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 […]
“We are outspoken about our optimism,” say Bill and Melinda Gates in their 2018 Annual Letter. “Despite the headlines, we see a world that’s getting better,” they continue. They point out that the world is “healthier and safer than ever”, that since 1990, the number of children who die every year has been halved, largely due […]
Young women in Pakistan, especially in rural areas, have few choices when their parents don’t have the money to pay school fees to continue their education: they get married so their husbands provide for them instead. One family from Shimshal, a village in the northern mountains of Pakistan, is trying to change that by bringing […]
The sad state of our oceans – vast garbage patches floating in the oceans’ subtropical gyres (places where ocean currents accumulate garbage, especially plastic bottles), oil spills from boats and other sources, and other pollutants – has people and companies coming together to find solutions. Two such solutions, one in the open ocean and one […]
Food aficionados have long known that fruits and vegetables need not be thrown out just because they no longer look bright and fresh. Indeed, many food companies and chefs alike specialize in taking less than glorious produce and transforming it into something else. While most of the time these end products are edible, a company […]
The United Nations climate negotiations in Lima, Peru, ran over by two days this week due to the refusal of developing countries to accept the position of developed countries on what their contribution should be to cutting emissions and who is going to pay. But in the end, a deal, albeit one that appears weak, […]
