Central Otago, North Canterbury and Marlborough are the country’s champions of sustainability. And each showcases what makes New Zealand wine so unique. Ever since a certain hobbit was captured on the big screen, tourism in New Zealandhas been steadily on the rise. So, too, has the world’s consumption of its wines, where 98% of the vineyards […]

Local authorities across the country have organised facilities for recycling Christmas trees free of charge. Information on the facilities can be found on local authorities’ websites. Christmas trees can be mulched, and used for compost. Artificial trees, however, cannot be recycled, and are destined for landfill. Of course, trees are not the only leftover waste […]

A 2,000-foot-long system created to clean up plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean is broken and being towed back to port for repair. The Ocean Cleanup System 001, a U-shaped floating barrier created by the organization The Ocean Cleanup, arrived in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in October. Ocean garbage patches are formed by rotating […]

HONOLULU – An East Oahu nursery that mainly grows native plants for conservation projects is hoping for a fresh start in 2019. Extreme flooding last April swamped Aloha Aina O Kamilo Nui and also created a complicated new problem. The nonprofit that runs the nursery spent about seven months cleaning up and removing debris with […]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines the environment in relation to health as “all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviours”. There is no avoiding interaction with the environment as we go about our daily business of living. And as the world changes and gets more polluted, […]

By providing disincentives for discarding trash—and adding musical motivation for doing things right—Taiwan has achieved a recycling rate many envy. In a large open space overlooking central Taipei, Arthur Huang hands me a translucent, honeycomb-shaped polyethylene panel. Named Polli-Brick, this colourless module made from old plastic bottles can be interlocked with others to build an incredible […]

  HONOLULU – It’s been nearly four months since lava activity was observed on Kilauea’s lower east rift zone. Four months since Big Island authorities officially pivoted from natural disaster response to recovery. The relative quiet has given Hawaii County time to officially tally up the size and scope of the eruption. And they say […]

This past year brought tons of fascinating new information about our planet. But as scientists gaze into their crystal balls, they can see that this year is also sure to contain exciting surprises. Here we take a look at the seven most highly anticipated geophysics and Earth science expeditions, missions and meetings of 2019. Inspecting Thwaites […]

Up to 93 per cent of green turtle hatchlings could be female by 2100 as climate change causes “feminisation” of the species, new research suggests. The sex of turtle hatchlings is determined by temperature, and at present about 52 per cent of hatching green turtles – one of seven species of sea turtle – are […]

Environmental advocates are calling for Ballarat residents to make small changes to reduce their plastic waste in 2019. Sustainability Victoria has suggested setting a goal to reduce reliance on plastic as a New Year’s Resolution. Single-use plastic items tend to be used for only minutes, yet their impact on the environment can last thousands of years. More […]