April 22nd is Earth Day. Join the festivities wherever you are in the world, without leaving your home. The theme of the event’s 50th anniversary is climate action. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change has distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for this milestone […]
First, the world moved to plastics for anything and everything as it was a cheap alternative to other materials. Then, once we understood that petroleum-based plastics are bad for the environment – companies had unleashed more than 8 trillion kilos of the stuff on the world by 2018 – on came the advent of bioplastics. […]
Plastic waste has become a scourge of the Earth, polluting waterways and creating garbage patches in the oceans, the largest of which is in the Pacific Ocean. According to National Geographic: “While many different types of trash enter the ocean, plastics make up the majority of marine debris for two reasons. First, plastic’s durability, low […]
By Danielle Carpenter – Climate change and extreme climatic events are having grave consequences for plant biodiversity around the world. Fires in Australia, the Amazon and North America are destroying key ecosystems. Bark beetles are benefiting from warmer temperatures to kill increasing numbers of trees worldwide. Extreme drought in some areas and flooding in others […]
The industrial production of materials such as cement and steel is a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, or so claims the International Energy Agency. Cement, for example, accounts for 7% of such emissions globally. Reducing the sector’s emissions would go a long way towards fighting climate change. Industries can avoid such emissions Heliogen is […]
By Danielle Carpenter – You’ve likely heard about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – those 17 objectives that the United Nations devised to make the world a much better place by 2030. And you likely know that many organizations are working hard to achieve this bracing, global vision. What can you do? But if you, […]
By Danielle Carpenter – According to UNICEF, “Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition, translating into the loss of about 3 million young lives a year. Undernutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and delays recovery.” Malnutrition can be […]
By Danielle Carpenter – Ambling through the Piccadilly district in London, pedestrians often want to rest their tired feet. What better place to do this than on a bench that pulls pollution from the air, is self-sufficient and plant-based, cools the surrounding air through water evaporation, and reduces noise pollution? The CityTree, by Germany-based tech […]
Today we commemorate Earth Day. Started in 1970, the celebration has turned into a global event with people far and wide demonstrating just how much they care about protecting the Earth. There are many ways to get involved: If you are not yet familiar with Earth Day and the problems the planet is facing, use […]
Some 844 million people worldwide have no access to clean, safe water – meaning one in every nine people (water.org figures). Yet about 13,000 cubic kilometers (3,100 cubic miles) of fresh, clean water in the atmosphere are just waiting to be used. That is more than what is in all the rivers and freshwater reservoirs […]
