HP’s all-in on refurbished
It’s hard to say anything is a universal truth when it comes to making decisions that are gentler on the Earth, but here’s one that comes pretty darn close: A piece of preloved gear is better than buying the same thing brand new. And Trellis reports that HP is leaning into that idea. The company is encouraging third-party sellers (translation: any shop that’s not HP itself) to market refurbished computers and printers. The incentive? The company is compensating those outlets at the same rate they would get for selling the product new. The carbon savings will of course vary depending on what model you’re looking at, but to give an example: HP says a refreshed EliteBook laptop has a 60% smaller footprint than one fresh off the production line.
What you can do: Opt for secondhand goods whenever the option is available. Check out our favorite spots to score anything from electronics and bikes to clothes and camping gear. And, because back-to-school shopping is already looming, we’ve got some tips there, too.
A game changer for apartment HVAC
At the residential level, trading a conventional HVAC system for a heat pump is among the most-effective ways to slash a home’s planet-warming potential. Switching to a heat pump can cut emissions by anywhere from 3.7 metric tons to 7.6 metric tons a year, depending on what type of system it’s replacing. That’s equivalent to leaving a gas-powered car in the garage—for-ev-er. Apartment dwellers are unfortunately largely left out of this, but a new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) comes with a breath of hope: It found that an emerging class of heat pumps that sit in windows the same way traditional AC units do can cut per-unit energy use by 87%—while keeping the temperature at a place that would please the most-Goldilocks member of any household.
What you can do: The pricetag for a window heat pump is currently more than $9,000 per unit, and experts tell Heatmap that states will likely need to ink incentives to help with the costs—so keep an eye on proposed laws and ballot measures near you. In the meantime, anyone living in a single-family home should be strongly considering the switch right now: Federal tax incentives for heat pumps run out at the end of the year.
Solar installations need help speeding up
Solar development is about to hit a rough patch in the U.S.—and that’s putting it mildly. The Trump administration’s budget plan stands to cut all clean-energy installs by 41%, according to analysis from Bloomberg. Last week, the Interior Department announced that new wind and solar projects will be subject to increased scrutiny, including approval by Secretary Doug Burgum himself. And at the same time, coal mine development has moved into the fast lane. All that’s on top of what can already be strong opposition to solar buildouts at the local level: Around 16% of U.S. counties have laws so strict they effectively ban new wind or solar projects.
What you can do: Get involved in addressing solar “siting” regulations at the local level. Sittng refers to the rules around how projects get built, including rules around their distance from neighbors and how tall panels can be. A handful of states, including Massachusetts and Colorado, have already passed laws that serve as models for how to streamline the siting process. Check out Climate Changemakers’ action plan for advocating for similar changes where you live, including tips for calling your local elected officials.
Don’t sleep on tool libraries
A couple weeks ago, we published a column about Amazon Prime Day—and the very real struggle between personal finances and buying from a company with a climate rap sheet. In it, we mentioned the example of needing a power tool for tackling a couple long-neglected home-improvement projects. What that column failed to mention, though, is that community is often the answer to necessity. One reader wrote in saying she’d mail us the tool (thanks, Laura, we’ve figured it out!), but the real answer is a tool library. The free lending sites are gaining popularity across the country, The New York Times recently reported, and are a boon for both communities and sustainability, often housing thousands of tools in their stacks.
What you can do: Keep tools circulating to as many people as possible—for as long as possible. As we reported in June, sharing and repairing tools and appliances can cut individual emissions by up to 3%. Here’s how to find a tool library (or other DIY help) near you.