Miscellaneous
Indonesia is winning the battle against sea poachers
Indonesia is home to some of the most diverse ecosystems above and below sea level. Corruption and illegal poaching has damaged Indonesian authority’s reputation but changes in recent years are showing hope for the Indonesia’s archipelago and species are starting to comeback. Since 2012 the Read More...
Drawing power from water pipes
When you hear the words hydroelectric you probably think dam, or maybe a big underwater turbine. Small scale hydroelectric hasn’t really been tapped into, until now. The LucidPipe is the latest offering from Lucid Energy and is designed to be an inexpensive option for capturing the energy from Read More...
China winds down coal production
For the first time this century China’s coal production has fallen. Chinese coal production fell more than 2 percent in 2014, and totaled 2.5 billion tons produced between January and November last year. The Chinese government says this isn’t a one-off occurrence and plan on reducing coal Read More...
Language shows humans are intrinsically optimistic
A recent study found that no matter what language(s) you speak, the most frequent words you use are positive. The study conducted by Australian researchers looked at 10 different languages, analyzed over five million human assessments, and had participants rank the positivity of various words from Read More...
Unemployment down throughout the world
Last week we reported that the percentage of unemployed in the US is at its lowest point since the 2008 financial crisis. Now a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group that promotes social well being for people around the world with 34 ember Read More...
Elon Musk wants to build an Internet for outer space
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, is planning to build a space Internet with speeds that will rival fiber optics and connect millions without Internet connectivity. The space Internet would be a collection of satellites that orbit 750 miles from earth, much closer than the usually 22,000 Read More...
World’s largest fashion retailer bans cruel angora wool
The human race is cruel: Angora wool is made by ripping the fur out of live rabbits. A recent investigation by animal rights group PETA found that standards and conditions, as well as the means for producing Chinese angora wool—where 90 percent of angora is made—is cruel to animals. Now Read More...
Job market at its strongest since 2000
The federal government released their January jobs report detailing the current state of the US job market, and the findings are quite optimistic. Right now the job market is accelerating at a pace not seen for 15 years. Additionally the size of the US labor force increased an impressive 703,000 in Read More...
Trains get more sustainable
Under the right conditions, trains can be the most sustainable form of transportation. Now there’s a new kind of rail tie that makes trains even more sustainable. The company is making the rail is called Greenrail and their railroad tie is more durable than current concrete ties, by upwards of 30 Read More...
Dubai’s municipal vehicles will run on 100% biodiesel
Dubai will soon be the first municipality in the world to run all of its vehicles—buses included—on cleaner biodiesel. Biodiesel is made from reused cooking oil and pollutes 84 percent less than conventional fossil diesel. All biodiesel used in Dubai’s vehicles will be sourced from inside the Read More...