The world is good

2021-09-02 09:33:19 Open / Comment

2021-09-02 09:33:11 These smart bandages glow when infection develops

Scientists in Australia have developed a bandage that glows if the wound under wraps has become infected. This means that wounds that do not develop infections will heal faster, as removing bandages to check for infections delays healing.

The bandage, which is currently being developed at RMIT University, is comprised of a material with nanosheets of magnesium hydroxide embedded onto the nanofibers of a standard cotton bandage. When wrapped around a wound, especially a chronic wound like a diabetic ulcer, the biocompatible magnesium hydroxide begins to support the healing process by killing harmful bacteria and reducing inflammation.

If a wound becomes infected, then it will shift from being slightly acidic (like healthy skin), to being more alkaline. The resulting change in pH will make the magnesium hydroxide fluoresce brightly when under ultraviolet light.

This means that physicians could check for infections without removing any bandages. All they must do is shine a UV light on the bandage. This is also helpful for wounds that are already known to be infected, as the UV light would indicate whether the infection has cleared up or not.

During lab tests, the magnesium hydroxide bandage continued to function effectively for up to seven days, though it begins to lose its bacteria-killing abilities after just a few days.

Lead scientist Dr. Vi Khanh Truong says that the manufacturing process for this material could be easily scaled up for commercial production. The bandages may also be “up to 20 times cheaper” than other antibacterial dressings on the market. Open / Comment

2021-09-01 09:52:34 Open / Comment

2021-09-01 09:52:26 A tree gets planted in Uganda every time a baby is born 9,000 km away

In 2008, a tree-planting charity called the Size of Wales set off to plant a new tree in Wales for every baby born or adopted in order to offset carbon emissions. After reaching its national targets, the scheme extended its efforts to Mbale, a hilly, heavily deforested area of Eastern Uganda that was rich in biodiversity.

Now, every time a child arrives in Wales, two trees are planted — one at home and one in Mbale. So far, over 15 million trees have been planted in Uganda in three years as part of the development now known as the charity’s ‘Plant!’ scheme.

Each baby receives a certificate made of recycled paper as proof of their contribution to this incredible environmental feat that’s expected to restore millions of hectares of forest in Uganda. The country lost 31 percent of its forest cover between 1990 and 2010 as a result of illegal logging and climate change-induced disasters.

To further tackle deforestation, free tree seedlings are distributed to local people in Uganda to be planted on community land. In addition to that, the charity provides material support such as fuel-efficient stoves, as well as advice and help for other nature-focused livelihoods like bee-keeping.

Since it took off in 2018, the partnership has positively impacted about 16,000 people across 10 villages in Mbale. Now, with 15 million trees successfully planted, the aim is to continue planting trees in Uganda at a rate of three million a year in order to support community resilience in the face of environmental challenges.

“The Mbale Trees initiative is an example of what can be achieved when nations work together to combat climate change,” says Julie James, Minister for Climate Change in Wales. “Our pledge to plant three million more every year for the next five years will deliver substantial benefits, not just for those within Mbale, but it will have a considerable global impact on climate change.” Open / Comment

2021-08-31 10:15:54 Open / Comment

2021-08-31 10:15:45 Nightclub in Glasgow will harness energy from dancers

The annual COP26 climate conference will take place in Glasgow this year, starting October 31st. This means that, over the next few months, we can expect the Scottish capital to kick off a number of creative environmental initiatives as the spotlight shines on the city.

One recently unveiled initiative involves the legendary Glasgow club SWG3, which will be trialing an innovative scheme that aims to generate energy from its dance floor — all in a bid to power the venue more sustainably.

Dubbed BODYHEAT, the system harnesses the energy created by staff and revelers inside the venue and then converts it into an energy source for heating and cooling outlets. The scheme is part of the UN-backed summit and is being piloted as the world’s first.

“BODYHEAT uses heat pumps and fluids to capture the incredible amounts of body heat generated by SWG3’s crowds, channeling their combined energy into twelve 150m-deep boreholes drilled beneath the venue,” reads a statement on the club’s website.

The body heat that’s harnessed can then be converted into energy to keep the lights on and the music playing all night long. The heat can also be stored for months until needed. Based on previous annual attendance figures, SWG3 estimates that the project will enable it to save 70 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Open / Comment

2021-08-30 10:26:36 Open / Comment

2021-08-30 10:26:26 This new irrigation system talks to plants to find out when they’re thirsty

As water shortages affect more parts of the globe, strategic irrigation practices are becoming key to achieving optimal water efficiency on farms, especially those located in drought-stricken areas. A technology called GrowStream is designed to provide exactly this type of solution — by enabling irrigation systems on farms to communicate directly with plants.

When a plant gets thirsty, it releases a special chemical into the surrounding soil. Developed by a company called Responsive Drip Irrigation, GrowStream uses tubes that have a pore-filled polymer integrated within them that can sense those chemicals. “When the plants give off the chemicals, micropores start releasing the water,” says Jan Gould, the company’s founder. “So the water starts free-flowing, and the plants can slowly drink what they need.”

Once enough water gets to its roots, the plant stops emitting the chemical, and the pores close, turning the tubes into a tiny underground stream until the plants need irrigation again, explains Fast Company. Additionally, the system can be used to deliver fertilizer directly to the roots.

While other innovative irrigation systems like drip irrigation are becoming more popular, the novel technology saves substantially more water than any of them, which is useful beyond farms. In Los Angeles, for instance, the company is currently testing it on urban landscaping in a bid to contribute to the increase of green areas in the city. In side-by-side tests with a drip irrigation system in the LA pilot, GrowStream used 45 to 50 percent less water.

Currently, the technology is used in 14 countries around the world, from vegetable farms in the deserts of Abu Dhabi to smallholder farms in Zimbabwe to residual lawns in Utah. “Wherever there’s an issue with water scarcity and food security, we want to be there,” Gould says. Open / Comment

2021-08-29 09:27:15 Open / Comment

2021-08-29 09:27:05 Scotland to provide free bikes to kids in need

The Scottish government is planning on releasing six pilot schemes that will provide free bikes to children who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

According to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the pilot projects will be launched officially in the first 100 days of her new government. The new schemes will trial a mix of ownership, loan, and subscription models in varying regions in the country including northeast of Glasgow, Angus, and Forth Valley.

These projects will run for an entire year and will also be joined by other projects before Transport Scotland analyzes the results and figures out which schemes had the best results and would work best in the rollout.

“The pilots are going to help us develop this over a year and then we’ll evaluate it, I think pretty quickly,” says Transport Minister Graeme Dey. “I think we’ll have a good idea where we stand and we’ll get moving on it.”

To Mr. Dey, the benefits of making bicycles more accessible to children are clear:

“It ensures equality of opportunity in building life skills, confidence, independence, and embeds healthy and sustainable travel habits from a young age,” he says.

Cultivating and encouraging sustainable habits in all people, and especially in children, is critical to the ongoing efforts to protect our planet and the future of humanity. Open / Comment