Ecowatch: Positive Environmental News to celebrate on Earth Day
Sometimes it seems that everything we see and read news-wise about the environment is doom and gloom, making it seem like the problems are too hard to manage, let alone solve. However, there are some shining lights about innovations and projects that can make a difference, such as the stories below that show us how impact can be achieved in different ways.
Whether taking place abroad, on railway tracks, or at home, in a London river, these projects are truly championing our environment and are blueprints of what could be achieved .
Rewilding the English Counties
Charity Heal, established during the COVID19 pandemic, is on a mission to create nature reserves in every English county. They started by buying land in Somerset at the start of this year and hope to reach all 48 by 2050. The site, near Bruton, aims to tackle the nature and wildlife crisis being experienced across the country.
Following the BBC’s Wild Isles programme, narrated and presented by Sir David Attenborough, we are more aware of the potential that Britain has to be as exotic and wild as anywhere else. It is projects like these that help truly make a difference in our countryside for our communities and wildlife, and can truly make a difference to our future and that of our children.
Read more here
Green tracks in Switzerland
Switzerland is putting its solar panel installation into fifth gear this year. After already installing nearly 5000 solar panels on the country’s longest dam, the country might now be installing panels in between railway tracks in what would be a world’s first. That is the aim of startup company Sun-ways, which has developed a patented solution that directly deploys panels onto the rail tracks like a carpet.
According to the news article, the panels “could be rolled out across the entirety of Switzerland’s 5,317 kilometre-long railway network” covering an area around the size of 760 football fields and potentially, if rolled out throughout the entire national network, could provide up to 2% of the country’s total energy consumption.
But it doesn't end there, if successful, Sun-Ways wants to work with other European countries and take its innovation on an international level.
Mastercard aims to eliminate first-use PVC from cards by 2028
Years ago, there was an article explaining how, due to the prevalence of plastic in the world, people were on average consuming one credit card of plastic a year without knowing. Whilst that piece of news took the world by storm, we easily forget that whilst we might not be consuming them, many of us (especially in developed nations) have several banking cards, all made out of plastic.
This is why Mastercard is now accelerating its efforts to phase out first-use pvc plastic from its credit and debit cards by 2028. In turn, the payment giant is replacing them with cards made from approved recycled, recyclable and bio-sourced materials.
“The rule change will see all newly made cards certified by Mastercard to assess their composition and sustainability claims; this certification will then be validated by an independent third-party auditor. Once a card has been validated it can be imprinted with a Card Eco Certification mark.”
Read more here.
Plastic eating shark to clean rivers, trialled in London
No, there are no real sharks in the Thames, but a new, specially designed robot shark is making the rounds in Canary Wharf with the aim of eliminating plastic pollutants from the Thames.
Designed by dutch-based company RanMarine Technologies, the WasteShark features a wide mouth inspired by whale sharks, and could gather up to 500 kg of plastic per day - equivalent to almost 23,000 plastic bottles. The debris collected can then be sorted and recycled on land.
The robot can be used both in autonomous mode or by remote control and can cover almost 3miles (5km). It can also collect water samples to test for quality and has over 15 sensors that can measure from temperature and depth, to dissolved oxygen and refined oils.
Read more about it here.
TooGoodToGo save 200 million meals from going to waste
The social impact company, which was established in 2016, has reached its milestone of saving 200million meals from going to waste - saving the equivalent of 500,000 tonnes of CO2e from entering our environment.
The company established strategic partnerships with food companies and restaurants, created an app where consumers could buy surplus products for a reduced price. Whilst it took 6 years to reach its first milestone of 100 million meals saved in Nov 2019, it achieved the following 100 million in just 1.5years. Crucially, it has provided a new way for consumers to help tackle climate change and waste easily whilst saving some money too. The app is now available in 17 countries across Europe and North America.
Food waste is a huge issue, both environmentally and ethically, as it not only accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, but, in a world where 828 million people go hungry, food waste is also valued at $1.3 trillion a year globally.
Read more about it here.
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