The Daily Valet. - 3/30/22, Wednesday
✔️ We Need More ...
Wednesday, March 30th Edition
How many lithium-ion batteries do think are in your house right now?
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
We Need More Lithium
Our electric future relies on lithium-ion batteries, and there’s concern about the global supply chain of lithium
We know that the future is electric. And nearly all of our electric gadgets—everything from our phones and power tools to rental scooters and cars—are powered by lithium ion batteries.
Lithium (the lightest metal on Earth) was discovered by a Swedish chemist more than 200 years ago. Since then, lithium and its compounds have been used in everything from psychiatric medicine to lubricating grease, but demand has exploded in recent years thanks to batteries.
According to the Associated Press, worldwide demand for lithium was about 350,000 tons in 2020, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater by 2030.
And here in the U.S., the race is on to produce more lithium. While reserves are distributed widely across the globe, America is home to just one active lithium mine (in Nevada), making us heavily reliant on imports. New and potential lithium mining and extracting projects are in various stages of development in three other states.
There are other options at play too. Fast Company reports that geothermal technologies are on the verge of unlocking vast quantities of lithium from naturally occurring hot brines beneath places like California’s Salton Sea. These brines are the concentrated liquid left over after heat and steam are extracted at a geothermal plant. If test projects now underway prove that battery-grade lithium can be extracted, the existing geothermal plants along the Salton Sea alone could have the potential to produce enough lithium metal to provide about 10 times the current U.S. demand.
Meanwhile, scientists are also working to create better-performing batteries. And an international team of researchers has just developed a lithium-ion battery that’s thinner, more powerful and longer lasting than conventional ones. It’s early days, but the team is now planning to commercialize the technology.
↦ Speaking of ENERGY: Climate groups say a simple switch in the way transactions are verified can reduce bitcoin energy consumption by a whopping 99%.
Peace Talks Produce Signs of Progress
Russia vows to reduce Ukraine attacks after talks, but the U.S. is skeptical
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine appeared to deliver the first tentative signs of progress on Tuesday, as Russia said it would significantly scale back its military activity around Kyiv and northern Ukraine.
According to the New York Times, the talks in Istanbul lasted about three hours. “Ukrainian officials said their country was ready to declare itself permanently neutral—forsaking the prospect of joining NATO, a key Russian demand—and discuss Russian territorial claims in exchange for security guarantees from a group of other nations.”
Moscow's public reaction was positive, and the negotiations are expected to resume today, a full five weeks into what has devolved into a bloody war of attrition, with thousands dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the country.
However, several news outlets are reporting that American leaders expressed skepticism. The Pentagon warned that Russian forces might be moving to reposition and regroup for attacks elsewhere in Ukraine. “There's what Russia says and there's what Russia does,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Tuesday.
↦ Meanwhile: The United Nations World Food Program warned on Tuesday that the war was affecting global food and grain supplies “beyond anything we’ve seen since World War II.”
Closing the Gender Pay Gap?
Younger women now earn at least as much as or more than men in 22 metro areas
Young women have pretty much closed the gender pay gap with men in nearly two dozen American metropolitan areas, according to a Pew analysis of Census Bureau data. In some of the largest cities, like New York and Los Angeles, young women make as much, or even outpace their male counterparts.
That's good news, but the findings show that while the gender pay gap is narrowing for young women, common life events such as child-rearing that occur as they age present persistent obstacles to wage growth, one researcher from the study told the Washington Post. “This is consistent with a finding that labor economists have well documented—that women suffer a penalty when they become a mom,” he said.
Men and women appear to start more or less on an even footing, but wage disparities widen over time, according to economists who study gender compensation. And small pay differentials are magnified as raises and promotions stack up over years and decades.
Pew's recent research signals progress, said Debra Lancaster, executive director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University. But it also reinforces how often life events affect women's careers more than men's.
↦ Making Waves: Gear Patrol introduces us to the women in the whiskey business you should know.
A New Binational Park at the Border
The project is being seen as as a prototype for border cities
Two years ago, the Texas border town of Laredo was bracing itself for the construction of a steel and concrete border wall that threatened to cut off the city, its people and the environment from its main water source—the Rio Grande River.
But a growing grassroots effort by a local group of teachers, students, veterans, Indigenous leaders and landowners were able to cancel several contracts and stop construction. According to Earthjustice, an environmental nonprofit, this saved 71 miles of sensitive riverfront land and more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds.
And now, plans have been announced for a binational border park between Mexico and the United States that will be built along the Rio Grande. According to Dezeen, the design incorporates 6.3 miles of land over a thousand acres on both sides of the river (which is known as Rio Bravo in Mexico), connecting the cities of Laredo in Texas and Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas.
This new park aims to restore and revitalize the ecosystem as well as attract tourism and celebrate the multiculturalism that takes place in this border territory. Overland Partners, who will oversee the project, is working with reps from both nations, to make sure the final design tackles concerns including environment and ecology, culture, security and binational community.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Your Place Needs a Credenza
A piece of furniture that’s cool, classic and extremely adaptable
Envelo credenza, $1,049 by Article
Need a storage solution that keeps your stuff accessible but hidden from plain sight? How about a place to display items like plants, mementos and picture frames? Maybe you need a substantial piece of furniture to anchor a room. Well, a credenza is the answer to all of these problems.
Shadowbox filing credenza,$2,599 by BD Studio
It's an old school piece of furniture that goes by many names: A sideboard, buffet, console cabinet. They come in all sorts of finishes and sizes, but all have the same low-and-long features—a low profile, lots of room inside and plenty of surface area on top. Interior designer Courtney Sempliner says she uses them a lot in her work for the benefit of closed storage and the additional style they bring to a space
While they were originally only found in dining rooms, they now work in almost any room of your home. She says they're often used as a bar or to serve food buffet-style in a dining room, but now make great alternatives to media cabinets in the living room. They're particularly good behind a desk in an office and the smaller ones even work in an entryway (think of all the storage possibilities).
Now that you're dying to get one for yourself, the question is, which one's right for your home? The Valet. team has rounded up some of the best ones to consider, in a range of styles and price points.
↦ Read: The best credenzas for any style or budget.
Kitchen Necessities on Sale Now
This coffee pot ($45 / $28.98) uses pressure and heat to make an espresso-like brew right on your stovetop. Perfect for someone who enjoys taking it slow in the morning since it's a more manual but an enjoyable way to drink coffee. You can make a concentrated shot to use in lattes and cappuccinos, or a full cup for a nice jolt to kickstart your day.
↦ Want more? 5 kitchen necessities on sale now
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Today’s Deals
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Morning Motto
The only time that matters is now.
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That’s all for today...
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