Published

1 year ago

January 17, 2025

Alice Rush

Survivors of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires are calling for lawsuits and policies to hold those most responsible for global climate disasters accountable, reported The Guardian.

Increasing evidence shows that oil and gas companies have known for decades that fossil fuels are the cause of global heating, but they have continued to market their products while spreading doubt about climate change.

“It is hard to properly express how much was lost,” said Palisades resident Danielle Havanas, whose home was destroyed by last week’s fire, as The Guardian reported. “How do you communicate the value of your deceased mom’s journal from 1981 when she was pregnant with you?”

University of California, Los Angeles, climate scientists have already concluded that the climate crisis was most likely the cause of a quarter of the dry conditions that fueled the rapid spread of the fires.

*The Palisades section of Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 12, 2025. Qian Weizhong / VCG via Getty Images*

“[I]t should not continuously fall in us to address the consequences of big oil’s negligence,” said Altadena neighborhood resident Sam James, whose grandfather lost his home in the Eaton fire. “They must take responsibility for the harm that they’ve caused, pay reparations to the affected communities who lost their homes and businesses, and take immediate steps to mitigate further damage.”

California and other states, along with some cities, have brought lawsuits to hold big oil accountable and force them to foot the bill for damages.

“We’re already paying for big oil’s climate destruction, not just with money, but with our lives, so that’s why we need our own climate superfund bill,” said Clara Vondrich, senior policy counsel at nonprofit Public Citizen, of a new version of legislation originally considered by California last year.

On Thursday morning, dozens of climate activists with Sunrise Movement LA protested outside a Phillips 66 oil facility, while 16 demonstrators stormed the Lubricant Terminal’s office building, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Sunrise Movement LA is demanding that oil companies “pay up” to help with wildfire relief and support the state’s clean energy transition.

“Fossil fuel CEOs are responsible for the destruction that is happening right now in Los Angeles,” said 18-year-old Simon Aron, a volunteer with Sunrise Movement and action lead for the protest, as the Los Angeles Times reported. “They are responsible for the fact that me and my neighbors had to evacuate our homes, that we still can’t drink our water.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sunrise Movement (@sunrisemvmt)

Police escorted some of the demonstrators out, but no arrests were made.

“The group that was inside decided to step out,” said Kidus Girma, Sunrise Movement national organizer, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. “The plan is to continue holding space and seeing if other possible occupations begin in the state.”

Sunrise Movement LA planned to keep protesting at the facility through Thursday, until their demands were met or the CEO of Phillips 66 agreed to meet with them.

According to fire experts, Southern California wildfires are becoming more destructive for multiple reasons, including increased development in high-risk areas, as well as a “feedback loop” where native plants don’t have enough time to regrow between fires, which opens the land for more flammable, fast-growing invasive vegetation to spring up.

Following the Eaton and Palisades fires, bipartisan leaders criticized city officials for problems with water pressure and lack of preparedness.

At least 25 people have died in the fires, which left 23 still missing, burned over 27,000 acres and are not yet 100 percent contained.

The post LA Residents Say Fossil Fuel Industry Needs to ‘Pay Up’ for Damage From Wildfires appeared first on EcoWatch.

https://www.ecowatch.com/los-angeles-wildfires-fossil-fuel-industry-lawsuits.html

Green Living

Earth911 Inspiration: Nothing In Vain

Published

14 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Alice Rush

Aristotle, who saw purpose and design in everything, wrote in several different works that “Nature does nothing in vain.” We reply that regardless of purpose, nature does everything with grace; we are fortunate to witness the miraculous results of 13.4 billion years of experimentation.

Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.

The post Earth911 Inspiration: Nothing In Vain appeared first on Earth911.

https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-nothing-in-vain/

Green Living

Can You Recycle Computers?

Published

3 days ago

January 21, 2026

Alice Rush

Last Updated on January 21, 2026

Picture this: Your laptop of three years decides it’s going to conk out. What’s the most sustainable solution? Seeing if you can get it repaired, of course.

Fighting planned obsolescence is a full time job, and it occurs with way more than just electronics.

But lets say you can’t repair your laptop for some unforeseeable reason…what then? You recycle it of course.

Computers don’t belong in landfills, nor do most conventional curbside recycling programs accept them. So how do you recycle computers? Here’s everything you need to know about computer recycling (and why we need to dispose of them properly).

why should you recycle computers?

First, lets tackle the reason we should bother to recycle computers. Computers are made up of several components – and when we dump them out, they become notorious for leaking toxins and carcinogens into the environment. This poses a risk for humans, wildlife, and soil quality alike.

However, if we recycle computers, all those components get a second shot at life. There are several valuable materials in our old computers that can be used to make new electronics, thus reducing waste and pollution.

According to the EPA, recycling 1 million laptops saves enough energy to power ~3,500 U.S. homes for a year.

And if that’s not reason enough – improperly disposed computers can put your personal or business files at risk of being recovered. And that can escalate to data breaches or reputation damage (yikes).

how do I get rid of my old computer?

To get rid of your old computer, you must first back up your data, sign out of all accounts, wipe & destroy the hard drive, then recycle the computer through local e-waste centers or retailers with take-back programs (Best Buy, Staples, etc.).

To wipe a hard drive, be sure to back up any important data first. Use built-in tools like ‘reset this PC’ or check with your computer’s manufacturer to see specific instructions. For example, here’s how to wipe a Dell hard drive and erase a Mac hard drive.

For absolutely no chance of your data being recovered, it’s always best to remove and destroy the hard drive, if possible. Here’s a guide to destroying a hard drive safely.

Once the hard drive is no longer an issue, you can recycle computers through a number of drop-off or mail-in options.

drop off:

Local e-waste recycling events (make sure to ask if your specific computer will be accepted in advance). Check your local .gov to see when your next one will be!

Best Buy accepts various desktops, laptops, and tablets, including some accessories. There’s a limit of 3 items per household per day. They charge a small fee for recycling monitors.

Staples accepts computers & Macs. They charge a fee for monitors. When you recycle, you get rewards with their store!

Use ERI’s recycle search and find recycling locations near you. Just type in “computer recycling” and your zip code to learn what your options are.

mail-in:

Several manufacturers will accept mail-in recycling for their computer models. Dell and HP have trade-in programs for computers that meet certain standards, as well as recycling options for lesser functioning computers of any brand. Apple also accepts trade-in and recycling for several devices, including computers.

Green Citizen offers free mail-in recycling for laptops, desktops, and tablets, but there may be fees for data destruction.

Most of these places will also accept computer accessories, like keyboards, mice, etc. But be sure to double check!

should you remove the hard drive from a computer before recycling?

Yes, always remove the hard drive before recycling. It’s best to wipe it, then remove it and destroy it. Because even a wiped hard drive can still be recovered, to an extent.

Even if you empty the recycling bin on your computer it doesn’t guarantee that the content is gone because the computer marks that data space to be overwritten with new data. So if the data hasn’t been overwritten, data recovery software can pick it up.

does best buy erase hard drives when recycling?

Best Buy offers tips and advice on wiping hard drives and data for Windows computers prior to drop off, but won’t actually do it for you. It’s best to go prepared by wiping/destroying your hard drive first.

So, what did you think of this guide to recycling computers? Let me know in the comments!

The post Can You Recycle Computers? appeared first on Going Zero Waste.

Can You Recycle Computers?

Green Living

Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Carbonfuture is Building the Trust Infrastructure for Carbon Removal

Published

3 days ago

January 21, 2026

Alice Rush

Read a transcript of this episode. Subscribe to receive transcripts: Learn more.

The carbon removal industry stands at a crucial crossroads. While cutting emissions remains essential, avoiding catastrophic warming now requires pulling billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere permanently. But as this nascent field grapples with questions of legitimacy, scalability, and accountability, a critical challenge remains: How do we build the infrastructure needed to track, verify, and certify that carbon has actually been removed and stays removed? Meet Hannes Junginger-Gestrich, CEO of Carbonfuture, a company helping define the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) infrastructure that could transform carbon removal from scattered efforts into a functioning ecosystem. Launched five years ago, Carbonfuture has emerged as what CDR.fyi describes as “the largest facilitator of durable carbon removal” by volume. The company’s digital platform integrates data across the carbon removal life cycle, connecting diverse approaches like biochar, enhanced rock weathering, and direct air capture with buyers seeking to meet climate commitments. “We are probably more the crowd, the ground keepers in a stadium that makes sure that everything is provided properly,” Hannes explains, using a sports analogy to describe their role: “We are the ground keepers in a stadium [who ensure] the players have a playing field that’s in shape and no one gets hurt, and the audience can come and they pay their tickets and have a good experience.”

Hannes Junginger-Gestrich, CEO of Carbonfuture, is our guest on Sustainability In Your Ear.

The MRV infrastructure becomes crucial as corporate demand for verified carbon removal grows and trust becomes currency. One of the most interesting aspects of the conversation centers on balancing data confidentiality with transparency needs, particularly when collecting data along industrial value chains from agricultural residue producers to biochar processors to end users. Perhaps most telling is Junginger-Gestrich’s unwavering commitment to scientific rigor over short-term economic gains: “We never had to trade off between rigor and allowing a not so good project on our platform for economic reasons. We always lean to the scientific and rigorous side.” This philosophy has guided Carbonfuture’s work with leading buyers like Microsoft, helping develop increasingly sophisticated approaches to carbon removal verification. While Junginger-Gestrich expresses concern about delayed emission reductions globally, he remains optimistic about carbon removal scaling: “I think we will be on the path to the gigatons by 2040 for sure.” His vision emphasizes ecosystem thinking over vertical integration, aiming to drive down costs while creating network effects that could accelerate the entire field. As governments worldwide grapple with climate policy, the monitoring, reporting, and verification systems companies like Carbonfuture are developing now may well determine the success of our collective effort to reverse climate change. You can learn more about Carbonfuture at carbonfuture.earth.