Tackling child marriage through football, replanting Australia’s forests, preserving a rare Indigenous language

Photo: Sharon Christina Rørvik/Unsplash (CC0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about an initiative in India boosting confidence in child brides through sport, Australia’s plan to plant 25 million trees, and the creation of a dictionary to preserve an Indigenous language with no active speakers left.

An initiative in India is giving child brides new opportunities and boosting their confidence

The scheme encourages the children to stand up for their rights, and allows them to experience more of the world through travel and competition.

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation News

Australia will plant 25 million trees by 2025 in order to compensate for bushfire destruction

Biodiverse and Australia-appropriate seeds will be used to breathe life back into devastated forest populations.

Source: Global Citizen

A rare Indigenous Australian language is being preserved through the creation of an audio dictionary

The Umpithamu language is understood by a handful of Lama Lama people, but is not actively used in daily conversation.

Source: The Guardian

Sniffer dogs are detecting COVID-19 at Helsinki airport

The animals are able to sniff out the virus in seconds, with an accuracy rate of close to 100%.

Source: The Guardian

An Indian cricket team is challenging taboos around periods with a sanitary pad sponsorship

The Rajasthan Royals are the first major sports team to sign such a deal with a female hygiene product manufacturer.

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation News

California will ban the sale of all petrol and diesel powered vehicles from 2035

By phasing out cars reliant on fossil fuels, the state hopes to encourage drivers to switch to more eco-friendly modes of transport.

Source: NPR

Bristol’s Colston Hall is changing its name following protests over ties to the slave trade

Now known as the Bristol Beacon, the progressive step comes as a result of decades of protests.

Source: The Guardian

A Vietnamese designer has created a leather alternative made from coffee grounds

Tômtex can be constructed from a variety of waste food products, including seafood shells.

Source: Dezeen

Berlin welcomes its first city-run recycling department store

The secondhand shop promotes conversation around our relationship with reused and repaired household items.

Source: Bloomberg

An inventor in the western Himalayas is using pine needles to revive the local economy

By using the natural product as an energy source, the forest floor is given a chance to revive itself.

Source: BBC News

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