Cool Effect Blog

The Carbon Footprint of Solar Panel Manufacturing Solar carbon footprints are a hot topic in the world of renewable energy as we strive to create a greener planet. Although solar energy helps thousands of households reduce their carbon emissions every day, the carbon footprint of solar panels can be quite significant due to their manufacturing process. In this article, we’ll compare how much CO2 is saved with solar energy with solar panel carbon footprints. We’ll discuss solar emissions and their alternatives, solar footprints, and discuss some up-to-date carbon footprint solutions. How are Solar Panels Manufactured? There are two types of solar panels being manufactured today: Monocrystalline Polycrystalline Both types have different carbon footprints. Monocrystalline solar panels are probably what you picture when you think of solar energy. Their cells have a distinct black color and are associated with the shiny, sleek look of premium solar panels. The manufacturing process involves molding a huge silicon block. Then, you slice small wafers from the block and affix them onto a solar panel. Polycrystalline solar cells are also made from silicon. However, the manufacturing process is different. Instead of coming from a silicon block, polycrystalline cells are created by melting silicon crystals together. [...]

Climate Change Cause and Effects Climate change is significantly impacting our planet, creating one of the most pressing issues of our time. Taking the steps needed to mitigate climate change is crucial. However, only by truly understanding the causes and effects of climate change can we start to make a difference to the planet. The evidence for climate change is all around us, and its effects have a significant impact on people, places, and wildlife. This post will discuss what climate change is, the global warming definition, causes and effects of these phenomenons, and possible solutions that can save the planet. Climate change cause and effect education can motivate individuals to make small changes in their day-to-day lives for the greater good of the human race. Read on to discover the causes and effects of global warming. What is Climate Change? Climate change describes changes in average weather patterns of a location (or the globe) and the related changes in ice sheets, land surfaces, and oceans. This process occurs over many years or decades, or sometimes even longer. Climate change is distinct from the weather. Weather is a term used to describe the state of the Earth’s atmosphere — its [...]

9 Incredible Facts About Renewable Resources When it comes to climate change, renewable energy is one of the best resources we can harness to reduce the threat of global warming. Sources of renewable energy such as hydro, wind, and solar power don't emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, like non-renewable sources. Ultimately, by switching to renewable energy, we can work towards reducing the effects of global warming. If you’re curious about climate change, facts about renewable energy will prove useful. With that in mind, we’re sharing some clean energy facts, fun facts about renewable energy, and highlight facts about alternative energy. In addition, we'll answer questions like, 'what are some useful green energy facts?', and 'what are the top facts about renewable resources?' Our alternative energy facts will be split into three sections — solar, hydro, and wind — before sharing some information about non-renewable energy. Solar Power Facts Solar energy creates clean, renewable power from the sun. Below are some facts about clean energy from solar power. 1. Solar power is the most abundant source of energy on the planet. Enough solar energy hits the Earth each hour to meet the planet's power needs for a whole year. [...]

A Guide to Food Carbon Footprint When we discuss food carbon footprint, we have to consider food transportation, manufacturing, and cooking. All of these processes use power and therefore contribute to the carbon footprint of foods. Food waste is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food. This is largely because food production and decomposition emit the potent greenhouse gas methane. While methane only has an atmospheric residency time of 9 years compared to up to 20-1000 years for carbon, methane is 28 times more effective at trapping heat via the greenhouse effect, making it worthy of our attention. This article will cover the following: Source of food emissions Carbon footprint of different meats Food carbon footprint rankings Potential food footprint solutions Where Do Food Emissions Come From? Food's carbon footprint is affected by gas emissions associated with rearing, growing, farming, transporting, processing, disposing of, and cooking the foods we eat. In the U.S. alone, the average household produces around 48 tons of greenhouse gases per year. Housing, transportation, and food are responsible for our three largest contributors. Food can be attributed to eight of those 48 tonnes per household. [...]

Dear Colleagues, One of our most frequently asked questions is, “What makes Cool Effect different?” Our response always centers around our projects—dedication to additionality, the work our project team does to find, verify and visit our projects, our insistence of price transparency and our communications tools. (Doesn’t everyone want to know that their dollar is making a difference?). In response to dozens of inquiries, today we are launching our revised project pages which elevate the Core Carbon Principals to make it clear why we have chosen each project. We’ve also had some fun with our project names in an effort to incorporate the benefits as well as the category. See it all here. Another common question is, “Do you have carbon removal projects?” Well, yes, we do. But we also have many other types of projects. Most of the confusion in the voluntary market centers around what is required to claim, “carbon neutrality” or “net zero.” Part of the discourse comes from the type of offset being considered. Meanwhile, the rate of emissions of carbon dioxide continues to rise. When Cool Effect reviews projects, we consider a broad scope of scientific methodologies. We believe that the avoidance of emissions is [...]

Make Fighting Climate Change your Business One of the key principles behind Cool Effect is that every action, no matter how small, has the potential to have a tremendous impact. When individuals unite passionately for a cause, there’s nothing the power of collective action can’t accomplish — but that doesn’t mean we’re discounting the tremendous impact brands, businesses, and organizations can have in the fight against climate change. When just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of total global emissions, the top 15 food and beverage companies in the U.S. emit more carbon emissions than Australia, and yet over 70% of Fortune 500 companies don’t have an actual plan in place to fight climate change by 2030, it’s clear that inspiring brands and businesses to take climate action isn’t just a nice idea — it’s a necessity. The good news? More now than ever before, companies are stepping away from empty, greenwashing pledges and leaning into actual, measurable actions that are helping reduce carbon emissions on a grand scale. Some, like our friends at DYPER, American Airlines, Salesforce, and Nuun have taken the steps needed by reducing their footprints and then relying on verifiable carbon offsets to get them to [...]

Carbon Footprint of Electric Cars vs. Gasoline Are electric cars the future? Do electric cars cause pollution? Is electric car pollution worse than gasoline pollution? These are all valid questions; we will unpack the answers together in this article. Of course, when we talk about electric cars vs. gas cars’ pollution levels, we must consider the manufacturing processes used to make both models. We must also think about electric car battery disposal pollution and the lifetime emissions of gasoline-powered cars vs. electric cars. It’s also important to consider the impact of electric cars vs. gas cars on the environment, including emissions from driving, manufacturing, and disposal. Do Electric Cars Pollute? An objection to the clean, eco-friendly image of electric cars is the effects of electric car battery pollution. Electric car batteries are composed of various rare earth materials. The extraction, manipulation, and disposal of such materials can contribute to carbon emissions and air and water pollution. That is before considering the human cost of conflict mining. While internal combustion vehicles (ICEVs) have reduced their emissions over time, electric cars have a competitive edge as they produce zero running emissions. EVs have a considerable advantage over conventional cars depending on where [...]

6 Ways You Can Make Earth Month Matter While each Earth Day and Earth Month serve as reminders of the worldwide environmental movement’s importance and the imperative responsibility we have as people to protect the earth for future generations, too often organizations and individuals mark the event by sharing kind words for the planet. . .and not much else. Empty words and gestures don’t mean a thing when it comes to taking action for the planet because committing to taking action isn’t the same as actually taking action. And don’t get us wrong — we love a good march, but since hitting the streets in large crowds isn’t a great option for most of us right now, we need to find ways to make our actions speak as loudly as our collective voices have in the past. At Cool Effect, we stand by the notion that every small action counts in the fight to save our planet and reduce carbon emissions. So this year, instead of just signing a pledge, changing your profile picture, or sharing a link, we encourage you to join us. We encourage you to take tangible action for the planet. We encourage you to Make Earth [...]

Dear Colleagues, There is no doubt that our climate is finally getting the attention that it deserves. But in some ways, more dialogue has made things confusing. On Friday, the US officially reentered the Paris Agreement, and later that same day, several companies joined a coalition called “America is All In.” As both of these developments represent major steps forward in the climate movement, we immediately began to get questions as to how this may or may not impact other initiatives such as the Science Based Targets Initiative and the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets. On Sunday, I had the opportunity to hear Katharine Hayhoe as she addressed the connection between climate and the tragedy in Texas. I was impressed by her simplification of a complex message which is exactly what we need to help us navigate climate change. Every day, we talk to business leaders who want to participate in climate action but, frankly, are confused. Businesses want to make an impact and they want to do the right thing, yet the number of initiatives and entities offering “guidance” can be overwhelming. Businesses are confused about the process, certification, pricing, scientific documentation, communications, about calculating footprints — each [...]

Dear Community Members, This past year, amid multiple global challenges, Cool Effect saw unprecedented action from its community. The collective action of our community: Retired over 1 million metric tons of harmful greenhouse gases Helped 7 high-quality carbon projects meet their goals and retire all available carbon credits. Now these projects are investing in improvements that will reduce even more GHG. Doubled the purchases of personal emission offsets We were encouraged by the progress of our projects: Alto Mayo, Peru, helped 130 families plant 8,000 forest seedlings to provide shade for coffee crops. They also introduced a program to plant Dragon Fruit which will provide extra income for participating farmers in 2021. Amazon Rosewood Conservation, Brazil, helped over 200 people obtain ownership of their land which protects it from deforestation, started a beehive program, and started a clean water program to deliver drinking water to local families. Chyulu Hills, Kenya, used proceeds from carbon for bursaries for school children and began restoration of wetlands which will produce 80,000 tree seedlings. Southern Ute Methane Capture, Colorado, has met its goal of capturing 470,000 metric tons and is moving into phase two. New and improved technology is being installed which will capture [...]