50 STATES OF SUSTAINABILITY

#201 Veridian at County Farm explores how this groundbreaking, all-electric community in Ann Arbor is redefining sustainable living. Veridian is a net-zero, fossil-fuel-free neighborhood that integrates solar power, geothermal heating, battery storage, and a Virtual Power Plant to create a resilient future. Veridian is a replicable model for communities looking to transition toward a cleaner, healthier, more connected way of living. The Bigger Picture - What Can I Do? Laura Di Bonaventura from MUUS Climate Partners reflects on what the average person do to combat climate change.

#202 The Red Lake Nation is rapidly transitioning from fossil fuel power generation to solar power. Bob Blake the founder of Solar Bear and Native Sun is spearheading this effort for his tribe the Chippewa Indians of Northern Minnesota. Ascend Elements the the largest lithium ion battery recycling facility in the US. With their proprietary process they are able to create new battery materials to alleviate the need for rare earth metals mining. Making it possible for battery manufacturing to be part of the circular economy.

#203 Babcock Ranch in Punta Gorda, FL is the largest solar powered town in the world. With nearly 1000 acre solar farm, they are able to power a town that will someday house 50,000 people. Built to surpass the most stringent environmental standards the town has been able to withstand the force of major hurricanes making it one of the most resilient residential communities.

#204 Aloquia (formerly Queen Of Raw) has developed a commodities exchange in the cloud that enables manufacturers anywhere to share excess fabric….millions of yards of textiles that are sitting in warehouses around the world. The goal…. save water and energy to bring down CO2 emissions from the fashion industry. Cummins, based in Indiana is a leading global manufacturer of diesel powered generators. They are pivoting to build hydrolysis equipment that creates hydrogen fuel from renewable sources. One such installation is currently under construction at Niagara Falls where the power of the falls will be used to create green hydrogen.

#20 Tiger 21 is a global organization based in NYC that is comprised of the most successful entrepreneurs on earth. Members share information with each other about investing, philanthropy, legacy, etc. A subgroup of members is focused on investing in early stage startups working on climate change solutions. CORR is a non profit organization based in Connecticut that is using recycled oyster and clam shells to help rebuild oyster populations in the Long Island Sound.

#206 SELF (Solar Energy Loan Fund) in Port St. Lucie, FL provides low interest loans to people with no credit or poor credit to help them make their homes more energy efficient. The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of these homes and save the home owners money on their power bills. New Hampshire Healthy Climate is a non profit that is educating kids K-5 about climate change. They also run “Climate Cafes” where members of the community get together and discuss their feelings related to climate change and talk about climate change solutions happening all over the world. Bigger Picture - Climate Migrants. Deborah and Joe Mealey recently moved from Southern California to New Hampshire to escape the increasingly unbearably hot and unlivable conditions they experienced. They are members of a growing group of “Climate Migrants” who have moved to cooler places to escape the very real effects of a changing climate.

#207 Eastman is a chemical company based in Kingsport TN. They have developed a new process called “methanolysis” to recycle plastics that previously could not be recycled. Founded by a bipartisan group of members of Congress, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides science-based educational resources to policymakers and the public. EESI seeks to advance science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges in order to achieve a vision of a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable world.