SUSTAINABILITY

OUR SUSTAINABILITY CONTRIBUTIONS

We actively offset our carbon footprint that is created through ocean freight and logistics, by contributing to restorative projects and new green technology that aims to help preserve and re-establish natural resources. While we are not perfect, we always strive to improve and together we can make a difference while we are all guardians of this beautiful Earth. 

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COMMITTED TO THE GLOBAL GOALS

Happy Fox Health is committed to supporting The Principles of the United Nations General Assembly; to address issues in our supply chains regarding human rights, labor, environment & corruption and share those with our suppliers with the expectation that our suppliers will meet them. We are committed to these principles as part of our strategy, culture and the day-to-day operations of our company. Our aim has always been to engage in collaborative relationships with our suppliers and customers to advance these principles which contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth's environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity.

 

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In collaboration with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization dedicated to reforesting the Earth and cultivating a more sustainable future. With a resolute mission and a global reach, this organization has taken up the mantle of combating deforestation, one tree at a time. As concerns about climate change and habitat loss continue to mount, this initiative believes in the power of unity and understands that a single seedling holds the potential to transform landscapes, sequester carbon, and breathe life into the natural world we hold dear.

Like many mangrove areas, coastal forests provide vital protection for millions of people from climate change impacts, cyclones, tidal surges, and coastal erosion. Planting mangroves will help protect the natural embankments of river mouths, thus restoring the aquatic environment, and ultimately restoring ecological balance. These mangrove restoration projects typically occur throughout Asia and Latin America where these trees are native and can thrive, including in Costa Rica, The Philippines, India, Haiti, and Guatemala. Contributions will provide social benefits in these regions, such as activities like fishing, and even new income-generating options. 

Mangroves play a vital part in our tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Found where the ocean meets land, they protect our coastlines, keep our beaches beautiful, restore biodiversity in marine ecosystems, and store 5 to 10 times more carbon than land ecosystems. However, like many other tree species, mangroves are at risk. Some estimate that approximately 1% of our mangroves are lost yearly, posing a major threat to coastline communities. By restoring our mangrove forests to protect vulnerable communities from rising sea levels and storm surges while also preventing soil erosion.

Want to learn more or contribute? Head over to https://onetreeplanted.org/

 

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One of our contributions is to the PADI Adopt The Blue program. What is Adopt The Blue? The world’s largest network of underwater sites for conservation action.

PADI’s global network of 6,600 dive centers and resorts plus more than 128,000 professional members worldwide will provide the backbone for Adopt The Blue. They will provide unprecedented scale and unmatched potential for participants to take direct action that will drive measurable conservation impact. 

The strategy at Adopt The Blue provides multiple pathways for PADI operators, professionals, divers and other ocean enthusiasts to get actively involved in conservation at both the local and global level. PADI amplifies conservation efforts through cross-channel marketing, community grants, storytelling and strategic partnerships. Some local action initiatives include participation in underwater citizen science, lobbying and advocating local governments, support in-country projects and campaigns where you can even get involved by volunteering for conservation events.

Global Impact

• Network of 10,000 sites
• Ability to scale conservation work 
• Economic voice at the international table
• Driven by a global movement of divers

Climate change is the single most urgent challenge facing our planet. To help in the fight, Giant Giant Kelp Forest Restoration (G2KFR) wants to send help – via kelp!

“Our kelp forests are vital to survival on the planet,” he said. “My passion is to share my love for diving in California’s lush kelp forests with divers from around the world.”

Thanks to PADI AWARE Foundation Community Grant funding, G2FKR has been able to protect small, resilient patches of kelp that have been able to withstand ocean warming in Monterey, California. How? By mobilizing divers to relocate sea urchins that predate on the kelp to allow these patches to shed spores and maintain genetic diversity of the kelps. The funding allowed them to buy much needed safety equipment and supplies and to cover staff travel expenses.

The project takes place in Monterey’s beautiful kelp forests. The goal is for recreational divers to help reduce urchin densities to <2 urchins/m2 on 1-2 acres of reef during the project. Using proper relocation or culling techniques, these divers are able to reduce urchin populations without significant bycatch, damage to the reef structure and disturbance to marine animals.

“Our project aims to get divers into the water to experience the difference between diving in species-rich, healthy kelp forest ecosystems and sea urchin barren habitats with diminished species richness,” Bennett said. His organization will log the dives that PADI divers make in these two habitats.

The funding will also allow G2FKR to test different rehabilitation and protection methods for California’s kelp beds, ranging from invasive species removal to replanting and growing new kelp.

“Success will be increasing awareness of the health of kelp forest ecosystems and teaching divers about Giant and Bull Kelp forests in California,” he added. “For me, it is important to give back and protect habitats and species not only for our survival but also for future generations. I cannot sit by idly and not work to protect this vulnerable kelp ecosystem that provides a foundation for so many amazing marine animals and algae.”

Bennett hopes that recreational divers in his project will be able to adequately collect and report biological data to state and federal agencies to assess the effectiveness of their efforts. He knows it’s not too late, and that the ocean’s regenerative power is remarkable if we just give it the chance.

“As divers working together we can see what needs to be done and we can accomplish so much,” he concluded.

Want to see more of the Giant Kelp Forest Restoration Project in action?

You can follow along with Giant Giant Kelp Forest Restoration and their kelp restoration project on their website, Instagram, Facebook or on https://www.padi.com/aware.

To learn more, donate or volunteer for this great initiative check out http://www.adopttheblue.org or https://www.padi.com/aware/AdoptTheBlue

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Another one of our 2022 sustainability initiatives includes an investment in Joule Case, who has developed new technology by way of a stackable battery system. These systems have already been used successfully at large scale music festivals and have many applicable uses at household level for emergency situations and camping. Their battery technology eliminates carbon emissions and toxic fumes that traditional generators produce. We believe that starting on a local level, we can grow our sustainability efforts to make a global impact. 

So why is this new tech important?

The electricity our world depends upon is no longer reliable. Utilities are failing to provide reliable power and have shown time and time again that businesses and people cannot depend upon them. Our lives rely on power. We rely on it so much we take it for granted until it fails.

The United States electrical grid is the most complex system ever designed yet it is outdated and failing.

• 2020 had 10X the number of significant power outages than 2000.
• 70% of all electrical transmission lines are past their 50-year expected life.
• Now electrical utilities are being disrupted with decentralized renewable solar panel generation and the high demand EV fast charging that they do not have the capacity for.

Electrical utilities are trying to solve this problem with massive amounts of dollars.

They are on track to spend $140 billion this year in infrastructure and clean energy upgrades and again plan to spend another $140 billion in 2023. Even with this increase in spending, the US will still face a $200 billion funding gap for what is needed to maintain the grid and meet renewable targets in 2029.

Joule Case provides innovation in a largely stagnant battery market, replacing noxious generators and miles of expensive and cumbersome electrical transmission lines with clean, safe, cost-efficient renewable power to create a decentralized electrical grid in the future. The solution to the failing electric grid and portable power is the same. One product platform that is simple and easy to use. Joule Case has developed the patented battery system that can use any type of battery chemistry and output serious amounts of power to match the grid.

This flexible and portable platform is a perfect solution for most power needs regardless of the business or market. Our current customers include wineries, aquariums, festivals, events, large video display manufacturers, home builders, EV charging companies, and even utilities. Joule Case has successfully proven reliable, effective power from personal to enterprise-scale applications. Simply put, Joule Case systems are a better option than generators or the electrical grid.

Mobile businesses include mobile car detailers, groomers, deep cleaners, disaster recovery, electricians, plumbers, and landscape trucks. They are always in their vehicles driving to the next customer and need clean reliable power when they get there. Many currently have generators on their vans that are ripe to be replaced. 

• Power is critical to keep business operating
• Power needs to be easy and accessible.
• Power needs to be reliable and convenient to allow them to focus on their customer

There are 35,000 food trucks in the United States alone. Each one has food being prepped with the smell, pollution, and noise of a generator in the experience for both employees and customers. Generators are the biggest frustration point frequently expressed by food truck owners and now there are dozens of food trucks that have replaced this generator with a quiet and clean Joule Case system. 

• Rising fuel costs cut into margin
• Generators fail and require maintenance
• Noise and pollution detract from experience

On May 21st, Joule Case partnered with the Southern Idaho Food Truck Association to power the inaugural Food Truck Festival.

This was the largest food truck rally ever in the state of Idaho with 18 trucks participating—and we turned them all into electric food trucks—all powered by clean Joule Case batteries! This may also have been the largest food truck rally powered by batteries in the World. We’re still checking on that, but we’ve never heard of it before…

Hosted by the Boise Hawks at Memorial Stadium, over 2,700 guests picked the food trucks clean—they were completely sold out by the end of the event. In addition to the 18 food trucks, there was a beer garden and a live music stage that featured three bands.

Making Music Festivals Greener!

Camp EDC hosted over 25,000 guests in conjunction with neighboring EDC Las Vegas, the largest electronic dance festival in North America. The company responsible, Insomniac, and its legendary leader, Pasquale Rotella, are on a mission to make music festivals more sustainable.

Power is one of the largest production costs for a music festival, and it can account for over 70% of its core carbon footprint. Recent lawsuits against Coachella and other concerts have revealed dangerously high levels of toxins in the air—from diesel generators—at these events. And with fuel costs rapidly rising and the energy market forecast as increasingly volatile, something’s gotta give.

The music festival sector has a unique opportunity to contribute to CO2 reduction, showcase new innovation, and engage audiences. They are partnering up with LIVE Nation, Insomniac Events, and festivals like EDC and Burning Man to transition from loud, harmful generators to renewable, stackable energy.

"The potential for Joule Case in music festivals is massive." - Rutger Jansen, Senior VP Production and Operations @ Insomniac

Another reason to choose batteries is the rising occurrence of natural disasters is often followed by a spike in deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning from poorly ventilated generator use. After the legendary cold snap brought the State of Texas and its power grid to its knees in February 2021, at least 11 deaths were confirmed and more than 1,400 people sought care at emergency rooms and urgent care clinics for carbon monoxide poisoning during the weeklong outage. Users love how batteries do everything a noisy, toxic generator can do, and do it refreshingly quietly, and sustainably. They even repurpose and recycle your old batteries once they have past their working lifetime. 

We believe in this great company for their progessive approach to battery applications in the modern world. We hope that our support for companies like this may inspire others to keep sustainability front of mind because our everyday choices can really make a difference. 

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Here are more of the projects Happy Fox Health contributes to:

Borehole Rehabilitation Project in Uganda Type: Clean Drinking Water Location: Uganda, Africa Standard: Gold Standard VER Reference: VPA 43 GS-1247 Est. Reductions: 8,758 tCO2e per year

UK Tree Planting + Brazil Reducing Deforestation Type: Trees and Forestry Location: UK & Brazil Standard: VCS Reference: Several Est. Reductions: 100,000 tCO2e per year

Larimar Wind Farm Project Type: Wind Power Location: Dominican Republic Standard: Verified Carbon Standard Reference: VCS 1644 Est. Reductions: 246,766 tCO2e per year

Portel-Pará Deforestation (REDD) Type: Reduced Deforestation Location: Brazil, South America Standard: VCS +CCBS Gold Level Reference: VCS 977 Est. Reductions: 553,273 tCO2e per year

We also support the development of new technology in wind harvesting. A project that began in Belgium and is expected to be underway 2021 in Texas, Wyoming, California and Barbados. By harvesting wind that is closer to the ground rather than large traditional wind turbines you can maximize the land and power produced by a single area. As well these low impact turbines have less audible impact to animals and are highly efficient. (shown below)