The situation for renters is still bleak, but this week we have several hopeful stories on the environmental front. And new houses are still selling like hotcakes! Enjoy the articles.
Pandemic Pain for Renters
Renters have long been cost burdened in the U.S., and the increased unemployment from the pandemic hasn’t helped. This article from Forbes breaks down the crisis by income, race and household status.
It’s natural to focus on low-income families struggling to make rent payments. But the article also reminds us that most landlords are not wealthy tycoons: “In the interests of stability in the broader housing ecosystem, extended national moratoria or rent forgiveness must be accompanied by support for the non-institutional landlords who account for the majority of rental housing in this country.”
New Home Sales Up 14%
New home sales were on the rise pre-pandemic, and now they’re soaring. This article breaks down a report from the Census Bureau showing a 14 percent increase in new home sales for June.
British Banks Support Net Zero
Financing a green or net-zero project has historically been more difficult than financing conventional ventures. Yahoo Finance reports an exciting development, though. Banks are beginning to recognize the role they will need to play in the transition to a greener economy, and Barclays is one of five banks in the U.K. to join a project called Bankers for Net Zero. Critics may be justified in calling them out for continuing to finance environmentally harmful companies, but let’s hope this is just the beginning of a larger positive trend.
A Green Goal for 2050
Advancing Net Zero is a project of the World Green Business Council. Since buildings are responsible for 36 percent of carbon emissions, the planet’s one billion (and counting) buildings are a crucial component in the fight against climate change. Check out this article from GreenBiz to read about the specific steps the WGBC is taking to meet its ambitious goal of every building in the world being net-zero by 2050.
Green Apple
It’s likely that you have at least one Apple device in your home. So it’s good to know that by 2030, Apple as a company plans to transition their entire company to carbon neutral status, as reported by Environment + Energy Leader. They’re already well on their way with carbon neutral global corporate operations. In addition, they’re developing ways to recycle many components of various devices, as well as supporting measures like planting forests to sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
Thanks for reading! Check back soon for more news and some exciting new net zero developments of our own.
