⛽ The Race to End Fossil Fuels

Happy Friday morning! ☀️ It’s the start of July and there’s no shortage of good news stories to share this week.

To kick things off, wind and solar generated more electricity than coal in the U.S. this year! 👏 In that spirit, today’s newsletter is all about renewables. 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!

🌍️ Weekly Sustainability Challenge

Did you know? Heating and cooling your home makes up almost 50% of your total energy usage. In the summer, a lot of that comes from using AC!

All aboard Canada’s first hydrogen train 🚆

Canada’s first hydrogen-powered train just arrived in Quebec and is taking riders on an emissions-free trip from Quebec City to Baie-Saint-Paul. The train uses 50kg of hydrogen a day and emits just water vapour 💧 (replacing 500L of diesel and 1340kg of CO2 emissions!).

Why hydrogen? Over 60% of trains in Europe are electrified. But with Canada’s size and low population density, electric trains would cost a fortune.

Hydrogen is cheaper and requires fewer changes to our railway infrastructure. And Canada has access to some of the world’s only “green hydrogen” plants — plants that use zero-emissions, renewable energy sources (like wind 💨) to create hydrogen.

What’s next? While Quebec’s new train is temporary (catch it before Sept. 30th!), the project is a huge step towards proving the potential for hydrogen-powered trains and increasing investment in “green hydrogen” projects in Canada.

The U.S. is getting it’s first GIANT wind farm 💨

Massachusetts is building the U.S.’s first large-scale offshore wind farm: with 62 massive turbines, installed on the seabed, to power 400,000 American homes! 💡

Why is this important? President Biden has committed to powering 10 million American homes with renewable energy from offshore wind farms by 2030. But at a state level, wind farms have been struggling to get approved, and their implementation is massively complex and costly.

The successful launch of this project, Vineyard Wind 1, could help speed up approval for almost 2000 more offshore turbines across the U.S. — cutting 78 million tons of CO2 emissions!

China set to hit its climate goals 5 years early 🥇

China is set to double its wind and solar capacity (which is already the largest in the world) by 2025, 5 years ahead of schedule 👏!

The country is expected to produce 1200 gigwatts (GW) of solar and wind power by 2025. To put that into perspective:

• China’s solar capacity is already more than the rest of the world’s combined. Its new projects will increase global solar installations by 85%.

• China’s wind capacity today is equivalent to the next 7 countries combined (and 10x what the U.S. is planning to have by 2030). By 2025, China will increase global wind capacity by more than 50%.

While coal is still the country’s main energy source, these investments show China is making strides in the right direction.

🦕 Herby’s climate-friendly finds

This week: here are some of Herby’s fav products to reduce your home’s energy emissions and save you money on your monthly bills!

• Philips Hue Smart Bulb — one of our fav LED lightbulbs 💡. Energy efficient, colour adjustable, and Bluetooth-equipped.

• Ecobee Smart Thermostat — designed to help you save on your energy bill ⚡ and reduce emissions. You may even be able to claim a tax credit for adding one to your home.

• Trusted Canadian solar panel providers ☀ — get a free quote to see how much you could save on your energy bills. You could be eligible for up to $5K in government grants too.

🍂 Herby’s weekly roundup

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

• Electric grills are rising in popularity and could make an appearance at your next BBQ 🔥

• Making a trip this summer? Visit one of the greenest small towns in America! 🌳

• Here are 9 ‘good’ bugs you want to attract to your home garden 🐛

• Check out these stunning photographs from this year’s UN World Ocean Day Competition 📷

• These small farmers in Africa are bringing back trees to improve soils and crop yields 👩‍🌾

• Planning a Canadian family vacation? Check out Kingfisher Wilderness Adventure’s Family Kayak with Whales tour in British Colombia! 🐋 Here’s one family’s experience seeing dolphins, orcas, and seals on their trip.

🤓 This or That?

Last week’s ‘This or That’: Washing a load of laundry and using a dryer emits 2.4kg of CO2e! Hang dry that same load and you cut your emissions to just 0.7kg of CO2e. So yes, you can wash 3 loads of laundry without a dryer and still have a lower footprint than 1 load of laundry with a dryer. Learn more here.

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