Spain to test four-day workweek, hygiene hub for homeless people, librarians saving Syria’s books

Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash (CC0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about Spain trialling a four-day working week without reducing wages, a holistic Hygiene Hub in Portland offering washing facilities and medical care to those without housing, and Syria’s literary enthusiasts saving books from the conflict zones to offer them in a secret library.

Spanish government agrees to trial run of four-day working week

The proposal made by the left wing party Más País will effectively run over the course of the next three years, with no loss of salary for the workers involved.

Source: The Guardian

Holistic hub offers off-grid hygiene and housing facilities to the homeless

The concept of the Hygiene Hub programme makes bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities and medical care available to those in need, and is powered off-grid by renewable energy.

Source: Next City

Los Angeles opens California’s largest tiny house village for homeless people

The village is managed by the the non-profit House of the Valley, offering safe housing, nutritious meals, mental health support and career guidance.

Source: NBC Boston

Special brew: eco-friendly Peruvian coffee leaves others in the shade

The Mayni people are harvesting shade-grown coffee from under the canopy of mature trees, with huge benefits for wildlife and the community.

Source: The Guardian

Cooperative in Catalonia joins forces to create sustainable online retail alternative

Companies joining the platform will be required to adhere to social, ethical and sustainable working standards, ensuring workers receive fair wages delivering parcels on foot, bike or scooter.

Source: Reset

Fish detectives: the sleuths using ‘e-DNA’ to fight seafood fraud

A Canadian supplier known for wild salmon has teamed up with geneticists to prove what really ends up on the plate.

Source: The Guardian

Philadelphia’s buildings to turn off city lights to preserve birds’ lives

Based on an initiative by Lights Out Philly, the district joins 33 other cities in the US dimming their lights during the months of frequent bird migration.

Source: Ecowatch

Clean-up treks recruit local communities and tourists to preserve wetlands in India

Healing Himalayas – an organisation founded by activist Pradeep Sangwan – organises waste management activities to preserve Himachal Pradesh’s 271 lakes.

Source: Mongabay India

“Mujeres con Esperanza” reduce food insecurity in El Salvador

Assisted by the World Food Programme, a cooperative of women in Cacaopera are making and selling hammocks, hoping to tackle food insecurity through empowerment.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Hunting for books in the ruins: how Syria’s rebel librarians found hope

In a town under siege from Assad’s regime, a small group of revolutionaries found a new mission: to build a library from books rescued from the rubble.

Source: The Guardian

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