As Iceland’s whaling industry decreases, its whale-watching increases
It’s nice when the economically responsible thing to do is also the right thing to do. Iceland announced in February its intentions to end whaling by 2024 because demand for whale meat has decreased significantly. “There is little proof that there is any economic advantage to this Read More...
Demand is dwindling—Iceland decides to end whaling by 2024
For now, Iceland remains one of the only countries in the world that still hunts whales commercially. As demand declines, however, the fisheries minister has said that they plan to end whaling by 2024. “There are few justifications to authorize the whale hunt beyond 2024,” wrote Svandis Read More...
World’s largest four-day workweek trial is an “overwhelming success”
The idea of implementing a four-day workweek is gaining momentum. Over the course of the past years, we’ve seen the governments of New Zealand, Singapore, and Spain openly considering introducing the concept — which not only has wide-ranging benefits for productivity and mental health, but also Read More...
The Optimist View: Down to EarthーStorytelling as a solutions journalism medium
“Long-term survival on this planet for us and for all generations after us is a pretty good idea. Remember, the earth will probably always be here. We just may not be able to live on it for too long.” - Zac Efron BY Amelia Buckley and Arielle Tiango Little was known about the world of Read More...
North Sailing offers Iceland's first carbon-neutral silent whale-watching tours
Much of the ocean remains a vast mystery to us land-dwellers, however, advancements in research and aquatic observation are pushing us towards a greater understanding of marine creatures and their environments. One of these budding areas of study is the way in which noise pollution impacts life Read More...
This startup turns captured carbon into stone
Addressing climate change means finding new strategies for carbon capture. Many of these, like kelp farming, focus on absorbing carbon back into our natural environment. Icelandic startup Carbfix is taking on this same challenge, but rather than use plants, it's putting carbon back into the ground Read More...
Designer turns animal skin and bones into biodegradable food packaging
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: it truly doesn’t make sense from an environmental standpoint that we package fresh products with a limited lifespan in indestructible plastic. That’s why we were excited to see a new packaging design from Icelandic designer Valdís Read More...
Iceland invites people to relieve stress by screaming into its wilderness
Given the state of the world in the last couple of months, it’s likely that there are many pent-up emotions that you would like to let go of. Well, why not try screaming them out into Iceland’s vast wilderness? With the intent of helping people release some stress amid the pandemic, the island Read More...
Texans will catch the first glimpse of residential wind power this July 4th
What if you could produce wind energy from the comfort of your backyard? Well, that might soon be possible thanks to a new product made by Iceland renewable wind power company IceWind. In the town of Port Aransas Beach, Texas, IceWind’s Texas-based investor will show off a demo of the tiny Read More...
A major whaling company in Iceland is hanging up its harpoons for good
For decades the whale populations have been in decline, but this past year has seen a number of key developments that suggest whale populations are rebounding. In October, we published a story about southwest Atlantic humpback whales, which have returned from the brink of extinction after excessive Read More...