profile

Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC

Regaining Our Footing | Sustainable Content #7

Published 27 days ago • 1 min read

​

Ignoring the doom

We've had a week to come to terms with what the elections mean for climate. We know it's bad. And we know that the broader forces aren't going to solve this for us.

What do we know that's positive?

​Renewable power is increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels. This means that the capitalist economic incentives align with renewables.

​The majority of the investment from Biden's Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is going to Republican districts, in spite of the fact that no Republican legislators voted in favor of it. Why? Because these are the historically industrial areas that lost jobs due to overseas manufacturing or mine closures. If your job and community is dependent on the advancement of electric vehicles or renewable energy, perhaps you'll be more inclined to see its benefits in the long haul.

"This is complex stuff, and no one person has all the answers. We can’t wait for a genius scientist with movie star hair or billionaire philanthropy to solve this problem. This is not something anyone can do alone."

 

Alisa Bonsignore, from the forthcoming book
​Sustainable Content: How to Measure and Mitigate the Carbon Footprint of Digital Data ​
(Available 19 November 2024)

What I've been reading

I've been reading as little as possible, because the news is terrible! But here's what I've got.

​Paralyzed by existential dread? Acetaminophen may help. Apparently our bodies can't tell the difference between physical and psychological pain, and acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol) targets those pain receptors.

​California voters passed a bond for $10 billion to fight against the effects of climate change. Californians have long been on the front lines of drought, wildfires, heat waves, and flooding, so it makes sense that voters would be interested in impact mitigation.

​Climate change is affecting real estate risks. Obviously.

​How is climate change affecting fall foliage? Researchers in New Hampshire, USA, are trying to find answers across decades.

Shameless and unsolicited cross-promotion of good stuff!

Today I want to call out one of my favorite organizations: World Central Kitchen. I donate to WCK as part of my 1% for the Planet commitment. When climate-related disaster strikes — and it strikes more frequently than we'd like to admit — WCK is there to deliver meals to locals and support to first responder teams.

📖

Sustainable Content

Coming soon: buy the book

🎤

Speaking Engagements

​Book Alisa for your event​

🗒️

Consulting

​Reduce your Scope 3 emissions​

People are saying good things about Sustainable Content

"In addressing the environmental impact of creating and transferring and storing digital content, Alisa uncovers not necessarily another problem—but another solution we can all drive toward as we look to create sustainability in our own lives, our communities, and our planet."

- Melanie Mannarino. Author, The (Almost) Zero-Waste Guide

Alisa Bonsignore

Founder, Strategist, and Author

Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC

Talking about sustainable content: how to measure and mitigate the carbon footprint of digital data.

Read more from Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC
The Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC logo

Is your bank funding fossil fuels? We're in the process of selling our home this week, coincidentally at the same time that our mortgage lender decided to sell our loan. This has caused dramatic and ridiculous consequences, and no end to my stress. But even if we hadn't been in a high-drama situation, I would have been pissed off. The loan was sold to JPMorgan Chase — a top financier of fossil fuel investments. This is incredibly frustrating, because borrowers really don't have any say in who...

6 days ago • 2 min read
The Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC logo, a dark blue-green sunburst.

Finding things to be thankful for It's Thanksgiving week here in the United States. It's also a week after the COP 29 U.N. climate conference meetings in Baku, Azerbaijan. November has been a fraught month for climate folks, and many are approaching the end of the year with an air of defeat. What could we possibly have to be thankful for? I am thankful for you. I think that my readers are curious people who believe in stepping up where we can. And that's important. I have a little anecdotal...

13 days ago • 2 min read
The Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC sunburst logo.

"What happens now?" Book launch day has come and gone, and with lots of help from all of you, Sustainable Content became an Amazon #1 bestseller. I am stunned and humbled. Thank you for your support. Also, I highly recommend writing a book if you want to reconnect with people you've lost touch with. It was great to hear from everyone. Most of the launch-adjacent conversations came around to the same basic theme: Given the future of the U.S. government and the expected rollback of a variety of...

20 days ago • 3 min read