Brightening Our Corner Newsletter - March 2022

Updates from Drawdown Georgia

Drawdown Georgia hosted two webinars in February. Details and video links can be found below.
Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Georgia
As we work collectively to draw down greenhouse gas emissions in Georgia, we can now track and visualize that progress.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t change it. So, what can you now measure?

The new Drawdown Georgia GHG Emissions Tracker is a free, interactive tool that shows, for the first time, where greenhouse gas emissions come from in Georgia at the state and county level. This greenhouse gas emissions tracking resource was developed by Dr. William Drummond of Georgia Tech, along with colleagues at both Georgia Tech and University of Georgia. Watch the GHG Emissions Tracker Introduction Here.

Moving Climate Solutions Forward: The 2022 Georgia Power Integrated Resource PlanDrawdown Georgia has mapped a promising path to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in our state that orients us to the most effective regional climate solutions, including many high-impact solutions in the electricity sector. As a result, we better understand which climate solutions will move Georgia toward a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable future. Read the blog and watch the recorded webinar: A promising path for moving climate solutions in Georgia forward with the 2022 Georgia Power IRP. Sign up for the Drawdown Georgia Newsletter

Updates from the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business

Highlights from the Fall 2021 Business, Environment, and Society Speaker Series

Since 2016, the Center has hosted 30 faculty, authors, nonprofit leaders, and corporate practitioners for its signature speaker series. In Fall 2021, the Center welcomed speakers from Georgia Tech, Delta Air Lines, and Microsoft. Topics included: work, equity, and wellness; creating a more sustainable future for air travel; business model innovation and sustainable development; how organizations can partner with the communities in which they operate; and how public policy can make the nation eat healthier. Read more.

Join Us for the Atlanta Press Club Newsmakers Series Event on March 30th

Introducing the 2021-22 Sustainability Fellows and Ambassadors

The Center is pleased to introduce the 2021-22 Scheller College Graduate Sustainability Fellows and Undergraduate Sustainability Ambassadors! Fellows and Ambassadors are deepening their knowledge of sustainability by engaging in the Center’s activities and working on projects—from improving the donation process for the Lifecycle Building Center to developing an actionable plan to help members of the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact achieve their goals. Discover more.

Sustainability Champions’ Project Addresses Recycling Challenges

The Center was proud to name Kate Allan and Seth Hildebrand as its inaugural “Sustainability Champions.” The two Executive MBA students volunteered to work on a special project with the nonprofit, Sustainable Newton. Read the article in which Kate and Seth discuss how they collaborated to help a local community address recycling challenges.Looking for more ways to stay connected to the Center? You can follow the Center on Instagram and LinkedIn!

News from the Biomimicry Institute

Applications Open for Nature-Inspired Startups to Receive $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize®

Applications are now open for the 2022 Ray of Hope Prize, organized by the Biomimicry Institute in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. This $100,000 Prize is awarded annually to the top nature-inspired startup, and applications are due April 8, 2022. Learn more.

Biomimicry Institute Partnership Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Grant to Pilot Decomposition of Textile Waste

The Biomimicry Institute has been awarded EUR 2.5 million to lead a multi-year initiative called Design for Decomposition. By embracing true decomposition—the way leaves break down into soil to build healthy ecosystems—the initiative will demonstrate scalable new pathways for the ~92 million tonnes of fashion waste discarded annually. Registration for the Youth Design Challenge has been extended to March 25th. Submissions are due April 1, and that's no April Fools! Register Here. Each month AskNature provides a selection of compelling updates to this ever-growing library of biological strategies and innovations. Click here to subscribe to the monthly AskNature newsletter.

News from The Ray

2021: A Look Back

As The Ray entered a New Year, the team took the time to reflect on the progress made over the last year to transform the transportation sector. Since its founding in 2015, The Ray's vision has remained the same: Zero Carbon. Zero Waste, Zero Death, and in 2021, they solved for challenges that brought the industry another step closer. From new partnerships, innovative tools to accelerate the development of renewables, and growth that has launched The Ray’s success throughout the country, the team took their work to another level. Solutions are here, and The Ray is ready to solve for challenges in every community. Your support and following of The Ray makes this work possible. We are all a part of the solution, and it is coming. Join The Ray team and take a Look Back at the success from this past year as we all prepare to Drive the Future for another year in 2022.

Right of Way Projects Seen as "Perfect Opportunity" for Transmission Build-Out

"We know that the highway right-of-way is the solution that has been hiding in plain sight” - Allie Kelly, executive director at The Ray Since its creation, The Ray has been inspired by the opportunity in the underutilized land on interstate roadsides. The interstate right-of-way (ROW) offers empty, government-owned land that, if used correctly, could be the answer to the nation’s biggest barriers in transportation, energy and communications. Read the story.

Ecocentricity Blog: The Economic Opportunities and Challenges of the Net-Zero Transition

In January, McKinsey & Company released a sweeping report that explores what a successful net-zero transition would entail. The report makes it clear that decarbonizing our economies is a worthwhile endeavor, but it also highlights the challenges inherent in making the shift. One particular challenge - ensuring that low-emission supply of energy matches shifts in demand - may prove to be make-or-break when it comes to solving the climate crisis. Read the blog.

NextGen Spotlight:
McCall Langford Discovers Life's Purpose in Nature

Reprinted from ASUNews McCall

Langford was introduced to the design principles of biomimicry at a very early age. She came to appreciate the intricacies of nature’s complex systems, processes and forms through the work of her grandfather, Ray Anderson.
Read the full story.

Dallas Klassen Wins 2021 Ray C. Anderson Sustainability and Sales Award

Dallas Klassen, Regional Sales Director - Western Canada, has received the 2021 Interface Sustainability and Sales Award, presented by Interface and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Read the full story.

Save the Date for RayDay™ 2022
Sunday, October 16, 2022 at Serenbe

We're already planning RayDay 2022, our annual zero food waste, CarbonNeutral® certified, family-friendly event.
Watch the RayDay page on our website for the latest updates and announcements.

Upcoming Events

March 19, 2022 - Captain Planet Foundation's 30th Annual Gala
March 30, 2022 - Atlanta Press Club Leadership Series - The Business of Climate Solutions: Local to Global
August 19, 2022 - Carbon Reduction Challenge
October 13, 2022 - Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Patron Celebration
October 16, 2022 - RayDay
Ongoing - Drawdown Georgia Events Calendar

SUBSCRIBE to the Ray C. Anderson Foundation mailing list to stay updated on news and events.

Past Editions:

Brightening Our Corner Newsletter - December 2021
Dec 3, 2021 9:30 AM ET
Brightening Our Corner Newsletter - September 2021
Sep 9, 2021 9:30 AM ET
Brightening Our Corner Newsletter - May 2021
May 27, 2021 9:30 AM ET