The Galapagos rail – credit, Carlos Espinosa Centuries after they were made famous by Charles Darwin, and a century after they had become plagued by invasive rats and cats, the Galapagos Islands are well on their way to recovery. Few events could better capture that recovery than the recent reappearance of the beautiful blue Galapagos … Read more
A bike lane in Cambridge, Boston – credit, Photo by Adam Coppola taken under contract for PeopleForBikes The Better Bike Lanes project in the metropolitan area of Boston has led to a substantial increase in bicycle trips and a modest decrease in the number of motor vehicles on the roads at any given time. Taking … Read more
credit – Lincoln Council, screengrab In the dreamy old city center of Lincoln, where Tudor and Victorian buildings stand bedecked in Christmas gaiety, CCTV footage revealed a wild sight one evening in November. A red fox and a river otter were galivanting through the town—as near to a scene in a children’s books or a … Read more
credit – Saharan Conservation Even as the final scimitar-horned oryx was felled for meat and leather on the Saharan dunes, a network of zoos, hunting reserves, and even a royal menagerie, guaranteed they would live on in captivity. Now, 9 years after these graceful antelope were first introduced back into the lands they once roamed, … Read more
One of the REM trains – credit, Reece Martin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cheap, efficient, new and exciting, Montreal’s new automated light rail transit system which recently opened is a major accomplishment for a country routinely criticized for its public transport. Taras Grescoe is an expert in metropolitan rail systems around the world, and by his … Read more
Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting on Costa Rican beach – Credit: NOAA Fisheries / Michael Jensen Sea turtles continue rebounding all over the world, with a recent report from NPR claiming that 1 million turtle nests have been counted along the western coastline of India, a number 10-times as high as 20 years ago. Olive … Read more
A recycling depot operated by RetuRO, Romania’s plastic return system organizer – credit Eduard Voicu / RetuRO If you had to guess where in the EU you would find the most sophisticated and effective recycling system for beverage containers, how long before you’d say Romania? Beating out Scandinavia, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, the Romanian … Read more
Valentines Wind Park, in Florida and Treinta y Tres Departementes, Uruguay – credit, NaBUru38 CC 4.0. BY-SA One of the most stable and prosperous South American countries has managed to virtually zero-out fossil fuel use and transition almost entirely to renewable energy—by not focusing on environmental goals. The great folly of politics is believing that … Read more
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, receiving a commendation from Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region – credit WHO Egypt has become the 26th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health concern, building on a steady string of triumphs over tropical … Read more
Crews used a hydraulic gantry to quickly move new elements into position – credit, Metropolitan Transport Authority, CC 2.0. via Flickr New York City had to replace a 132-year-old railway line along Park Avenue, and the contractor’s innovative approach has saved taxpayers millions. Confusingly called the Park Avenue Viaduct, the same name as the historic … Read more