By Paul Johnson, Sustainable Brands Which trees you preserve and plant when you build a new building or expand your corporate footprint has an impact — not only on your property but also on the surrounding community. Most urban forest land is privately owned, but urban forestry is thought of as a …
Cotton-and-squid-bone sponge can soak up 99.9% of microplastics, scientists say
By Tom Perkins, The Guardian Filter performs well in removing plastic pollution from water and Chinese researchers say it appears to be scalable. A sponge made of cotton and squid bone that has absorbed about 99.9% of microplastics in water samples in China could provide an elusive answer to ubiquitous …
30 Game-Changing Climate, Social Solutions Are ‘Bright Spots’ in These Uncertain Times
Sustainable Brands 30 ‘Bright Spots’ highlighted by Forum for the Future — in partnership with Earthshot Prize and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors — reignite hope by demonstrating that transformational change is not only possible, but already happening. A new campaign from Forum for the Future will, over the next 12 months, showcase 30 …
EPA boosts enforcement efforts the final year of the Biden administration
Fast Company The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enhanced enforcement efforts this year, doubling financial penalties issued to polluters and issuing the first-ever arrest for a climate change-related crime, the agency said in a report Thursday. The EPA said it concluded more than 1,850 civil cases, a 3.4% increase over 2023, and charged …
Everyone dumps their trash in this D.C. forest. One nonprofit wants to clean it up
By Cari Shane, Fast Company D.C.’s poorest neighborhood has a massive urban forest, and yet it’s plagued by a lack of maintenance, illegal dumping, and deforestation. [Photos: courtesy Ward 8 Woods] On a 95-degree day in one of Washington, D.C.’s poorest neighborhoods, Montia Austin makes her way into a wooded …
2024 will be the hottest on record. Here’s how cities are becoming more climate resilient
By Brian Banks, Corporate Knights As a wave of warm weather breaks November heat records across Canada and around the world, we look at some of the ways that urban designers are fending off extreme heat in cities Al Fay Park in Abu Dhabi. Credit: SLA By the time the …
6 Trends That Bode Well for a Resilient Business Future
Sustainable Brands In a time of ever-growing volatility, 6 themes that emerged from business leaders and innovators at SB’24 San Diego show glimmers of a resilient future for business and society. Right around this time eight years ago, heads of major corporations from the US and around the world banded together and showed that, …
Scientists just discovered a sea creature as large as two basketball courts. Here’s what it looks like.
By Benji Jones, Vox It’s the biggest known animal of its kind. A view from above of the newly discovered “mega” coral in the Solomon Islands. Steve Spence/National Geographic Pristine Seas In the warm blue waters of the Solomon Islands, an island chain in the South Pacific, lies one of the …
3 things Biden should do for the environment before he leaves office
By Kristin Toussaint, Fast Company With Donald Trump expected to turn back climate progress, here’s what Biden should focus on for the remainder of his presidential term. Over four years, President Joe Biden turned a bold climate platform into a strong climate legacy, the cornerstone of which is the Inflation Reduction …
Low-cost method removes micro- and nanoplastics from water
Phys.Org Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have developed a novel nanotechnology-based solution for the removal of micro- and nanoplastics from water. Their research is published in the journal Micron. Tiny plastic particles are ubiquitous in the world today and may currently be one of the most important environmental …