Petrol leaf blowers are on the nose
As restrictions on petrol-driven leaf-blowers spread across the US, neighbourhoods are getting quieter — and cleaner.
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- Sep 1
Depaving to cool and ease flooding in cities
Asphalt contributes to the urban heat island effect and makes places more prone to flooding. Planners are rethinking its place in cities.
- Jun 27
Profiting from upcycled plastic waste
South African social enterprise collects plastic waste and transforms it into reusable items, diverting more than 10,000 kilos of waste.
- Jun 13
Using goats as lawnmowers
In California, grazing goats offer lower costs and reduced noise and toxic chemicals compared to standard landscaping solutions.
- May 26
Guerrilla gardening comes to south-west Sydney
Horticulturalist embraces guerrilla gardening, planting more than 100 unauthorised trees in south-western Sydney.
- May 24
Making clean electricity out of thin air
Engineers have found that almost any material can be turned into a device that continuously harvests electricity from humidity in the air.
- May 6
Low-emission zones improving air quality
Low-emission zones in big cities such as London reduce air pollution, especially for poorer communities.
- Apr 25
Non-profit deconstructs rather than demolishes
Rather than demolishing buildings, a nonprofit in Minnesota is deconstructing and reusing salvaged items, reducing waste to landfill.
- Mar 9
Bangladesh's fashion sweatshops reborn
A decade after the deadly Rana Plaza disaster, Bangladesh is home to nine of the world's top 10 sustainable garment factories.
- Jan 30
Concrete slabs minus the styrofoam
Biax could help the building industry eliminate 25,000 tonnes of polystyrene from foundations each year — a lot for a lightweight material.
- Jan 30
Remote community smashes its own glass
Flinders Island, just off Tasmania, has a waste problem and locals in one town are doing their own glass recycling, one bottle at a time.
- Jan 6
111 trees per daughter changes village's future
How an unusual ritual led to fewer child marriages, less flooding, a boom in girls’ education — and a cultural transformation in India.
- Nov 23, 2022
Turning waste paper into battery parts
Scientists have found a way to convert waste paper into a crucial component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
- Oct 31, 2022
Coffee growers embrace agroforestry
To protect the mountains of Dauin in the Philippines, slash-and-burn coffee farmers have learned to become both profitable and far greener.
- Oct 24, 2022
You want a bike with that book?
Campuses and libraries across the US are increasingly adding bikes to what you can borrow, increasing access to cycling along the way.
- Oct 6, 2022
To regrow coral reefs, buzz them
Zapped with solar electrical currents, struggling coral reefs can self-repair quickly — and even grow where none have existed before.
- Aug 3, 2022
Greening around Kenya's biggest landfills
From dumpsite to baby shower venue: green spaces are sprouting up within Nairobi’s many landfills.
- Jul 27, 2022
Taking Pontevedra's car-free lead
The Spanish city of Pontevedra banned cars decades before most cities started to think about reclaiming streets for pedestrians.
- Jul 22, 2022
Greening the electric toothbrush
A new British startup redesigns the electric toothbrush to make it repairable and recyclable.
- Jun 30, 2022
Bacteria makes concrete stronger
Adding bacteria can improve the compressive strength and tensile splitting strength of concrete.
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