Photo: Sanket Mishra/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition of Squirrel News: the European Commission kicks off the bloc’s Action Plan Against Cyberbullying, Sierra Leone opens the doors of its first-ever maternal health hospital for at-risk mothers and babies, and Norway pledges to end the cultivation of fast-growing “Frankenchickens” by the end of 2027.
The initiative’s goal is to protect the mental health of children and young people online, and is centred around an EU-wide app where victims of cyberbullying can easily get help. It also involves the coordination of national approaches to tackle harmful behaviour online, as well as prevention measures.
Source: EU Reporter
Historically ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for maternal mortality rates, the West African nation aims to turn this around by opening a maternal health hospital specifically designed to provide the care at-risk mothers and their newborns need.
Source: Good Good Good
The Norwegian chicken industry has announced a complete transition away from fast-growing chicken breeds by the end of next year.
Source: The Canary
Just over a year after the Swedish capital’s hydrofoil electric ferry was launched, the project has cut travel times from around 55 minutes to roughly 30 minutes, even with 22.5% more passengers. Additionally, according to trial data, carbon dioxide emissions have been slashed, too: by around 94% compared with comparable diesel vessels.
Source: Euronews
Thanks to a campaign led by two students, every public high school in Illinois will be required to include instruction on climate change and its impacts and causes for grades nine through 12.
Source: Good Good Good
Although women are still widely underrepresented in these fields, the number of female scientists and engineers in the EU increased from 3.4 million in 2008 to 7.9 million in 2024, according to the latest Eurostat data.
Source: Euronews
Restoration projects in Brazil have grown by more than 160% since 2021, with seed-planting standing as cost-effective restoration alternative.
More than 700 seed gatherers in the Xingu Seeds Network are currently working to help recover forests and savannas across Mato Grosso, a major agricultural state.
Source: Context
On paper, an agrihood is a simple concept: a working farm surrounded by single- or multifamily housing. In practice, they’re the ideal blue for sustainable, community-centric living, while also tackling the heat island effect and producing huge amounts of nutritious fruits and vegetables in what are often food deserts.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
In an effort to tackle parental isolation, the English Heritage charity is tapping back into a historic sense of community by introducing “bonding benches” at many of its most famous sites, where parents will be able to meet others to chat about the challenges of raising children.
Source: The Guardian
In the Carpathian Mountains of southwestern Romania, the return of the 1.8-metre tall bison last seen in 1927 is Rewilding Europe’s latest success story. Thanks to a partnership with WWF Romania, the NGO oversaw the transportation of the megafauna from reserves across Germany and Italy, with the present rewilding area able to hold up to 450 bison.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
