Built This Way

From how they’re built to how they’re run, there are myriad ways buildings impact the planet. And with the total footprint of buildings expected to grow 75% by 2050, it’s imperative that climate solutions are rapidly launched and scaled in the sector.?

In our latest Drawdown Ignite webinar, Project Drawdown senior scientist Amanda D. Smith shared insights into how the built environment contributes to climate change – and the part it can play in mitigating it. “We can’t address climate change or other imbalances without changing how we build and how we operate our buildings,” Amanda shared during the event.?Watch now >>

Don’t let the name fool you. Though short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) like methane, black carbon, and refrigerant gases break down in the atmosphere faster than carbon dioxide, the warming punch they pack into that shorter period is many times greater. While this makes SLCPs particularly dangerous in the near term, it also makes them ideal targets for intervention since cutting emissions now will rapidly reduce how quickly our planet warms.?

Fortunately, many “emergency brake” solutions are already at our fingertips that can cut SLCPs while providing our communities with cleaner air and healthier lives. To encourage policymakers and businesses to adopt such solutions, Project Drawdown recently joined refrigerant management company Recoolit and more than a dozen other nonprofits, universities, and companies in an open letter laying out a path forward. Read and share the letter now >>

Send your questions for World Storytelling Day!

Send in your questions about storytelling – whether about its role in climate solutions or how to tell your own story – and Matt Scott, Project Drawdown director of storytelling and engagement and host of Drawdown’s Neighborhood, may respond through a video takeover on Project Drawdown’s Instagram on March 20 for World Storytelling Day!?

Submit questions here by Friday, March 15, and be sure to follow @ProjectDrawdown on Instagram and YouTube to see responses.

Ignite webinar: Food Matters

Did you know around 20–35% of human-generated greenhouse gases come from food, agriculture, and land use? If we want to halt climate change we need to rethink what we eat and how we grow it. Join Project Drawdown executive director Jonathan Foley for our next Ignite webinar on March 28 as he shares a new framework for the future of sustainable food! Register now >>?

How to bank better

Last week, Project Drawdown’s Todd Reubold joined WBEZ radio to discuss our recent report on climate-responsible banking. Be sure to listen to learn how to uncover the climate impact of your bank and come away with tips for moving your money. Listen and share now >>

Plant-based bodegas

New York City loves its bodegas, bite-sized convenience stores on seemingly every corner. By bringing plant-based products to these city staples, Amanda Appelson from Plantega is helping make bodegas healthier for people and the planet. To learn more, check out Amanda’s Drawdown’s Neighborhood episode >>

We're hiring!

Are you a researcher looking to leverage your expertise in electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, or energy processing to help build the world’s most robust resource for climate solutions? If so, consider applying for one of several part-time Research Fellow positions we are currently hiring for! To learn more and apply >>

Bringing climate action to work

Do you work in engineering, product design, or product management? If so, learn how you can make your job a climate job using our latest Job Function Action Guides! Each guide offers expertly curated resources and tips for how the work you do can benefit both your business and the planet. Read now >>

Jump into the latest Insights

From identifying top opportunities to improve crop yields?to overcoming climate action challenges, Project Drawdown staff have published several great Insights posts over the past few weeks. Be sure to check them out – including a touching piece from director of storytelling and engagement Matt Scott on how he learned the importance of “passing the mic” – and share now >>

Indigenous climate leadership in Connecticut

“Indigenous people are seen as ancient or in the past, but these things are still actively being practiced,” says Xóchítl Garcia, an Indigenous-Chicana leader and community activist working in the New Haven area teaching people about climate change. Check out Garcia's?Drawdown’s Neighborhood episode to hear her story >>