Sailing the Salish Sea, And Why We Should Think Carefully About the Salmon We Buy

A sailing parable is the perfect way to capture our foundation’s philanthropic philosophy. We’ve worked hard to put it into effect in our first ten years, and we are proud of our efforts. Still, there is much work to be done.

A new collaborative funding opportunity has emerged as five family foundations have come together with a shared vision to jointly support a grant program for climate solutions and equity in Georgia.

Chitosan is a natural material derived from shellfish and crustaceans. It has a remarkably broad range of applications, and one young company is pioneering its manufacturing based on the waste stream of sustainable fisheries. It’s a great example of green chemistry intersecting with the circular economy.

Across the world, but in the United States in particular, very little of the plastic we use is ever recycled. That’s been the case for years, and the recent trend is getting even worse. Fortunately, we are seeing more places take legislative action to address the problem, which is a good thing, since regulation is the best tool we currently have to make a difference on plastic pollution.

Wind and solar electricity generation is good for many reasons, but intermittency is a persistent challenge. There are multiple solutions to that challenge, but the most important one is figuring out how to cost-effectively store solar and wind energy. Lithium ion batteries may be the best way to do that currently, but I’ll be keeping an eye on a couple other battery types that could unlock grid storage at scale.

"To think of the sheer volume of how many people now integrate some kind of nature-inspired and interconnected design thinking process is awe-inspiring. While not everyone came to the [biomimicry] practice from reading Janine’s book, to us at the Biomimicry Institute it served as the catalyst for our inception."

In observance of Juneteenth, I offer a couple of resources that have enriched my understanding of racial history in America and in Georgia. It’s important that we keep actively educating ourselves and working to end racism in this country.

Chevrolet announced a rather surprising price reduction in the next model of their most popular electric vehicle. I think the price reduction is very calculated, and it’s intended to earn General Motors as much market share as possible in the affordable electric car market.

Roy Richards, Jr. is the former CEO and current chair of the board of Southwire Company, a committed climate philanthropist, and a co-chair of the Drawdown Georgia Leadership Council. He recently joined John Lanier to share his story, including the epiphany that inspired him to commit to advancing climate solutions in his professional and philanthropic work, and the Georgia climate initiative that has him most excited about the future.