Sustainable classrooms: mud walls, rainwater and visits from lizards
‘It’s learning-by-living rather than chalk-and-talk’ – Matthew Jenkin explores the schools at the cutting edge of sustainability Nestled among the swaying palms and lush jungle of Bali is an international school where children learn in bamboo pavilions and read from whiteboards made out of recycled car windows. The classrooms, which have no walls, are designed […]
Russian intelligence accused of silencing Norwegian newspaper editor
Anonymous source says Thomas Nilsen, who had extensively covered oil drilling in the Arctic, was sacked at the behest of the Russian intelligence A Norwegian Arctic newspaper editor who has extensively covered oil drilling in the region was sacked at the behest of the Russian intelligence service, according to Norway’s public service broadcaster. Thomas Nilsen […]
Afterlife: how hip replacements can end up in jet engines
OrthoMetals is working with more than half of the UK’s crematoriums to melt down and sell on replacement hips and knee joints Our bodies might not live forever, but the prospect of an afterlife beckons for the metal hips or knees we might be carrying. The recycling of prosthetics such as titanium hip replacements and […]
Business should be backing renewables – fossil fuels don't make economic sense
George Osborne needs to stop pushing 20th-century fuels as the solution for 21st-century energy problems The Conservative leadership once advocated powering 21st-century Britain with a green industrial revolution based on the smart, internet-linked, decentralised technologies being invested in by Silicon Valley, China, and others. Now, unified in majority government, they seem intent on the reverse: […]
Bill Shorten says Labor's 50% renewable energy goal is a 'declaration of intent'
Labor leader says Australia can have a ‘battle of ideas’ over which party has the best climate change policies, but is yet to detail the ALP’s alternative plans Bill Shorten says his goal to source 50% of Australia’s power from renewables by 2030 is a “declaration of intent”, to be achieved by Labor’s yet-to-be-detailed policies […]
How to make your own laundry detergent – and help save the planet
Detergents contain dozens of potentially harmful ingredients but with just three simple ingredients you can make a cheap, environmentally friendly alternative My daughter just turned three. She loves being naked and disrobes at every opportunity, including in the middle of her recent dinosaur-themed birthday party. I get it – who doesn’t love to be in […]
Whales alongside paddleboarder off Western Australia coast – drone video footage
Amateur drone operator Jamien Hudson captured this footage of two whales swimming next to a paddleboarder off the coast of Esperance in Western Australia last month. When Hudson heard there were whales off the beach, he rushed down with his drone equipment. At the same time, local Dave Price was paddleboarding out to take a […]
New Book Finds $4.5 Trillion Benefit From Circular Economy By 2030
The latest research conducted by global management consultants Accenture has found that the circular economy could generate $4.5 trillion in additional economic benefit by 2030. The research is unveiled in a new book, Waste to Wealth, identifies and analyses the impact of circular economy based business models. Accenture’s research looks into the issue of volatile […]
Glassceramic: Innovating With Discarded Glass
A key principle identified in Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, the successful book written by Michael Braungart and William McDonough, is that waste in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. They use the example of the cherry tree, which produces huge amounts of blossom, the majority of which […]
ANZ 'will not finance' dirty coal plants and pledges $10bn for clean energy
Bank rules out funding ‘conventional coal-fired power plants’ that do not use proven technologies to significantly reduce emissions ANZ bank has pledged not to finance traditional coalmining projects and to provide at least $10bn in funding for renewable energy, reforestation and energy efficiency. In the most significant steps yet by one of Australia’s big four […]