In today’s edition of Squirrel News, injection sites in New York have saved lives, Spain forces tobacco companies to pay for cigarette clean-up, and scientists develop batteries that use a material from trees.
New York supervised injection site programme cuts drug deaths to zero
Since 2019, drug users in New York have had the possibility to inject in supervised sites. Over 2000 people used the facilities, which boast no on-site deaths.
Spain passes law forcing tobacco companies to clean up cigarette butts
Starting from this year, tobacco companies will have to foot the bill for cleaning up discarded cigarette butts in Spain. Additionally, these companies will have to pay for informational ads discouraging citizens from littering.
New batteries might be made from a chemical extracted from trees
A Finnish company is developing a method to build batteries using lignin, a chemical element found in most trees. Lingin can also be found in waste pulp, allowing for effective recycling of old wood.
Indigenous-led activists have successfully conserved millions of acres
Indigenous communities in Canada are setting aside millions of acres of land for conservation and research by making agreements with the Canadian government.
WhatsApp enables proxies to help get around government crackdowns
In the wake of countries like Iran blocking access to messaging apps, WhatsApp has enabled a feature allowing users to set up proxies, circumventing governmental limitations.
Co-buying allows unrelated, unmarried people to split real estate purchases
Co-buying is an attempt to help unmarried individuals to get around the affordability crisis. By pooling resources with other individuals, roommates can buy their residences or invest in real estate together.
Indian man leads effort to recycle hotel soap for low-income families
Samir Lakhani started the Eco Soap Bank to gather the normally discarded leftover soap from hotels. In eight years, they have recycled 1.4 million pounds of soap, with an additional 9 million tonnes in donations.
Jessica was sentenced to life in prison in 1995. Now she is the CTO of a startup
Jessica Hicklin spent her time in prison learning to code. Unexpectedly released 26 years later, she now has founded a startup and works to improve the justice system.
Conservationists restore vital oyster reefs in Hong Kong
Conservationists in Hong Kong are restoring oyster reefs by refurbishing abandoned oyster farms and creating habitat along the coasts. The oysters could help clean the water and provide habitat for numerous other forms of marine life.
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