Marine scientists and volunteers spread more than 70 million eelgrass seeds off Virginia’s shores. Led by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and with help from The Nature Conservancy, the project has grown to over 8,896 acres.
Countries: United States
Oregon closes state’s last coal plant in favor of green energy
The last plant in Oregon, which opened in 1977, was pushed to close by a lawsuit filed against General Electric for air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions concerns.
As U.S. election nears, polling shows 82% of voters support 100% clean energy transition
With an estimated 66 million ballots already cast, new polling released Tuesday shows the vast majority of U.S. voters support legislation to decarbonize the economy over the next few decades.
World’s biggest wildlife crossing will protect animals from drivers on the 101 in Los Angeles
2,700 mostly private donors have raised $15 million for the construction of a 165-foot crossing that will pass over the 101 in Liberty Canyon, the designs for which are in the final stages of completion.
Arkansas schools save millions by adopting solar power
Batesville School District includes six schools that serve about 3,200 students. Adopting the new initiative allowed the schools to transform their $250,000 annual deficit to a $1.8 million annual surplus. As a result, teachers’ salaries have increased by $2000 to $3000.
Activists build facial recognition to identify cops who hide their badges
In order to hold police accountable when they try to hide their identities, a growing number of activists are developing facial recognition tools that identify cops, The New York Times reports — a striking inversion of the way cops tend to use facial recognition on protestors and suspects.
Compton to launch America’s biggest guaranteed income program
Following in Stockton’s footsteps, the city of Compton, California, has launched its own basic income program called the Compton Pledge that will aim to assist 800 people through no-strings-attached direct cash payments over two years.
Austin Quinn-Davidson to become Anchorage’s first gay and first woman mayor
The city of Anchorage, Alaska will have its first woman mayor and its first gay mayor as Austin Quinn-Davidson is set to become the city’s acting mayor after Mayor Ethan Berkowitz (D) announced his resignation amidst sexual harassment allegations.
New York begins enforcing its plastic bag ban
The statewide ban on the highly polluting items actually went into effect March 1. But enforcement, which was supposed to start a month later, was delayed by the one-two punch of a lawsuit and the coronavirus pandemic, NY1 reported.
Nearly a third of California land to be conserved by 2030 under new order
The year 2020 has seen millions of acres of California land ravaged due to unstoppable wildfires. To protect the state from further damage in the future, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced an executive order to reserve 30 percent of state land for conservation by 2030.