why now? Because the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer is hosted by both Australia and New Zealand, requiring players to fly between the two countries throughout the tournament.

And the players recognize the toll this will have on the planet. 44 players, and counting have pledged to offset their flight emissions and donate to climate initiatives to reduce their impact. Their goal: to set an example for fans and push officials to select more responsible locations for future tournaments.

Why is this important? Climate needs to be part of the discussion when organizing global sports tournaments. The 2026 Men’s World Cup is being hosted by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico and is expected to be the most carbon intensive event in soccer history (with travel driving 85% of emissions). With host country selection for the 2030 World Cup just around the corner, we hope campaigns like this one will push FIFA to consider the climate when making their selection!

🦕 Herby’s climate-friendly finds

This week: some of Herby’s fav products for kids! 🤸‍♀️

• Lovevery — eco-friendly and expert crafted toys to help your toddler thrive at every stage 🧸

• Lil Boulder — handcrafted, sustainably made, kids home climbing walls to add to your kid’s playroom. Canadian, female, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ owners 🍁

• Eco Pea — incredibly soft, biodegradable, bamboo diapers 👶

• Loulou Lollipop — adorable, sustainably made, made-to-last kids swaddles, blankets, accessories, and more. Female, BIPOC, Canadian owners 🍁

🍂 Herby’s weekly roundup

Some quick hits of interesting articles, books, and events this week

• Egypt is set to build the largest wind farm in Africa 💨

• The world’s cheapest, fastest selling, and little electric car 🚗

• Change these 5 habits to dramatically reduce your footprint 🐾

• Sick of mowing? Check out these 5 grass lawn alternatives 🏡

• Everything you need to know about carbon offsets 📖

🤓 This or That?

Last week’s ‘This or That’: This was a tricky one!
An e-reader can be a great way to lower your carbon footprint from reading. But only if you use it frequently! If you take into account the emissions from manufacturing and shipping your e-reader from China, you have to read at least 14 books on the e-reader before it’s better for the planet than reading physical books. More on this topic here.

🙏 Thank you for sharing!

A huge thank you to everyone who shared last week’s email. Thanks to you, there are 25 more people receiving this week’s e-mail than last week’s (welcome new friends!), and you are now 377 subscribers strong, approaching halfway to our goal of 1k!!