+
Science

This company makes it easier than ever to go carbon neutral

This company makes it easier than ever to go carbon neutral
Image via Unsplash

Climate change is the biggest challenge humanity will face in the 21st century. If we want to change course and help our planet heal , every single one of us has to take action right now. And we’re not simply talking about using reusable grocery bags or opting out of daily housekeeping when you stay at a hotel. We’ve all got to do a lot more, and we’ve got to do it every single day.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Not sure where to start? Well, here’s the good news. A group of young entrepreneurs has figured out an innovative way to make it easier for regular people to take action on climate change. And after securing funding from some of the most influential investors in the country, Wren was born.

What is Wren? It’s a cool new startup that helps consumers offset their carbon footprint by funding important ecological projects and climate change research.



What Does It Mean To Offset Your Carbon Footprint?


Image via Unsplash


Your carbon footprint is a measurement of the carbon emissions generated because of the things you do and the choices you make. A big carbon footprint means your lifestyle burns a lot of fossil fuels. A small carbon footprint means the opposite.When it comes to reversing climate change, reducing the size of our carbon footprints is critical. After that, the next step is to offset whatever carbon footprint we still make by removing an equal amount of carbon emissions from the atmosphere. If we do this, it means we’re “carbon neutral.”

That’s where Wren comes in.

lh6.googleusercontent.com

Wren Can Make You Carbon Neutral

When you sign up with Wren, the first thing you’ll do is take a quiz that calculates your carbon footprint and helps you understand the scope of your environmental impact. For example, it will tell you how many tons of carbon dioxide you produce per year, how your footprint compares to the average household, and what the planet would be like if everyone lived like you. After that, Wren shows you how much it would cost each month to offset your carbon emissions.

How will forking over your hard-earned money help you go carbon neutral? That money will fund life-changing climate projects across the globe. These projects include tree planting, reforestation, and rainforest protection. But the money will also fund advanced projects like carbon sequestration, mineral weathering, biochar cooling, and clean fuel research.

When you pay to offset your carbon footprint with Wren, you get detailed accounts of the specific projects your monthly contributions are funding. Wren only partners with world-class institutions and organizations. But if a project does not offset as much carbon as planned, Wren will fund another project to make up the difference, so the impact of your contribution is always 100 percent guaranteed.

Best of all, when you partner with Wren, you’re investing in real science . All carbon calculations are based on peer-reviewed data, so there is a direct causal relationship between what you pay and the carbon removed from the atmosphere.

lh4.googleusercontent.com

Wren Makes It Easy To Do Your Part

Right now, the climate situation is pretty dire. The year 2020 was, among other things, the hottest one ever recorded. We’re losing 151 billion tons of polar ice per year. And sea levels are rising 3.4 millimeters per year. Scientists now say we only have ten years left before these changes become permanent.

One person acting alone will do nothing. But if we all step up, if we all make sacrifices together, we can solve the climate change problem. That’s why we need forward-thinking solutions like Wren. This company launched last year, but members have already raised $1.7 million to offset 114,066 tons of carbon dioxide.

Want to be a part of something truly amazing? Click here to sign up with Wren today.





True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep Reading Show less
Image from Wikimedia Commons .

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist ( even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
Keep Reading Show less

Anyone who's ever been on Tinder knows having a cute animal in the photo is usually a big hit .

But what if Tinder profile photos only featured that cute animal? And what if, instead of a millennial would-be hooker-upper, it was the adorable dog or cat itself looking for true love?

That's an idea some animal shelters are toying with.

Keep Reading Show less
via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

Keep Reading Show less
Health

Please read this before you post another RIP on social media

There is a hierarchy of grief and it's important to know where you fall on it before posting about someone's death.

Image from GOOD .

Working through grief is a community thing.


Grieving in the technology age is uncharted territory.

I'll take you back to Saturday, June 9, 2012. At 8:20 a.m., my 36-year-old husband was pronounced dead at a hospital just outside Washington, D.C.

By 9:20 a.m., my cellphone would not stop ringing or text-alerting me long enough for me to make the necessary calls that I needed to make: people like immediate family, primary-care doctors to discuss death certificates and autopsies, funeral homes to discuss picking him up, and so on. Real things, important things, time-sensitive, urgent things.

At 9:47 a.m., while speaking to a police officer (because yes, when your spouse dies, you must be questioned by the police immediately), one call did make it through. I didn't recognize the number. But in those moments, I knew I should break my normal rule and answer all calls. "He's dead??? Oh my God. Who's with you? Are you OK? Why am I reading this on Facebook? Taya, what the heck is going on?"

Keep Reading Show less
All photos by the Ambulance Wish Foundation, used with permission.

She wanted to see "my favorite painting one last time."


Before 54-year-old Mario passed away, he had one special goodbye he needed to say ... to his favorite giraffe.

Mario had worked as a maintenance man at the Rotterdam zoo in the Netherlands for over 25 years. After his shifts, he loved to visit and help care for the animals, including the giraffes.

Keep Reading Show less
via Ted Eytan

In June 2015 The Supreme Court of the United States declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

The legalization of gay marriage granted over 1100 statutory provisions to same-sex couples, many of them granting rights and privileges previously only afforded to heterosexual couples.

After the decision, President Barack Obama said the ruling will "strengthen all of our communities" by offering dignity and equal status to all same-sex couples and their families.

He called it a "victory for America."

Keep Reading Show less