National Park Service bans commercial air tours over Bandelier National Monument
The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a ban on commercial air tours over Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, intending to preserve the park's serene natural landscape and cultural heritage. This decision is part of a larger effort to reduce Read More...
Amsterdam airport bans private jets to reduce noise and climate pollution
On November 5, 2022, scores of climate activists gathered in front of luxury planes and private jets at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, preventing them from taking off for several hours. Now, nearly five months later, the airport has declared that private jets would be prohibited, as well as Read More...
The value of silence in a noisy world
“Silence is golden,” they say, but it seems as though we have forgotten the value of silence. The modern world is a noisy place—so much so that people get accustomed to sounds and hardly register them anymore, particularly in an urban setting. Most people will be woken up with an alarm, Read More...
How Paris is quieting its noise pollution
Those of us that live in a city love it for the layers and layers of life, light, and vibrancy that come from a busy and populous environment. While it is an exciting and bustling place to live, we can also pay a price living in a city when, say, we’re just trying to go to sleep. Noise Read More...
Barcelona’s bus fleet will soon run on biofuel made from sewage sludge
In recent years, Barcelona has made headlines with a number of successful urban planning initiatives. One of the most famous ones is the superblock — a car-free zone that prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists by diverting traffic to major roads outside the city center. Greener Read More...
US establishes protected zone for endangered North Atlantic right whales
The North Atlantic right whale is a species of whale that is currently considered critically endangered. Despite having been included in the Endangered Species Act since 1973, experts estimate that the North Atlantic right whale population has dwindled to fewer than 350. To help protect these Read More...
Humpback whales in Alaska still flourishing in the absence of cruise ships
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the world to slow down and stay put, which has certainly added stress to our lives, but for the natural world, has offered some respite from human activity. This is the case for humpback whales in Alaska, which, as we wrote about before, have been enjoying the 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...
NASA is building quiet plane wings to reduce noise pollution at airports
When we think of aircraft noise pollution, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the roar and whine of jet engines that propel the large vehicle through the sky. However, an airplane’s fuselage and wings are also to blame. This is called aerodynamic noise and is the result of the airflow Read More...
These changes could drastically reduce noise pollution in marine habitats
Noise from shipping operations and other human activities can be disruptive to marine animals, especially species like whales which rely on calls through the water to communicate. The good news is there are a few simple solutions that would greatly reduce these auditory disruptions under the Read More...