💚 Wind Turbines Out of Wood? 🪵
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Stay impactful,
Happy Tuesday 👋
Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:
- Wooden wind turbines to reduce carbon emissions 🪵
- Using idle trucks to power electricity grids 🚛
- The launch of a global pact to protect river dolphins 🐬
- And more… 💚
When you think about wood, what comes to your mind first?
For me, it’s the forest, furniture, and rustic houses…
But did you know that also wind turbines could made out of wood? Well, I certainly didn’t until very recently…
But I knew that steel wind turbines actually give off relatively high carbon emissions in their transportation and construction.
Well, all that seems like it’s about to change, with the creation of wooden wind turbines!
🪵 How Wooden Wind Turbines Can Reduce CO2 Emissions
1️⃣ The big picture: Swedish start-up company Modvian, is building wooden wind turbines coated in a watertight paint, to further reduce carbon emissions. The company has already unveiled the world’s tallest wind turbine tower made of wood near Gothenburg, Sweden. The 150-meter-tall construction has a 2-megawatt generator that is now supplying clean energy to around 400 homes. Wooden turbines can be built taller than traditional steel ones, capturing more wind power whilst using less carbon-intensive materials.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Wind turbines are currently made of steel, which is carbon intensive because of its heavy weight and transportation difficulties. Steel wind turbines also need regular inspections and require thousands of bolts in their construction. Wooden turbines are much lighter and are easy to construct using glue. The estimated life-cycle emissions of a 110-meter-tall steel wind turbine is 1,250 tons of CO2, whereas the emissions generated by a wooden tower is just 125 tons. In addition, wooden wind turbines can double up as support beams for the building industry, further reducing their carbon footprint.
3️⃣ What’s next: To date, Modvion has already installed several wooden wind turbines across Sweden, with the aim of expanding to other countries in the near future. The company has also stated that the innovative designs can be used offshore with a few minor adaptations. All the wood used for the wind turbines is Scandinavian Spruce sourced from sustainably managed forests
Related: You can already help to reduce the impacts of climate change caused by increasing carbon emissions, by supporting one of the 9 Best Charities That Fight Global Warming.
📢 More Good News…
🚛 Using idle trucks to power electricity grids with clean energy:
- Researchers at the University of Waterloo have proposed an innovative way to replenish electrical grids during rush hour in Alberta, Canada – by using the power generated from fuel cells in trucks.
- Currently, most of the power in Alberta’s electricity grid comes from fossil fuels, resulting in higher emissions and costs than other provinces.
- The team’s research builds on vehicle-to-grid technology which uses specific chargers to push unused energy from electric vehicle batteries back to the power grid for storage, reducing demand during peak periods.
🌳 Reforestation efforts to reverse illegal gold mining damage in Colombian National Park:
- The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development has announced a long-term habitat restoration project to reverse the damage done by illegal gold mining activities in the Farallones de Cali National Park, Colombia.
- The $3.7 million project will involve reforestation and analysis of mercury levels in local waterways.
- The 196,364 hectare (485,226 acre) National Park is an important biological corridor for wildlife, home to thousands of plant species and over 620 bird species.
🐬 9 countries sign global pact to protect endangered river dolphins:
- In October 2023, the Global Declaration for Dolphins was launched to protect the 6 surviving species of river dolphins. To date, 9 governments have signed the pact, promoted by the World Bank, the Colombian government, and the World Wildlife Fund.
- The declaration came after the devastating mass death of 154 river dolphins in Lake Tefé, Brazil, caused by an intense drought and rising water temperatures. This equates to 10% of the global population of these aquatic mammals.
- The pact is hoped to strengthen regional and national initiatives to conserve river dolphin habitat across their range.
🤝 Event of the Week: International Day of Education
👉 Did you know that this Wednesday (January 24th) is International Day of Education? This event was founded in 2018 to promote education as a human right and raise awareness of its role in ending poverty and building social acceptance.
1️⃣ The big picture: International Day of Education was set up by the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate the role of education in sustainable development and bringing about global peace. The adoption of the event was co-authored by 59 member states, highlighting worldwide dedication to inclusion, equity, and education for all, no matter their background or living situation. Today, the event is marked around the world through awareness events and campaigns for education reform.
2️⃣ Why is this important: When it comes to education, the world has made a lot of progress in recent years. However, around 60 million children of primary school age are still not being given access to a decent education, particularly in South Asia and North Africa. The main reasons for this worrying statistic are poverty, forcing children to have to work rather than go to school, and violence in the world’s ongoing conflict areas. A good education can lead to better job opportunities, inclusion, and cultural development.
3️⃣ How can you get involved: The theme for International Day of Education 2024 is “learning for lasting peace”, in response to the rise of violent acts surrounding discrimination, racism, hate speech, and xenophobia. There are plenty of ways you can get involved, such as raising awareness through your social media platforms or setting up your own fundraising event in your community.
You can also check out the organizations below that are fighting to improve access to education around the world:
- 9 Best Charities That Fight For Education Globally
- 9 Best Charities for Children’s Education
- 9 Best Charities for African American Education
- 9 Best Charities That Promote Reading
- 9 Best Charities That Promote Literacy
📜 This Week in History
📺 January 23, 1977: The TV mini-series Roots debuted. Based on Alex Haley’s best-selling novel, the program became one of the most popular shows in history, turning public attention to African American issues and history.
🏫 January 23, 1789: Georgetown University, previously known as Georgetown College, was established in Washington D.C.
🩺 January 23, 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell was awarded an MD by the Medical Institute of Geneva in New York, becoming the first female doctor in America.
💭 Quote of the Day
“We don’t know: some little black boy or girl growing up in the inner city might grow up and cure cancer for all of us – if we let them do it.”
— Alex Haley, American writer and author
Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society together!
Stay impactful 💚
