The Cool Down

🗓️ 🌀 ☀️ Literally all of us have experienced an #extremeweather event, and the risks tied to our changing climate are well known. And yet, the research shows that still, too few people are really engaged in talking about and taking action around the climate challenges we face. That's the reason we started The Cool Down -- to connect more mainstream consumers to these topics in accessible, empowering ways and help them become more resilient and prepared -- and to help drive forward demand for a better clean energy future. Along the way, we've learned a lot from our 30M+ monthly audience about how to meet people where they are -- what language and value propositions work, and what doesn't. I'll be sharing some of those insights next Tuesday in a webinar hosted by the Data Foundation and Fors Marsh about the often under-discussed topic of how people process, act on, and engage with climate-related information. Looking forward to Ed Maibach, Director of the Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University, Ashley Nelle-Davis and Sonia Wang of the Data Foundation, and Kristin Murphy from Fors Marsh for an important and meaningful discussion on Tuesday at 1PM ET. Hope to see you there ▶️ https://lnkd.in/gDNqcHRA     #data #evidence #climateaction #extremeweather

➡️ In this exclusive opinion piece for The Cool Down, the President and CEO of Consumer Reports, Marta L. Tellado, shares some perspective on food dyes -- why they've been banned in some countries and some US states, and what consumers can do to make their voices heard. As we've reported on extensively at The Cool Down, consumers are getting more educated and more activated about cleaner, healthier products -- whether it's through signing a petition through a non-profit, non-partisan organization like Consumer Reports, sending an email to a company through apps like Yuka, or simply by using their purchasing power to choose better products. I've long relied on CR for their unbiased, factual information and reviews, and it's an honor to bring their unbiased consumer advocacy to TCD to help our community sort through the noise. Thanks Elmer Guardado and Marta L. Tellado for your partnership -- much more to come. 💚 #fooddye #fooddyes #consumers #foodsafety

🛞 Would you wear a jacket made out of old car tires this winter? New Zealand outdoor brand Kathmandu is betting the answer is YES. By incorporating end-of-life tires into the shell of its new puffer jacket, the company is preventing them from being dropped at landfills or incinerated — a process that releases toxic fumes connected to worsening respiratory issues and heart conditions, as well as some cancers.   And beyond the reduced waste & health benefits, #circularity strategies like Kathmandu's "old tires to new jacket" launch are giving consumers around the globe a better sense of their purchasing power to support brands breaking out of a linear mindset. 👉 Bundle up and get the full story here: https://lnkd.in/egHVBzM8

Could you cook a whole Thanksgiving meal on a battery-supported induction stove? This November, Copper — which makes the first-of-its-kind battery-supported induction stove — put its new tech to the test by hosting a company-wide feast with over 45 employees and their families. Induction stoves are catching on across the country because they're faster, safer, more efficient, and (deep breath) better for indoor air quality than gas stoves. And they're a game-changer for massive meals like Thanksgiving because they're also super precise and easy to clean up (no grooves and grates like on a gas range). The Cool Down spoke with Copper's head chef, Lisa Pinckney, about how she cooked the whole Thanksgiving meal using this new induction tech. 👀 Plus, she gave us a few secret recs on how to spice up all the inevitable turkey leftovers. ⚡ Learn more: https://lnkd.in/egaJAfYw

🦃 "Instead of arguing over current events or the actual best #Thanksgiving side, why not make the conversation both positive and productive? We've gathered the best news, the craziest developments, and the most exciting changes that are making our planet a better, cooler place." As we head into the #Thanksgiving week, resurfacing this gem from our own Dillon Thompson at The Cool Down, which is just as relevant today as it was last year: 15 stories we're pumped to tell our families about to take you all the way from appetizers to dessert. Dig in here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gyrqY6Hn Wishing everyone a peaceful, restful holiday. 💚 #solar #induction #climatesolutions #climate #Thanksgiving

🛋️ Here's a fun antidote to the Black Friday deals spamming your inbox: IKEA is offering discounts on its "As-Is" marketplace of used furniture online and in-person this Thanksgiving. When we talked with Karen Pflug, chief sustainability officer at Ingka Group (Ikea's largest franchise retailer), earlier this year, the main takeaway was that Ikea is on mission to make "sustainability affordable and accessible." "The big paradigm shift of many businesses, including ours, [is] moving from a linear business to a circular one," Pflug said, and that includes the As-Is marketplace (comprised of customer returns, discontinued, second-hand, or ex-display products). "There's lots of things ... that we're trying to show the customer [that], for us, what gives us the best joy is that the products either stay with you for a long long time or get a second life," Pflug said. According to the company, around 10% of the global second-hand home furnishing market is made up of Ikea items. Last year, Ikea's As-Is division sold over 36 million products. 👉 Read more about our interview with Karen Pflug here: https://lnkd.in/ea6yKs2F 🛍️ Then go get a great deal on a Billy bookcase: https://lnkd.in/eD5tFkFc #sustainability #climatesolutions #resale

🏁🦃 Trend roundup for Nov 18-22: The business x sustainability stories that our 35M+ monthly audience is clicking on 👇 🚗 Our audience is all in on EV innovations — especially when it comes to charging stations and range anxiety --> A big story this week was about California unveiling its first-ever 24/7 EV charging center that's touted as a 'community destination' [https://lnkd.in/eA3W52qX] 💚 Hope for the future — and relief that Gen Z is so smart --> We loved to learn about this Italian teenager who just became the first person to create a working fusion reactor in a school setting, getting us one step closer to unlimited energy [https://lnkd.in/ebrRMM_s] 💾 Sustainable tech is good for the planet (and page clicks) --> Our audience is super stoked about advancements like Apple's first-ever carbon-neutral Mac mini, made with recyclable and renewable materials [https://lnkd.in/e8UkhV7e] What sustainability stories caught your eye this week? #climatesolutions #sustainability #news

🍕 🔍 Newsflash for brands: Ingredient transparency is becoming a must-have for engaged consumers prioritizing their health and safety — and new tech is enabling the momentum like never before. In this edition, we’re unpacking how shoppers are getting savvier and more active about the ingredients and products they’re using and ingesting — and how brands can meet them where they are. 🥕 Plus, an exclusive interview with Julie Chapon, co-founder of the wildly popular food transparency app Yuka, about the new accountability feature it just rolled out.

How2Recycle® (H2R) — the 800-plus-brand coalition behind the "chasing arrows" ♻️ label you see on most products — just launched a major change. Enter: a new dynamic label with a QR code on it so that you get a clear-cut answer on whether a product can be recycled in your specific region. Paul Nowak, the executive director at GreenBlue Org (which runs the How2Recycle coalition) walked us through how the new QR code works and which brands have already started using it. Get the full story here: https://lnkd.in/epAhPB6s #climatesolutions #recycling #innovation

🎁 For anyone who needs a break from politics 😜 sharing The Cool Down's holiday gift guide -- let's focus on supporting local and small businesses and companies who are doing good things in the world. 🎁 Some of our favorite unique, high-quality gifts include: ✍ Paper Culture for holiday cards 💋 Personal care and beauty products from Poppy & Pout, MOB Beauty, Axiology Beauty and more 🍫 Chocolate from Tony's Chocolonely and food from Daily Harvest and Martie 👜 Purses and packs from Rothy's and Cotopaxi 🧦 Socks from Conscious Step, Bombas and Pacas™, Inc. 🪄 Experiences from Uncommon Goods like pet portrait painting & magic shows 🐻 Cozy blankets from Bearaby Our full list is here: https://lnkd.in/gTfiapGA Any that you would add to this list? Hope this gives you some inspiration 💚 #holidays #sustainable #gifting #gifts