Asthma Inhalers Going Green
By the end of the year 22 million asthma patients will be breathing with the help of new environmentally friendly inhalers. The current inhalers use Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are the main cause of ozone depletion in the stratosphere, which are being phased out in the United States on December 31.
Hybrid Car Sales Surge
Hybrid car sales during the year 2000 numbered fewer than 10,000. Last year sales climbed to 330,000 vehicles. In May 2008, auto sales for every US manufacturer was down by up to 28%. Only Honda sales were up (by 16%) led by their popular hybrid.
Extinct Plants Rediscovered in Flora-Rich Queensland
50 plant species new to science are discovered and documented in Queensland, Australia every year. In fact, two plant species thought to be extinct since 1873 were rediscovered this year in the area of Cape York. (Queensland government's State of the Environment report, 2008)
Encouraging Rise in UK Paper Collections
A new study revealed that the UK collected over 8.6 million tons of recovered paper last year, a big jump over the previous year and an increase of 7.5%. The rise mirrors the growth reported in both 2005 (8.7%) and 2004 (12.8%).
Suicide Rate Drops in Young Men
"The suicide rate among young men in England and Wales is at the lowest level for 30 years," reports the BBC. For males aged 15 to 24, the overall suicide rate dropped from 16.6 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 8.5 per 100,000 in 2005. Amongst men aged 25 to 34, overall suicide rates declined almost seven percent. (Read All Good Bites)
HP Recycles Plastic Bottles Into Printer Cartridges
Hewlett-Packard has manufactured some 200 million printer ink cartridges using a new process that utilizes 100% post-consumer content, like recycled plastic water bottles.
Abortion Rate at 30-Year Low
The U.S. abortion rate has reached a 30-year-low. In 2005 a survey of abortion providers showed the rate was lower than the number of abortions in 1975, which was just two years after Roe v. Wade became the law of the land. The results revealed an eight percent drop in totals from 2000 to 2005. -Alan Guttmacher Institute
Trucker Drives Million Miles, No Accidents
Michael Crone was honored by his Indianapolis trucking company for his consistantly safe driving -- over one million miles with no accidents in his 20-year career. The 43-year-old truck driver was the 13th in the company’s history to achieve the mark. (Read More Good Bites)
Singapore Opens “Green” Airport Terminal
"Singapore opened a new "green" airport terminal on Wednesday, boasting 919 energy-saving skylights, a butterfly garden and over 200 species of foliage spread over enough floor space to cover 50 soccer fields." (Reuters)
Organic Cotton Sales Double
According to the Organic Farm and Fiber Report 2007, organic cotton sales rose 53 per cent in a two-year period, driven by demand from the clothing and home product industries.
Amazon Deforestation Reduced Dramatically
Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon have dropped by 25 percent each of the past three years, according to Brazil’s environment ministry. From July 31, 2004, through 2007, an average of 4,000 more square kilometers of forest each year have been spared from clear-cutting over the previous period (1,544 sq. miles). — WWF (Read All Good Bites)
Ivory Cross-Border Trading Banned by eBay
eBay announced this week a ban on international trading of elephant ivory from all its sites worldwide after an animal welfare group found that 94 percent of the ivory up for auction there was potentially illegal.
Heart Patients Living Longer
Heart disease rates have been falling for decades due to healthier lifestyles, but now death rates after severe heart attacks have been cut in half over the last six years, thanks to new treatments and anti-clotting drugs. Death rates of patients in 14 countries fell from 8.4% to 4.5% between 1999 and 2006, a study showed.
San Francisco’s Garbage Trucks Go Green
All of San Francisco's 400 garbage and recycling trucks now run on alternative fuel, cutting 21 percent of their greenhouse gas emissions with the use of liquefied natural gas, and biodiesel B-20 made from food scraps.
Domestic Violence Plummets in U.S.
Domestic violence against spouses and intimate partners in the U.S. fell by nearly two-thirds in recent years, reaching a 30-year low. Government figures show the marked declines began in 1994.
Turkmenistan Teens Can Now Attend College
Turkmenistan’s new president has scrapped a rule that required high school graduates to work for two years before they enter university. President Gubanguli Berdymukhamedov signed an order dropping work requirements and reinstating university entrance exams.
Aid From Rich Nations Doubled in 4 Years
Industrialized nations are giving more economic assistance to the world's impoverished states, revealed the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in statistics released on Jan. 29, 2007. Aid rose by 8.8 percent in 2005, the fifth consecutive annual increase, and had more than doubled since 2001.
Asian Poverty Reduction at 95%
In 1990 there were 500 million people living in poverty in East Asia and the Pacific region. That number is now under 200 million, and the World Bank projects that by 2011 it will be under 20 million — a reduction of 95 percent. — Ray Kurzweil, author, inventor and futurist speaking at the Ted Conference (Read All Good Bites)
Worldwide Air Crashes in 2006 Lowest in 53 Years
Air travel is getting safer as the number of plane crashes worldwide fell to its lowest level in 53 years during 2006. Even while air travel increased by 4 percent over the previous year, 22 fewer commercial flights ended in disaster.
Europe’s Air Getting Cleaner
European emissions of acid rain-causing sulphur dioxide have declined by 65 percent since 1990, achieving a 2010 target to cut pollution from coal-burning power plants and heavy industry years ahead of schedule.