Ask a teacher, electrician or beauty CEO about a climate solutions job

Up First Briefing: FTX fraud trial begins; how tech shapes our bodies. Part-II: The trial of Sam Bankman- Fried

It’s a good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. You can subscribe to the Up First podcast to get all the news you need to start your day.

The founder of FTX, Sam Bankman- Fried, is due in court today. He’s pleaded not guilty to seven criminal counts and could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty. Everything you need to know about the trial is here.

Source: Up First briefing: FTX fraud trial begins; how tech shapes our bodies

The First Briefing from the UN Security Council on Asymptotic Freedom in Ukraine: A Prime Minister’s Statement on Homosexuality in the Church

Ukrainian troops are making limited progress in retaking Russian-occupied land as winter approaches. As the war drags on, U.S. support is wavering. The stopgap bill that Congress passed over the weekend did not contain any additional aid for Ukraine. Here’s a look at key developments in the war in the past week.

There could be ways to bless same-sex unions if the blessings aren’t confused with sacramental marriage, as suggested by Pope Francis. He responded to the conservative cardinals who had asked him to clarify his position on homosexuality in the church. His statement comes ahead of a three-week meeting, or synod, that begins tomorrow at the Vatican. LGBTQ+ Catholics will be a big topic, and it will be the first time women are allowed to vote on the future of the church.

The UN Security Council approved a resolution yesterday that would send a multinational armed force to Haiti to help combat gang violence. The Prime Minister of Haiti made a request for assistance nearly a year ago.

Source: Up First briefing: FTX fraud trial begins; how tech shapes our bodies

The Body Electric Project: A Climate Solutions Week Exploratory Report on a Sustainable Future for the India’s Sponge Cities and How We Can Improve It

Nearly all of China’s medium and large cities are susceptible to floods. The issue has been made worse by the weather driven by climate change. That’s why Yu Kongjian wants to build more “sponge cities.” Also known as green infrastructure, low-impact development or sensitive urban design, these places are purposely designed to absorb water back into the Earth.

Check out all of NPR’s Climate Solutions Week stories, including how villagers in one region of Northern India are learning to recharge the dried, groundwater-fed springs they depend on.

The Body Electric project is an investigation and discussion on the relationship between our technology and our bodies, and how we can improve it.

Our bodies have changed since the beginning of civilization to adapt to our work and tools. Our species started as hunter-gatherers. Now, nearly 85% of people in the U.S. have sedentary jobs, and the average U.S. adult spends 11 hours a day using some form of technology. Hours of sitting and screen time can increase the risks of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more — and working out once a day isn’t enough to offset the harms. So what can we do about it?

Art about Climate Justice and Sustainable Living: What do you learn from art students? How did you decide to reconnect your hands and start a business?

Carolyn: In an art class, it might be a little surprise to discuss climate justice or sustainable living. So making art about it helps that process. It has been fascinating to see how students evolve into feeling comfortable expressing their concerns through art and words, both through art and words.

Do students tell you that what you do has helped them change the way they live, the way they consume, or maybe just the way they think about the planet in the future?

The power of collective action is something that I stress through my lessons. And also the power of communicating through art, and the way that that ripples through society. And so one of the things I really want to impress on my students is the ways that they can plug into bigger movements that are happening in our culture and society today.

Ciara: Essentially, we use a chemical process to turn the fibers from straw-like to hair-like, and our team that’s based in St. Louis has gotten really good at refining and calming the fibers so that they have as much motion in them that resembles hair as much as possible.

Ciara: What I realized a couple of summers ago was that most plastic synthetic hair is made out of PVC, which is not only a really toxic material to wear on your body, but it’s also really hard to recycle. The creation of Bright Better, which is made out of banana fiber, came about because I knew that if I were going to wear braids again I would need to be comfortable and sustainable.

After writing about the climate policy he decided to become an electrician. How did you decide to reboot your career?

Nate Johnson: Many, many reasons. But in the context of this conversation, one of them was that I was listening to people talk and talk and talk. And it felt really satisfying to take my two hands and start solving the problem by helping people electrify and get off fossil fuels.

Is that Nate? Well, I think that climate action really just comes in terms of providing good information to people, it’s in that sense, it’s not so different from being a journalist, when someone wants to do something with their home, there’s usually a profound information asymmetry between them and the contractors that they choose. And they’re really relying on those people to tell them what’s going to work and what doesn’t, and what’s cost effective and what’s not. So I see my role is being an honest broker and coming in and really being up to speed and giving them all of the different options.

I was listening to people talk and talk and talk. It was great to take my two hands and start helping people get off fossil fuels.

NJ: Well, I live in Berkeley, California, and so people are generally interested in climate action. There is a certain amount of social pressure on people who want to get anind stove to replace their gas stove, not only because it’s climate action but also because everyone is doing it. There are a lot of people that just come to me and say they want to make the right decision in terms of dollars and cents. The most interesting case I have for is that the technology is there and it can be done, even if you have to work a lot to update the system. That’s most interesting to me.

Source: Any job can be a climate solutions job: Ask this teacher, electrician or beauty CEO

What Do You Want to Make Sense Out Of The Things You’ve Done Before You Get There? A Conversation with Imani May

Imani is called Ciara. May: I want people to start with what they are already involved in with the way they live their life, and see what can be made out of that that can be sustainable for themselves and other people.

Carolyn asked if she could reiterate what she said, because she said it so beautifully. It’s not about overhauling your life. It’s about plugging into what you already do, where you’re already passionate about, and finding the intersection between that and between climate action. It might take a little bit of imagination, but there are so many other ways that everyone can do it.

Nate Johnson: Dive into the research and the more you’re continuously learning and improving, the less likely you are to end up doing sort of greenwashing type things and actually make a real difference.

Nate Johnson is an electrician in California. The art teacher is in New Jersey. Rebundle is a Missouri company that makes hair extensions.