Alaina Wood
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thegarbagequeen.bsky.social
Alaina Wood
@thegarbagequeen.bsky.social
Appalachian Climate Storyteller & Activist
UTK Sustainability & Geography Alum
🌍 goodclimatenews.substack.com
📧 alaina@pharos.co
Africa is making our solarpunk dreams a reality!

In Kenya, a company called MycoTile is making biodegradable yet affordable building materials out of fungi grown on plant-based agricultural waste.
November 6, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Last month I found the best rolloff dumpster in the history of rolloff dumpsters while visiting Folly Beach.

Y’all better support this woman-owned business if you live in the Charleston area. It’s so incredibly rare for women to work in the solid waste industry!
November 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I ain’t called the garbage queen for nothing, so I hope y’all enjoy learning more about aluminum recycling ♻️

Read more here: www.newscientist.com/article/2494...
October 29, 2025 at 4:45 PM
A couple years ago I turned half of my front yard into a flower patch without doing much research. Now that I’ve got some experience under my belt, I decided to redo that patch with better wildflowers for local pollinators. Here’s what I sowed this fall, and I’ve got more to sow in the spring!
October 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Do you have a balcony at your condo? I’ve seen small solar panels that can be easily installed on balconies/decks.
October 25, 2025 at 1:16 PM
I 💚 the freedom of choice I have living in a somewhat walkable neighborhood.
October 24, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Only a few years ago, these solar canal canopies were just a theory, but now they're becoming a reality!
October 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
There's a grassroots initiative in Memphis aimed at reducing food insecurity through rescuing food waste from restaurants, hotels, schools, grocery stores, and event venues. It's called Project Green Fork, and so far it's helped share over 200,000 meals with the community.
October 22, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Every bit of progress is worth celebrating, in my opinion, because it helps keep us motivated to fight for a better future.

Learn more in the latest edition of my newsletter Good Climate News at the link in the replies.
October 22, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Passenger trains in the Czech Republic just got a bit faster thanks to rail modernization efforts!

The maximum speed limit was recently raised from 99 mph to 124 mph after infrastructure upgrades and the purchase of newer units.
October 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Johnson City, TN had a fantastic turnout for No King’s! I don’t have any official estimate of attendance, but there were whispers of it being nearly 3,000.

There was only one truck with MAGA flags that drove by while I was there, and over half of the cars that drove by honked in support.
October 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Eating less/no animal products (especially beef), composting food waste, and demanding your community quickly transition away from fossil fuels are great ways to reduce methane emissions — and therefore help coral reefs because not all hope is lost!!
October 16, 2025 at 4:39 PM
If y’all would take a second to read past scary headlines, you’d know that not all hope is lost to save coral reefs.

In fact, the authors behind the tipping point paper made sure to mention that we can still save remaining reefs by rapidly reducing emissions.

So don’t give up. The reefs need you.
October 16, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The devastating floods in Western Alaska are a stark reminder that climate change disproportionately impacts Indigenous communities despite them contributing the least to the crisis.
October 14, 2025 at 4:20 PM
If you want to learn more about any of these stories, check them out in the latest edition of my newsletter at the link in the replies!
October 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Next week the IUCN World Conservation Congress kicks off in Abu Dhabi.

Stay tuned to learn more about how the conservation world will be tackling the climate and biodiversity crises!

#IUCNCongress
October 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Today we lost one of my biggest inspirations for going into the environmental field.

Dr. Jane Goodall will be greatly missed, but we can carry on her legacy by not giving up hope and continuing the fight to make this planet a better place.

Source: ABC Australia
October 1, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Hurricane Imelda couldn’t stop me from sharing my excitement over oysters with y’all!
September 30, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Hurricane Helene forever changed both my life and my region, and I can’t believe this Saturday marks a whole year since it hit. Recovery is coming along nicely, but there’s still a long way to go. Please come visit — Western NC in particular — because we’re back open and need your tourism support!
September 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
New York City launched a citywide composting program last year, and around 6 million tons of free finished compost have been handed out to residents and community gardens so far.
September 25, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The High Seas Treaty will formally go into effect next January, and I hope you enjoyed the pirate hat. I figured we could all use a bit of joy in these trying times.
September 24, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The new Drawdown Explorer from @projectdrawdown.bsky.social shows which solutions matter most, where, and now, and I’m proud to have consulted on it!

If you’re a policymaker, investor, or business leader, this is your go-to guide for effective action. Check it out at the link in the replies:
September 23, 2025 at 2:22 PM
A federal judge overturned Trump’s shutdown of construction on a New England offshore wind farm just in time for it to make this week’s edition of Good Climate News.

Drop your questions about Revolution Wind in the replies, and I’ll try my best to answer them when writing my newsletter!
September 23, 2025 at 12:59 PM
All hope is not lost because I have literally hundreds more stories like these from just this year!!

Read more about them here: open.substack.com/pub/goodclim...
September 12, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Progress on climate is still happening despite the current administration’s best efforts to stop it.

Read more about it in the latest edition of my newsletter Good Climate News: open.substack.com/pub/goodclim...
September 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM