European Parliament just approved a sweeping ban on single-use plastics
In great news for our oceans, the European Parliament just passed a sweeping ban on twelve different forms of single-use plastics that are most commonly used like cotton swabs, plastic plates and cutlery, straws, drink stirrers etc. The directive was passed by 571 votes to 53 and demands that 90% of plastic bottles will be collected for recycling by 2025 – a steep increase from its current rate of 20%....
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These 2 farmers are fighting pollution by turning crop stubble into biocoal
Every year, as the winters set in, the practice of stubble burning by farmers in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana begins, causing massive air pollution in both the states and the neighboring national capital Delhi. Thankfully, two farmers from Punjab’s Samrala city, Sukhbir Dhaliwal, and Kamaljeet Singh, who have been farming for over 30 years, have come up with their start-up, a crop residue management...
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Sent to an orphanage, worked as bus cleaner, yet this man won Gold for India
Narayan Thakur was born in Bihar, but his family was forced to relocate to Delhi after his father suffered a heart ailment. He was just eight when his father passed away due to brain tumor. As his mother could barely afford to bring up three kids all on her own, Narayan was sent to an orphanage in the hope that he’d get food to eat and the chance to study. In 2010, Narayan left the orphanage to live with...
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This green machine mimics clouds to provide clean drinking water, and is powered by biomass
A technology developed by Skywater Alliance won the $1.75 Water Abundance XPrize, a competition launched by the United Nations to encourage engineers to harness technology that could provide clean drinking water to millions of people. The device, which looks like a shipping container, mimics the way clouds are formed to generate clean, drinking water. It contains a power system that sucks in warm air so that it...
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This waiter opens a soccer academy for kids that he funds with his tips
Cavin Muodzi works as a waiter at a restaurant in Kalk Bay, Cape Town. He had dreams of becoming a footballer some day, but on his mother’s insistence, he went on to pursue an academic career. However, the 24-year-old does not want other children to meet the same fate, so he has started a soccer academy for children who aspire to be footballers. The academy ensures these kids stay off the streets and...
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Now Amsterdam’s canal boats are going electric too
Amsterdam has already announced that its bus fleet will be completely electric by 2025. But another popular mode of transport in the city is its famous canal boats – all of which run on diesel. However, it is now being reported that city’s current fleet of 150 sightseeing boats will also go electric by 2025. That means fleet operators are gradually undertaking the significant task of switching out...
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Chinese scientists growing rice using sea water, might be able to ‘feed the entire Arab world’
A team of Chinese scientists have achieved success in developing a specific strain of rice that grows in the deserts of Dubai using salt water. Also, this particular strain yields far more rice than the average freshwater-dependent strains. In January this year, the team of researchers was invited by representatives of the United Arab Emirates to plant some of the salt-tolerant rice in different patches of the...
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These students from Bengaluru developed a ‘FLoBoT’ to save the city’s polluted water bodies
Pranav Shikarpur and Siddharth Viswanath, two students from Bengaluru, India, learnt about the extent of water pollution in their city’s lakes back in 2016 and decided to do something to change the situation. However, they discovered that cleaning up the lakes did not just require tackling pollution, but also gathering information about the source and extent of pollution. So with that in mind, the students...
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Grading food items based on their environmental impact? Well, it might soon be a reality in Denmark!
The grocery stores in Denmark might soon be selling food items whose packaging reveals their environmental impact. Under this commendable initiative, food grades would be based on- The amount of transportation a particular food item required to reach the shelves, How much water was used to make the product, Which pesticides were used on its exterior, The environmental impact of the packaging, and The amount of...
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Meet the ‘Puffin Patrol’ : Out on a mission to save Iceland’s lost puffins
Iceland’s baby puffins or ‘pufflings’ face a lot of threats – global warming and hunting being the most prominent ones. As a result, the puffin population in Iceland has dropped dramatically over the last two decades. Now another major issue that young puffins face is getting lost and accidentally wandering into towns where they often fall prey to cats and speeding vehicles. Actually,...
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