“Murder rates in the United States are down by 12.5% in the 75 cities with available data for 2023 so far. It's still pretty early, but this suggests we are going to see a significant drop this year. Overall, American cities are far safer and less violent today than they were two years ago. But, of course, everyone knows this already because it's been so extensively covered by American media.”
I shared similar news earlier in the year, but now Somerset Wildlife Trust have started a scheme whereby gardeners who make space for wildlife can apply for a plaque celebrating their achievement. They are also offering advice for people wanting to make this change.
I had no idea that the energy network in Lebanon was in such a poor state. However, solar panels are allowing those with enough money to bypass expensive, polluting diesel generators in favor of clear, reliable electricity. I also appreciate the point at the end of the article about community projects, which I think is very important.
Heat exchangers are very exciting. This article looks at a swedish company who install a heat exchanger in a restaurant which captures the waste heat from cooking and uses it to drop their heating bills by 90% a year and its carbon footprint by 30 tonnes!
The world's tallest Hempcrete building is soon to open in Cape Town. The 12 storey building's hempcrete blocks are carbon negative. The blocks are 20% more expensive, but that cost will reduce if they become more popular.
There hasn’t been any grocers in this town of 28,000 people for 15 years. Now a group of locals wants to change that by opening a community-owned greengrocers.
Working with local growers and food producers, it will create a permanent outlet where people can buy local food. Veg will be loose and they’ll stock local and heritage varieties.
Chris Dobbs is one of the suppliers they've lined up: “Over the years we’ve lost the connection between our local farms and our local households, but Carrick Greengrocers is going to tie those back together and get fresh food from farms into people’s homes. Being so close, I can get vegetables off the farm and into the grocers in 10 minutes.”
The project is giving people a chance to become co-owners and raising funds to open the business by June with community shares. If successful, it would be the first community-owned business in Carrickfergus, and the first community-owned greengrocers in Northern Ireland.
Some #GoodNews about a positive trend that I hope spreads beyond the #UK.
More and more indie bookshops are opening in the UK and Ireland despite competition from online behemoths.
According to the Booksellers Association, the number of indie booksellers in the UK and Ireland rose to a 10-year high in 2022 after six years of consecutive growth, with 1,072 shops now open compared to 867 in 2016.
Libraries are awesome! Did you know that for a limited time, individuals in the US, ages 13-21, can apply for a free Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) eCard, gaining access to BPL's eBook collection and learning databases. Great #opportunity To apply, email:
booksunbanned@bklynlibrary.org
"Some more good news from the United States. Voters in Wisconsin have won a major victory for reproductive rights, New Hampshire has stopped further restrictions on abortion access and instead passed legislation to protect it, Missouri is making period products free in schools, Maryland has strengthened transgender rights, Minnesota is making itself a safe refuge for transgender people, Kentucky just legalized cannabis...
@petersuber
Libraries are an important public/civic amenity.
Right now, individuals ages 13-21 can apply for a free Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) eCard, gaining access to BPL's eBook collection and learning databases.