5 Sustainable News You Need to Know

Hello everybody. As a midweek pick me up, today we’re going to go over five quick pieces of sustainability news that we think everyone needs to know. Enjoy!

1 Teen Wins Google Science Fair for Microplastics Solution

Fionn Ferreira, an 18 year old from Ireland, has won the 2019 Google Science fair for creating a filter system to remove microplastics from the water. Microplastics are usually too small for conventional filter systems, but Fionn’s idea is to use oil and powdered magnetite to a water sample, which combines with the plastics to create a ferrofluid, and as ferrofluid is magnetic it can easily be removed from the water with a magnet. Ferreira’s system removes up to 87% of microplastics from a water sample, helping prevent them from ever entering the ocean in the first place. Ferreeira won $50,000 for STEM education purposes for his invention.

2 Indian Survey Finds that Consumers Want Sustainable Fashion

A New YouGov survey has found that Indian shoppers rank sustainability as a high priority for their shopping habits. This survey also found that these shoppers are still looking at quality, look, fit, and price as their controlling factors in purchasing fashion goods, so brands that prioritize both looks and sustainability are what's going to have the edge in the Indian market.

3 Google Announces Recycle Products among other Changes

Google has announced major, systematic changes in their operation to make their company more sustainable. The flagship change is their announcement that by 2022, all Made by Google products will be made from recycled materials, but that change is one part of a larger series of changes. These include a goal to make all of their shipments carbon neutral by 2020, design changes to make their products as easy to recycle as possible, and a new focus on making long lasting designs.

4 Senator Warren Releases Plan to Subsidize Sustainable Farming 

Today, US Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren has released a plan to subsidize American farmers who use sustainable farming practices with a goal to decarbonize the American agricultural industry. This plan is part of Warren’s larger plan of revitalizing rural America and work towards helping smaller farmers from being crushed under large agra-businesses’ supply chain debt issues. Senator Bernie Sanders and former representative Beto O’Rourke have released similar subsidizing sustainable farming. 

5 Rust and Fray Releases its Latest Upcycled Collection

Sustainable Fashion Brand Rust and Fray has just released its newest line of Upcycled bags, with a focus on upcycled vegan products. Upcycling is the process of remaking discarded materials into something of higher value, whereas most recycling involves energy intensive breaking down process that makes products of lower quality. Rust and Fray is one of many fashion brands leading the charge for sustainable, eco-friendly fashion to replace fast fashion as the new normal. 

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