Humans and the oceans have been intertwined from the moment some wandering band of Cro-Magnons first chanced upon the seashore. Over the centuries, we first learned to navigate choppy waters in crude canoes and dugouts, then learned to harvest the…
Ignoring climate change won’t fix the economy – it’ll just get worse
In 2005 (how long ago that seems!) ex-Presidential candidate Al Gore premiered “An Inconvenient Truth”, that seminal documentary that introduced the public at large to the concept of anthropogenic climate change, global warming and greenhouse gasses. Almost immediately, his radical…
World’s first zero-emissions passenger train is set to take off by the end of the year
Trains, busses, trucks. The’ve all got some things in common – they’re big, they’re powerful haulers, and they also tend to stink… especially busses, if you’re unlucky enough to sit next to a chain smoker. But that’s not the kind…
French photographer captures what our lives would look like if we weren’t able to dispose of the trash we produce (photos)
BY: BROOKLYN PINHEIRO After its one-time use a disposable water bottle may sit in your recycling bin for a week until it’s swept away never to be thought of by you again. So much trash passes through our hands we’re…
How to build your own eco-friendly house
BY: HANNAH THOMAS You’ve searched and searched but you just can’t find it; you want it to have a structure that will withstand the burden of time, but won’t be costly. Well, if you can’t find it, then build it.…
India’s first solar powered train has left the station
BY BROOKLYN PINHEIRO Decorated in green and orange balloons and chains of flowers, India’s first solar powered train hit the rails on July 14th leaving from Sfdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi. The train is one of six using sun…
Are green energy technologies a realistic option for most people?
BY: OLLIE WHITE Once considered a concept practiced mostly by businesses, industries and wealthy individuals, today green energy technologies are getting more and more popular among ordinary households and families, both in urban and rural areas. And while there is…
The top environment news of the month
Across the world, there is plenty of news that supports the view that we are in deep trouble. With North Korea carrying out missile tests every other day, the Trump presidency appearing all the more like a bad sitcom, and…
Are Mobile Devices the Key to Sustainability?
BY: JENN FRENCH Typically, conversations related to mobile devices and sustainability are focused on the damage that our reliance on cellphones and tablets is doing to the environment. It’s undoubtedly a concern; after all, anywhere between 20 and 50 million…
Earth-friendly food – How we can save the world by changing our diets
It’s no exaggeration to say that our food eating habits are the biggest long term threat to the environment. In the wake of the depressing news that the Brazilian government has just passed a bill to destroy up to 860,000…
The world’s first carbon eating machine just opened in Switzerland
As any student of the natural sciences can probably tell you, carbon used to be a good molecule. We loved it – it was, after all, one of the key molecules in organic chemistry, part of the delicate but vital…
Six easy ways to have a more environmentally friendly flight
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), aviation accounts for roughly 2 per cent of the total climate change impact of human activity. While this is a small number compared to other sectors such as car travel, given the…
Lush is collecting ocean pollution and turning it into their new packaging
While environmentalists demonize plastic, the problem is not actually the material itself – it’s how companies choose to use it. Despite the fact that plastic is a strong and durable product with the potential for years of reuse; it…
The organic gardener’s guide to greenhouses
BY: JENN FRENCH The green revolution was slow to start, but now more than 60 per cent of American households have resolved to be more sustainable. With that comes an increased interest in home gardening fruits, vegetables, herbs and other…
Yellowstone grizzlies are coming off the endangered species list
BY BROOKLYN PINHEIRO Following 15 months of investigation and much debate, the Yellowstone grizzly bears are being delisted from the endangered species list this July. The list, which prevented humans from harming bears, will now allow limited hunting of bears…
This solar power water filter revolutionizes third world drinking
Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. So writes Samuel Taylor in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. While that poem was talking about disaster at sea, it’s certainly clear that we’re all living on a sinking ship…
The rest of the world hasn’t forgotten the Paris Accords
If you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, you might not have heard of a little thing called the Paris Accords. For those not in the know, the Paris Agreement came into existence in 2016, a…
Girls are repurposing their mother’s prom dresses in an effort to fight fast fashion
With prom season approaching an interesting new trend has arisen. This year, girls attending their prom have started repurposing and wearing their mother’s prom dresses. Often high school students are spending upwards of hundreds, and sometimes more than a thousand,…
Targeted conservation could save the earth – if we can make the sacrifices
How much is five percent? It depends what you’re talking about, for one thing. Five percent more ice cream for dessert isn’t likely to add up to very much – but talk about a 5 percent increase on your income…
Why Trumponomics can’t totally sink climate action
In the ashes of November 9, 2016, the United States – and the world – looked uneasily at the next four years, unsure of what the new commander-in-chief might do. Trump’s fiery rhetoric careened wildly from position to position, both…