An artist’s conception shows the layout for the Natrium reactor demonstration project in Kemmerer, Wyo. (TerraPower Illustration) Could we be witnessing nuclear power’s comeback? After decades on the back burner, the sweeping climate change bill recently signed by President Biden includes multiple initiatives boosting existing and future nuclear plants. California this week took steps to…
Category Archives: Sustainability
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The famed cherry blossoms on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) The University of Washington on Thursday announced that it will divest its multi-billion dollar endowment from fossil fuel companies by 2027. The university pledged that its overall investment portfolio would reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The…
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Bill Gates, right, speaks with Microsoft President Brad Smith during the opening session at the Cascadia Vision 2050 conference at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, Wash., on Monday. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) BLAINE, Wash. — Wildfire smoke was hanging over the U.S.-Canada border in the distance as regional leaders from both countries arrived here Monday,…
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Lucas Joppa, center, at the Cascadia Vision 2050 conference in Blaine, Wash. The panel included Steve Shestag, Boeing’s director of environment, left, and moderator Yemi Adefulu, deputy executive director of the B.C. Center for Innovation and Clean Energy. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Lucas Joppa was Microsoft’s first chief environmental officer when he took the…
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A DroneSeed employee oversees the deployment of two drones above a burn site. (DroneSeed Photo) A swarm of giant drones navigates a scorched moonscape, tracing the rugged topography. The scene has a desolate, sci-fi vibe — but its reality is rooted in the terra firma. The devices belong to DroneSeed, a Seattle startup deploying technology…
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An Amazon Prime truck heads north on Interstate 5 in Washington. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Amazon today announced a deal with low-carbon fuel manufacturer Infinium to purchase some of its “electrofuel” to power delivery trucks beginning next year. The partnership is another step in the tech giant’s path to curbing its rising carbon emissions….
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(Rad Power Bikes Photo) The biggest e-bike company in North America is for the first time offering its bikes to consumers through a subscription plan — but not in the U.S. Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes is partnering with a German company already in the e-bike subscription business to provide its vehicles for rent. Berlin’s Cycle…
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(Alaska Airlines Photo) Alaska Airlines has reduced flight time and carbon emissions after using dispatch software from a small Silicon Valley startup. Airspace Intelligence has helped the Seattle-based airline shave an average of 2.7 minutes per flight so far this year, saving 6,866 metric tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of 17 million miles…
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Some of the FlexCharging team convened for a meeting in Las Vegas in June. Employees, from left to right: Tyler Phillipi, Harold Shin, David Klein, CEO and founder Brian Grunkemeyer, Ken Nichols and Charles Martey. (FlexCharging Photo) In 2014, Brian Grunkemeyer was a Microsoft principal software engineer with a passion for fighting climate change. That…
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A smokey September sunset from Seattle’s unusually dry summer and fall. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Seattle’s identity has been synonymous with drizzle, moss and the angsty grunge music and compulsive coffee drinking that’s fueled by its notoriously damp, gray weather. But this year’s summer and start of fall are threatening to wring those traits…