Despite the challenges of 2016 we can’t forget to stop and take note about some of the great things which happened. These are some of our favourites….
(Green) Power to the People Hooray to Portugal which ran for four days straight using only solar, wind and hydro power! And for Germany, which almost covered all of its energy needs with renewable energy on 15 May, with power prices sliding into the negative several times during the day.
The panda took a stand(a) The giant panda stopped chewing bamboo for a moment and climbed up the ladder from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Other endangered species which improved their numbers include the Amur tiger, the Indian rhinoceros and the Iberian lynx.
And France took a stance In France alone, 150 single use plastic cups are thrown away every second – of which only 1% are recycled or recyclable. So the country passed a law to ensure every piece of disposable tablewear will comprise 50% biologically sourced material by January 2020. This means, the (often) single use items can be composted at home after use.
India breaks a record As part of their commitment to the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, India committed $6 billion to reforest 12% of its land. So on 11 July, a reported 800,000 volunteers spent 24 hours planting 49.3 million, locally raised, tree saplings.
And there’s much, much more! We love this Tumblr post from Helthehatter http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/11/amazing-list-of-good-things-that-happened-in-2016-delights-the-i/