Mediation instead of eviction, new-style heart transplants, London’s floating green walkway

Photo: Tony Fischer/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about face-to-face mediated conversations as a response to the eviction crisis, an innovative heart transplant method dramatically reducing organ donation waiting lists, and plans to revitalise an abandoned railway line in London.

Philadelphia’s tenants are engaging in landlord mediation to reduce eviction rates

The initiative allows constructive conversation between two parties who would rarely speak under normal circumstances.

Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful

Child heart transplants: record year for new-style operations

A novel type of heart-transplant service for children is reducing waiting times for the life-saving operations, with “non-beating donor hearts” being revived to give to recipients.

Source: The Guardian

Manhattan makeover for London with floating green walkway plan

The man who helped revitalise New York with a linear park on a disused elevated railway hopes to do the same for the UK capital.

Source: The Guardian

The first North American endangered species has been cloned from 33-year-old DNA

The highly endangered black-footed ferret was cloned using genetic material from an identical animal that has been frozen since 1988.

Source: BBC News

Jaguar is set to become an all-electric car brand by 2025

The announcement comes as increasing numbers of automakers decide to make the switch away from polluting petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

Source: The Planetary Press

From the docks to eBay – will online marketplaces save the fishing industry?

Britain’s inshore fleet has been pummelled by Brexit and COVID-19. One firm hopes to help it connect with its customers, secure better prices and make it a sustainable success.

Source: The Guardian

The world’s first sex shop for cancer patients is set to open in London

Community enterprise Sex With Cancer aims to look at innovate sexual solutions, tackling an often-ignored side effect of the illness.

Source: My London

Kenyan engineer creates bricks from recycled plastic that are stronger than concrete

Nzambi Matee’s invention is able to withstand twice the weight threshold of concrete, repurposing plastic destined for landfill.

Source: Ecowatch

A sustainable farming project is teaching young farmers how to protect local lemurs

The programme raises awareness of lemur protection and offers eco-friendly alternatives to traditional deforestation-focused farming methods.

Source: Mongabay

Odisha forest officer is fighting organised crime in wildlife by involving more women

Sasmita Lenka’s conservation work has also won her the UN Asia Environment Enforcement Award 2020.

Source: Mongabay India

A DIY school in India is ensuring migrant children have access to education

The low-cost structure is easy to build and dismantle and move, offering a solution for rural communities who are often forced to relocate.

Source: Thomson Reuters News Foundation

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