EU proposes a ban on microplastics covering about 90% of pollutants
In order to tackle the ever increasing problem of plastic pollution, the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) has proposed a ban on microplastics that are mostly unnecessary and have been added to products just for convenience or profit. The ban would cover almost 90% of the pollutants and attempt to cut 400,000 tonnes of plastic pollution in 20 years. Baskut Tuncak, the UN’s special rapporteur on hazardous...
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Over 170 white foxes rescued from a Chinese fur farm, find new home at a Buddhist monastery
A fur farm in China was about to close shop due to lack of funds and dispose off the remaining white foxes when a group of volunteers stepped in rescued the animals. When the residents of the Buddhist Jilin Nursing Garden in Mudanjiang, China, found that the foxes were in need of a new home, they happily welcomed them onto their property. The entire rescue operation was shared on Facebook by animal activist...
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Ben & Jerry’s bids goodbye to single-use plastics
Popular ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s is the latest company to join the ongoing war against single-use plastics. The company recently announced that it will stop the use of plastic straws and spoons across its 600-plus Scoop Shops around the globe very soon. It also plans to shift completely to wooden spoons by April this year. Paper straws will only be available upon request. Jenna Evans, Ben &...
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Boeing just successfully tested its first electric flying air taxi
Flying air taxis could well be the solution to our traffic congestion woes, and if they are also electric, it would be like the quintessential cherry on the cake! Now Boeing is taking personal air transport to the next level by introducing its first “personal air vehicle,” or PAV. It just completed its first successful takeoff, hovering, and landing, which tested the vehicle’s autonomous functions and ground...
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Budweiser to power Atlanta with clean energy the week it hosts the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl LIII commercial released by Budweiser recently has it all – its iconic Clydesdales, a Dalmatian, Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and wind turbines. Titled “Wind Never Felt Better”, the commercial brings the brand’s long-term commitment to renewable energy to the forefront. “Those who wait for the best commercials all year expect Budweiser to...
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America’s first carpet recycling facility hopes to recycle 36 million pounds of old carpets annually
In the US alone, around 3.5 billion pounds of carpets are trashed annually, most of which end up in landfills or are incinerated. A meager 2-3% of the discarded carpets actually get recycled. Now Aquafil, an Italian nylon fiber manufacturer, is hoping to change that situation by opening its first carpet recycling facility in the country in Phoenix, Arizona, that is capable of turning 36 million pounds of old...
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How Chennai residents befriended strays and turned them into guardians of their locality
Almost everywhere in the world, stray dogs lead a life of misery and are considered a nuisance. They are particularly a problem in big cities where they often pose a danger to the public and might even carry diseases. However, a community in the city of Chennai, India, has just proved that if treated with love and kindness, even the strays can turn into the best of friends. The relationship between the residents...
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This 12-year-old is delivering thousands of lunches to the homeless
Liam Hannon might be just 12 years old, but that has not deterred the young man from handing out lunches with little handwritten messages to the homeless people in his neighborhood. Till date, “Liam’s Lunches of Love” have fed over 2,000 homeless people in Cambridge. “It’s like a way to give people joy, maybe spark something in them that can change them,” Liam says. “I think the message is to spread positivity...
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This Swiss company will make sparkling water containing CO2 right out of the atmosphere
The world’s beverage industry uses huge quantities of carbon dioxide to create bubbles for their sparkling drinks. Now Swiss beverage giant Valser has collaborated with Climeworks, a company that specializes in carbon-capture technology, to collect CO2 directly from the air and add it to their sparkling water. The drinks made with the captured carbon will be on supermarket shelves in Europe within the next...
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Meet the 70-year-old who spent the whole of 2018 cleaning trash off 52 English beaches in her spare time
70-year-old Englishwoman Pat Smith is someone each of us can take inspiration from. The elderly lady spent the entire last year picking up plastic trash from Devon and Cornwall’s beautiful beaches in her spare time. In fact, doing that was her 2018 New Year’s resolution! Every week, armed with bin bags, rubber gloves and a litter picker, she traveled to different beaches in England and even spent her...
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