How Brazil's 'Valley of Death' drastically cut pollution

After years of banning labor unions in Bangladesh, garment workers unionized to fight for higher wages and safer working conditions. For women, this isn't traditionally a space they were welcomed in, but now they’re holding their own meetings to ensure women’s safety is ensured on the job.

Raton, a town once surrounded by eight coal mines, now has a main street of boarded-up buildings. There is reason for optimism as the town diversifies its local economy, betting on "a mix of small manufacturing businesses, health care and specialty services, and hospitality for travelers" to endure the sudden decline in mining revenue. Its calculated revitalization may hold lessons for other towns.

In the past, apparel companies were not given financial rewards for acting sustainably, and therefore, on the whole, saw no reason to encourage customers to do so. But now, by investing in industry-level research and developments to clue consumers into their sustainable behaviors, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition is working to change this. The Coalition provides clothing store customers with the sustainability equivalent of a nutrition label, hoping to both encourage sustainable consumption from consumers, and incentivizing environmentally-friendly practices for producers.

Air and water pollutants have an adverse impact on the health and well-being of citizens. Protecting the air and water, by increasing the usage of solar energy, can have a tremendous impact on reversing the impact of pollution on health. The Sunshot Initiative, launched by the Department of Energy, has already begun seeing improvements.

In California’s wildfire-prone Sierras, forest managers are turning to an ancient, if not quite intuitive, tool: more fire. In 2019, the Forest Service will manage 250,000 acres with controlled burns and “mechanical thinning,” using equipment to take out small trees. Though such plans face some hurdles, states across the country are adopting them, reducing wildfire severity while often benefiting ecosystems.

To replace lost business and keep their employees on staff, Tasmanian businesses quickly diversified into new product lines to meet COVID-19-related demand. A camera accessories firm that saw nearly all of its sales to the film and TV industries dry up became a manufacturer of face shields. A plastic manufacturer increased its business by turning out acrylic counter-top protective screens. And a whiskey distillery began producing 2,000 liters of hand sanitizer per week.

A company called Mootral is studying whether changing a cattle’s diet could make the animals belch and flatulate less methane. They created a food supplement out of compounds from garlic, citrus, and other additives, that in early tests, has shown a decrease in a cow’s emission of the greenhouse gas. If they can get investors on board and scale it to different breeds of cows and in different climates, it could help the agricultural and farming industries to combat climate change.

To combat the effects of rising temperatures due to climate change, Los Angeles piloted an experiment called “cool pavements,” where they coat streets with a light-colored sealant to reflect heat. Researchers are studying how effective this method is at reducing the urban heat island effect. Using a mobile sensor station, they found mixed results: While the surface temperature of the road was cooler, a person could feel warmer on the reflective roads. Figuring out how to balance different heat-mitigating strategies could be helpful as cities like Phoenix figure out how to implement cooling infrastructure.

A family-run syringe making company in India is leading the manufacturing of Covid vaccine-specific barrels and needles, a task that no other country has been able to manage at the same speed. Because Hindustan Syringes & Medical Devices is a family business – meaning no shareholders – the production of these medical supplies is able to be done without any interferences; although, the operation is a frugal task for the business owner.

London charges higher-emission vehicles every day they enter the city center, called the Ultra Low Emission Zone, on top of the already existing London Congestion Charge for non-electric vehicles to enter the zone. Since the charges were implemented, the city has seen an increase in electric vehicle adoption and improved air quality.