The 36 most promising sustainability startups in transportation, according to top VCs

The 36 most promising sustainability startups in transportation, according to top VCs

With a few big announcements this week in California between the Department of Energy and Fermata Energy Energy, in addition to stories mentioning LanzaTech in CNN, Forbes (Japan), and C&EN, Business Insider, not to mention a major event for the Guild of Artists & Artisans over Mother’s Day weekend and an op-ed I penned for The Detroit News about mental health, it is all here in our media clips from the past week

At Capacity!

*This editorial was published in the April 27, 2022 edition of The Detroit News.

There is a silent crisis facing our region, growing like a virus. Left untreated, it will spread, and our community will face higher rates of ER visits and hospitalizations, incarceration, homelessness, suicide, and community violence. And very soon, we will see further declines in success rates and academic growth in those same kids due to increased problems in and around behavioral health.

Before the pandemic, there was a crisis in mental health for youth and adults. According to CDC data among high schools in 2019, 1 of every three students reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and 1 in 5 reported seriously considering suicide. The pandemic has accelerated a preexisting problem. Faced with isolation, disruption in routine, loss of loved ones, and continued uncertainty, our children need our help, and we are glad people are starting to listen. 

We are grateful that our legislators finally made our mental health a priority. The Governor's budget shows that it is also her administration's priority. But the priorities they are both focusing on come up short of solving the problem. 

Significant inequities exist among economically disadvantaged populations and shifting resources to the schools will deplete any investments in an already underfunded community mental health solution. 

Adding more behavioral health specialists in schools is no panacea for the crisis our children face. Community mental health (CMH) providers are already providing these services to our children in and out of school. We need to strengthen the systems we already have in place. Not dilute it by forcing community mental health providers to compete against the schools for an already limited workforce. Funding behavioral health specialists in schools will leave children without any support or services when they are not in school, namely over the summer. School specialists also are not equipped to provide the full array of services community mental health providers are already providing.

Community mental health providers offer a full continuum of behavioral health care and substance abuse treatment for severely ill and often low-income populations in underserved communities. They fill the gaps when individuals cannot obtain treatment from private providers and provide a lifeline in getting individuals the mental health care they need to function in their everyday lives. When people can access care, community mental health providers can help them achieve successful outcomes. Yet a shortage of workers able to support this increased need is standing in the way for people to access vital behavioral health services. 

According to a recent article in Bridge Magazine, Michigan has a current shortage of 34,000 direct-care workers, with projections that the shortage could exceed 200,000 by 2026. 

In a recent independent compensation survey of twenty-three behavioral health agencies in SE Michigan (primarily Wayne County) representing nearly half a billion dollars in revenue, all these providers are understaffed, with 90% reporting related service delivery challenges.

Turnover at these organizations has grown very high during the pandemic, and leaders say workers are leaving for higher-paying jobs in schools, private practice, and large hospital systems. Due to the enormous administrative burdens that regulatory agencies place on them, professionals are also leaving our public health system. With a limited workforce pipeline, a high turnover rate, and constrained funding, the problems plaguing our behavioral health system will only get worse. 

Over 600 behavioral health positions are unfilled across the two dozen agencies cited and represent a loss of services to 10,000 to 20,000 severely mentally ill or developmentally and intellectually disabled adults and children in Wayne County alone. Hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Michigan are left with untreated behavioral health issues that could be addressed if our legislators had the political will to focus on the real problems plaguing our system rather than suggest private payors take it over or loan guarantees would help.

If legislators cannot find any immediate relief by releasing unspent federal funds or providing other relief, then following the election, they will have to deal with the unintended consequences of people not getting the help and support they need. 

Michigan needs to stabilize and strengthen its community mental health system while developing a consistent pipeline. This starts with pay equity to allow providers to compete against the private sector. Then the state needs to remove the administrative burdens that stand in the way of so many people advancing through community mental health. Next, the state must find a way to support students in making the transition to work in community mental health through paid internships so they don't graduate in debt, helping the state keep people out of jails or emergency rooms. Finally, the state has already allowed for the expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), which Senator Stabenow has been a driving force behind. The state must let the expansion continue, which will help deliver the outcomes we desperately need. 

If the legislature fails to act before the election, we will see the need for acute care services increase. The criminal justice system is already consumed with cases that could have been prevented with intervention, and suicide rates and overdoses continue to rise. In Wayne County specifically, health disparities increase, including significant and avoidable early mortality for those with behavioral health conditions. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the system and make behavioral health a priority that will ultimately impact health care, corrections, criminal justice, and public safety for a generation. It's time we make community mental health everyone's priority and not just an election-year promise.

An announcement with the Department of Energy, a visit by the Chinese Ambassador, Earth Day and other news from this week.

An announcement with the Department of Energy, a visit by the Chinese Ambassador, Earth Day and other news from this week.

This week we continued to see international coverage from the announcement between LanzaTech and Bridgestone on recycling end-of-life tires and between LanzaTech and Sekisui. Because of Earth Day today we also saw a nice article between LanzaTech and On. Fermata Energy had an announcement yesterday with the US Department of Energy that we some coverage in and anticipate more in the next week. The Chinese Ambassador also visited Marquis Energy.

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Government, labor, industry leaders to announce first of its kind collaborative to accelerate “vehicle-to-everything” technologies

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Government, labor, industry leaders to announce first of its kind collaborative to accelerate “vehicle-to-everything” technologies

The US Department of Energy and 20+ partners from labor, state/local governments, utilities, & private entities, including Fermata Energy, will evaluate the feasibility of bidirectional plug-in electric vehicles in our energy infrastructure. Read the Vehicle-to-Everything announcement bit.ly/3EtM6z7dhere.

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Bridgestone Partners with LanzaTech to Pursue End-of-Life Tire Recycling Technologies

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Bridgestone Partners with LanzaTech to Pursue End-of-Life Tire Recycling Technologies

LanzaTech, a Chicago-based carbon capture company, and Bridgestone announced that they are developing a solution for recycling end-of-life tires by taking old tires and creating new ones. Learn more at BridgestoneAmericas.com.

Media Clips From Our Clients This Past Week

LanzaTech

COTY
HAPPI: Fine Fragrance Category Finishes on a High Note

COMPANY NEWS

Global IP News:  Lanzatech Inc Files United States Patent Application for Recombinant Microorganisms and Uses Therefor

MISCELLANEOUS

Advanced Biofuels USA: The Race to Upcycle CO2 into Fuels, Concrete and More
Waste Advantage Magazine: Oak Ridge National Lab Turns Pollution into Fuel, Plastics and ... High-End Clothes?

The Oak Ridger: Oak Ridge National Lab turns pollution into fuel, plastics and ... high-end clothes?

The Daily News Journal:  Oak Ridge uses bacteria to turn pollution into fuel, plastics and ... dresses?

Knoxville News Sentinel: Oak Ridge National Lab turns pollution into fuel, plastics and ... high-end clothes?

Les Échos: Le plastique et l'intelligence collective
Stuff.co.nz: The future of Aotearoa’s economy depends on startups

Fermata Energy

Oil and Gas Press: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
Kentucky New Era: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
The Valdosta Daily Times: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
Le Lézard: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
KULR-TV (Billings, MT): Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
The Bakersfield Californian: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
Business Wire: Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Announces Its First Demonstration Cohort
Smart Energy International: Vehicle-to-building demonstrates savings in Boulder
Government Technology: Boulder, Colo., Two-Way EV Charging System Shows Savings
IoT M2M Council: Fermata V2X lowers energy costs in Boulder
Colorado Daily: Boulder's two-way electric vehicle charging system shows savings in first year
Daily Camera:  Boulder's two-way electric vehicle charging system shows savings in first year
Colorado Daily:  Boulder's two-way electric vehicle charging system shows savings in first year
Microgrid Knowledge: Microgrid projects and EVs can make magic with the right market signals

 

City of Boulder saves $270 per month from Fermata Energy’s V2X application

City of Boulder saves $270 per month from Fermata Energy’s V2X application

Results from working with the City of Boulder. While we can share our own stories it is sometimes better to work collaboratively with others in sharing stories of mutual interest - in this case, working with the City of Boulder, Colorado. Below please find their stories and other stories from the past week.

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How the City of Boulder is saving money using one electric vehicle?

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How the City of Boulder is saving money using one electric vehicle?

Fermata Energy’s Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Technology Lowers Energy Costs and Increases Renewable Energy Use for the City of Boulder, Colorado. Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) Project in Boulder, in Partnership with Fermata Energy, demonstrates that Electric Vehicle (EV) Fleets Can Lower Energy Costs for Municipalities.

Media clips from the past week.

Fermata Energy

Microgrid Knowledge: Vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-microgrid projects expand

California Current: Vehicle-to-Grid No Longer Science Projects

GreenBiz -  https://www.greenbiz.com/article/episode-308-lanzatech-ceo-reflects-sxsw-startup-scene

 

LanzaTech

Leadership

A Green Living Blog: Jennifer Holmgren: from alternative fuels pioneer to carbon recycling queen

Advanced Biofuels USA: GreenBiz 350 Podcast Episode 308: LanzaTech CEO Reflects
GreenBiz: Episode 308: LanzaTech CEO reflects, SXSW startup scene
GreenBiz: Jennifer Holmgren: from alternative fuels pioneer to carbon recycling queen

New Zealand Herald: A boom for sonic: Peter Beck, LanzaTech co-founder Sean Simpson back Dotterel

Triple Pundit: What’s Next for LanzaTech, the Carbon Capture Company?

Nature Biotechnology

Advanced Biofuels USA: Three Partners, Two Problems, One Bioenergy Research Article Published

Woodside Announcement

Advanced Biofuels USA: LanzaTech, ReCarbon, Woodside Team up on Carbon Capture and Utilization Project in Australia
Biofuels Digest: LanzaTech, ReCarbon, Woodside team up on carbon capture and utilization project in Australia

gasworld magazine: Woodside, US tech join forces to study usage of captured CO2

Hydrocarbon Engineering Magazine: Woodside launches CCU collaboration
Indian Chemical News: Woodside partners with ReCarbon, LanzaTech to study CCU project in Australia

Offshore Technology: Woodside partners with US firms on carbon capture and utilisation project
Oil and Gas Press: Carbon capture and utilisation collaboration in Perth, Western Australia
Oil and Gas Press: Oil and Gas | Global Sustainable Aviation Fuel Market Report 2022 Featuring Neste, Aemetis, Avfuel, Gevo, Lanzatech, Preem AB, Sasol, SkyNRG, & World Energy - ResearchAndMarkets.com
Petroleum Africa: Woodside Launches Carbon Capture and Utilization Collaboration
Shale Markets: Woodside teams up with U.S. tech developers to turn greenhouse gases into decarbonised products

The Motley Fool (Australia): Here's why the Woodside (ASX:WPL) share price is having a stellar end to the week
The West Australian:  Woodside announces low-carbon plan

The Chemical Engineer (tce): Partners enter carbon capture and utilisation collaboration

SHV Announcement

Biomass Magazine: LanzaTech, SHV Energy partner on renewable propane @BiomassMagazine
Canadian Biomass: LanzaTech, SHV Energy partner to produce renewable propane
Ethanol Producer Magazine: LanzaTech, SHV Energy partner on renewable propane @EthanolMagazine

GlobeNewswire: Renewable Propane Partnership for LanzaTech and SHV Energy
Lp Gas: SHV Energy, LanzaTech partner to produce renewable propane

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Renewable Propane Partnership for LanzaTech and SHV Energy

The Fly: LanzaTech enters partnership with SHV Energy

Twelve Partnership

Close-Up Media:  Twelve Partnering with LanzaTech

SPAC

SPACInsider: The Latest SPAC News and Rumors: March 23, 2022

Startup Daily: RocketLab's Peter Beck backs Kiwi audio startup in NZ$3 million raise

Misc
Fortune: Katie Haun lands $1.5B for two crypto funds in historic raise for solo VC
Freethink: Engineered bacteria can turn chemical production into net-negative for CO2 emissions

Patents

Global IP News:  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Publishes Lanzatech Inc's Patent Application for Methods and Apparatus for Recycling Tail Gas in Syngas Fermentation to Ethanol

Legislative
JD Supra: Wrap-Up of Federal and State Chemical Regulatory Developments, March 2022 | JD Supra
JD Supra: House Committee Holds Hearing on Bioenergy RD&D for the Fuels and Chemicals of Tomorrow | JD Supra

The National Law Review: House Committee Holds Hearing on Bioenergy RD&D for the Fuels and Chemicals of Tomorrow


COTY
News Heater: Is There a Dimmer Outlook Ahead for Coty Inc. (COTY)?

Do you work for a Badass?

Do you work for a Badass?

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech had a great week. She announced that her company entered into a SPAC deal and she was named a Badass by GreenBiz. We had two clients with stories in The Wall Street Journal this week talking about vehicle-to-everything technology with Fermata Energy, and the SPAC deal and turning pollution into products with LanzaTech. Some of the best stories are those that are told about you by someone else. Many partners relish their work with our clients and helped share their stories. I hope you enjoy them below.

Global Media Attention For Technology That Will Change Manufacturing

Global Media Attention For Technology That Will Change Manufacturing

North Coast Strategies is an independent public relations consultancy that secures global media attention for its clients each week. From Mardi Gras and Detroit oldest black-owned restaurants, to a collaboration between Northwestern University, LanzaTech and the Oak Ridge Laboratory, check out the media attention we secured for our clients in just one week.

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Closing the Carbon Cycle and Creating a Pathway to Net-Zero

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Closing the Carbon Cycle and Creating a Pathway to Net-Zero

What if you could take today's plastic or acrylics and create them using pollution and lock carbon up before it escapes into our atmosphere? In the March issue of Nature Biotechnology, (and online today), a team of scientists from LanzaTech, Northwestern University, and the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab reveal their results and methods from a pilot-scale demonstration and life cycle analysis that they can now manufacture glass for windows or headlights, plastics, even nail polish remover and thousands of other products, all from pollution. (See story, here.) This carbon negative platform saves >160% GHG emissions, playing a critical role in helping the U.S. reach a net-zero emissions economy. The results from this collaboration will change how companies can manufacture products.

Global media for our clients and the impact they make around the world

This week, we announced the 2022 schedule for the Guild of Artists & Artisans in Michigan and Ohio. It is great to be able to make announcements about major events, and these are always outside. We also announced the largest sustainable aviation fuel plant in North America will be built outside of Chicago between LanzaJet and Marquis Sustainable Aviation Fuel that resulted in coverage in North America and Europe in mainstream media, such as Crain’s Chicago Business and trade publications such as Aviation International News and Biofuels Digest. The media continues to share news about our clients and their work globally, with coverage in Green Biz, Metro-UK, CNN, and CNBC among others. Finally, congratulations to our past client South Pole on Salesforce’s investment in their company. Below please find additional media from this past week.

LanzaJet

LanzaTech
Coty

SAF

Investments

Awards + Leadership

Other

Zara

Fermata Energy

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Decarbonizing Aviation

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Decarbonizing Aviation

This partnership will utilize carbon capture and sequestration, renewable energy, and other innovative practices to bring lower-cost, low carbon-intensity sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, and other sustainable hydrocarbons to the global market and help accelerate the decarbonization of various industries, including the tough to decarbonize aviation sector.