Sustainability

Q&A: AWS renewable power leader on AI’s energy strain, a political dust-up in Oregon, and more

by Lisa Stiffler on August 5, 2023August 7, 2023 at 10:57 am

Amazon for three years has ranked as the No. 1 corporate purchaser of renewable energy worldwide. As the retail, cloud and entertainment giant strives to reach net zero carbon emissions… Read More

Bill Gates-backed startup aims to fight wildfires, drawing on expertise of ex-Amazon drone leader and aviation execs

by Lisa Stiffler on August 3, 2023August 4, 2023 at 4:07 pm

Data Blanket is a new startup out of the Seattle area developing small fleets of AI-powered drones that can perform self-guided missions to assess wildfires and automatically share that information… Read More

Real estate data: Americans flocking to areas at high risk of fires, floods and extreme heat

by Lisa Stiffler on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 at 2:58 pm

Seattle real estate platform Redfin analyzed migration patterns of Americans in recent years and found high numbers of people moving into, rather than out of, areas at high risk of… Read More

Boeing and NASA partner with Alaska and other airlines on eco-friendly X-66A aircraft

by Alan Boyle on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 at 3:43 pm

Boeing and NASA say they’ll collaborate with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines and four other major airlines on the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, which aims to put Boeing’s innovative X-66 braced-wing aircraft… Read More

Battery materials company Group14 gets a European foothold via acquisition in Germany

by Lisa Stiffler on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 at 11:50 am

The news: Group14 Technologies, a startup based in Woodinville, Wash., announced Monday it has acquired Germany’s Schmid Silicon Technology Holding for an undisclosed sum. The company produces silane gas, which… Read More

Next-gen nuclear reactor company signs deal to build up to 12 reactors in Washington state

by Lisa Stiffler on July 19, 2023July 19, 2023 at 4:53 pm

X-energy, a company building next-generation nuclear reactors, announced Wednesday that it has an agreement with Energy Northwest to build up to 12 of the modular devices in Central Washington. The… Read More

News Brief

New startup aims to help other companies with fusion power IP and licensing

by Lisa Stiffler on July 19, 2023July 19, 2023 at 11:14 am

Fusion startup ExoFusion today announced that it raised a seed round of an undisclosed amount. The company launched last year and is offering intellectual property and licensing of technology to… Read More

Amazon lowers annual carbon footprint for first time with 0.4% reduction in emissions

by Lisa Stiffler on July 18, 2023July 19, 2023 at 12:49 pm

For the first time in the five years that Amazon has shared its carbon emissions, the cloud computing, online retail and entertainment giant has stopped the growth of its footprint,… Read More

California company breaks ground on Washington’s first commercial sustainable aviation fuel plant

by Lisa Stiffler on July 11, 2023July 12, 2023 at 10:35 am

Twelve broke ground today on the site of a defunct sugar beet refinery in Eastern Washington, marking the start of construction of what will be the company’s and the state’s… Read More

Video

This elegant new kitchen appliance turns food waste into chicken chow – is it worth it?

by Lisa Stiffler on June 23, 2023August 14, 2023 at 8:33 am

I don’t like food waste. One of my mottos is, “No food left behind.” I’ll toast the heel of the bread loaf and microwave sketchy leftovers from the fridge (luckily… Read More

Hydrogen-powered aviation and sustainable fuel startups announce expansion plans in Washington

by Lisa Stiffler on June 20, 2023June 20, 2023 at 3:33 pm

The Paris Air Show is taking place this week and the event kicked off with news from two sustainable aviation ventures that are expanding their efforts in Washington state. ZeroAvia,… Read More

Job opportunities outweigh political differences when climate tech comes to rural communities

by Lisa Stiffler on June 15, 2023June 15, 2023 at 11:21 am

Inside a cavernous building in Cashmere, Wash., workers pressed thousands of tons of local apples and pears into Tree Top juices every year. But after more than four decades, operations… Read More

Carbon accounting and reduction startup with unusual strategy launches with $9.4M

by Lisa Stiffler on June 13, 2023June 13, 2023 at 11:03 am

The news: Climate Vault Solutions on Tuesday announced its launch and a $9.4 million seed round. The Seattle-based company is the sales and marketing arm of Climate Vault platform, which… Read More

Carbon removal startup Nori raises $6.25M from Toyota and others; names new CEO

by Lisa Stiffler on June 6, 2023June 6, 2023 at 11:29 am

New cash: Carbon removal startup Nori announced $6.25 million in new funding. Current investors M13, Toyota Ventures, Placeholder and Cargill led the round. The Seattle company has raised a total… Read More

‘Circular economy’ event in Seattle draws attendees from around world working to cut waste

by Lisa Stiffler on June 5, 2023June 7, 2023 at 12:37 pm

With a world population of more than 8 billion people, it’s increasingly important to make finite resources on the planet last longer and to waste less. One possible way to… Read More

Zap Energy lands $5M federal grant and ‘vote of confidence’ in pursuit of fusion power

by Lisa Stiffler on May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 at 5:23 pm

Funding news: The Seattle area’s Zap Energy will receive $5 million from a newly launched federal program supporting the commercial development of fusion power. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Milestone-Based… Read More

Climate tech startup led by former Nike sustainability leader raises cash

by Lisa Stiffler on May 22, 2023May 22, 2023 at 3:16 pm

The news: Portland, Ore., startup Ren Energy has raised $2.3 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company declined to comment on the filing… Read More

Can climate change be funny? Bill Nye gets laughs in a show about humankind’s existential threat

by Lisa Stiffler on May 17, 2023May 17, 2023 at 1:55 pm

I was a little anxious going to an evening talk about climate change. I wondered in advanced what elixir of melatonin, Benadryl and CBD gummies would be required to get… Read More

Gov. Inslee makes his climate pitch in bid to attract business from Nordic countries

by Lisa Stiffler on May 12, 2023May 12, 2023 at 9:54 am

Gov. Jay Inslee made his sales pitch Thursday for Washington as the state for Nordic enterprises to do business in the climate tech and clean energy economy. “This is what… Read More

Clean energy startup Modern Hydrogen, previously known as Modern Electron, raises $32.8M

by Lisa Stiffler on May 11, 2023May 10, 2023 at 11:40 pm

The news: Clean energy startup Modern Electron is going all in on hydrogen — so much so that it’s changing its name to Modern Hydrogen and has stopped work on… Read More

Microsoft and Helion want to build the world’s first fusion plant and seize energy’s ‘Holy Grail’

by Lisa Stiffler on May 10, 2023May 15, 2023 at 8:23 am

Microsoft and Helion Energy on Wednesday announced a historic agreement that could pave the way to the world’s first fusion power plant. Helion plans to build the commercial facility in… Read More

ZeroAvia and Alaska Airlines unveil turboprop that could become largest green aircraft to take flight

by Lisa Stiffler on May 1, 2023June 15, 2023 at 2:09 pm

Executives from ZeroAvia and Alaska Airlines joined elected officials in Everett, Wash., on Monday to kick off an effort to electrify and fly the largest zero-emissions aircraft yet. Green aviation… Read More

This startup aims to improve recycling by capturing ‘chemical fingerprints’ with high-tech cameras

by Lisa Stiffler on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 at 8:47 am

If you’re someone who recycles, you’ve experienced that paralyzed moment in front of a row of waste bins not knowing where your plastic fork and cup are meant to go.… Read More

‘Desktop fusion’ startup Avalanche Energy lands $40M and logs new tech achievement

by Lisa Stiffler on April 24, 2023May 9, 2023 at 9:07 am

The news: Micro-fusion startup Avalanche Energy announced a $40 million funding round on Monday. The Seattle-based company is developing a small-scale solution for fusion power, which is called clean energy’s… Read More