Germany will invest $95 billion in making its railway network greener
Rail travel emits less CO2 pollution than air or road traffic and Germany is well aware of this. Last week, the country’s railway operator Deutsche Bahn made a commendable move to slash its long-distance rail fares in order to get more people on its tracks and away from fossil-fuel heavy modes of Read More...
Deaf people can now summon on-demand ASL interpreters thanks to this app
For someone who is deaf, communicating with a clerk at a retail store or non-ASL-speaking friend over dinner often involves laboriously writing notes. An app called Jeenie offers an alternative: Push a button, and a live ASL interpreter appears in a video call. The app previously offered live Read More...
Half of the UK’s universities are now committed to divesting from fossil fuels
For years, we’ve seen environmental groups and students urge universities to divest from dirty fossil fuels. Finally, it seems those efforts are paying off. A total of seventy-eight of the UK’s 154 public universities have jumped onto the divestment bandwagon, either divesting or pledging to Read More...
BMW becomes first automaker to join responsible mining initiative
Materials such as cobalt and lithium are essential for producing electronic goods but often are produced in dangerous or illegal mines in conflict-riven countries. In a sign that the car industry is listening to mounting pressure to ensure that electric vehicle production does not come at the cost Read More...
Athletes at Tokyo 2020 will sleep on beds made from recycled cardboard
The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo represent the first edition of the games where a real effort is being made to reduce the environmental toll of hosting such a big event. For instance, all the winners’ medals are being made from metal extracted from recycled consumer electronics, including about Read More...
Airplanes dropped 2,200 kg of vegetables to feed wallabies during bushfires
The fires raging across Australia have had devastating ecological effects on the country and surrounding air including the estimated death of over half a billion animals. Among the affected are Australia’s signature wallabies. In an effort to help the remaining populations recover, the government Read More...
Witnessing a neighbor install solar panels can shift one’s climate change beliefs
The policies we need to fight climate change rely on support from the public. According to a new study, one way in which people become more supportive of such policies is if they witness their neighbors putting solar panels on their roofs. The study, which analyzed five years of survey data Read More...
These little tweaks will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle
While it may not be so hard to start living a healthier lifestyle, maintaining one can be very challenging. Having said this, here are five little tweaks to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Get real with yourself about what truly feels good All too often people try to follow a diet or Read More...
African grey parrots are among the smartest AND kindest in the animal kingdom
Humans and a few other mammals stand out among animals by showing acts of kindness and altruism towards others in need, but a new study suggests that some birds may also make it to the list of selfless animals. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute have found that the African grey parrots Read More...
The tiny English city wants to show small cities that going car-free is possible
Until a few years ago, the small city of Ghent in Belgium struggled with traffic and smog in its city center. Then, in 2017, the city adopted a new traffic plan to limit non-essential cars from its center and used a tactical urbanism approach to make the change cheaply, adding planters and simple Read More...