Alternative cement with low carbon footprint developed

Good News Notes: “Researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany and the Brazilian University of Pará have developed a climate-friendly alternative to conventional cement. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can be reduced during production by up to two thirds when a previously unused overburden from bauxite mining is used as a raw material….

Tesla Says It Can Now Recycle 92% of Battery Cell Materials

Good News Notes: “Tesla released its 2020 Impact Report this week, in which the electric vehicle (EV) automaker claims it has the capacity to recover approximately 92 percent of battery cell materials thanks to ongoing improvements to its recycling process.  The company has been working with third-party recycling firms for years to improve its capacity for end-of-life…

Amazon plans to cut waste following backlash

Good News Notes: “Amazon has launched two programs as part of an effort to give products a second life when they get returned to businesses that sell items on its platform or fail to get sold in the first place. The so-called Fulfilment by Amazon programs, announced in a blog post on Wednesday, will help to build a circular…

€1 Million Prize for Plastics-to-Protein Research Awarded to Steve Techtmann, Ting Lu

Good News Notes: “Plastic waste and access to nutritious food top the list of humanity’s challenges. Yet humans are nothing if not innovative, especially in the face of adversity. Michigan Technological University’s Steve Techtmann, associate professor of biological sciences, aims to convert plastic waste and inedible biomass into edible protein — a biological sleight of hand…

A Never-Before-Seen Type of Signal Has Been Detected in The Human Brain

Good News Notes: “Scientists have discovered a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that’s not been seen before. Excitingly, the discovery hints that our brains might be even more powerful units of computation than we realized. Early last year, researchers from institutes in Germany and Greece reported a mechanism in the brain’s…

Hygienist fights plastic pollution with sustainable products

Good News Notes: “A Portland dental hygienist is not only keeping people’s mouths clean but is also trying to help the environment. Ingrid Adeogun realized a few years ago just how much plastic waste comes from the dental industry. Many research companies show that approximately 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away every year in…

Habitat for Humanity kicks off work on its first 3D-printed U.S. home in Tempe, Arizona

Good News Notes: “In Arizona, the state with the fourth most dire affordable housing shortage according to National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)’s recently released Gap report, the Central Arizona chapter of global nonprofit Habitat for Humanity is looking to pave the way for new modes of sustainable, scalable low-cost housing across the Grand Canyon State. How? With the aid of ample local…

This Styrofoam-like packaging is made of popcorn—not plastic

Good News Notes: “Those bits that come inside your packages are called peanuts, but of course they are made from polystyrene, not anything natural. But what if we could send things packaged in popcorn—the actual food, not another plastic-derived counterpart—instead? That’s the hope of researchers at the University of Göttingen in Germany, who have developed the plant-based…