Sustainability – Page 2 of 9

Bezos Earth Fund puts $60M to alternative meat research — and a Seattle founder has suggestions

by Lisa Stiffler on March 21, 2024March 22, 2024 at 10:12 am

As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos funnels $60 million into support for alternative meats, Rebellyous Foods founder Christie Lagally has some suggestions, one entrepreneur to another. “We have the recipes for… Read More

‘Just watch us’: Gates-backed TerraPower is bullish on being the first next-gen nuclear plant in U.S.

by Lisa Stiffler on March 14, 2024March 25, 2024 at 7:29 pm

Inside TerraPower’s cavernous 65,000 square-foot laboratory north of Seattle, there’s a suite of stations for experimenting with new materials and cutting-edge methods for generating nuclear power. One area is dominated… Read More

Irrigation tech startup led by farming experts blossoms with revenue growth and new cash

by Lisa Stiffler on March 8, 2024March 8, 2024 at 8:25 am

New name, new funding: CODA Farm Technologies, an agtech company founded by two brothers with farming roots, has changed its name and landed some cash. The startup, based north of… Read More

Clean energy and power grid projects in Washington land federal and state funding

by Lisa Stiffler on February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 at 4:36 pm

Clean energy projects for Washington groups including public utilities, the Yakama Nation, and others will receive funding from grants announced this week by the U.S. Department of Energy and the… Read More

With $1.2B in assets, the Paul Allen Family Foundation evolves — and stays true to PNW roots

by Lisa Stiffler on February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 at 3:49 pm

Paul Allen is synonymous with philanthropic giving in the Pacific Northwest. Thirty-six years ago, the late Microsoft co-founder and his sister Jody Allen created their family foundation, which grants more… Read More

Oceanography professors transform a research tool into a startup that’s sucking CO2 from seawater

by Lisa Stiffler on February 29, 2024April 2, 2024 at 11:23 am

A decade ago, University of Washington oceanographers Julian Sachs and Alex Gagnon were working in a tropical paradise, studying the impacts of climate change on coral reefs surrounding remote islands… Read More

Rivian, Lucid and other EVs stuck in park by failed effort to change car sales laws in Washington

by Lisa Stiffler on February 27, 2024February 26, 2024 at 12:16 pm

If you own one of the 3,853 Rivians registered in Washington, odds are you didn’t test drive the electric vehicle in the state. That’s because the law bars Rivian from… Read More

Energy secretary joins Sen. Maria Cantwell in visit to Washington state’s burgeoning battery hub

by Lisa Stiffler on February 22, 2024February 22, 2024 at 4:24 pm

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee traveled to Eastern Washington Thursday to visit companies leading the state’s rapidly expanding battery hub. Their… Read More

First Mode opens a clean-tech factory that capitalizes on some extra high-tech twists

by Alan Boyle on February 21, 2024February 22, 2024 at 11:57 pm

There’s not much that’s bolted down to the floor of the 40,000-square-foot factory in Seattle’s SoDo district where First Mode plans to build powertrain conversion kits for mining trucks —… Read More

Video

Climate efforts and downtown revitalization highlight Seattle mayor’s ‘State of the City’ address

by Lisa Stiffler on February 20, 2024February 21, 2024 at 10:26 am

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell on Tuesday delivered his State of the City address, emphasizing the strides being made in public safety, increased resources for tackling drug use, and more spending… Read More

Portland startup expands to Seattle to help schools, businesses slash their waste with reusable dishes

by Lisa Stiffler on February 8, 2024February 12, 2024 at 2:04 pm

Portland, Ore.-based Bold Reuse, a startup providing reusable dishes and food containers paired with environmental analytics, is setting up shop in Seattle. The company is partnering with Seattle Public Schools… Read More

Washington state awards $85M in grants to fund thousands of EV charging stations

by Kurt Schlosser on February 1, 2024February 1, 2024 at 3:26 pm

Washington state announced $85 million in grants Thursday to fund thousands of new electric vehicle charging stations across the state and boost the availability of the infrastructure among communities most… Read More

Citing fire dangers, Seattle bans batteries from the trash — here’s where they should go instead

by Lisa Stiffler on January 29, 2024January 30, 2024 at 11:53 am

Beginning this year, households in Seattle are banned from tossing old batteries in the trash — including everything from the tiny batteries that power hearing aids to those juicing up… Read More

Half of car buyers in U.S. are considering EVs, hybrids for next purchase – but price matters

by Lisa Stiffler on January 25, 2024January 25, 2024 at 8:09 am

A new survey of U.S. consumers finds that half are open to buying an electric vehicle or electric hybrid. The auto market is navigating a tricky route as car makers… Read More

A new venture fund in Seattle aims to accelerate adoption of climate technologies that slash carbon

by Lisa Stiffler on January 11, 2024January 11, 2024 at 7:51 pm

The climate clock is ticking for Ben Eidelson. The Seattle tech vet who sold startups to Google and Stripe is behind a new climate venture capital fund focused on software-driven… Read More

GeekWire launches climate tech reporter internship funded by AI expert Oren Etzioni and family

by Lisa Stiffler on January 9, 2024January 9, 2024 at 10:25 am

New journalists with a passion for covering climate technology are encouraged to apply for GeekWire’s new summer 2024 climate tech internship, the Etzioni Internship in Climate Tech Journalism. GeekWire is… Read More

Portland-based nuclear reactor company NuScale cuts 28% of workforce, or 154 employees

by Lisa Stiffler on January 8, 2024January 8, 2024 at 10:13 am

NuScale Power, a Portland, Ore.-based nuclear company, is laying off 154 full-time employees, or 28% of its workforce. In November NuScale hit a major setback when it scuttled plans with… Read More

Seattle startup Recurrent raises $16M, aims to be standard for scoring used EV batteries

by Lisa Stiffler on January 8, 2024January 8, 2024 at 7:54 am

Recurrent, a platform providing shoppers and car dealerships with information about used electric vehicle batteries, raised $16 million in a Series A round. Launched in 2020, Seattle-based Recurrent has established… Read More

PNW climate tech execs launch real estate investment firm focusing on mass timber projects

by Lisa Stiffler on December 18, 2023May 14, 2024 at 12:17 pm

Three former executives of the climate friendly housing technology company Green Canopy NODE have left to create Cambia Capital, a sustainability-focused real estate investment firm. Aaron Fairchild, Andy Wolverton and… Read More

Microsoft, Google, others partner with LevelTen Energy to create first market for 24/7 clean energy

by Lisa Stiffler on December 14, 2023December 14, 2023 at 12:18 pm

A growing number of organizations as well as the U.S. government are moving beyond commitments to purchase 100% clean energy to power their operations. They’re aiming for carbon-free power 24-hours-a-day,… Read More

LevelTen, which helps facilitate clean energy deals, adds $10M to Series C round

by Lisa Stiffler on December 7, 2023December 8, 2023 at 8:28 am

Seattle’s LevelTen Energy has raised $10 million to support its platform that facilitates the development of new clean energy projects. In August 2021 the company announced a $35 million Series… Read More

Sustainable chicken sandwich startup lands $1.5M and opens first brick-and-mortar spot in Seattle

by Kurt Schlosser on December 1, 2023December 14, 2023 at 8:45 pm

Three months after rolling out a food truck to launch his sustainable, fast-casual, chicken sandwich joint Mt. Joy, entrepreneur Robbie Cape has officially opened the first Seattle brick-and-mortar location. Just… Read More

Next-gen battery startup Sila breaks ground on Washington facility with $100M in DOE support

by Lisa Stiffler on November 29, 2023November 29, 2023 at 2:11 pm

Next-generation battery materials startup Sila broke ground on Wednesday on its first automotive-scale manufacturing facility located in Moses Lake, Wash. The news may sound familiar. Group14 Technologies and OneD Battery… Read More

Climate startup OCOchem, which recycles CO2 into fuels and chemicals, lands $5M

by Lisa Stiffler on November 15, 2023November 14, 2023 at 10:15 pm

OCOchem, a Richland, Wash.-based startup, raised $5 million to scale its technology for turning carbon dioxide into chemicals that can be used to manufacture clean hydrogen, fertilizer, animal feed and… Read More

Inaugural report from Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy reveals promising climate tech solutions

by Lisa Stiffler on November 13, 2023November 14, 2023 at 10:24 am

In the world of Bill Gates, many — maybe most? — of the world’s big challenges rely on innovation if they’re to be solved. Eight years ago he began applying… Read More

Bill Gates-backed startup can store carbon underground for 1,000 years in plant-based bricks

by Lisa Stiffler on November 13, 2023November 13, 2023 at 9:35 am

Graphyte, a startup with backing from Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures, announced Monday that it has developed an affordable, long-term strategy for storing carbon that will keep it out of… Read More

How the Pacific Northwest could become a carbon-capture hub — with help from tech and basalt

by Lisa Stiffler on October 31, 2023October 31, 2023 at 10:24 am

The Pacific Northwest’s lush forests are a pretty obvious place to store carbon dioxide pulled from the atmosphere. But the region has another vast resource for trapping carbon that’s more… Read More

Hydrogen fuel company OCOchem raising more cash as sector gains momentum

by Lisa Stiffler on October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 at 10:39 am

OCOchem, a Richland, Wash.-based startup in the hydrogen fuel sector, is raising fresh cash, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company raised roughly… Read More

Seattle startup Omnidian, which helps maintain solar panels, raises $25M

by Lisa Stiffler on October 26, 2023October 26, 2023 at 11:11 am

Omnidian, a Seattle company that manages solar power performance and services the panels for commercial and residential installations, announced $25 million in new investment. Omnidian’s software remotely detects performance issues… Read More

Video

Fusion fever: A reality check on the multibillion-dollar race to reinvent energy and save the planet

by Lisa Stiffler on October 25, 2023October 26, 2023 at 11:18 am

The nuclear fusion sector is hot. Maybe not 100 million degrees Celsius — which is the sort of mind-blowing temperature needed to make this futuristic power source possible — but… Read More