December Positive News
10 POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS STORIES FROM THIS MONTH.
Article by: Eveline Vouillemin
As we approach the New Year, let us reflect on some of the positive environmental news stories that have taken place throughout the final month of 2023.
Celebrating these successes, we head into 2024 feeling hopeful for the year ahead. From pioneering waste reduction schemes to exciting rewilding projects, there is a lot of inspiring action taking place, which we hope will only grow as we enter the New Year.
Follow us on Instagram to see more positive news, brought to you weekly.
Beavers return to Cairngorms National Park in Scotland
Beavers have returned to the UK's largest national park for the first time in 400 years.
Two beavers were released on the Rothiemurchus Estate within Cairngorms National Park, while another pair were set free on land owned by Wildland Cairngorms Ltd.
Conservation campaigners hope the beavers will boost biodiversity and enhance the region's ecosystems.
You can find out more on the Sky News website.
Tesco switches pocket tissue packaging from plastic to paper
Tesco is scrapping plastic packaging from its own-brand pocket tissues, in a move that the UK’s largest supermarket says will eliminate almost 35 tonnes of new soft plastic waste each year.
It is the first big supermarket to make the change, which will result in the individual packaging and the plastic wrapping around multipacks of Tesco tissues being replaced with Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper packs.
You can find out more on The Guardian website.
Apprenticeship helps young people connect with nature
An apprenticeship scheme in Devon is helping more young people reconnect with nature.
Part of the initiative is run at Poole Farm, a city council-run farm near Leigham, in Plymouth. Through the apprenticeship, young people have the opportunity to work with animals, build and repair items and work on conservation in the city.
You can find out more on the BBC website.
The Canary Island powered by wind and water
The smallest of the Canary Islands, El Hierro, is the only island in the world to have functioned for 28 days in a row using only wind and water power.
The 1.1-million-year-old volcanic island is set to become 100% energy self-sufficient through clean, renewable sources.
You can find out more on the Euronews website.
Rare Sumatran rhino born in Indonesia
A critically endangered Sumatran rhino was born in Indonesia’s western island of Sumatra. It is the second Sumatran rhino born in the country this year.
Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of all rhinos and are classed as critically endangered as the species currently numbers fewer than 50 animals.
You can find out more on the Euronews website.
Farmers are getting creative with tree-planting
Farmers are diversifying their land and boosting tree-planting rates in the UK, helping the UK government reach their goal to plant 30,000 hectares of woodland annually, by the end of the current parliamentary term.
You can find out more on the Positive News website.
A pioneering city scheme to reduce waste
One hundred volunteers have participated in a free, year-long pilot programme that taught them how to live waste-free – or, at least with less waste than usual - in Roubaix, France.
The Roubaix programme took what behavioural scientists call an “information-based” approach to change, and saw 70% of participants reduce their waste by 50%.
You can find out more on The Guardian website.
New sleeper train relaunches between Berlin and Paris
Earlier this month, a Berlin to Paris sleeper train made its debut journey after nearly a decade out of action. Starting with three trips per week, it will offer a daily service from autumn 2024. The night train will also stop at Strasbourg in France, and in Mannheim, Erfurt and Halle in Germany along the way.
You can find out more on the Timeout website.
A green power success story
Uruguay has almost phased out fossil fuels in electricity production. Depending on the weather, anything between 90% and 95% of its power comes from renewables. In some years, that number has crept as high as 98%.
Phasing out fossil fuels was a central issue at COP28 and Uruguay could provide a global roadmap for how other countries can decarbonise their economies.
You can find out more on The Guardian website.
Cornish company wins top environmental award
Bude's Cleaner Seas Group (CSG) won the Green-Tech Ocean Impact award for its Indi home microfibre filter.
The device fits to domestic washing machines and captures microplastics released during the wash. CSG said if every household in the UK used its filter, it would stop the equivalent of 1.3 billion plastic bags entering the oceans.
You can find out more on the BBC website.
For more positive news for the planet, follow us on Instagram.