do you know what the world will look like in 2050?

it seems like every week a new statistic is released to indicate the dire consequences of climate change on the world of 2050 – a world most alive today will have to live through. yet only 40 percent of americans believe that climate change will affect them personally and only 32 percent think that global warming will harm them personally a great deal or a moderate amount.

we took to the streets of d.c. to see what people know of the possibilities of climate change in their lifetimes. check out our video to see what folks had to say. here are a few facts (of what’s in store in just 37 years) that didn’t make the cut as were editing:

• there will be 2 billion more people on earth. that’s 9 billion people.
• world food production will need to increase by 70 percent to meet demand.
• flood damage in 136 of the world’s largest coastal cities could soar to $1 trillion a year by 2050, according to a study published in nature climate change.

what do you think of this picture of 2050? what are you doing to prepare for a world unlike one we’ve seen before? join the conversation below! also, check out this clip of some people’s unique ideas about 2050. let’s just say the climate was not on everyone’s mind.

at first when my partner and i set out to do this project, we thought our innovation was the fact that a local brewery, dc brau, reused their waste by paying farmers to take it to their farms and feed it to their livestock. we later found out that this has been going on for ages.

anheuser-busch, the owner of global industry leading beers such as budweiser and stella artois, has been recycling their beer waste since 1899! and that’s not all — as the recent craft beer movement has been expanding, so have sustainability initiatives of these small companies.

many of these breweries use wind and solar power to power their electricity, and one, alaskan brewing co. even catches and cleans its co2 emissions. many of these smaller breweries release annual sustainability reports as well as a means to show the public about their efforts.

so what’s the best part about all of these local companies giving back to our planet? we think it’s the concept itself and the potential it holds for future companies. but if you want to know more, you’ll have to check out our video and tell us what you think!

cheers!

-jen wolfe & melissa turley

looking to keep track of team thinkfwd?

team thinkfwd is a group of fifteen students from frank sesno’s class at the george washington university. see all of their videos here: visit the member page

jason calabretta and samantha stone
team #thinkfwd

want to keep track of team thinkfwd?

team thinkfwd is a group of fifteen students from frank sesno’s class at the george washington university. see all of their videos here: visit the member page

this house was different from any of the others in the competition because it was being built to eventually house a family in the d.c. neighborhood of deanwood.  the team’s unique mission was to create a house that is both sustainable and affordable for today’s market.  the team worked closely with the d.c. chapter of habitat for humanity in order to execute their goal and ended up winning the affordability category of the contest.

this video was created by a student in the george washington university’s planet forward class.

see all their videos at thinkfwd’s profile