Environment

Celebrating its strongest group of award winners to date, the Forest Stewardship Council US presented its FSC Leadership Awards last night to a diverse group of organizations and individuals at Greenbuild 2016. Collectively their leadership shows that wood from FSC-certified, responsibly managed forests can meet society’s needs, across a wide array of sectors.

The Washington Post’s latest story exposes the often dangerous conditions faced by African workers in cobalt mines, adding to the increasing worldwide attention paid to human rights issues in global supply chains and raw material sourcing.

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading nonprofit that envisions a country where every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, today announced the organization has received a $1 million donation from Lowe’s to support more than 40 local community service projects and Keep America’s Beautiful’s annual Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program.

Traditionally, mining companies have built their own infrastructure at greenfield sites, and due to necessity, constructed their own supporting “pit to port” infrastructure, including power and water supply schemes, roads and railways. However, as a result of growing cost pressures and increasing capital to build new greenfield operations, a trend is developing, whereby mining companies are seeking opportunities to share resources to save on expenses.

Nespresso has today announced a joint investment of $6 million with the World Bank’s IFC (International Finance Corporation) in a landmark collaboration project to support coffee farmers in East Africa to combat the effects of climate change.

Inspired by the power of collaborative sustainable thinking, Mohawk Group is challenging the green building community to Believe in Better at Greenbuild 2016. The company is sponsoring Greenbuild’s Celebratory Plenary event and will leverage the platform to unveil its Believe in Better campaign.

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) convened a workshop today in Oxford, England to begin dialogue on how circular economy thinking could apply to healthcare plastics in the European Union as a means to enable greater recycling and reuse opportunities and reduce negative environmental impacts. The workshop, sponsored by Baxter, BD, Johnson & Johnson, and SABIC, included key stakeholders and thought leaders from Aarhus University, Amcor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, EUROPEN, National Health Service, and Plastics Europe.

Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust for Public Land are recognizing volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing Atlanta’s outdoor spaces. Chris Beck, Linda Cotten Taylor and Pauline Drake have been selected as finalists for Atlanta’s 2016 Cox Conserves Heroes program, and the public is being asked to vote now through Oct. 26 at wsbtv.com/coxconservesheroes.

Bill Nye's Global Meltdown, the acclaimed science educator's recent documentary for the National Geographic Channel chronicling the worldwide effects of climate change, took home top honors at the Sentinel Awards in Hollywood on September 28.

Space travel is a popular topic in science and in film. “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon, saw the main character use his skills as a botanist to grow food and survive on the planet. Such a feat may seem like Hollywood hype, but scientists at NASA, with help from Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, are working together to make growing food on Mars a reality.