How Daylesford's community-owned windfarm took back the power
From the fertile spud-growing country of Hepburn Shire, 90km northwest of Melbourne, has sprung what many hope will become a revolution in renewable energy in Australia. On Leonards Hill, just outside the town of Daylesford – famed for its natural springs – stand two wind turbines that Read More...
Achieving mindfulness at work, no meditation cushion required
Meditation is simply one of several tools for achieving mindfulness, and in the context of work it may not be the most suitable for many people. For those who, like me, can’t seem to get the hang of meditation, there is good news: You don’t have to meditate to become more mindful. There are two Read More...
The UK is rolling out mindfulness courses for kids to prevent mental health issues
Mindfulness is no longer the stuff of yoga classes and corporate retreats. In the UK, the government has announced they will fund randomized control trials in more than 200 schools across the country to see whether mindfulness effectively reduces stress and promotes wellbeing among eight to 12 year Read More...
Let the wind blow for 80 million people: Europe's crazy clean energy plan
People aren’t always too pleased when on-shore wind turbines are installed due to aesthetics and sound, so why not just build a massive artificial island surrounded by wind turbines out in the sea? That seems crazy, but it’s exactly what a group of engineers from Denmark, Germany, and the Read More...
How activists in Seattle got the city to redirect funds from police to social services
Plans to spend nearly $150 million on a new police station in North Seattle signaled to the people that political leaders were more concerned with punishing residents than helping them. At a city hall meeting, residents of the city made it abundantly clear that this money should be used for social Read More...
France has the highest fertility rate in Europe and why that is important
The fertility rates of countries across the European continent have fallen drastically since 2001. In fact, most countries are not making enough babies to replenish their populations, that is, except for France. The country recorded the highest number of births (799,700) in 2015 and the highest Read More...
What you will learn after hearing the number one regret of the dying
The scenario most people fear is that they will wake up one day in the elderly years and regret the way they chose to lead their lives. If this would happen to you, what do you think you would change? A former nurse asked people in their waning days of life this question, and what she found out Read More...
B vitamins may have 'protective effect' against air pollution
B vitamins may offer some protection against the impacts of air pollution, a small scale human trial suggests. Researchers in the US found that high doses of these supplements may "completely offset" the damage caused by very fine particulate matter. The scientists involved say the effect is real Read More...
Germany’s Optionspace wants to be an ‘Airbnb for office space’
Optionspace, a new Berlin-based startup, sees its official launch today with a service that is something akin to an ‘Airbnb for office space’. Specifically, prospective tenants — which, of course, includes startups — are able to rent furnished and unfurnished office space via the online Read More...
Lessening negative thinking can ease depression
New research suggests that learning to stop thinking or worrying about the various aspects of situations that are upsetting can be a liberating skill, a competency that can help people gain control over depression. The Norwegian study shows that learning to reduce rumination is very helpful for Read More...