The eco guide to geodesic domes
Take a leaf from the designs of Buckminster Fuller and redefine the space you live in with a freedome Most of us are trapped in rectangular living, trying to retrofit eco-efficiency, but we could be enjoying life in a geodesic freedome. For starters, freedomes are inherently efficient: they need no intermediate columns or supporting walls. […]
Flirting with Trump? No, the US will vote for a Boulder solution
Boulder, Colorado, has been voted the US’s happiest city, thanks to its urban planning, high level of healthcare and burgeoning service jobs The future is here and it works. Importantly, it is not a conservative future. Boulder, Colorado, is not as famous as San Francisco or even Palo Alto – but this city of some […]
The Observer view on the GM crops debate
Europe can no longer turn its back on the benefits of genetically modified crops For a generation, a campaign by the green movement against the growing of genetically modified crops has held sway across Europe. These foodstuffs are a threat to health, the environment and the small independent farmer, NGOs have argued. As result, virtually […]
Cyclone Roanu leaves 21 dead and more than 100 injured in Bangladesh
Up to 500,000 people transferred to shelters as cyclone causes landslides, house collapses and embankments to break in Chittagong A cyclone battered coastal Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and injuring many more. It has now weakened into a depression that, according to the weather office, could still bring brief periods of violent […]
Sri Lanka landslides kill at least 73 with scores more missing
Torrential rains continue to deluge island nation, with hundreds of thousands in temporary shelters Landslides and heavy flooding have killed at least 73 people in Sri Lanka, with scores more missing and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes. Torrential rains have deluged the island nation since last weekend, triggering huge landslides that have […]
'Scottish optimist' at Monsanto helm battles Bayer takeover bid and protests
Hugh Grant (no, not that one) is CEO of the agrochemical firm that’s been called ‘the most evil company in the world’ and faces a challenging future Meet Hugh Grant. No, not the famously charming Four Weddings and a Funeral actor, but the far more controversial self-described “Scottish optimist” who is chairman and chief executive […]
Protesting to #Breakfree of fossil fuels – in pictures
From 3-15 May, thousands of young people around the world took part in civil disobedience on six continents, calling for oil, coal and gas to be kept in the ground. Anna Pérez Català from Climate Tracker shares some of her favourite pictures from the Break Free protests. Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
Clive James: ‘It is not yet against the law to be frivolous…’
…In the US, it’s a reason to hand names to the FBI Last week there were several sunny days in succession, arousing hopes that a teasingly hesitant spring might finally be arriving. A few birds showed up. One neat little bird that perched for a full minute in my maple tree was identified by a bird-wise friend as […]
The world's largest cruise ship and its supersized pollution problem
As Harmony of the Seas sets sail from Southampton docks on Sunday she will leave behind a trail of pollution – a toxic problem that is growing as the cruise industry and its ships get ever bigger When the gargantuan Harmony of the Seas slips out of Southampton docks on Sunday afternoon on its first […]
The Rotterdam couple that will live in a house made from waste
Two architects are building a house with bricks made from old construction waste produced by Dutch startup StoneCycling Rotterdam, the Dutch city home to more than 600,000 people and hundreds of high-rise buildings, can feel pretty dense. But hop on a bike and cycle around the city centre and you can still discover empty plots […]