On these hot and humid days where they're trying to get us to skip the air conditioning to save energy, nobody has the energy to undertake Big Things. So here are some incredibly lazy ways to live more sustainably this summer with minimal effort or physical discomfort.

• Don't multitask. I think we've all had those evenings where we had a streaming movie playing on the TV in the background while sending emails on our computer and texting friends by phone. We don't need to be running three devices simultaneously. Pick one device and stick with it.
• Turn electronics off at night. Anything that's plugged in can draw electricity, even when it's not in use. Plug into a power strip and flick it off before bedtime.
• Use e-statements. Skip the walk to the mailbox to retrieve bank statements and bills. However, make sure that you have at least one paper copy with account info available in case of emergency. We recently went through the challenge of trying to match account info after a bereavement where the automatic bill pay got shut down with the death notice. A paper reference goes a long way when you need account numbers.
• Reduce food waste by having a plan for your leftovers. When it's hot, I don't want to cook any more often than absolutely necessary. Enter the magical world of leftovers! Leftovers don't have to be eaten tomorrow. Freeze them! I've seen all of these fancy, expensive silicone molds for freezing individual portions of bulk-made foods like pasta sauces, rice, beans, etc. Know what else works without being a one-trick pony? A silicone muffin pan. They're ubiquitous at almost any home store where they're cheaper than the one I linked there.
• Don't pre-rinse dishes. Did you know that your dishwasher doesn't require pre-rinsing? Save water by skipping that step. (Obviously scrape off big chunks of food, but not the little bits.)
• Your dishwasher is efficient! The dishwasher is more water-efficient than hand-washing. This is excellent news, in my opinion.

​And, of course, you can suggest to family, friends, and colleagues that they should relax at home with a copy of Sustainable Content.

Last month, the committee of central banks published a framework for the voluntary disclosure of climate-related financial risks.

​Do we still need coal power to meet our energy needs? "The DOE’s authority to require power plants to stay open is something that’s typically used in emergencies like hurricanes, rather than in response to something as routine as … seasons changing."

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is tracking AI and energy. "The new and fast-moving field of AI requires a new approach to gathering data and information, and the Observatory aims to provide regularly updated data and a comprehensive view of the implications of AI on energy demand (energy for AI) and of AI applications for efficiency, innovation, resilience and competitiveness in the energy sector (AI for energy)."

We hear that long term, the stock market is going to go up no matter what. But is it? "Finance is supposedly an objective, unemotional industry that weighs risks and returns, but rising markets do strange things to people." Indeed.

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Consulting

​Reduce your Scope 3 emissions​

Alisa Bonsignore

Founder, Strategist, and Author