CARBON NEUTRAL JET FUEL & A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE NEWSLETTER

In this week's email:

• I'm making some changes and would love to hear your thoughts!

• Microsoft to explore using carbon neutral jet fuel for business travel

• Quick bursts: The fastest company to reach unicorn status in Canada makes sustainable construction materials

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 18 seconds

THOUGHTS TO SHARE

When I started this newsletter, I wanted to provide a positive outlook among what can be a very fatalistic subject. When covering the latest trends and happenings in Climate Tech, I wanted the featured stories that inspire you. I wanted to cheer on the entrepreneurs, companies, innovators and activists working towards solutions that can safeguard our beautiful home. While this is still my intent, it’s been hard to ignore the record-setting heat waves over the last two weeks and the challenging regulatory landscape. It’s not that I think we should ignore the harsh realities and need for immediate action, but I know it’s likely you get that elsewhere...or maybe even everywhere....

So why read this newsletter? I believe there's a need for more optimistic realism when it comes to climate action. I will continue to bring you that point of view. Going forward, I will try to curate, deep-dive into and feature the subjects that can have the most immediate, impactful and long-term effects towards reducing and the even-reversing the effects of climate change. Over time I will bring in more analysis in each feature. So that together we can prioritize our focus and attention. 

I’d Iove to hear from you as I make this transition. Hold me accountable. I want to continue to bring optimism to this space, while being more deliberate about the impact of this content. Let me know how I'm doing.

ALASKA AIRLINES AND MICROSOFT PARTNER WITH TWELVE TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE FUELS 

Existing “sustainable” fuel options for airplanes don’t seem so sustainable. Current relatively scalable options include animal fats and used cooking oil.

The transition to more sustainable air transportation has been much harder than land transportation. Today airplanes rely on the energy density of existing jet fuel to meet the energy needs of most flights. Only fossil fuels have been able to achieve this density. Batteries have not been viable due to their heavy weight. 

Enter Twelve. The start-up has developed a process to turn carbon dioxide and water into carbon-neutral jet fuel. Two birds, one stone? Love it. 

The goal of the new partnership is for Twelve to supply jet fuel to support some of Microsoft’s business travel on Alaska Airlines. The first step towards this goal is a demonstration flight using Twelve's E-Jet. 

QUICK BURSTS

• Robots For Electrification: EV Safe Charge previewed its charging robot. The mobile electric vehicle charging unit enables any parking spot to be turned into an electric vehicle charging station.

• Funding Alert: Nexii Building Solutions raises $35M to help meet accelerating demand for sustainable construction materials. The company, now valued at $1.6B, was the fastest start-up to reach unicorn status in Canada.

• Calling Founders: London-based Systemiq Capital secures $70M for its 2nd fund. They will fund early-stage companies with solutions in regenerative land use, oceans, clean energy, and circular economy.