Brightening Our Corner Newsletter - November 2017

Foundation Awards 2nd Annual Ray of Hope Prize®

By 2050, nine billion people will live on our planet, and 70% of them will live in cities, creating a demand for sustainable local food production solutions. An international team based in New York City has developed a prototype product that mimics the way living systems capture, store, and distribute water, and has been awarded the 2017 $100,000 Ray C. Anderson Foundation Ray of Hope Prize in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge. Read more.

Ray C. Anderson Foundation Divests from Fossil Fuel Investments

“Fossil fuel divestment is both ethically and fiscally responsible,” said John A. Lanier, executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and one of Ray’s five grandchildren. “Investment has consequences, and we intend for our assets to grow by fueling renewable energy and other clean technologies that will combat climate change.” Read the full story.

2017-18 Biomimicry Global Design Challenge Opens

Biomimicry has been called “an antidote to despair” because of its simple premise - that the sustainability issues we are wrestling with can be addressed if we study how living organisms 

have adapted to survive and thrive over the long haul. With the effects of global warming evident all around us, creating radically sustainable products, services, or systems that help communities become more resilient to climate change has never been more crucial.
 
That is why the Biomimicry Institute and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation are issuing a call to action to look to our planet’s living systems to create viable solutions to the current climate crisis. Read more.

5th Annual RayDay® is Largest Ever

The 5th Annual RayDay Celebration at Serenbe was the best one yet with a record 1,800 people in attendance. The all new layout was a great hit, as was the expanded children's area, and we added several new learning booths as well.  For the third year in a row, RayDay was a zero food waste event with hundreds of pounds of food, plates and utensils being composted in real time, on site, for later use in Serenbe's gardens. As always, the event was also a Carbon Neutral® Certified Event.  Go ahead and mark your calendars for RayDay 2018. Sunday, October 14, 2018 at Serenbe.

This fall, The Ray is all about nature tech! In October they partnered with Troup County High School, Keep Troup Beautiful, Chattahoochee Nature Center, and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to install 10,000 square feet of pollinator habitat at Exit 14 on The Ray.

In early November, The Ray installed a sustainable farming demonstration pilot alongside the highway with The Land Institute and GDOT. Sustainable fibers, like the Kernza® seeds installed along The Ray, are a key component of highly disposable goods like diapers, paper towels, and toilet paper.  Farming this crop on land unsuitable for growing food could open up acres of untapped resources. The Ray’s pilot is the first in the Southeast, and marks the beginning of The Ray’s farming laboratory project. With so much going on, please join The Ray’s mailing list and never miss an update!

Carbon Reduction Challenge Winner Continues to Engage Others at Georgia Tech and Beyond

In our last newsletter, we highlighted the success of last semester's Carbon Reduction Challenge at Georgia Tech. One member of the winning team of interns from SunTrust has really kept the momentum going with a guest blog for Ecocentricity and a TEDx at Georgia Tech talk on November 7th. Great job, Will Courrèges-Clercq.

Ecocentricity Blog: The Coolest Spaceship Ever

You’re aboard such a spaceship. Isn’t that exactly what Earth is? It’s managed to hitch a ride in the Sun’s orbit, hurtling thousands of miles per hour through the galaxy. Our atmosphere is the protective candy-coating to the goodness of all life. Read more.

Note: Ecocentricity is available by weekly subscription and can be delivered to your e-mail box automatically every Wednesday.  When you click through to the blog, enter your information in the orange box in the right column to subscribe.

Articles of Interest

"The Power of Choice," Earth Equity Advisors website, November 13, 2017
"Innovators Compete for $100,000 to Revolutionize Global Food Systems,"  Sierra Magazine, November 6, 2017
"A Father's Sustainability Legacy," Barron's, September 25, 2017
"The Ray in Georgia: Demanding More of Roadways," Washington Times, September 13, 2017

Recent Interviews

Beth Rattner, executive director of The Biomimicry Institute was recently interviewed for Episode #56 of Regen360 by Regen360 CEO, David Gottfried.

The Ray was featured on The Weather Channel's "Top Ten Things You Can Do to Save the World."

Janine Benyus was interviewed about Biomimicry on Vox.

The Ray C. Anderson Foundation is the Platinum Sponsor for the Talk with Green Guy Show, which broadcasts weekly on WGST AM650 and iheartRadio.  Click here to access past shows, and be sure to sign up for the podcasts in the Google Play Store or listen on Apple Podcasts. 

Upcoming Events

Captain Planet Foundation Gala, December 8, 2017, Intercontinental Hotel Buckhead

Winter Solstice Celebration, Wednesday, December 13, 2017, Southface Energy Institute

Greenprints Conference, March 12-14, 2018, Georgia State University