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And an SOS for stains.
Dear Reader,
It was during a visit by some friends from Switzerland that Dot learned this Feel-Good news from Mike Sowden’s great Everything Is Amazing newsletter: “In a commendable bit of rethinking, Swiss startup Sun-Ways took a 100-metre stretch of rail track in western Switzerland, and paved the space between the rails with easily maintained photovoltaic cells. The result: despite a month’s shutdown due to bad weather and technical upgrades, these panels have still produced more than 16,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity since May 20, 2025 — enough to power 3 or 4 households, all from a single stretch of track the length of a football field.” The idea is still in its infancy, but French and Italian railway companies are taking notice.
Speaking of solar power, I scream, you scream, the sun screams for ice cream! Willard Scoops is perhaps the first 100% solar-powered ice cream maker in Maine, according to this reporter who got the scoop (sorry. Couldn’t resist). “This was about building a business that reflects the kind of future we want to be part of,” David Bass-Clark, owner of Willard Scoops, said. “If a small neighborhood shop like ours can make this work, hopefully it shows other small businesses that sustainability can be practical, not just aspirational.”
Meanwhile, your cuppa Joe is getting greener by the minute. (Wondering what’s so bad about coffee? Read Bluedot contributor Sam Moore’s fascinating story.) Nearly 400 coffee farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon have been using satellite monitoring and traceability to prove that their beans are “deforestation-free” and, therefore, get a better price for it, according to a Mongabay story. The Deforestation-Free Coffee Initiative, we learn, means that “coffee is grown alongside timber and fruit trees and other crops in agroforestry systems, while producers receive guidance on fertilization, composting and crop management.” The goal is to increase productivity on existing farmland rather than clear new areas for cultivation.
Also in Feel-Good coffee news, Anthropocene Magazine reports that scientists are turning coffee grounds into biochar in 90 seconds. And we know what a climate champ biochar is!
And finally, whattaya know? When supply chain disruption forced U.S. farmers to cut back on fertilizer, researchers discovered that crop yields remained high while toxic runoff was reduced. Turns out, U.S. agriculture is already a nutrient-saturated system.
Positively,
Dot
Shaving cream removes stains on clothes and carpets! Check out Bluedot’s Guide to (Eco) Clean Clothes.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
