Coles introduces own-brand home compostable coffee pods

Good News Notes: “Australian supermarket chain Coles has launched home compostable coffee capsules under its Coles Urban Coffee Culture brand. The compostable pods are made with bio-sourced cellulose and vegetable oils. Coles claims that the sustainable capsules take around as much time to decompose in home compost bins as orange peel does. The pods are certified by…

A new tidal turbine generates as much power as 12 solar panels

Good News Notes: “A Canadian renewable energies company dubbed Idenergie has unveiled a new hydrokinetic design turbine that harnesses power from flowing water and converts it to electricity. With countries looking to switch away from fossil fuels, there is a need to develop means to tap into renewableenergy sources. While solar panels and wind turbines have been…

The urine revolution: how recycling pee could help to save the world

Good News Notes: “On Gotland, the largest island in Sweden, fresh water is scarce. At the same time, residents are battling dangerous amounts of pollution from agriculture and sewer systems that causes harmful algal blooms in the surrounding Baltic Sea. These can kill fish and make people ill. To help solve this set of environmental…

Popcorn used to create an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene foam

Good News Notes: “Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is a problematic material, in that it’s cheap and lightweight but also non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle. German scientists have developed a possible alternative, though – foam made out of popcorn. Georg August University’s Prof. Alireza Kharazipour first got the idea over 10 years ago, when he bought…

Utah tech company may hold the key to solving the world’s food problems and cutting water use while also fighting climate change

Good News Notes: “Before Utah’s searing, mega-drought summer, came the winter storm of 2021. In February tornadoes and ice storms swept across the nation causing massive damage. Hardest hit was Texas, where millions lost power, over 200 people died and economic damage exceeded $195 billion. Agriculture saw devastated crops and livestock killed in massive numbers….

Comedian Joe Lycett says he staged TV walkout as a plastics protest

Good News Notes:  “Lycett appeared to storm off Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 after host Steph McGovern showed a photo of him with a type of plastic bottle that he’s campaigning against. “I didn’t realise I was on Newsnight,” he said before departing the studio. But on Friday, Lycett confirmed it had been a…

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…

Anchorage engineer plans to recycle ocean garbage into plastic lumber

Good News Notes: “The cost of lumber and other building materials is sky-high, and it’s even more expensive when shipped to small coastal communities in Alaska. Patrick Simpson of Anchorage has an idea that might help. He wants to create artificial lumber from an abundant material no one wants: Plastic ocean debris. Simpson, an engineer,…