Shekar Dattatri is a film-maker from India, who has produced documentaries on his country’s wildlife to bring certain issues to the attention of the public, including a recent film on tiger conservation. “The Truth about Tigers” is about the tiger’s alarming rate of decline, but it offers solutions to the problem. At the same time, […]
As the world turns its attention towards the climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, it is important to remember that sustainable energy solutions already exist. Here is one example from China. Sustainable development and social responsibility are at the core of the Chinese government’s current 5-year plan, and Holcim expects that they will be even more […]
He is indeed an inspiring hero. Toni Ruttimann, who is in Burma right now, is as usual helping the needy build a bridge from materials he secures free of charge from companies. He’s been doing this since 1987 when he left his native Switzerland for Ecuador upon hearing about the earthquake that had just struck […]
Large-scale events are often a catalyst for sustainable urban development, improved infrastructure and increased investment. There is no better example than Expo 2010 in Shanghai. For the first time in the Expo’s history, the Shanghai edition was low-carbon, applying successful experiences in city development by using innovative “green” technologies in areas including building, transportation, energy […]
In a major step forward for its carbon dioxide-cutting program, Unilever has launched a manufacturing process at its Hefei factory in China based on second-generation biofuels. Unlike the first-generation biofuels, the second generation uses non-edible plant residues and therefore does not compete with crops for food supply. First active in China some 80 years ago, […]
A group of six countries in Oceania – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste – have agreed to develop a roadmap and plan of action, called the Coral Triangle Initiative, to preserve their coral reefs. The area, which covers over 2 million square miles of ocean, encompases more than […]
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), consisting in a group of nuclear supplier nations, aims “to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear related exports.” The Guidelines seek “to ensure that nuclear trade for peaceful purposes does not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons or […]
Interested in helping astronomers search outer space? It’s possible with a program called Einstein@Home, which allows your computer, when it’s idle, to help scientists search the skies for pulsars and other neutron stars. The idea behind the program, called distributed computing, is straightforward: downloaded software connects your home computer with thousands of others throughout the […]
Fifteen airlines and air cargo carriers have joined forces to purchase hundreds of millions of gallons of alternative fuels. The airlines signed a memorandum of understanding with AltAir Fuels and Rentech (Renewable Energy Technologies), the fuel producers, to purchase about 325 million gallons of alternative fuels per year, with potential to increase this further. Industry […]
Providing free school uniforms in Kenya actually decreased girls’ dropout rates by 15%, teen marriage by 12% and childbearing by 10%. The rationale for providing the uniforms was to decrease the cost of education, empower children and increase motivation. By raising the girls’ ability to conceptualize themselves and increasing their self-esteem, while lowering costs, those […]
