Author Archives: Jonathan Cloud

The Possible Planet Lab and Planetary Intelligence

Posted on Monday, 22 December, 2025 | Leave a comment

From PossiblePlanetLab.org:

Our mission is to “Unleash artificial intelligence in service of life: to repair ecosystems, deepen human flourishing, and expand opportunity equitably across communities and species. We choose technologies that regenerate, policies that protect, and practices that bind us back into mutual belonging with the living Earth.”

We live inside a paradox. Our species has been capable of both the most profound creation and the most grievous harm: luminous works of art, soaring cathedrals, and brilliant science sit beside deforested landscapes, polluted waters, and a destabilized climate. The same human imagination that built cathedrals also designed systems that externalize costs onto other beings and future generations.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in AI, Global Issues, Planetary Intelligence, Regenerative Development

How Remote Work Is Quietly Reshaping Our Environmental Footprint

Posted on Sunday, 21 December, 2025 | Leave a comment

Photo by Ian Harber on Unsplash

By Dean Burgess, Excitepreneur

When millions began working from home, few realized that the shift might quietly redefine our personal relationship with the planet. Commuter traffic thinned, cities grew quieter, and households began humming with a different kind of energy demand. Today, as hybrid and fully remote work become the norm, the environmental consequences—both positive and complex—are coming into focus.

Key Takeaways at a Glance

  • Remote work drastically reduces daily commuting emissions but increases home energy usage.
  • Household electricity and heating patterns now shape individual carbon footprints more than travel.
  • Paperless workflows and digital tools can meaningfully cut waste.
  • Eco-friendly home offices multiply the benefits of remote work when combined with renewable energy and efficiency upgrades.
  • Sustainability is not automatic—it depends on conscious personal choices.

The Double-Edged Carbon Equation

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Carbon Footprint, Community, Ecopreneurship, Getting Started, Sustainability

Digital Habits That Shrink Your Carbon Footprint

Posted on Wednesday, 12 November, 2025 | Leave a comment

Image: Freepik

By Dean Burgess, Excitepreneur

We often think of “carbon footprints” in terms of cars, flights, and food. But there’s another, less visible layer — the digital one. Every photo stored in the cloud, every unused app syncing in the background, and every extra device left on standby quietly contributes to global CO₂ emissions. Digital minimalism isn’t just about decluttering your inbox — it’s environmental action disguised as everyday choice.

Core Points

Mind your bytes. Reduce digital waste by:

  • Extending device lifespans
  • Limiting unnecessary data storage
  • Choosing green tech and power settings
  • Recycling responsibly

Start with an audit → pick three changes → track your impact for 30 days. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Carbon Pollution, CO2 Mitigation, CRCS, Ecopreneurship, Getting Started

Ecopreneurship Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Redesign.

Posted on Monday, 6 October, 2025 | Leave a comment

Image via Pexels

By Meredith Jones, FineTimes.org

You don’t start an ecopreneurial business to make a splash. You start one because something about the system doesn’t sit right, and you’d rather rebuild the rules than keep pretending they work. These are not ventures that ride waves of green hype. They’re reengineering entire assumptions — about profit, waste, value, and scale. Sometimes that work looks unglamorous. Sometimes it moves at a crawl. But make no mistake: it is a form of engineering. And its product is a future where business isn’t something we apologize for — it’s something we rely on to repair what’s been broken.

Building With Boundaries, Not Buzzwords

Before the product, before the pitch deck, before the first logo sketch, there’s a choice: to build within ecological limits instead of around them. For true ecopreneurs, this choice isn’t aesthetic. It’s structural. The entire operation forms around entrepreneurial ventures that prioritize sustainability from day one — in supply chain contracts, in packaging specs, in hiring policy. It forces questions that other startups delay. Can we source this locally without wrecking margins? Will this material compost in 12 weeks or 12 years? Where most businesses stretch outward, these tighten in. And paradoxically, that’s where their flexibility begins. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Community, Ecopreneurship

Planning a Stylish, Sustainable Wedding Without Compromise

Posted on Friday, 26 September, 2025 | Leave a comment

Image by Freepik

By Dean Burgess, Excitepreneur

Choosing sustainability for your wedding doesn’t mean sacrificing elegance. It means caring—about waste, about impact, about memories that last beyond the day. Whether you’re deep in planning or just beginning, there are grounded, effective ways to reduce environmental strain while honoring your values and keeping things visually stunning. This guide walks through seven essential decisions, each with a practical shift that cuts excess without cutting style. You don’t need to reinvent your wedding. Just rethink the standard defaults.

Rethink Where and How You Host

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Green Wedding, Sustainability

Everyday Tech for a Greener, More Sustainable Lifestyle

Posted on Tuesday, 2 September, 2025 | Leave a comment

Image via Pexels

By Dean Burgess, Excitepreneur

In a world where technology often feels like a double-edged sword, it’s refreshing to see how everyday devices can actually support a more sustainable way of living. The key is to think of tech not as a luxury, but as a tool to reduce waste, save energy, and minimize your impact. From your home to your personal habits, even small changes can ripple outward when powered by the right gadgets. As we all grapple with the urgent need for sustainability, everyday tech provides both practical solutions and a sense of control over our choices. In this guide, we’ll explore how to make the most of what’s already at your fingertips to live a little lighter on the planet — without giving up modern convenience.

Automate Energy Use With Smart Home Devices

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in CRCS, Sustainability, Technology

Building a Smarter, Greener Home from Start to Finish

Posted on Tuesday, 15 July, 2025 | 1 comment

Image by Freepik

By Dean Burgess, Excitepreneur

Creating a modern home that’s both eco-conscious and smart-enabled isn’t just a trend. It’s a design evolution that blends sustainability with control, efficiency, and long-term savings. Whether you’re building from scratch or remodeling your current space, combining eco-friendly principles with innovative technologies offers a unique kind of payoff: lower energy bills, a smaller environmental footprint, and a more intuitive living space. Let’s walk through seven foundational layers that shape an eco-smart home, starting with the materials that make up its shell.

Start With Sustainable Materials That Insulate and Breathe

Forget fiberglass and foam boards. Today’s high-performance insulation is smarter and more natural. Take cork, for example. Harvested without cutting down trees, cork is biodegradable, renewable, and impressively effective at regulating temperature and sound. A London homeowner recently chose to wrap their entire house in natural cork insulation solutions, creating a cozy shell that breathes. Unlike synthetic materials, cork adapts to changes in moisture and temperature, reducing the risk of mold and stabilizing indoor comfort. For anyone designing an eco-smart shell, that’s a triple win.

Digital Paperwork, Real Control Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Energy, Green Construction, Local Entreprenurship, Sustainability

Building Green from the Ground Up: Crafting a Sustainable Business and Marketing Plan

Posted on Tuesday, 10 June, 2025 | 1 comment

Image: Freepik

By Dean Burgess

Starting a business today means thinking beyond profit. If you want to build something that actually matters—something that lasts—you’ve got to take sustainability seriously from the start. It’s not just about the environment either; it’s about ethics, longevity, and aligning with a growing base of conscious consumers who demand more from the brands they support. Designing an eco-friendly business model and a marketing plan to match isn’t just a smart move—it’s becoming the only move that makes sense.

Rethink Your Supply Chain

Take a hard look at every link in your supply chain, from raw materials to delivery. If you’re serious about sustainability, that means digging deep into where your resources come from, how they’re made, and how they’re transported. Work with suppliers who share your values, even if it means spending a bit more at the outset—because cutting corners here undercuts everything else. Keep it local where possible, and cut out unnecessary waste at each step. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in CRCS, Local Entreprenurship, Regenerative Development, Sustainability

How to Build a Water-Wise Yard That Doesn’t Look Like a Desert

Posted on Thursday, 22 May, 2025 | Leave a comment

Image by Freepik

By Dean Burgess

Start here: your lawn is thirsty, overworked, and wildly out of step with the world it’s living in. That lush, endless green might look good in a magazine, but it’s guzzling water like a 1970s Cadillac. If you’re serious about building a yard that saves water without sacrificing style, you’ll need to rethink everything—what you plant, how you irrigate, even who you call when the hose starts leaking. It’s not just a cosmetic shift. It’s a full reset.

Think Native, Think Thriving

The first move? Ditch the high-maintenance imports and start planting with purpose. Native plants are a smart choice because they’ve evolved to survive exactly where you are. No pampering, no chemical cocktails, no wasting gallons trying to keep them alive through a hot July. These are the kinds of plants that hold their own against drought and still manage to put on a show—goldenrod, milkweed, echinacea, and more. You’ll end up with a yard that buzzes with bees and butterflies instead of resentment. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in CRCS, Gardening, Getting Started, Sustainability

Start Where Your Feet Are: Taking Real Action for What Matters to You

Posted on Monday, 5 May, 2025 | Leave a comment

Image generated by ChatGPT

By Dean Burgess

It’s easy to feel like you’ve done your part, especially in the age of armchair activism. But if you’ve ever felt the disconnect between your values and your daily choices, you’re not alone—and you’re not powerless. Taking real, tangible action for the causes that matter to you doesn’t require being loud or perfect or running for office; it just takes showing up where you are, as you are.

Listen Before You Leap

It’s tempting to dive headfirst into advocacy, especially when a cause hits close to home. But if you want to create change that actually lands, your first step should be listening—not speaking. Talk to the people most affected, attend town halls, join local groups doing the work, and ask questions without assuming you already know the answers. You’ll learn fast that showing up with humility makes you a much more useful ally than showing up with a bullhorn.

Find the Cracks That Need Filling Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in Climate Change, Community, Getting Started, Regenerative Development, Sustainability