Today in Squirrel News, the tallest residential tower made of timber will be built in Switzerland, with sustainability in mind developers are modifying buildings across the UK amid climate crisis, and mobile classrooms visit Yemeni children affected by war.
World’s tallest wooden residential tower to be built in Switzerland
The production of construction materials such as steel and cement accounts for 10% of energy-related CO2 emissions, a UN report states. A high-rise builder turns to wood in a bid to lessen environmental impacts.
Source: CNN
Drive for net zero fuels UK boom in retrofitting buildings for new use
Reversing a trend for ‘knock it down and start again’, the climate crisis is encouraging developers to rethink.
Source: The Guardian
Meet Edris, the big yellow school bus that roams Yemen’s refugee camps
Mobile classrooms are crossing deserts to reach some of the two million Yemeni children missing school due to the civil war.
Source: The Guardian
L.A. County to ban single-use cutlery for unincorporated areas
LA County’s ban on single-use foodware is seen as “a major step forward in reducing our reliance on plastic and reducing its harm to human and marine health.” UNEP says approximately 36% of all plastics produced are used in packaging, including food and beverage containers.
Source: Grist
Pilot program tries to get U.S. aquariums to raise their own fish, not catch them
A collaboration between the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts and Roger Williams University in Rhode Island has developed protocols for breeding marine aquarium fish, including five species never before raised in captivity.
Source: Mongabay
Apple staff in New York to form union
Apple staff at Grand Central Station store in New York are starting a union as they call for better pay and benefits. The group says a union is vital amid the ongoing pandemic and consumer price inflation.
Source: BBC
Funding for women-led conservation remains tiny, but that’s changing fast
Initiatives such as the Wild Elements Foundation, Women’s Earth Alliance, Daughters for Earth and WE Africa are supporting women-led efforts around the world to protect and restore the environment through providing funding and publicity, as well as technical, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills.
Source: Mongabay
Women in India march forward to challenge partriarchal system
For women in Northern India, it is high time to dismantle the patriarchal system. They have launched a movement to counter an old form of local government where men impose rules on women.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
Ex-felon opens free boxing gym for at-risk youth
An ex-felon turns his life around following years of prison. To give back to the community, he opened a free boxing gym providing a safe space for at-risk youth.
Source: Our Human Planet
Loving Thy Neighbors — One Paid Medical Debt at a Time
Contributions made at a church in Lincoln, Nebraska go a long way as ministers are helping pay off medical debt of neighborhood residents through the money from the collection plate.