Sustainable wooden cargo ships, at-home breast cancer testing kit, mud-and-bamboo community centre

Photo: Jeremy Starn/SAILCARGO INC. (CCO)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about how a Costa Rican team of shipbuilders are making their profession greener, a new at-home biomedical breast cancer testing device, and a Bangladeshi community’s sustainable centre that welcomes the disabled.

The world’s largest clean cargo ship is being built in Costa Rica

A team of shipbuilders is constructing a futuristic vessel using a combination of innovative techniques and traditional methods to ensure the ship has minimal impact on the environment.

Source: BBC

An innovative at-home breast cancer testing kit has been developed

23-year-old Spanish engineer Judit Giró Benet has developed The Blue Box, which uses a urine sample and AI algorithm to detect early signs of the disease.

Source: Dezeen

Unstably housed young people are being paid to develop life skills through a new app

DreamKit rewards users with gift cards to pay for essentials such as hygiene products, food and clothing after completing short courses on meditation and mental health.

Source: Next City

Berlin startup PeekUp is helping residents declutter through a cargo bike service

Customers pay nine euros per collection and can choose which day they want the pick-up to take place on, with their unwanted items either being donated or disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way.

Source: Reset

Researchers have developed an eco-friendly decomposing insulation foam

The corn-based material was created in response to traditional polyurethane-heavy construction foams, which release volatile compounds into the atmosphere.

Source: Inhabitat

A new type of latex glove could help to reduce plastic pollution and carbon emissions

The new material is produced more sustainably and is much quicker to biodegrade in comparison with other options currently on the market.

Source: Reset

Tucson is encouraging residents to harvest rainwater in a carbon neutrality drive

More rain falls on the surface of Arizona’s second-largest metropolis in a typical year than the entire population of the desert city consumes of municipal water in the same time frame.

Source: Bloomberg

Tree equity scores are being assigned to cities across the USA

The new initiative aims to address the widespread issue of inequities in tree cover, combating systemic inequalities whilst improving access to green spaces.

Source: Grist

A mobile library is providing children in rural Sri Lanka with access to books

Mahinda Dasanayaka’s bike-based service gives those in remote areas the opportunity to read, with approximately 1500 children currently benefiting from the scheme.

Source: AP News

Mud-and-bamboo community centre encourages social cooperation in Bangladesh

The Anandaloy Building is disability-friendly and hosts a workspace for the production of fair textiles, bringing together those from a variety of backgrounds.

Source: Inhabitat

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