November 2024 Good Newsletter

Pro tips to save money (and the planet).

Does this email look a little different? Hello from Substack, where my newsletter content and archives are now in residence.

Also, no need to go into details, but: “This is precisely the time when artists go to work,” Toni Morrison wrote in 2004 after George W. Bush was re-elected. “There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge — even wisdom. Like art.”

Onward.

KNOWLEDGE DROP

Last month, bestselling author Omar El Akkad zoomed in to my Climate Fiction lecture at UC Santa Barbara's Croft Undergraduate Environmental Leadership center. Omar is an author and journalist whose debut “American War” was a national bestseller. When asked if he thought a book could change the world, this was his (powerful and prophetic) answer.

THIS IS BONKERS (GOOD NEWS)

Did you know that America produces more than three times as much power from the sun, the wind and the earth as we did in 2014? Me, neither! Bookmark this dashboard, which tracks the growth of clean energy in your state and around the country. Meanwhile, here are some facts to take to the water cooler:

• In 2024, Americans generated enough solar energy to power 22 million typical homes, a more than 8x increase from 2014.

• Today, there are more than 175,000 EV charging ports - a 7x increase from 2014 and 22% jump from 2022.

• At 3.3 million, there are now 25x more electric vehicles on roads than in 2014.

• And we are now able to store 15.5 gigawatts of energy, 97x the potential of 2014 and 72% more than the previous year, building resilience into our energy system in times of extreme weather and grid stress.

MINDS ARE CHANGING

In Alaska, oil industry veterans are doubling down on renewables. A new study shows 74% of Americans support U.S. engagement in international efforts to combat climate change, while 67% want to see wind and solar developed over fossil fuels. And UC San Diego is first to require a climate course for graduation but it won't be the last.

JOBS ARE HAPPENING

Renewables employ more than 40% of workers in the U.S. energy industry - and over 100,000 renewable energy jobs were added in 2023 alone. And 16 rural electric co-ops serving millions of households, farms, and businesses across 23 states will receive $7.3 billion in funding to create jobs and affordable energy, the single largest investment in rural electrification since the Great Depression.

PLASTIC IS SO OVER

Stadium by stadium, arena by arena, sports teams are phasing out single-use plastic. Facts: Yes, tap water is safe (no, water in plastic bottles is not). One day soon, your martini could come from a refillable keg. I'm a huge fan of Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants program; now they've launched a sister program to also recognize hotels that are committed to reducing plastic pollution. And on November 29th, Blue Friday purchases from plastic-free brands will fund ocean cleanups, too.

BETTER FOR YOUR BUTT

Every year, I share the NRDC's latest toilet paper report, and every year I have to hear about the critical importance of softness. You can have it all, friends: just please do your research and choose better so we stop cutting down virgin forests to wipe our butts. (P.S. I love Who Gives A Crap.)

ONLINE THRIFTING PRO TIPS

Are you scared to try thrifting online because you don't know how to do it? Beni is a great solution: Just tap a brand or fashion want into the app or browser extension, and in milliseconds its AI searches over 300 million resale listings to serve up what you're looking for, secondhand. No more toggling between Poshmark and ThredUP and random eBay listings, Beni makes it easy to see all your options in one place. I've got pro tips over on Instagram on how to search for something new and find it for less. (Not sponsored.)

JOKES ON THEM

Sometimes it's just good to laugh, right? But here's some related news to savor: The U.S. Supreme Court just cleared the Biden administration's plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, despite a last-ditch attempt to block it.

P.S. Yes, this: "If you just sit down in front of the screen and read what you wrote yesterday, that's enough. Writing is all about the unconscious, and the unconscious should be checking in with the story every day." - Walter Mosley