Worklife
Learn about how you can achieve a better work-life balance, and check out the latest news about the world of work, including advancements on ideas like the four-day work week and universal basic income.
New York landlord waives April rent amid COVID-19 crisis
COVID-19 has many of us worrying about our health and economic futures, and for individuals who are unemployed as a result of the crisis, the question of how to pay the rent next month is a pressing concern. Fortunately, there are people in the world like Mario Salerno, a landlord in New York who Read More...
The UAE is going all in on indoor farming
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is situated in the scorching Arabian desert, which makes growing food outdoors a nightmare. The UAE currently imports 80 percent of its food because of this, but the government is pushing hard to localize food through the power of indoor farming. In an industrial Read More...
Spain is on the verge of implementing a basic income program
The coronavirus has prompted governments around the world to think of ways to pandemic-proof the world. One of the main ideas that is gaining traction is universal basic income (UBI), something we’ve written quite a few stories about (see here and here). If you’re not familiar with UBI, Read More...
The Paycheck Protection Program is a refreshing piece of business
Small businesses have already cut millions of jobs because the coronavirus crisis forced them to close and they could no longer pay salaries. But an important piece of the $2 billion coronavirus relief bill signed last week—a $350 million “paycheck protection program”—will use government Read More...
COVID-19 is impacting the economy, but these 10 jobs are in high demand
Economic concerns are high on many of our list of worries in the face of COVID-19. The impacts on our economy will, and already are, great, but only time will tell how severe they will be and how governments will respond. However, not all industries are shrinking. Healthcare and service Read More...
Agrivoltaics: The mission to combine agriculture with solar farming
Are fields of open, often fertile land better used for producing renewable energy or food? The United States already hosts more than 2 million solar installations, and photovoltaic capacity is projected to more than double over the next five years. Meanwhile, our growing global population means Read More...
The UK’s parliament pension fund is dumping fossil fuel investments
Good news from the clean energy front in the UK: The Parliament’s pension fund, which takes care of the pensions for members of parliament (MP), has made record investments in renewable energy and cut its exposure to fossil fuel companies. A new report from the £700m pension fund showed that Read More...
The UK will pay wages to any worker facing unemployment amidst pandemic
In a truly unprecedented move, the UK government has announced that it will subsidize the wages of any worker facing unemployment because of the coronavirus pandemic as it ordered the closure of pubs and restaurants to try to contain the outbreak. According to finance minister Rishi Sunak, the Read More...
The UK will eliminate “period tax” on menstrual items in 2020
Most developed countries have tax exemptions for “necessity items” such as toilet paper, soap, and other personal care goods. Despite this exemption, women in the UK (and many other countries) still pay a five percent tax on menstrual items such as tampons, sanitary pads, and menstrual cups. Read More...
Shady trees are saving the city of London billions
London’s leafy streets and gardens have long been prized for their beauty — and more recently their ability to counteract carbon emissions and improve air quality. But the value of urban trees can also be measured with money. A new report from Britain’s Office of National Statistics Read More...