Oslo is becoming the first European city without cars: A textbook
Freeing the center of a major city of cars is not an easy exercise. Almost two years ago the city council of Oslo decided that the Norwegian capital would become car free as the first major city in Europe. After business protests, the council changed its strategy and did the next best thing: it Read More...
A manual for civilization: What are the books worth remembering?
Imagine that we would be able to restart civilization from scratch. Which books would we want our citizens to read? Which are the universal values that have survived the test of time? The San Francisco-based Long Now Foundation has been involved and inspired by projects centered on that question Read More...
The comeback of in-home health care
There was a time that the doctor made house calls. In the 1930’s almost half of all interactions between doctors and patients happened at their homes. Today, in the U.S. that figure has dropped to lees than one percent. With the advent of more advanced and larger medical equipment, it just made Read More...
Wind, solar, energy efficiency replaces coal generation in UK
Wind, solar and energy efficiency have replaced the vast majority of power previously provided by the UK’s coal fleet, a new analysis shows. Since the start of the coalition government in 2010, coal’s role in the generation mix has fallen to historic lows, culminating in the Read More...
The consequences if the world decided to go meat-free
It’s World Meat Free Day – but what would actually happen if the whole world suddenly went vegetarian permanently? Here’s a briefing about the potential pros and cons for the climate, environment, our health, economy and more. If vegetarianism was adopted by everyone by 2050, the Read More...
Oil giants need to invest heavily in renewables by 2035, says analysis
More than a fifth of investment by the largest oil and gas companies could be in wind and solar power in just over a decade, according to analysis of how global changes in energy will reshape the sector. Slowing demand for oil and forecasts of rapid growth in renewables posed both a threat and and Read More...
A digital nomad can start a product line without funding
The Internet makes it easy to sell your talents. More and more people are discovering the freedom and the opportunities of becoming a “digital nomad”. But even if you don’t know (yet) what experience or skills you have to offer, you can create your own line of products. You may not have a Read More...
Google shows your neighbor has solar panels: What do you do?
What makes people decide to put solar panels on their roof? Surveys show it’s not their age, their race, their level of income, or their political affiliation. The determining factor is whether their neighbors did it first. Now Google is putting this finding into practice. Next week the Read More...
New in the US: Resistance schools teaching people how to create a better world
Many people feel lost in the current political climate in the U.S. and Europe. However, the widespread frustration is also leading to an outpouring of interest in engaging with politics and social movements. In the U.S. there is a number of new schools cropping up to train people to become Read More...
Necessity is the mother of invention: the bike is celebrating its 200th birthday
This week, 200 years ago, Karl von Drais rode his Laufsmaschine for the first time. The German baron rode his two-wheeled invention, a bicycle without pedals, five miles from the center of Mannheim and back in less than an hour—much faster than a horse. And that was the point. At the time the Read More...