By Ryan Johnson Walmart is extending its debt-free college benefits to high schoolers as a way to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market. The nation’s largest private employer said Tuesday it will offer free college SAT and ACT prep for its workers in high school, while offering two to three free general […]

By Christopher Thompson In the context of a circular economy, ocean plastics are a symptom of a larger, complex problem of unsustainable consumption and production. But with roughly 150 million tons of plasticscirculating the world’s oceans and an additional eight tons being added each year, the symptom is getting harder to ignore. I’ve just spent part of the […]

By Ryan Johnson Japan plans to make it mandatory to charge for plastic shopping bags at supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores and department stores as the country combats marine pollution by plastic waste. Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada said at a press conference on Monday his ministry plans to introduce a new law banning the practice of […]

By Christopher Thompson Created by the United Nations in 1972, World Environment Day is for encouraging global awareness and action to protect our environment. Every year on June 5, World Environment Day is celebrated by people in different ways from planting trees to cleaning up local beaches and organizing meetings. This year, the theme of […]

By Ryan Johnson The global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year according to Zero Waste Week, so if only there was a way we could stop the contents of our make-up bags being thrown into landfill? Thankfully, these renowned beauty giants have come up with ever-improving solutions to tackle needless waste. […]

By Christopher Thompson Yes, we want to protect our skin from the sun. Yes, we want to protect marine life. But dermatologist Kate Zibilich Holcomb says we should be wary of shoveling out extra money for sunscreen that claims to be “eco-friendly.” Last summer, Hawaii banned the sale of sunscreens with the ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate, […]

By Christopher Thompson Many individual actions to slow climate change are worth taking. But they distract from the systemic changes that are needed to avert this crisis. “People start pollution. People can stop it.” That was the tag line of the famous “Crying Indian” ad campaign that first aired on Earth Day in 1971. It […]

By Christopher Thompson National academies say effects include spread of diseases and worse mental health A report by experts from 27 national science academies has set out the widespread damage global heating is already causing to people’s health and the increasingly serious impacts expected in future. Scorching heatwaves and floods will claim more victims as […]

By Christopher Thompson The recent death of a young sperm whale, filled with plastic, could be another warning sign of what is happening in our oceans, and how we need to intervene to protect our marine animals. Since the beginning of 2019, according to Greenpeace Italia, five sperm whales filled with plastic have washed ashore […]

By Christopher Thompson Researchers have found that wild bees in Argentina are building their nests using strange materials. The insects have been building nests made entirely of plastic waste. Bees Build Nest Made Of Plastic Materials Study researcher Mariana Allasino, from the Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute, and colleagues set wild bee “hotels.” These are […]