Saving the high street: 10 quickfire solutions for the UK and beyond – FFA
6. Green our urban centers “We need to rethink our towns and high streets so they are healthier, greener places – and primarily about people,” writes Bill GrimseyFormer chief executive of Iceland, Wickes and author of a major high street review. He cites global efforts from Athens (pictured), to free public space from cars and […]
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What went right: a ‘conservation success story’, plus more positive news
One-horned rhinos reclaimed their lives from the brink There are many faces to the biodiversity crisis. The rhino is one. In recent decades, numbers have plummeted due to poaching. Only two northern white rhinos remain on Earth today; a mother or daughter. However, this week’s positive news was good news for species in Asia. They […]
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The English city using community energy to drive positive change
Bristol Energy Cooperative is a community-based energy cooperative that harnesses green power and the power of communities to achieve a self-sufficient future. Bristol is no strangers to solar panels. Around 30MW worth of solar PV has been installed on rooftops throughout the city. This allows residents, schools and communities to reap the benefits from renewable […]
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In pictures: a portrait of modern Britain in the year of the platinum jubilee
From the founders of Europe’s first LGBTQ+ football team, to the doctors working on the frontline of the NHS during pandemic, a portrait series captures the faces of a changing Britain. Portrait of Britain celebrates the diversity and tolerance of the nation in the year of its platinum jubilee, at a time when identity is […]
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How a new seed gives Guatemala a way out of hunger and bad health
Guatemalan farmers are poor and eat little more than maize. A new seed is needed to produce the vitamins and minerals that poor farmers in Guatemala need. Steep slopes, sweltering weather, poverty and malnutrition: this is Camotán, a town in south-eastern Guatemala, home to the brothers Luis and Antonio Mejía. They live off the maize […]
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The UK is poised to get its first community-run shopping centre
Can a neglected shopping arcade in West Yorkshire become a blueprint for the high street’s (much-needed) revival? When the golden arches of McDonald’s blinked out for the last time in Dewsbury town centre almost a decade ago, a slew of high street stalwarts joined the exodus. The West Yorkshire town was then stricken by recession […]
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Five powerful ways to take action against period poverty
It’s not easy to quantify the true cost of a period. According to a 2019 surveyMenstrual cup brand commissioned this article Intimina, the price of period products is £10.40 on average per month, or nearly £5,000 over a lifetime. Another, from the year before, estimated it might be closer to £18,000 when factoring in costs […]
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Marine biologists may have found a surprisingly low-tech solution to bycatch
Early trials of a new type fishing net showed that porpoises were able to avoid getting entangled in it. Putting plastic in oceans is rarely good news for marine life, but this solution to the fishing industry’s bycatch problem could help to save thousands of porpoises, dolphins and whales from drowning. Some 300,000 whale species […]
Read MoreWhat went right this week: ‘Green Nobel Prize’, plus more positive news
Global prize for environmental activists Activists who helped defund coal, hold big oil to account and launch landmark climate lawsuits are among the winners of this year’s Goldman environmental prize, an international award for eco activism, dubbed the ‘Green Nobel Prize’. The winners highlighted the power of individual action. They were: Alex Lucitante (main pic) […]
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The living coffin that transforms your body into compost
What would you prefer to be when you die? It’s not the gentlest of conversation starters, but it’s a question that fascinates Dutch designer Bob Hendrikx. He’s the founder of Loop, the startup that creates the Living Cocoon coffin. Hendrikx designed each coffin. Each one is made of mycelium, a densely woven mat containing fibres […]
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