Tasmanian devil conservation project turns tragic for birds

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP), a project initiated by the Tasmanian and Australian governments to preserve endangered Tasmanian devils on Maria Island, has backfired after the predators killed seabirds in large numbers. This is according to BirdLife Tasmania, a local conservation group. According to a government survey, there were about 3,000...

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UNESCO wants the Great Barrier Reef listed as a World Heritage Site "in danger"

The Great Barrier Reef will be listed as a World Heritage Site in danger if UNESCO’s recommendations are adopted. In the draft recommendations, UNESCO has urged the World Heritage Committee to consider listing the reef as an endangered World Heritage Site to speed up actions for its protection. Following multiple warnings from scientists, it has become...

1h

New Blowfish Malibu shoe collection uses recycled plastic bottles

According to Blowfish Malibu, a shoe brand based out of (you guessed it) Malibu, California, around 300 million pairs of shoes end up in landfills every year. Most of those are petroleum-based and made with virgin materials, contributing to waste in the ocean. Even Blowfish Malibu was contributing to the problem until it decided to change its ways....

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How to protect endangered baby sea turtles

Nearly every species of sea turtle is endangered, some of them at critical levels. That’s a remarkable statement, considering they’ve roamed the Earth’s waters and beaches for more than 100 million years and even survived the events that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Because humans are a major cause of their demise, it’s up to us to protect...

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Ranch Dressing house sets example for modernization with minimal impact

Construction is a significant contributor to waste and climbing carbon levels. So when this 1960s house faced redesign options, Oakland, California-based Buttrick Projects Architecture+Design decided to salvage the old house by updating it from the outside in. Located in Mill Valley, California, the midcentury home was transformed through the use...

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Single-use food packaging waste nearly doubled during the pandemic

Single-use food and beverage container waste found on Canadian coasts almost doubled during the peak of COVID-19. This is according to the 2020 “Dirty Dozen” report prepared by the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. About 15,000 volunteers helped clean 41,000 kilograms of litter from the Canadian shorelines in 2020. “We were startled to see that single-use...

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Record-breaking heat waves ravaging the West are not normal, scientists warn

Climate experts are raising alarm over the scorching weather across much of the western U.S. Although high-pressure zones are not uncommon in the summer, the “heat domes” with persistent high-pressure zones usually come toward August. This year, several states have already witnessed persistent scorching temperatures that cannot pass for normal summer...

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LA's Barnsdall Art Park revives historic olive grove

Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood already has a lot going for it. People of all ages take art classes at the Barnsdall Art Center and learn about art at the Municipal Art Gallery. Hollyhock House, the residence famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed for art lover/philanthropist/oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, is Los Angeles’ first UNESCO World...

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Therme Art unveils 3 urban sustainability projects at Venice Architecture Biennale

“Through the pandemic, we learned that our cities are basically monocultures of human life,” said Mikolaj Sekutowicz, curator and co-founder of Therme Art. “This makes them vulnerable, because we cannot live without the other life — the other organisms that created our bodies over 200,000 years of evolution.” Many of us have felt that vulnerability...

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Transportation hub in Sweden has a futuristic, floating solar roof

The “floating” solar roof in Sweden’s Västerås Travel Center may be just an illusion, but the power it generates is entirely real. The design for the new transportation hub will include several other sustainability features, including rainwater recycling, and allow for better access to the city’s public transit stations. More than just a landmark,...

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