Earth Day

Image by NASA.

It’s Earth Day — a day to celebrate our beautiful planet and to review what progress has been made and to plan new initiatives.

At Elf, in prior years, we committed to carbon neutral effects by buying carbon credits for our office spaces and what we consume. This is not enough. Our goal is to be 100 percent carbon neutral and to generate enough renewable energy to power all our activities.

This year, we have a three-pronged approach that we are implementing that we will be doing consecutively every year forward.

PROTECT

Support the organizations we know are doing excellent work and are accountable and transparent in their endeavors, starting with environmental stewardship and conservation of natural resources.

Develop in-depth recycling methods and systems for the federal and state governments (in process) for more widespread adoption of recycling naturally in local areas to protect clean, abundant water supplies. This includes mitigating and helping remove all discarded plastic from the oceans, soils, and air.

CREATE

Design zero emission, beautifully crafted airplanes and related parts and infrastructure all powered by renewable energy.

Design efficient, better ways to harness renewable energy at scale and with speed.

GENERATE

Generate enough renewable energy to power all our activities and contribute to the grid. We are also working on larger renewable energy solutions and are inspired by the works of ETH Zurich and CalTech.

We also continue to educate consumers through our blog and work with universities to reduce dependence on fossil fuels as part of their energy usage and investment portfolios and endowments.

Nasdaq Launches First of Its Kind Carbon Removal Indexes

Tracking the Price of Removing Carbon Dioxide CO2 from the Atmosphere Using Carbon Removal Certificates (CORCs)

Today Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) launched new carbon removal indexes, the first of their kind to track the price of removing carbon dioxide CO2 from the atmosphere, using Carbon Removal Certificates (CORCs) issued by Puro.earth. 

Adding these indexes supports the need for transparency, evaluates methods for carbon removal, standardizes processes, and spurs investment. The new indexes are effective as of March 24, 2022.

Puro.earth is a pioneer in the B2B marketplace for carbon removal. Its primary index is the CORC Carbon Removal Price Index (CORCX), which evaluates the cost of sequestering one ton of CO2 using supported carbon removal methods approved by Puro Standard. Nasdaq acquired a majority stake in Puro.earth in 2021.

Additional indexes include the CORC Biochar Price Index (CORCCHAR) for carbon removal in biochar and CORC Bio-based Construction Materials Price Index (CORCWOOD), which evaluates bio construction materials like wood.

“The indexes will create a price benchmark to help our clients better understand the true cost of neutralizing their emissions. They will also serve to stimulate the growth of the carbon removal ecosystems by supporting the business case for new carbon removal projects and help potential investors make better informed decisions.”

— Fredrik Ekström, Head of European Fixed Income and ESG

It is voluntary to use carbon removal methods. Through these new indexes, Nasdaq and Puro.earth offer transparent tracking of these methods and encourage the creation of new financial products tied to climate. They provide corporate buyers with viable ways to fulfill their goals of net zero emissions.

Investing in carbon-neutral and fossil-free funds has accelerated in popularity in the last year. Stripe has also offered ways for companies to scale emerging carbon removal technologies through their system.

Contactless Convenience: Target's Drive Up Now Enables You to Get a Latte On Checkout

© Target. Drive Up options

Covid-19 Growth in Curbside Pickup Spurs New Convenience Options

Target (NYSE: TGT) is offering new convenient shopping options for shoppers at some locations this year, doubling down on its Drive Up curb delivery service where consumers can enjoy Starbucks coffee without leaving the car. While the popular retailer did not offer specifics on where it will be offering this new add-on convenience or when it will roll out the new service, Target said the company plans to scale up this feature nationwide. Target already offers Starbucks drinks at cafes located at many of its larger stores.

Target shoppers have increasingly opted for curbside delivery during the pandemic for store items and online purchases for safety and to minimize direct contact with other consumers and Target employees. Target also offers the convenience of safe same-day home delivery through its service, Shipt. As a result, Shipt grew almost 60 percent in the third quarter of 2021.

© Joe Raedle, Getty Images. A Target employee delivers an order to a drive up customer in Miami, Florida.

Target shared that customers requested Starbucks pickup and returns. The new service does not require a pickup window for either coffee deliveries or product returns. Target plans to add more merchandise and features to the Drive Up service, including fresh groceries, frozen goods, and alcohol.

The company intends to use its 2,000 stores as fulfillment hubs to drive its range of contactless same-day services, including Order Pickup, Drive Up, and Same Day Delivery with Shipt. Target’s digital business grew 200 percent from just a year ago, with these contactless services accounting for more than half of those sales.

Since the pandemic, other popular retailers like Amazon and Walmart have also seen massive digital sales and home delivery growth. Amazon offers both food delivery from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods and new grocery stores, while Walmart has its service for both groceries and retail products delivered to the home.