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Past Presentation | THE FIRE CATS – Save Something Small is the inspirational story of a group of animal rescuers who devoted months to rescuing cats who survived the Tubbs wildfire that was hot enough to melt glass and to return them to the families who had lost everything. The experience transformed everyone: the rescuers, the cats, and the fire families. But a year later, when the monstrous Camp Fire wiped out Paradise, the authorities tried to stop them.

Now Playing | This short film showcases the inspirational story of PT Hirschfield, who's successful 11-year battle with endometrial cancer has been fueled by her passion for scuba diving, a deep connection with the underwater world, and a mission to save the heavily persecuted wildlife at her local dive sites. The film was created for Ocean Media Institute as part of its 'I am Ocean' series documenting powerful human connections with the ocean from around the world.

Past Presentation | Story of a gopher tortoise who became lost in a development of homes, and the family who befriended him and helped him back to nature.

Past Presentation | Continuing the story of an adventurous journey around the world, this film is inspiring humanity to change the world and save our planet. Along with world renowned experts, the director learns that past evolutions can help solve some of our current and future environmental problems. Startling, beautiful, and provocative.

Past Presentation | Explores solutions to the global crises we face today – solutions any one of us can be part of – through the inspiring stories of people pioneering change in their own lives and in their communities in order to live in a sustainable and regenerative way.

Past Presentation | A 12-day expedition is the first of five arctic ski expeditions the director hopes will inspire the next generation of environmental advocates. The film asks how do we connect to earth and instill hope in our communities and children.

Now Playing | An Iowa farmer reacts swiftly when he hears that radical climate marchers plan to disrupt peace in his tiny town. What he does after that offers a lesson for would-be peacemakers everywhere.

Past Presentation | A joyful film about connecting to the land and the community. Produced over 4 years it follows the Salatins, a 4th generation farming family who do ‘everything different to everyone else’ as they produce food in a way that works with nature, not against it. Using the symbiotic relationships of animals and their natural functions, they produce high quality, nutrient-dense products.

Coming Soon | You can count the number of female paddlers in Futaleufú, Chile on one hand... and they want to change that. After many riverside matés and floating conversations, the idea to create a kayak course for local teenage girls was hatched. Thanks to a committed group of women from around the globe, what started as a dream is now an inspirational contribution to the local community.

Now Playing | Actor Gerard Butler embarks on a life-changing journey to see how his mother's favorite non-profit organization transforms the lives of children in some of the world's poorest countries.

Past Presentation | Director Brett Plymale tells the story of the town of Hudson which stood up to some of the most powerful chemical companies in North America in a court case to ban the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. The movie demonstrates the power of community action and shows how a small group of people can overcome the odds to elect change

Now Playing | This is a short film focusing on multi-generational tree planting and the long-term benefits for ALL. Growing Hope amplifies the message of the non-profit www.grandtrees.org and its initiative to plant trees by young and old for a brighter future for us all.

Past Presentation | 12 people. In the woods. Telling their stories... I hiked out into the forests of the Southeast to listen. What I found in the power of story and in our connections to the forests is more important now than ever. Forests hold our stories. Our history. Our dreams. Our strength. Our future. Humanity happens in forests. Stories happen in forests.

Past Presentation | The story of the repercussions of human negligence juxtaposed against the incredible power of human compassion. A humpback whale entangled in a fishing net is left for dead until documentarians happen on the whale. Although untrained for such missions, they nonetheless work to rescue her and at the same time capture incredible up-close footage. Beautiful images of humpbacks swimming through the protected blue waters off Hawaii contrast with the whale in this story, concluding with a powerful statement: 'Change begins with the heart.'

Now Playing | Contrasts is a declaration of principles on freedom from captivity of marine species. It arises at the beginning of the pandemic, with the aim of generating empathy in the viewer about life in confinement. All living beings have the right to freedom, and humans cannot claim the right to take freedom from other species or use them for business and human entertainment, and this is what Contrasts tries to sensitize people about.

Past Presentation | The 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry transforms Jacques Dubochet’s life. Passing from the shadows to the light, he is solicited from all sides. What can he do with this voice, which is now being heard by everyone? How to define the struggles to be fought? How to become a ""Citizen Nobel"", with the objective of assuming responsibility as a researcher and member of the human community? A speech by Greta Thunberg turns everything upside down...

Now Playing | “If you’ve ever thought ‘Someone should do something about that litter problem’, remember, you’re someone.” Joel Goldes has visited the creek in his suburban Southern California community nearly every day. And for the past 10 years, he’s been picking up litter, trapping invasive crayfish, opening blocked channels, and testifying at local hearings – often the lone voice in support of the under-appreciated ecosystem near his home.

Past Presentation | How many times do you wonder if what you do makes a difference in the world? Inspiring stories illustrating the ripple effects of our actions in an interconnected world. Like “What the Bleep Do We Know” meets “Cosmos” with Carl Sagan, the film unpacks what the Butterfly Effect really means. Even though a metaphor, it actually depicts how small actions can indeed have large effects. Would we act differently if we understood the interconnectedness at play all around us?

Past Presentation | French apnea (free diving) champion, Guillaume Néry, and his free diver wife, Julie Gautier, take viewers on an underwater odyssey across the globe, from Mauritius to Mexico to Japan and many stops in between, To raise awareness about the importance and state of our oceans, Néry and Gautier show us the wildest and most amazing side of oceans. The divers capture mesmerizing images of parts of the planet unseen by most people, from exploring submerged ruins to swimming beneath a thick sheet of ice and mingling with a pod of sleeping sperm whales. The divers’ message: When you love something, you take care of it.

Now Playing | Eco Arts is a creative practice that recognises that we are all part of the Living World. This film provides an overview of the practice of Eco Arts in community. Perspectives of First Nations Elders and artists are interwoven with examples of intercultural and environmental events. Musicians and creative thought leaders discuss the role of arts and culture in strengthening communities against the backdrop of ecological degradation and the climate crisis.

Past Presentation | Almost entirely self funded, this film is the director’s gift to the world. The award-winning filmmaker and producer also spent 4 years as a one­ woman ­crew exploring why and how we have inadvertently put our planet in peril. The film examines how our economic and production systems connect to climate change, species extinction, depletion of critical natural resources, and industrial control of food production. Solutions that could be implemented immediately are illustrated, from practical everyday fixes to rethinking the overarching myths of our time. While this film is intended to challenge viewers on many levels, it most of all offers hope.

Now Playing | Sacred Waters: The Okefenokee in Peril takes viewers into the heart of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, showcasing its mystical natural beauty, cultural importance, and incredible ecological value. But, as the title of the film sets forth, the sacred waters of the Okefenokee are in peril. The threat of a proposed mineral mine near the edge of the Okefenokee looms large, putting the natural integrity of the Swamp at risk. As Sacred Waters brings us deeper into the Okefenokee, we understand how great this threat truly is.

Past Presentation | Annalaura di Luggo, Neapolitan artist and visionary, proposes a bold concept of cultural and social rebirth for her city by transforming discarded scraps of recycled aluminum into works of art, enlisting the aid of some troubled teenagers from the Spanish Neighborhood and offering them a new perspective on life…. A Journey into the light "Napoli Eden will premiére in Rome at the Italian PARLIAMENT on October 6, 2020" The whole story is the adventure of the Neapolitan artist Annalaura di Luggo (awarded at the 58th Venice Biennale) who is about to face the city of Naples for the installation of her gigantic works, made using recycled aluminum waste.

Past Presentation | Co-executive producer, Jill Heinerth, who hails from Alachua County, has dived deeper into caves than any woman in history. Her accolades include being named a "Living Legend" by Sport Diver Magazine and being in the inaugural class of the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Imaginative, entertaining, and enlightening, We Are Water illustrates the fragile relationship between our planet's endangered freshwater resources and the ever increasing needs of more and more people: For the first time in history, fresh water has become a finite resource. Without big changes in water policy and use, wars of the future may be fought, not over oil, but water. This movie will show us how we can help Jill Heinerth to keep that from happening.

Now Playing | This Argentine production depicts the conscious and subconscious energies that each one of us has, which have the ability to influence others, ourselves, and our surroundings -- positively and negatively. We all have seeds from our past and it is up to us to work to make them conscious and transform them positively. Our energy can be passed on to others, to close ones, strangers and places with a strength that we do not realize. It is an invisible force, which we are not always aware we have or that it has the power of changing the world and its environment. It is up to individuals and human society to channel this energy to allow our future earth to be healthy and prosperous.

Now Playing | An academic woman in Texas becomes concerned when a massive red oak in her backyard seems to be ailing, though she isn’t sure why it bothers her so much. At the same time, in her small cottage, her attention to her work is distracted by news reports she sees and hears. They tell in graphic terms of the out-of-control forest fires up and down the West Coast. Her attention is further pulled in the direction of other stories about the worsening conditions of the world’s rainforests which she discovers are disappearing at the astounding rate of 200,000 acres a day. Suddenly such stories are all she seems to hear and see on the radio or television or on her computer. But when she hears/sees a science report about how trees actually communicate with each other, she begins to realize there may be a connection between her tree and what she is learning from the news. She begins to recall a strong connection she herself has with that tree and allows that connection to regrow…..

Past Presentation | "Mighty Oak" is a portrait of Dr. Oakleigh Thorne, II, an extraordinary environmental pioneer, transformative educator, joyful musician, and an effective, inspirational leader. The wonder and reverence that Oak sees in the natural world has been a guide through his life. Starting as a child he explored the wild woods of Long Island, often as a photographer or filmmaker. As a teenager he was mentored by a Native American cowboy at a ranch in Wyoming where they would travel on horseback to remote wilderness areas. The experience radically changed the course of his life. He moved on to create non-profit organizations such as Thorne Films, Thorne Ecological Institute, Thorne Nature Experience, and achieved successes in land preservation through community action across the country that preceded the EPA and much of the modern environmental movement. He has directly and immeasurably contributed to the environmental education of hundreds of thousands of youth. His enduring legacy is a significant contribution to the environmental movement and to those he has inspired along the way. This extraordinary 93 year old man continues to mentor young people and spread an environmental consciousness, and with his astounding musical skills, still plays the piano and arranges a cappella music for choral groups. The filmmakers who both have a personal friendship with Oak, followed him for several years as he spread wisdom and joy in his journey through life, whether it be with the music of a bird or the human voice.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently revealed that pioneering Costa Rican company, BioTech, is developing groundbreaking natural alternatives to traditional chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Founded by visionary entrepreneur Lizzy Retana Villalobos, BioTech is at the forefront of implementing innovative biotech solutions that preserve the ecological balance of soil health while promoting agricultural sustainability in […] The post Costa Rican Company Biotech Develops Natural Pest Control for Farmers appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Student poets respond to a hotter and diminished planet. The post Inspiration From Anguish appeared first on .

Plata’s expertise in academics and industry will help advance the mission of the consortium and propel implementable climate solutions forward.

Why experts say the Held v. Montana decision could lead to more climate wins in the courts.

The National Orders, presented by the President, recognized individuals who have demonstrated bravery and fostered international friendship. National Orders are the highest awards that a country through its President, bestows on citizens and emminent foreign nationals who have contributed towards the advancement of democracy and have put themselves at the service of the country and […] The post National orders recognize remarkable contributions – Ramaphosa appeared first on SAPeople - Worldwide South African News.

Drawing inspiration from butterfly wings, reflective fibers woven into clothing could reshape textile sorting and recycling.

A visit with David Quammen, who confronted in COVID a story that refused to stay at a safe distance

By Stephanie Wood Photography by Taylor RoadesA coastal B.C. First Nation dispossessed from its land for decades by colonialism is part of a groundswell of Indigenous nations declaring protected areas based on their own sovereignty — and they’re not waiting around for colonial governments

Past Presentation | A film about Dan Broun and Al Long, two wilderness photographers passionate about wilderness go deep in the Tarkine rainforest and explore the wild Tasmanian landscape of extraordinary beauty. Dan and Al discuss their inspiration and their involvement in an artist initiative to save this rainforest – ‘Tarkine in Motion.”

Past Presentation | Mountain Man is a social issue documentary that chronicles, in verite style, Joel's struggle to find a balance between an obligatory fast paced Orange County lifestyle and the natural beauty in Orange County and the greater Southern California area that goes seemingly unnoticed. This short documentary follows the ebbs and flows of Joel's work in Naturalist for You. He struggles to attract participants but also experiences the triumphs of fostering inspiration. He struggles to support his family, while also maintaining a constant dedication to his organization.

Past Presentation | This film transforms how the Finnish identify with nature into pictures spoken by different voices; both the famous Finnish environmentalist, Pentti Linkola, and the Finnish writer, Juha Hurme, are featured in the film as well as the director. Set entirely in forest, the protagonists sleep under spruce trees, make art, hunt with their dogs, hold techno raves in the summer night, and earn a living as forest owners. As the film progresses, we gain a view of the forest as a biological organism, as a spiritual retreat for humans, as a source of inspiration, and as a complete living environment supporting us all.

Past Presentation | We want our food fast, convenient and cheap, but at what cost? As farms have become supersized, our environment suffers and so does the quality of our food. Food for Thought, Food for Life, a new documentary from director Susan Rockefeller (HBO’s Christopher Award­-winning documentary Making The Crooked Straight, Cinema Verde 2016 / Film Descriptions Page 3 Planet Green’s A Sea Change) explains the downsides of current agribusiness practices, and also introduces us to farmers, chefs, researchers, educators, and advocates who are providing solutions. The film is both poetic and practical; its powerful examination of the connections between our planet and our well­being is accompanied by specific strategies that protect both. With an eye towards a sustainable and abundant future, it offers inspiration for communities that are ready to make a difference.

Senior Sylas Horowitz tackles engineering projects with a focus on challenges related to clean energy, climate justice, and sustainable development.

Now Playing | Cultivating the Wild focuses on six Southerners committed to reclaiming the nature of the South through art, science, and culture. Their inspiration is William Bartram, 18th century naturalist and America’s first environmentalist. From 1773 to 1777, a plant-collecting trip took Bartram from the Carolina coast west to the Mississippi. Far more than a botanical catalog, Bartram’s 1791 book Travels provides a captivating window into the past and continues to fire the imagination of readers over 200 years later. Despite the passage of time, Bartram’s words speak to current issues of critical importance. The film responds to an America hungry to re-connect with the natural world around us, an America increasingly focused on sustaining this planet we call home. Often called “the South’s Thoreau,” Bartram’s reverence for all aspects of nature lies at the heart of these modern environmental movements and in the people we meet in Cultivating the Wild.

The HASTS PhD candidate describes his new book, “Sordidez,” a science fiction novella on rebuilding, healing, and indigeneity following civil war and climate disaster.

If you're in SA, check out one of the country's fabulous national parks this week...The post SANParks launches its 2023 FREE Access week appeared first on SAPeople - Worldwide South African News.

Costa Rica is often referred to as the poster child for environmental conservation. The country has achieved a remarkable feat of reversing deforestation that had once threatened its rich biodiversity. With nearly 52% of its landmass covered in forests, the country has become a model for reforestation efforts globally. However, as the world grapples with […] The post Costa Rica’s Reforestation Victory: Contemplating Sustainable Preservation appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

I applaud the work the royal couple does inspired by my grandfather. I abhor those who exploit his legacy for personal gain.

"Schools are surrounded by oil and gas wells and fracking sites."

Imagine a book that on one hand instantly becomes a global bestseller with 9 million copies sold in 30 languages and on the other provokes the ire of the entire capitalist world. That book Limits to Growth now celebrates 50 years since publication in 1972 and owes its existence to the Club of Rome which […] The post Changing the World: Club of Rome Visits Costa Rica appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

World Environment Day is an annual event observed on June 5th to raise global awareness about environmental issues and promote action for a sustainable future. It serves as a platform to reflect on the significance of environmental conservation and encourage collective efforts to address challenges like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Significance of World […] The post Celebrating World Environment Day: Costa Rica’s Commitment To A Cleaner And Greener Environment appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

One key difference between kaitiakitanga and conservation is that the former considers people as part of the environment, while the latter manages nature as if people were separate from it.

Save the Frogs Day - a global amphibian conservation effort - is this Friday, April 28, 2023. Amphibian health is an important marker of ecosystem quality. The post Save the Frogs Day is this Friday, April 28 first appeared on EarthSky.

The popular YouTuber, engineer, and inventor works to engage young people in science and technology while encouraging curiosity and resilience.

A proposed high-voltage power line threatens a mountain lake and its surrounding wetlands. The post Protect This Place: Oregon’s Twin Lake appeared first on The Revelator.

Our buildings and infrastructure can only become sustainable if the sector shares, leases, reuses, repairs, refurbishes and recycles materials and products. A new report maps out out how to get there.

A slower paced life with less work and more community focus – if enough people share the dream, we can make it happenFaced with the now undeniable impacts of climate crisis created by humans, political leaders in wealthier countries incline towards one of two competing responses. They either question the urgency and feasibility of meeting net zero targets and generally procrastinate (the rightwing tendency); or they proclaim their faith in the powers of magical green technologies to protect the planet while prolonging and extending our present affluent ways of living (a position more favoured on the left and centre).Common to both approaches is a wrongheaded presumption that we can carry on growing while managing to hold off the floods and fires of growth-driven capitalism. Both also take it for granted that the consumerist lifestyle is essential to the wellbeing of rich societies and the ideal to which less developed economies should aspire. Continue reading...

A public survey found 86% of people want more space for nature in the city. The city council is already taking steps to add green space and increase biodiversity, which should boost public wellbeing.

Families in Jordan plan their day around water, scrambling to finish cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry before their water turns off. The unreliable water supply, which often flows for only 36 hours per week in urban areas, pushes Jordanians to purchase plastic tanks of water that they place on their roofs. Meanwhile, farmers resort to stealing water by digging illegal wells or siphoning water. All of this is part of a typical week in one of the world’s most water insecure countries. As water dries up in the region and the country gulps down its supply from rivers, aquifers, and rain, many communities across Jordan are subject to water rationing and government campaigns in the past two years have urged Jordanians to limit their water use. The country’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation estimates that less than 200 cubic meters are available to each person per year—a number that the World Health Organization warns can harm human health and impede economic development. To get water, people living in cities are increasingly turning to expensive sources like bottled mineral water or truck tankers. Amid the water shortages, Jordan’s population has risen precipitously over the past two decades—more than doubling between 2003 and 2021—and the influx of more than 1 million Syrians fleeing war is placing more strain on Jordan’s limited resources. “Our situation—with the lack of natural resources and water—puts us in a position where we have to do something,” says Tamer Al-Salah, managing director of BeyondCapital, a venture capital firm based in Jordan that has worked with several environmental companies. “Climate entrepreneurship is important and it’s growing.” Among the stable of companies looking to address Jordan’s water woes is Aquaporo, which has undertaken the challenge of developing an improved way to harvest potable water from the surrounding air while also helping foster a new generation of climate entrepreneurs. — Humans have been harvesting water from the atmosphere for centuries, whether through collecting dew or absorbing fog through certain types of plants. Newer technology includes advanced fog nets and dew plates. But these inventions typically only work in high-humidity regions like parts of Peru and Morocco and Jordan, though not as arid as other Middle Eastern nations, has an average annual relative humidity of roughly 50%. Aquaporo thinks it has found a solution tailor-made for Jordan’s climate. The company’s device pushes air through nanomaterials—small pieces of plastic that contain microscopic grooves and shapes on their interior that act like strainers, capturing water vapor from the air and filtering out pollutants to produce water that is purer than Nestle’s bottled water. Led by CEO Kyle Cordova and engineering director Husam Almassad, Aquaporo started in Cordova’s research lab at Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society. Cordova worked with a group of student trainees, whose initial design looks like a chest freezer with rows of transparent shelves stacked on top. Nanomaterials blanket each shelf, resembling thin rows of monochrome sand. In contrast, the current model is sleeker and smaller, integrating seamlessly into water coolers that most Jordanian families already have in their homes. The air conditioner-sized machine can harvest up to 35 liters of water in 20% humidity in a single day. The Aquaporo device can produce more than double the amount of water compared with the best-performing water harvesting devices in desert climates. It also cuts down on end user costs by reducing power consumption. In a study published in Nature Communications last year, Cordova and Almassad found that the device achieved a 169% increase in water production while meeting national drinking standards. It works so well that Aquaporo’s first customer is Jordanian government, which has placed an initial order of 1,000 units, which it will provide for free to families across the country starting in January 2024. They are also in discussions with different development and aid agencies to help provide the devices to some of the most vulnerable families in Jordan and beyond. Manufacturing will begin in Jordan, though the team is considering other locales for the future. At scale, the team aims to manufacture devices that cost around $600 USD per unit to manufacture. With support from NGOs and the Jordanian government, the team hopes to distribute the first devices free of charge. The approach is designed to help some of Jordan’s most vulnerable residents get access to drinking water while also generating acceptance for the new technology. Aquaporo is targeting cities where water insecurity is acute, including Mafraq, Tafileh, and Zarqa. “This was a Jordanian invention, made for Jordan,” Cordova told Fast Company in his office, which is steps from the chemistry lab where students were peering through microscopes and using a computer program to mold their nanomaterials into new shapes. Cordova’s lab benefits from a steady flow of chemistry and engineering students like Almassad, who started out as an intern at the Royal Scientific Society in 2019. In a few short years, Almassad led the mechanical engineering aspects of the device and became the engineering director for the new company. “Since my childhood, I’ve always been obsessed with anything that has mechanical parts—toy cars, little gadgets, you name it,” Almassad told Fast Company from his office in Amman. “Now I’ve needed to change my mind from thinking like a scientist to thinking like a businessman.” According to Almassad and Cordova, this transition from innovation to commercialization is a hurdle for Jordanian innovators and students. Compared to other Arab countries, Jordan’s population is well educated, with nearly universal literacy rates. School enrollment is high, even among women. Most students in the natural sciences, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacology are women, whereas globally, they only represent about 30% of students in STEM-related fields. But even with its skilled population, Jordanian entrepreneurship has often failed to make headwind in addressing climate change. Further, lack of communication between the private sector and STEM educators contributes to high unemployment. “Much of Jordan’s startup ecosystem is based on digital products,” Cordova adds. “It’s because there’s not a lot of money here for capital expenditures.” Cordova’s lab operates with support from Jordan’s Princess Sumaya, whose funding helped the lab design the Aquaporo device. The lab helps students in engineering and chemistry to commercialize their ideas. Even as they built their fledgling company, Cordova and Almassad are continuing the chain of mentorship between students and scientists. The lab currently hosts 25 students, including undergraduates who learn the nuts and bolts of the Aquaporo device. The emphasis on sharing knowledge and building skills, often present in academic settings but not in private companies, sets Cordova’s lab apart. “Young people in Jordan have great ideas,” says Cordova. “My job is to show that research can make it out of the lab.” Al-Salah, the managing director of BeyondCapital, is eager to see more innovations from this type of entrepreneurship-via-lab approach that Aquaporo has pioneered. “If we want to encourage entrepreneurial thinking among students, we need to give them inspiration and role models,” says Al -Salah. “We need to encourage them to push their own limits.”

Inspire the next generation of activists and conservationists with new these books celebrating wildlife and wild spaces. The post 10 New Books for Environmentally Active Kids and Families appeared first on The Revelator.

Washing the dishes, cooking a meal, catching a flight, doing some banking, at a glance, the tasks and routines of our everyday life can appear as a collection of mundane and uninspiring experiences. However, there are brands working to avoid that appearance, and make these routines more meaningful in a variety of ways. Our Place turns a single kitchen pan into a stylish statement against unnecessary waste and carbon neutrality. Blueland uses dish soap and body wash to address plastic waste, and a more efficient supply chain, while Pinterest finds unexpected and inclusive ways to add more joy and utility to the daily scroll. Here are the brands elevating our everyday: Alaska Airlines Since its founding, Alaska Airlines has been defined by its West Coast roots—and routes. In its nascent days, it provided bush planes for isolated communities in its namesake state, and still crisscrosses California and the Pacific Northwest, where wildfires and water scarcity are big issues. “Growing up in those places instilled in us an ethos of real consciousness around place,” says Diana Birkett Rakow, the company’s SVP of public affairs and sustainability. That awareness has inspired a sustainability focus; its five-point plan to reach net-zero by 2040 includes a switch to sustainable aviation fuel, proposed electric-propulsion jets by the end of decade, and carbon offsets. With the clock ticking on other goals, like getting from 1% to 10% sustainable fuel by 2030, the airline is bolstering its efforts with both internal and external support. From the CEO down, 10% of every employee’s bonus opportunity is based on the airline’s performance in meeting its goals. Alaska has also found partners for its efforts initiatives, which include replacing plastic water bottles with Boxed Water cartons in flight, investing in manufacturer ZeroAvia to develop a hydroelectric power train, and even starting a venture fund to identify promising environmental startups. “We can’t change the system on our own,” Birkett Rakow says. “But we can bring partners together and take actions that help create a positive flywheel.” —Talib Visram Avocado Green Brands The bulk of discourse around mattresses in recent years has been whether it came from a store or a box, but Avocado has made its name as one of the first Climate Neutral-certified brands, offsetting more than the sum of its scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and advocating for legislation that will help fight the climate crisis through its partnership with CERES and the American Sustainable Business Network. The brand in 2021 produced an eight-part podcast called A Little Green, that follows one of its execs, Christina Thompson, as she explores her impact on the environment, and how we can challenge the status quo and become climate leaders in our own communities. Sleep on that. Cloud Paper The bamboo-based toilet paper and paper towel brand is taking aim at global deforestation one wipe at a time. Backed by an impressive list of backers, including Marc Benioff, Mark Cuban, Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Oseary, Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, NFL star Russell Wilson, and Ciara, the brand celebrated Earth Day 2021 with a fake campaign for a brand called Flush that told you which old growth forest you were wiping with. Dawn The P&G-owned brand has worked to design products to help people use less water and energy, but also be more accessible. Its Powerwash Dish Spray was designed to work on contact, without running the tap to create suds, helping households save up to 120 gallons of water per week, while the brand’s EZ-Squeeze bottle—one of Dawn’s most researched and tested products ever—is designed to dispense dishwashing liquid accurately with only one hand. Dawn also this year committed ​​to help protect and care for a million birds and marine mammals by 2030 through its partnerships with International Bird Rescue and the Marine Mammal Center. Greenwood When Greenwood launched in 2020, it drew attention for being the first digital bank with all Black founders—Ryan Glover, civil rights icon and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, and rapper Killer Mike. Since then, the bank has focused on addressing racial inequities in the financial system. Greenwood acquired the Gathering Spot, which operates Black-focused networking and work space clubs in three cities. Glover says it has made Greenwood the country’s largest combined fintech and community platform for Black and minority consumers, reaching one million people. Greenwood is also building a content arm with digital shows, podcasts, and even name, image, and likeness deals. Indeed More than a job board, Indeed has made itself into a complete platform to better serve both job seekers and employers. Over the past year, the brand has launched Interview Days: Restaurant Jobs with OpenTable, a U.S. hiring initiative aimed to accelerate the recovery of the food and beverage industry by providing free hiring tools to help businesses and restaurateurs source, screen and host interviews. The Indeed Hiring Platform launched in 2022, and allows employers to manage and accelerate the hiring process—from posting through interview—directly on Indeed, with no additional software, all aiming to enable faster, more efficient access to a diverse pool of job seekers looking for the perfect fit. Kahoot Learning should be fun, and education platform Kahoot does just that with 40 million monthly participants, with a combination of content partners like Disney, NASA, and the World Health Organization. Last December, over 3,500 students participated in the European Interschool Kahoot, learning about the refugee and migrant experience and fostering inclusivity. And in April, Indiana-based teacher Stephen Auslander hosted the Kahoot! Cup, with more than 3,200 students from over 50 countries playing with the overall message, “We’re more alike than we’re different.” Lifewtr The brand wrapped its bottles in culture for its 2021 Life Unseen campaign, which worked with actor, writer and producer Issa Rae, who invited 20 diverse filmmakers, musicians, artists, and fashion designers to showcase their work on Lifwtr’s bottle labels. As part of the campaign, the brand also published an interactive tool that reveals the representation gaps that exist across the creative industry for women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and people with disabilities. Mastercard The act of paying for something can be incredibly simple, but Mastercard has worked to expand that this past year with its new Touch Card for blind and partially sighted people, setting a new global standard for payment card design that enables people to tell, with a touch, which card they are holding. That inclusive product design builds on its work with True Name (to ensure the name on a person’s Mastercard reflects their true identity) which was also expanded globally to 30 European markets. Our Place While traditional kitchenware brands and stores feature hundreds of products, Our Place focuses on fewer, well-made products to minimize waste. Its Always Pan, for example, is designed to replace eight pieces of cookware. The immigrant- and female-founded brand reached full carbon neutrality this year. Pinterest In an effort to become a more inclusive platform, Pinterest spent the past year expanding its search capabilities in the beauty space for users with textured hair, and reining in ad content that could be harmful to users’ body image. Last August, Pinterest’s visual search team added a search mechanism to filter hair inspiration images based on pattern—including curly and coiled—and protective styles, like twists and braids. Similar to the skin tone search feature that the company released in 2018, this new AI-powered search tool can pinpoint and recognize hair patterns and surface the appropriate Pins. In the little more than a year since the feature launched, Pinterest has seen a significant increase in texture-specific search requests, including  “naturally wavy hair cuts with layers” and “protective hairstyles braids.” Pinterest also expanded its body neutrality initiative, amending its ad policy in July 2021 to ban all mentions of body mass index and weight loss, building on an earlier ban on ads for diet products, or featuring before-and-after imagery. One year later, the company self-reported a 20% decrease in “weight loss” searches and a trend away from activity related to diets. —Rachel Kim Raczka Plantega Bodegas are a way of life in New York City, and Plantega is a brand bringing plant-based food options to a much broader audience through the city’s network of shops. In 2021, it launched in 14 locations across four NYC boroughs, from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, to Jamaica, Queens, with a goal to bridge the gap between plant-based food manufacturers and independent corner stores, while helping spark a shift toward more sustainable eating. Vital Farms This is a brand that prides itself on the cruelty-free treatment of its hens to the sustainability of its supply chain, but also manages to turn those ideals into fun, compelling content. Its traceability initiative allows you to see a 360-degree video of the farm and the hens that laid your eggs, and in 2021, they took it a step further. Vital Farms built a custom, hen-friendly camera into a pasture where hens that lay the company’s eggs wander, to get a firsthand look at their daily life. The camera features a pressure-sensor platform that, when pecked or stepped on by a hen, sets off the shutter, producing black-and-white images of the hens’ surroundings, including vast pastures, their flock, and the family farmers who care for them. The photos were then featured in a national billboard campaign, as well as online and in a limited-edition coffee-table book. This article is part of Fast Company’s 2022 Brands That Matter awards. Explore the full list of brands whose success has come from embodying their purpose in a way that resonates with their customers.

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