Cheaper and Cleaner: Europe’s renewable energy success story
Europe made history over the last six months when it generated more electricity from renewable sources than it did from fossil fuels. Over 40 percent of the electricity used by the EU’s 27 member states came from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy. In contrast, fossil Read More...
European Parliament votes to ban caged animal farming by 2027
Last week, the European Parliament made its stance on animal welfare clear by calling for a ban on caged animal farming, after voting overwhelmingly in favor to end the practice. The non-binding resolution hopes to change animal agriculture and reinvent the food supply chain across Europe by Read More...
CityLoops is a grand experiment on the scalability of circularity
If you sit on a bench in the city of Musicon, about 30 kilometers from Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen, you’ll likely be sitting on a slab of concrete recycled from a nearby demolition site. Musicon is one of seven cities around Europe selected for experimentation by CityLoops, a project Read More...
Volkswagen expects 70% of its EU sales to be electric vehicles by 2030
With giant automakers like Jaguar, Volvo, and General Motors announcing plans to electrify their products over the next two decades, there’s little doubt left that the electric revolution is well underway. Now, major car manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) is joining the sustainable transportation Read More...
This ecologist spent 2 years studying a single hedge—it’s wild
10 years ago, UK ecologist Rob Walton decided to take on a rather strange challenge: make a list of every plant, animal, and fungus inside a hedge 40 meters from his house over the course of 12 months. Little did he know that his challenge would help influence fundamental policy to help the UK Read More...
Renewables surpassed fossil fuels in Europe for the first time in 2020
If you would have told us back in 2015 that Europeans would get more of their electricity from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels in five years' time, we wouldn’t have believed you. Sure, we are optimistic, but such growth in the renewable energy sector seemed unprecedented at that point Read More...
This is how facades and pavements can be used to generate clean energy
Most countries in Europe have pledged to make a sustainability goal of an energy-neutral environment by mid-centruy. And while there’s no doubt that solar rooftops will play a key role in achieving that goal, a number of projects in Europe are proving that pavements and building facades too can Read More...
Years later, many refugees are feeling at home in Germany
When Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed a great influx of refugees in 2015 rather than denying them at the border, she received overwhelming criticism for opening the country’s borders to migrants. Germany was suddenly the country with the second-highest population of refugees in the Read More...
Sleeper trains in Europe are making a comeback due to Covid-19
For all their promise of romance and adventure, Europe’s sleeper trains appeared to have reached the end of the line. Pressured by high operation costs and forsaken by travelers for budget airlines, a decision by the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn to terminate the service connecting Paris to Read More...
Innovative tree growing method sees tiny urban forests pop up across Europe
Planting more forests around the globe is definitely a good approach to help reduce the risk of climate change, but it can take decades before trees can grow to their full potential and significantly benefit the environment. Using an innovative approach towards growing forests, people around Read More...