News

South Devon College launches sustainability qualifications

South Devon College is offering of three new sustainability qualifications: Access to Higher Education: Global Studies and Sustainability Diploma, a Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Global Change, Social Responsibility and Sustainability, and a Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner apprenticeship. 

Access to HE is a one-year full time programme, starting in September, and it will give students a route into university level study.

Magic mushrooms to combat air pollution

Futuristic fungi-filled wall tiles could devour harmful hydrocarbon air pollution caused by traffic emissions and burning fossil fuels.

That’s the vision Brunel Design student Thomas Sault is close to achieving with these honeycomb tiles made from mushroom mycelium.

Hydrocarbons in the air can cause cancer as well as skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and even skin cancer.

Skinflint Lighting to become carbon neutral by 2025

£400,000 grant for Marine Biological Association

Dedicated to promoting research into our oceans and the life it supports, the Marine Biological Association provides unparalleled insight into the health of our seas that continues to shape national and international policy on how to combat climate change.

The funding will enable safe new labs to be built for the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey team with essential safety equipment, allow crucial research to continue and ultimately increase the MBA’s capacity for research and academic output.

Microplastics are everywhere

Rare bee found in Kent

The rare Shrill Carder Bee has been found to be flourishing on the Swanscombe Peninsula, one of the UK's most important threatened wildlife sites.

Jamie Robins of the charity Buglife says it's great news: 'We've known for years how important Swanscombe is, with over 2,000 species of invertebrate, including 200 of conservation concern. To find the Shrill Carder Bee here shows that this wildlife site is going from strength to strength - each year we're finding out more about just how essential it is that we protect this species.'

Mediterranean countries need to prepare for tsunamis

Although tsunamis happen less frequently in the Mediterranean than in other regions of the world, authorities underestimate the gravity of the tsunami threat in this region, and surveys show Mediterranean populations are not sufficiently alert to the dangers. 
 

Recycled cabinets from kitchen maker Schmidt

French kitchen and interior design company Schmidt has launched a new collection made using recycled materials, as customers are increasing pressure on kitchen manufacturers to offer eco friendly designs. The Origin range offers 100 per cent recycled wood carcasses and front panels, available in two colours. The look is practical, natural and warm with an industrial influence. Units are made from recycled melamine high density particle board, with distinctive woven, wood and metallic effects. 

 

Sustainable furniture production grows in US

US furniture manufacturers and retailers have responded to guidance that helps protect forests and contributes to the sustainable use of wood and other materials, according to a new report. The 2021 Wood Furniture Scorecard from the National Wildlife Federation and the Sustainable Furnishings Council assessed 118 furniture retailers on their wood sourcing policies. 

UN launches #TheHumanRace against the climate crisis clock

To get the world racing against the climate crisis clock, the UN’s humanitarian office, UNOCHA, is launching #TheHumanRace – a global challenge for climate action in solidarity with people in the world’s most disaster-prone countries and those hardest hit by climate change.

The climate emergency is wreaking havoc across the world at a scale that people and humanitarian organizations on the front lines cannot manage.

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