Hawaii's capital Honolulu has introduced spot fines, ranging up to $US99, for pedestrians using their mobile phones while crossing the street. The Distracted Walking Law is one of the first of its type in the world and comes in response to an increasing pedestrian accident rate in the United States, Britain and Australia. The ban comes as cities around the world grapple with how to protect phone-obsessed ?smartphone zombies? from injuring themselves. https://www.npr.org/2017/10/25/560089121/distracted-walking-law-bans-texting-while-crossing-streets-in-honolulu
An industry-led scheme in Norway is credited with increasing plastic bottle recycling levels to 97 per cent. Consumers pay a small additional charge on each bottle they buy. When the bottle is returned either to the shop or a recycling machine, the deposit is refunded. Shops are given a small handling fee for taking the returned bottles. Recycling machines - often found in supermarkets - read the barcodes of the bottles and usually offer customers vouchers for the shop, or the option of making a charitable donation.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-plastic-bottle-recycling-system-norway-adopt-ocean-pollution-latest-news-a8198761.html
A new patented form of graphene, called Graphair, is an effective filter that supercharges water purification; making it simpler and faster. Researchers from the University of Sydney, UTS, QUT and Victoria University tested and analysed Graphair and its water purification qualities.They found that without Graphair, a membrane?s filtration rate halved in 72 hours, as contaminants clogged it. When the Graphair was added, the membrane didn?t clog, plus it filtered more contaminants and water. Graphair is made out of soybean oil, most often found in vegetable oil. So now there is a better, cheaper, water filter using a common cooking ingredient. This could mean proper, effective water filtration is in reach of developing world communities. https://blog.csiro.au/super-material-filters-sydney-harbour-water/
A startup in the UK called farmdrop delivers fresh food of your choice within 19 hours. This offer is different because all food is sustainably sourced, you can choose the producer, the producer gets the majority of the price rather than a supermarket and delivery is by all electric vans -which can be within one hour intervals. https://www.farmdrop.com/
Germany has surprised neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free. The proposal will be tested by the end of this year in five cities across western Germany, including former capital Bonn and industrial cities Essen and Mannheim. Countries that fail to keep to EU limits could face legal action at the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest tribunal, which can levy fines on member states.
www.inkl.com/newsletters/morning-edition/news/germany-eyes-free-public-transport-to-banish-air-pollution?
