McDonald’s and Starbucks join hands to develop sustainable cups
Food and beverage giants McDonald’s and Starbucks might be rivals, but the two companies have decided to come together for developing sustainable cups that would be fully recyclable and compostable. It is estimated that around 600 billion paper and plastic cups are produced by the food service industry globally that end up in landfills every year. In March, Starbucks invested in the Closed Loop Partners’...
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The couple that recycles ocean plastic into cost-effective prosthetic limbs for the needy
Meet the incredible couple that is tackling two global problems with one brilliant solution! Chris Moriarity and his wife Laura run a charity called the Million Waves Project under which they use ocean plastic and convert it into 3-D printed prosthetic limbs for needy people around the globe. Since the materials used are super cheap, each prosthetic costs just $45, which the couple funds through donations,...
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Virginia is distributing free hives and equipment to beekeepers to increase bee populations
In an attempt to boost rapidly dwindling bee populations, the US state of Virginia has come up with a new initiative called The Beehive Distribution Program. Under this program, beehives and beekeeping equipment will be distributed directly to eligible state beekeepers under the supervision of Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Residents of Virginia who are 18 years of age or older...
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An alert train passenger’s tweet helped save 26 girls from human trafficking
When Adarsh Shrivastava was traveling through the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, he noticed 26 girls – between the ages of 10 and 14 – in his cabin, all of them appearing distressed and restless. The man felt something fishy about the whole scene and immediately sent out a tweet to the railway authorities, informing them about the same. Less than a half-hour later, the Ministry of Railways had...
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Co-working giant cuts meat from office menu, won’t reimburse employees for meat-based meals
It is a widely known fact that meat and dairy industry are responsible for a large chunk of greenhouse gas emissions. In a bold move to cut these emissions and prevent global warming, co-working giant WeWork announced last week that it won’t serve meat in its buildings or reimburse employees for meat-based meals. In an email outlining its decision, WeWork said the move was driven by environmental...
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Animal testing could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to this computer program
Animal testing is abhorred by many around the world for being totally unethical. Moreover, these tests are quite time-consuming, expensive and the results derived are often inaccurate. Now a new computer system has been developed in the United States that offers an alternative approach and predicts the toxicity of chemicals more accurately than animal tests. Called Read-Across-based Structure Activity...
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These reusable ‘green’ straws from Andamans could replace plastic straws
Large bamboos might not come to mind when one thinks about drinking straws. However, one of the bamboo species Schizostachyum andamanicum, that grows in the Andamans in abundance, could very well be used as a green alternative to the plastic straws. This species is characterized by a thin, large, hollow stem with long internodes. Lal Ji Singh, scientist and head of the office at Botanical Survey of India’s...
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This little girl’s birthday wish helped raise 12,000 pounds of food for an animal shelter
Adisynn Kiker is a little girl who made sure her friends and family knew what she wanted for her birthday – and it didn’t include any fancy presents for herself! Rather, the girl wanted them to donate food to animals that do not have loving homes. Her birthday wish post was uploaded to Facebook and went viral very quickly. In just a few days, huge numbers of people and businesses had donated to...
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As bee populations dwindle, these aerial drones are helping farmers by pollinating crops
Declining bee populations are a cause of great concern for human race as they play a crucial role in pollinating our agricultural produce. Their falling numbers are particularly worrisome for farmers who depend upon these pollinators for their business. Luckily, a US-based startup has harnessed technology as a means of giving bees a break and saving farmers’ crops. Dropcopter is an organization that uses aerial...
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Mission Accomplished : Thai soccer team and its coach finally rescued
This is a story that held the entire world’s attention – 12 young footballers along with their coach stuck for days in a dark, flooded cave in Thailand. As the world waited with bated breath, all 12 boys and their coach were finally brought to safety in a daring rescue operation spearheaded by Thai Navy SEALS. All those brought out will now remain in hospital to be monitored in case they develop any...
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