I’m in Austin right now attending (and presenting) at the Captivate Conference and this city has come to impress me. While I’m at that conference about digital design there is another conference happening in Austin that readers of this site may enjoy: SXSW Eco. It’s an event focused on making
Continue readingAuthor: Adam Clare
Things Are Good: The Types of Cyclist Change Thanks to Bike Sharing
Bixi is a bike sharing program that started in Montreal but the concept exists in cities around the world. In Montreal where there are more bicycle commuters every year,researchers at McGill University surveyed cyclists before and after Bixi began. They were able to identify the types of cyclists that ride
Continue readingThings Are Good: Soil Benefits from Organic Farming
The benefits of organic farming keep revealing themselves – it turns out that the soil itself benefits from farmers growing organic crops. “Farmers interested in transitioning to organic production will be happy to see that with good management, yields can be the same, with potentially higher returns and better soil
Continue readingThings Are Good: Open Hand: Low Cost Robotic Hand
A funding campaign on IndieGoGo is focused on making an open-sourced robotic prosthetic hand. This is wonderful because the end product will be shared with everyone and the hand can be made essentially anywhere. The Open Hand Project is open-source, which means all of the plans to make a robotic hand
Continue readingThings Are Good: France Bans Child “Beauty” Pageants
The bizarre practice of over-sexualizing prepubescent girls on stages in front of people has now been banned in France. I’ve never understood the reasoning behind these pageants and it’s nice to see that other people see the problematic behaviour behind them. Hopefully other countries will follow France’s example. The Senate
Continue readingThings Are Good: India Bans Shark Finning
Chinese demand for the fins of sharks (I have no idea what they are good for) has gone up over the past couple years. India is one of the largest exports of shark parts to China and the Indian government has decided to ban the act of removing fins from
Continue readingThings Are Good: Scotland Starts Europe’s Largest Tidal Wave Energy Installation
Tidal wave energy installations are nothing new, but installing it on a scale that can power 42,000 homes is. The other day, the Scottish government gave the go ahead for starting a wave-powered energy installation. “This is a major step forward for Scotland’s marine renewable energy industry. When fully operational,
Continue readingThings Are Good: Toronto Condo Developers Want More Bike Sharing, Less Focus on Cars
Despite repeated efforts by Toronto’s mayor to make transportation in the city worse, things are improving. Local condo developers are finding ways to build condo towers that don’t require more parking than the building needs (an archaic law in the city wants room for two cars for every bedroom built).
Continue readingThings Are Good: A Good New Podcast
Talking GOOD is “PR for people making a difference” and each episode focuses on one person who is improving the world. It’s a Q&A about the work they do and the impact it has. The most recent article is a groovy musician and involved with National People’s Action. 9. WHAT
Continue readingThings Are Good: Canadians: Stand Up for Science on Sept. 16
Previously on Things Are Good we’ve seen Canadians concerned about democracy mobilize to ensure that our political leaders make informed decisions. After a streak of attacks on knowledge, scientists and non-scientists alike are rallying in cities throughout Canada this coming Monday. If you’re in Canada you should join the rallies
Continue readingThings Are Good: The Age of Exploration Isn’t Over
Humans haven’t been on the Moon for over 30 years and as a result it’s easy to think that the “space age” is over and our exploration of the universe is over. I frequent space forums and this attitude is always present, and as a result of all this negative
Continue readingThings Are Good: Policy Changes Bring Cleaner Solvents to Market
Industrial cleaning solvents aren’t something most people think about on a daily basis, at least I hardly do. Interestingly enough some policy changes have forced companies to change how they manufacture solvents and have also changed what the demand end of the spectrum too. Companies that once used toxic solvents
Continue readingThings Are Good: Regrowing a Coral Reef
Coral reefs are under threat. Recreational boating and increased shipping have increased the risk to coral reefs from humanity, and increased temperatures have caused coral acidification. There are scientists and biologists around the world trying to help protect coral reefs and revive some of their lost areas. A team in
Continue readingThings Are Good: London Starts Planting Green Walls for Flood Prevention
Earlier this year, Toronto suffered some severe flooding and city planner Jennifer Keesmat composed this great tweet: Suddenly spending $ to maintain all of that not-so-sexy infrastructure and to plan for climate change seems wildly appealing. #TOflood — jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) July 9, 2013 One of those programs she is
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