The Green Bite 7.9.21
Greentech hits all the buzzwords this week, from AI, to crypto, to fungus
One Big Thing to Chew On
Environmentally-minded politicos are getting increasingly bullish on real climate measures getting baked into the upcoming deal that Democrats hope to pass through budget reconciliation rules.
There has been some trepidation in recent weeks after Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill passed without including much firepower dedicated to lowering the US carbon footprint. The Sunrise Movement, the grassroots activist movement most closely associated with the Green New Deal, held a protest on the 4th that led to a few arrests.
Biden seems intent on making something happen here, though he’ll need to secure Sen. Joe Manchin’s vote, so keep your eyes peeled.
Now enough politics -on to the private sector folks:
Greentech Updates by Category
Transportation
Meat alternative made from fungi - from Meati.
Ridepanda, a year-old, San Francisco-based electric micro-mobility dealership (it sells e-bikes, e-mopeds, and e-scooters), has raised $3.75 million co-led by Porsche Ventures, Yamaha Motor Ventures and Proeza Ventures. TechCrunch has more here.
Lacuna Technologies, a three-year-old, Palo Alto-based startup that uses AI to help cities manage intercity transportation, has raised a $16M Series A led by Xplorer Capital Management. (TC)
Energy & Infrastructure
Planet Labs, an Earth data provider to help farmers, foresters and governments increase profits while adopting more sustainable agricultural practices, is set to go public via SPAC at an expected $2.8B valuation. More here.
CPG
Meati Foods, a Boulder-based alternative meat startup that uses mycelium (the muscular root structure of fungi) as its main ingredient, raised a $50M Series B led by BOND and Acre Venture Partners.More here.
Finance
Single.Earth, a two-year-old, Estonia-based project that “tokenizes nature” and enables purchasers to own fractional amounts of those resources, as well as to receive carbon offsets, has raised $7.9 million in seed funding. EQT Ventures led the round. TechCrunch has more here.
One Actionable Item
This is a new section where I suggest one thing you could try this week to improve planetary health.
Don’t be like a farty cow, making methane from your food.
Compost!
As of 2020, less than 7% of US homes compost (My mom does, though! All the cool kids are doing it!) Reducing food waste is one of the most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint and composting can mitigate your food waste stats in a big way. Here’s how it works -
This is the usual path for your food waste if you don’t compost:
Plate → Trash bin → Landfill → Methane
Methane is a significantly more harmful gas than carbon dioxide--experts say it can have up to 80x more warming power. Food trapped in a landfill can slowly emit methane for years after it’s dumped. In other words, throwing a banana peel in the garbage is like squeezing another few farts out of a cow.
This is your food waste’s path if you compost:
Food → Compost bowl/basket → Green compost bin → Municipal compost facility → Healthy soil → Farms and gardens
Compost soil can offer a myriad of planetary health boosts including helping farmers reduce water usage and minimize chemical runoff potential.
Action: Start a compost bin if you don’t have one at home yet. You can just use an open bowl in your kitchen to collect organic matter. Then, toss that straight in the green bin instead of the black trash bin for pickup.
Excited to one day try mushroom meat!