Good News for the Biosphere at-a-Glance!
This email is not a commercial initiative, but a free expression of optimism about the potential of humankind and the progress being made to help sustain and regenerate our biosphere.
In Honor of Women’s History Month, May I (Re) Introduce You to “That Woman!”
Widely regarded as one of the most influential and admired women of the 20th Century, Eleanor Roosevelt was the longest serving First Lady of the US where she reinvented the role advocating for her strongest humanitarian beliefs and principles. She was a controversial first lady in her time for her outspokenness by advocating for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Americans and Asian Americans, and the rights of World War II refugees. However, one of her most lasting and significant contributions was serving as a United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952 where she took a leading role in designing the text and advocating for the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which still serves as model for democratic government throughout the world. Find out what universal human right are here.
At Client Meetings She Used to Hide Her Birkenstock’s Under the Table
Leading a venture capital company with a heart and a brain, Victoria Beasley of GigaScale Capital is a new breed of investor helping to transition the world to clean energy. Victoria has been a leading investor, founder, and operator in the climate industry for the past 15 years, including her most recent work as General Partner at Prelude Ventures. Her investments and experience span clean energy, mobility, food & agriculture, materials circularity, and carbon markets. Check out her climb to prominence and her advice to those still early in their careers. Learn more here.
2024 Will be a Banner Year for the Clean Energy Transition in the US
Not long ago, people called wind, solar and batteries “alternative energy.” That old moniker has now lost its meaning: In 2024, the U.S. power industry is choosing clean energy for almost all its new capacity additions. According to federal data, renewables, batteries and nuclear will add up to 96% of all new power capacity constructed this year, setting an all-time record for construction of new energy generating facilities. Of the total installed capacity, solar installations will comprise 58%, battery storage 23% and wind installations 13% highlighting to enormous growth of solar and battery storage technologies. Find out more here.
The Push to Make Ecocide the Next Deterrent for Wanton Destruction of the Biosphere
A growing global campaign is approaching a landmark in the fight against climate change: holding individuals responsible for mass environmental harm. The crime of "ecocide" would be deemed on par with genocide and crimes against humanity — and punishable as well. Watch an introduction to the topic here.
The Proof is in the Profit Pudding
IBM global survey reveals that companies that embed sustainability into their operations are likely to experience significant benefits over their peers in areas including revenue growth, profitability and talent attraction, even without spending more on their sustainability efforts. For the new study, IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV), in collaboration with Oxford Economics, surveyed 5,000 C-suite executives across 22 countries and 22 industries, examining the progress, investments, outcomes and key challenges facing organizations in their sustainability efforts. The key is to embed sustainability throughout the business—truly bake it into operations—rather than treat it as an add-on. Learn more here.
Our Biosphere - Is defined as that part of the Earth in which living organisms exist (the entire zone of life). As such, it is viewed as all the places that support life and includes the overlapping zones of the atmosphere, the upper part of the geosphere, and all of the hydrosphere. Or more simply; any place on Earth where life can exist. Not protecting our Biosphere is the root cause for most of the critical environmental, social and economic disasters we face today in the Anthropocene Era.
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Bill Stough, LLC | 616.889.0640 | PO Box 414, Byron Center, MI 49315