Food photo from Shutterstock
Each day people around the world throw away a staggering amount of food – by some accounts, almost half of all food produced winds up in the trash. The German website foodsharing.de aims to fight this statistic by allowing people to trade or give away food that would otherwise go to waste. Not only does the site keep food out of the landfill; it also helps out those in need. Brilliant!
In an effort to create an alternative to disposable plastic silverware, Triangle Tree has produced Edible Spoons, a spoon that you can eat after finishing your meal. Made of corn, the spoons are biodegradable and can either be composted or consumed. The Edible Spoon is also designed to break apart after use to make snacking easier. Created with all organic ingredients, the spoon comes in three flavors (plain, spicy, or sweet), and can act as a novel snack or an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum products.
Via Geekologie
Inspecting wind turbines is not for the faint of heart. Some of the largest wind turbines possess rotating blades that are hundreds of feet in length suspended at dizzying heights, and getting up close to equipment is no easy task. Yet where humans dare not tread, machines have no fear. Wisconsin-based Helical Robotics just debuted its HR-MP20, a climbing robot that can wirelessly scale a wind turbine and climb out onto the blades. At only 42lbs, the robot can move at max speed of 232.5 feet per minute, all while being controlled by a human back on the ground.
Photo from Shutterstock
Mayor Bloomberg announced this morning that more than 100 NYC restaurants have signed up for the first-ever NYC Food Waste Challenge, an initiative that aims to cut down on the amount of organic waste sent to landfills. Some of the city’s most popular eateries will be taking part, and names on the list include Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group, Blue Hill, Chipotle, Cleaver Co., Juice Generation, Le Bernardin, Momofuku, Pret-a-Manger, Union Square Hospitality Group and ‘WichCraft. Restaurants participating in the challenge have pledged to reduce 50 percent of their food waste through composting and other waste prevention methods.
Photo via Shutterstock
Back in January we covered the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a project dedicated to preserving the world’s old-growth trees by cloning them. This week, in celebration of Earth Day, the project released its archive to the world and began planting cloned trees in seven different countries – including the US. Both Oregon and California received new redwoods that may bring as much awe and wonder to new generations as the Giant Redwoods do today.
Photo Credit: NYCDOT
With the Citi Bike program expected to open in May, the New York City Department of Transportation has its sights set on giving Brooklyn cyclists more room to ride across the borough. The proposed Brooklyn Greenway Project will add 14 miles of bike lanes from Greenpoint to Sunset Park in addition to extended sections in Red Hook and the Brooklyn Navy Yard that are set to be complete in 2014. The initiative, planned in collaboration with the Regional Planning Association, encourages green infrastructure along the Brooklyn waterfront and provides a recreational destination for pedestrians, visiting tourists and residents alike.
Photo via Shutterstock
It’s been a bad year for air quality in China. Rampant industrial pollution has caused cities like Beijing and Shanghai to be shrouded in a cloud of toxic emissions, and now China’s most vulnerable citizens are feeling the heath effects of the economic development. As smog across northern China surged to record-breaking levels this winter, many children began to experience unexplained illness and breathing problems. Many mothers now forbid their children to play outside, fearing that the very air will pollute their young lungs even further.
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