We’re kicking off the week at Squirrel News by spotlighting Florida’s rise as a solar energy leader, a Dutch nursing home offering free rent to college students in exchange for companionship, and the Brazilian newspaper helping homeless people become reporters and share their stories.
Despite conservative leadership that has resisted broader decarbonisation policies and supported fossil fuels, Florida is fast emerging as a powerhouse in terms of solar energy development.
Dutch nursing home trades free rent for students’ time and companionship
Twelve years ago, the Humanitas Deventer care centre in the Netherlands launched an intriguing scheme: local college students could live rent-free at the nursing home in return for spending 30 hours each month offering their time to elderly residents.
Court decision backing ad ban in The Hague could be catalyst for wider action
A Dutch court has upheld a ban on fossil fuel advertising in The Hague, a move campaigners are calling a “historic ruling” that might inspire other cities to follow suit.
Pittsburgh airport turns former landfill into solar energy site
The project will add more than 11,000 solar panels to a former landfill site, boosting the airport’s renewable energy output by 4.7 megawatts, enough to offset roughly 2.2 million kilograms of carbon emissions each year. The clean energy will feed into the regional grid to support Pittsburgh-area homes and businesses.
Poland expands free preventative healthcare to all adults aged 20+
Moje Zdrowie (“My Health”) builds on the earlier Profilaktyka 40+ scheme, which was limited to those over 40. Unlike its predecessor, the new programme allows for recurring screenings every five years for those aged 20-49, every three years for those over 50, and includes a follow-up consultation with a doctor.
FDA greenlights first at-home HPV screening kit as alternative to pap smear
The Teal Wand lets users collect a vaginal sample at home using a swab, cutting out the need for invasive, time-consuming and often uncomfortable speculum exams. The sample is then sent via post to a lab for testing, a method supported by growing research as a reliable way to detect the virus responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancers.
Wildlife gate protects native marsupials by blocking invasive species
Australia’s Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary has become a testing ground for AWC’s latest tech: an AI Species Classifier Model. Trained on tens of millions of images from 240,000 motion-sensing cameras, the model can identify individual animals and create a smart-gate system.
The success of San Diego’s homeless-to-hospitality pipeline
In just 12 weeks, people experiencing homelessness in San Diego are moving from intensive culinary training programmes to careers as professional chefs.
