CAT Newsletter 263 - 2025-04-13
👉 Latest newsletter
CAT 263 - 2025-04-13
Hey CATs,
Welcome to issue 263 of the ClimateAction.tech (CAT) Newsletter - your weekly summary of what's happening inside the CAT community, and in the wider world of climate and tech. New to CAT or looking to re-discover the community? Try out our onboarding checklist.
Remember you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time - the link is at the bottom.
Stay safe & healthy 😌 💚 🐱
CAT Community News
📣 Call for contributors: Share your climate action
We are collecting your stories and experiences for Earth Day! We want to celebrate your efforts and inspire others to take action. Contributing is easy — just add a slide with your project, action, win, or learning to the community slide deck. Visit this Slack post for info on how to contribute (members only).
💸 Donating to CAT
Your donations help us run our mini grants program and they fund the infrastructure and tools we're using. As before you can donate to CAT via a one-off or recurring donation through our Open Collective or you can now also donate to CAT at work: If your company uses Benevity for matching employee donations, you can now ask for CAT to be included as an organization to donate to!
📅 CAT Events
💪 Thu, Apr 24th – CAT Earth Day Show & Tell [online]
Join us to explore & celebrate different ways of taking climate action in the tech industry. If you're a member of CAT, visit the event's Outline page to see how you participate in the community Show & Tell with your project, action, win, or learning.
📗 Thu, May 1st – Digital Degrowth Book Club [online]
Join us for a discussion on Digital Degrowth: Technology in the Age of Survival by Michael Kwet.
🍩 Community networking
Every 2 weeks, we match 2-3 CATs so you can connect over a quick 30-minute call. Join #cat-roulette, pick your region and wait for a message from Donut. The next round of matches will go out on Fri, Apr 18th. More info.
Media, events, and news
😺 CAT recommendations
▶️ CAT videos
10-15 minute videos providing accessible explainers to climate related issues.
Bloomberg Originals: How Human Brain Cells Could Power AI
This episode of Bloomberg Primer explores the world of biocomputing–where scientists are laying the foundation for a field that may blur the lines between the biological and synthetic. Integrating biological elements into AI could lead to more sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies, offering a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional computing methods.
🎤 Podcasts
The latest climate-related podcast episodes. Don't forget, if you're looking around, there's a list of podcasts maintained by CATs
Environment Variables: GreenOps with Greenpixie
Host Chris Adams sits down with James Hall, Head of GreenOps at Greenpixie, to explore the evolving discipline of GreenOps. They discuss how Greenpixie helps organizations make informed sustainability decisions using certified carbon data, the challenges of scaling cloud carbon measurement, and why transparency and relevance are just as crucial as accuracy. They also discuss using financial cost as a proxy for carbon, the need for standardization through initiatives like FOCUS, and growing interest in water usage metrics.
Catalyst: Future-proofing data center power infrastructure
Data centers face a critical timing problem. They need massive amounts of power immediately, but grid upgrades can take more than seven years to complete. In this episode, recorded as part of a live Frontier Forum, Latitude Media's Stephen Lacey speaks with Xendee co-founders Adib Nasle and Michael Stadler about how microgrids can help data centers get power quickly, while also preparing for future technology changes. The conversation explores how the combination of combined heat and power systems with supplemental technologies like batteries and renewables can create flexible, adaptable power solutions for mission-critical facilities. Their research across different energy markets shows striking cost reductions
Green IO: #56 Building Green Software, the one year anniversary with Sarah Hsu
A year ago, Building Green Software was released by O'Reilly. Since Tim Frick's book "Designing for sustainability" (8 years ago!), O'Reilly didn't publish anything fully focusing on sustainability. So, it's a fair statement that this book was long awaited. But a year is an eternity in IT. This is why Sarah Hsu, one of its 3 co-authors as well as the chair of the Green Software Foundation's Principles of Green Software committee, joined the show to talk about the trends she witnesses first hand in the green software engineering field and how she would envision a v2.
📅 Submitted events
Thu Apr 10 2025 - Sustainability Creatives Happy Hour at Firestone Walker
Join the Sustainability Creatives for an LA Climate Week mixer! We've got a couple of tables, a drink tab, and we’d really like to meet you!
Wed Apr 16 2025 - Green IO Singapore 2025
Green IO Singapore 2025 provides a comprehensive tour of the sustainability challenges in the Southeast Asian IT sector from the AI boom to data center decarbonization, as well as leads to remediate them. This unique in-person event gathers 250+ responsible technologists!
Wed Apr 23 2025 - Measuring & Mitigating Your Organization's AI Carbon Footprint
Dive into the art and science of measuring AI emissions. Following a brief presentation, we’ll host an open discussion to identify specific, actionable opportunities to diminish your AI carbon footprint.
Thu Apr 24 2025 - Demystifying Digital Emissions
Discover how:
- Everyday tech choices impact the planet
- Clever coding reduces emissions
- GreenCloud is building a datacentre-free cloud
Fri Apr 25 2025 - Design Your Life: How to Build Your Career as a Sustainability Creative
Looking to craft a career that blends sustainability with creativity? Join us for an interactive workshop designed to help you navigate the evolving landscape of sustainability-focused creative careers with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Sat Apr 26 2025 - Non-Human Persona Workshop in Vermont
Design with deeper connection and purpose. In this Vermont-based workshop, you’ll create Non-Human Personas and explore new perspectives to bring empathy, creativity, and intention into your work, walking away with tools to create more life-centered and regenerative designs.
Wed May 07 2025 - Creative Climate Career Group Coaching
Infuse you job pivot in the impact space with new energy and direction!
Thu May 15 2025 - Green IO New York 2025
Green IO New York covers responsible AI, green software, sustainable design, green cloud, etc., and will provide a variety of perspectives from practitioners and experts.
Thu Jul 03 2025 - Green IO Munich 2025
Apidays Munich and the Green IO podcast have partnered to bring you the first Green IO conference for the DACH region, packed with the latest insights from thought leaders in Tech Sustainability and hands-on feedback from practitioners scaling Green IT.
Want an event listed here? Use this event listing form to submit the details so we can add it in the newsletter.
📰 News Highlights
AZO Materials: Sustainable Lithium Recovery Using Microbial Technology
Scientists at the University of Surrey have discovered a microbial electrochemical method that can recover 90-95% of the lithium from used lithium-ion batteries.The development provides a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional recovery methods, which might be broadened to reclaim additional valuable battery metals such as cobalt.
Reasons to be Cheerful: For Modern Foragers, This Map Reveals Urban Abundance
Through Falling Fruit, people around the world can find edible plants to enjoy — often in unexpected places.
Channel News Asia: Jumping on the Studio Ghibli AI trend? It's costing the planet more than you think
For many people, artificial intelligence has already become a part of life, helping out with repetitive, menial tasks or quick research and generating everything from job application letters to funny memes. It has also made a big positive impact in several industries including healthcare, finance and technology, making it possible for people in these fields to innovate quickly and improve their services and offerings.Yet, as the technology advances, its hidden costs are coming into sharper focus as well. In a two-part series, CNA TODAY examines some of these covert influences and how individuals, companies and governments may mitigate the adverse impact. This week, we explore how generative AI requires massive resources to drive its operations and growth, and how that is taking a massive toll on the environment.
BBC: Looking at nature reduces pain, study finds
Viewing nature could help people feel less pain, a study has found. The neuroimaging study, led by a team from the University of Exeter and University of Vienna, found that people who were looking at natural scenes experienced less pain than those viewing a city or indoor office.
Washington Post: This muggy city keeps cool with minimal AC
PALAVA CITY, India, is a 5,000-acre experimental community northeast of Mumbai, to take advantage of India's westerly winds. The breezes keep people cool outdoors so they can walk or bike instead of hopping into polluting cars and buses. The community aims to not only slash its planet-warming emissions to zero but also to provide a road map for communities facing the pressures of more extreme weather.
NDTV World: AI-Generated Research Paper Is Latest Spin On Climate Change Denial
Climate change deniers are pushing an AI-generated paper questioning human-induced warming, leading experts to warn against the rise of research that is inherently flawed but marketed as neutral and scrupulously logical.
The paper rejects climate models on human-induced global warming and has been widely cited on social media as being the first "peer-reviewed" research led by artificial intelligence (AI) on the topic.
💚 Papers We Love 💚
HuggingFace and Distributed AI Research Institute: Integrating Ethics and Environmental Sustainability in AI Research and Practice
AI systems are increasingly used in areas like climate change, health, and education, but their deployment consumes significant energy and resources, and this can amplify inequalities and biases. Historically, the ethical and environmental impacts of AI have been studied separately, missing the interconnected effects on society and the environment. The paper from HuggingFace and the Distributed AI Research Institute highlights the need to address AI's societal and environmental impacts together, rather than separately.
Jobs
Remember only jobs listing salary ranges are listed here - to get your job listed, you need to list a salary range. Folks can still look in the #jobs channel. Remember: if you're looking for advice finding a role, check our #climate-careers channel.
Behold - CTO (co-founder option) - €50k-€80k plus equity - Permanent - Totally remote
We’re looking for a CTO who doesn’t just build tech, but shapes the future—leading at the intersection of machine learning, IoT, and nature. If you want to work on a product that sparks real behavioural change, in a company that prioritises long-term impact over short-term growth, this is your chance.
rePurpose Global - Senior Product Manager - 160000 - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
We're seeking a Senior Product Manager at rePurpose Global, a mission-driven series A startup fighting the plastic waste crisis. We've launched a first-of-its-kind SaaS platform for consumer brands to improve their packaging sustainability, comply with landmark regulations reducing packaging waste, and fund plastic pollution clean up in the Global South. We're looking for a seasoned startup PM with sustainability or CPG experience to continue the momentum!
Vizzuality - Front End Engineer - €24,000 to €37,000 Euros per year - Permanent - Totally remote
Do you want to help build a fairer and sustainable future for all life on Earth? Are you currently looking for a new career opportunity? Lucky you, Vizzuality is hiring!
We are looking for a Front-end Engineer with experience and proficiency in ReactJS/TypeScript - Remote based in Spain, Portugal, or UK.
Verna - Software Engineers - Circa £70k + share options - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
Verna builds software to help people manage land in the best way for the environment – enhancing biodiversity and drawing down carbon, whilst making sustainable returns. We are looking for a number of software engineers to expand our product development team. Because we’re working primarily in Elixir and Phoenix this is a full-stack role, but with an emphasis on delivering new user-facing features.
John Deere - Product Manager, Sustainability Solutions - $122,580 to $183,864 + excellent benefits - Permanent - Flexible - remote ok
This is an impactful job with an awesome team at a great company! Our team recently launched a Carbon Intensity Calculator where farmers can get their carbon footprint in 10 minutes or less. Join us to continue to build momentum as we help farmers simplify data management for regenerative agriculture!
As a Product Manager for the Sustainability Solutions team at John Deere, you will define & execute our digital product strategy through customer discovery, owning delivery of both prototypes and production-grade software, and iterating quickly to achieve product-market fit for products serving both farmers as well as the agricultural supply chain. An ideal candidate can handle ambiguity well, make "no regrets" decisions quickly, navigate a complex and technical environment with many stakeholders, and guide relationships with key partners.
Support our work
You can support us financially on Open Collective.