Sustainability - GeekWire

Pacific Northwest selected as a national hydrogen hub eligible for up to $1 billion in funding

by Lisa Stiffler on October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 at 8:27 am

The Pacific Northwest will be home to one of seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Energy. The hubs are meant to kick-start the… Read More

Amazon Fresh store in Seattle becomes world’s first grocery to win Zero Carbon certification

by Lisa Stiffler on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 at 10:39 am

An Amazon Fresh store in North Seattle is the world’s first grocery store to be certified as Zero Carbon by an international nonprofit promoting sustainable buildings. It’s also the first… Read More

Washington state wants a bigger piece of the growing offshore wind sector

by Lisa Stiffler on October 10, 2023October 10, 2023 at 3:32 pm

Washington leaders on Wednesday launched an initiative to support companies in the state that want to play a role in the offshore wind energy sector. The nonprofit Washington Maritime Blue… Read More

Meet the latest next-gen battery startup to put down roots in a rural town in Washington

by Lisa Stiffler on October 7, 2023October 7, 2023 at 8:20 am

California battery startup OneD Battery Sciences is breaking ground Monday on a pilot manufacturing facility in the Eastern Washington town of Moses Lake. It joins two other companies — Group14… Read More

‘Forever chemicals’ are eternal no more thanks to a pollution destroying device from Tacoma startup

by Lisa Stiffler on October 4, 2023October 4, 2023 at 6:28 am

It would be fair to expect the destroyer of toxic “forever chemicals” to be a massive, intimidating device. In which case it’s either disappointing or delightful to discover that a… Read More

Chevron’s VC arm invests in EV charging startup Electric Era

by Lisa Stiffler on October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 at 9:32 am

Electric vehicle charging startup Electric Era announced today that Chevron Technology Ventures, the petroleum giant’s venture arm, has invested in and closed its $13 million Series A round. HSBC Asset… Read More

Seattle startup Muir AI, which helps companies calculate complex carbon emissions, raises $3.25M

by Lisa Stiffler on October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 at 10:27 am

Muir AI, a Seattle startup providing carbon accounting, has raised a $3.25 million seed round led by Base10 Partners. Existing investors Madrona Venture Labs and Soma Capital also participated in… Read More

This ag-tech startup kept digging, and found an electrifying idea to zap weeds and soil pests

by Lisa Stiffler on October 2, 2023October 3, 2023 at 8:23 am

Initially the goal was to keep the wriggling worms alive, to use a jolt of electricity to stimulate their nerve cells in the pursuit of scientific discovery. But the research… Read More

Meet Seattle’s ‘Climate Papa’ – an entrepreneur turned investor, podcaster, climate action apostle

by Lisa Stiffler on September 29, 2023September 29, 2023 at 1:50 pm

There are few who can say, as Ben Eidelson can, that perhaps his most important career decision came from an internal dialogue with his imagined teenage daughter. Eidelson, an engineer… Read More

Microsoft is a guinea pig for climate friendly concrete as it paves the way to greener data centers

by Lisa Stiffler on September 28, 2023September 28, 2023 at 2:18 pm

Microsoft is building 120 new data centers this year alone, and operates more than 300 of the server hubs worldwide. The facilities require significant amounts of concrete, which is a… Read More

Honeywell invests $27.5M into Oregon battery company ESS

by Lisa Stiffler on September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 at 1:21 pm

New partnership: Oregon battery manufacturer ESS Inc. has a deal with international conglomerate Honeywell that includes a $27.5 million investment with the possibility of an additional $20 million in capital… Read More

Investors share tips for startups in the climate tech sector looking for cash

by Lisa Stiffler on September 26, 2023October 3, 2023 at 8:24 am

Climate tech investors and entrepreneurs met Monday evening in downtown Seattle to network and gather insights from each other. The meetup was among the first events held as part of… Read More

This startup turns discarded crab shells into useful industrial chemicals

by Lisa Stiffler on September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 at 8:19 am

Green chemistry startup Tidal Vision has raised more than $20 million and last month announced the acquisition of one of its customers for an undisclosed sum. The Bellingham, Wash.-based business… Read More

Hydrogen startup spins out of Bill Gates-backed R&D effort, lands $7.8M

by Lisa Stiffler on September 25, 2023September 25, 2023 at 3:49 pm

Peregrine Hydrogen, a Santa Cruz, Calif., startup developing technology for producing clean hydrogen, raised $7.8 million in seed financing. The company is aiming to manufacture climate friendly hydrogen that is… Read More

Clean aviation startup ZeroAvia lands more cash from Amazon, Bill Gates, Alaska Airlines

by Lisa Stiffler on September 18, 2023September 18, 2023 at 8:50 am

ZeroAvia announced Monday that it has raised its largest round of funding to date. The company didn’t disclose the specific sum, citing legal reasons, but previous rounds include a $72… Read More

Five reasons to be bullish on climate tech in the Pacific NW, according to entrepreneurs and leaders

by Lisa Stiffler on September 14, 2023September 14, 2023 at 3:44 pm

Climate tech can be a somewhat scary sector for investors to make their bets. Backing companies that are building physical stuff — like batteries and solar panels, devices to capture… Read More

From indifferent to energized: How a test drive at the Electrify Expo sparked a desire to go electric

by Lisa Stiffler on September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 at 10:45 am

I’ll admit I’m not an auto enthusiast. That could make me the best person to cover the Electrify Expo Seattle 2023 — if the event can get me excited about… Read More

Canadian electric bus and truck maker cruises into new assembly facility in Washington state

by Lisa Stiffler on September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 at 6:02 pm

Canadian electric truck and bus manufacturer Vicinity Motor Corp celebrated the opening Tuesday of a 100,000-square-foot assembly facility near Bellingham, Wash. The manufacturing site marks the creation of yet another… Read More

Amazon signs deal for pulling carbon from the air and locking it deep underground in Texas

by Lisa Stiffler on September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 at 10:09 am

Amazon today announced it’s paying 1PointFive for the removal of 250,000 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere over a decade. The purchase supports 1PointFive’s construction of what aims to… Read More

Seattle testing electric sweeper for bike lanes as part of city’s move toward zero-emission fleet

by Kurt Schlosser on September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 at 10:40 am

The Seattle Department of Transportation has deployed a fully electric compact bike lane sweeper as part of a pilot program to test the viability of such a machine in the… Read More

Microsoft just signed a giant carbon removal deal to sponge up CO2 using limestone

by Lisa Stiffler on September 7, 2023September 7, 2023 at 11:34 am

Microsoft announced that it is purchasing 315,000 metric tons of carbon removal over a multi-year period from climate tech startup Heirloom Carbon, one of the biggest deals of its kind… Read More

Tech entrepreneur Robbie Cape brings a taste of startup life to Mt. Joy, his new Seattle chicken joint

by Kurt Schlosser on September 7, 2023September 7, 2023 at 2:13 pm

The joy was on the face of Robbie Cape. And the Mt. Joy was in the mouths and bellies of those who attended the special preview of a food truck… Read More

The wheels on the bus are battery powered as e-bus use surges ahead

by Lisa Stiffler on September 1, 2023August 31, 2023 at 7:37 pm

The number of models of passenger electric vehicles keeps growing, and electric delivery vans are becoming a more common sight on the road. But it’s the lowly bus that’s zooming… Read More

Seattle clean tech startup lands $1.4M for eco-friendly soy-based suds for shampoos, detergents

by Lisa Stiffler on August 30, 2023August 31, 2023 at 9:24 am

The news: Seattle-based clean-tech startup Sironix Renewables raised $1.47 million in new funding. The tech: Sironix has developed a suite of surfactants, which are the chemicals that make shampoo foamy… Read More

Severe wildfires are difficult to control – but one research model shows ‘a better way forward’

by Lisa Stiffler on August 25, 2023August 25, 2023 at 4:12 pm

As swaths of wildlands are being scorched and communities smoked out by another unusually hot, dry summer, researchers in Washington state say there could be a less miserable, environmentally beneficial… Read More

Researchers want to put energy hogs like ChatGPT on a diet with more efficient computer chips

by Lisa Stiffler on August 24, 2023August 24, 2023 at 7:23 am

ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies are wowing — and sometimes alarming — users with their human-like abilities to carry on conversations and perform tasks. But they’re also sparking concern… Read More

EV charging startup Electric Era lands $11.5M to deploy AI- and battery-supported stations

by Lisa Stiffler on August 22, 2023August 22, 2023 at 11:08 am

Seattle-based electric vehicle charging startup Electric Era today announced $11.5 million in new funding, bringing its total investments to date to $19 million. The investment comes during a surge of… Read More

Flying clean: National experts say ‘bold action’ required to cut carbon from aviation

by Lisa Stiffler on August 18, 2023August 18, 2023 at 12:21 pm

Aviation is responsible for 2.3% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions — a number that’s almost certain to grow as air travel increases while ground transportation and the power grid cut… Read More

New legislation aims to expand Seattle’s EV charging infrastructure

by Taylor Soper on August 15, 2023August 15, 2023 at 4:28 pm

Seattle could get a boost in electric vehicle charging if new legislation is approved Tuesday by the City Council. The bill, CB 120637, would give Seattle City Light the ability… Read More

Water purification startup Membrion raises $5.5M as it rolls out commercial projects

by Lisa Stiffler on August 14, 2023August 14, 2023 at 11:48 am

Seattle startup Membrion raised an additional $5.5 million from investors. The company, which spun out of the University of Washington, has created ceramic membranes for onsite wastewater treatment. The funding… Read More