Green, Environment News 9 May 2018

A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.

Last week I wrote about a young Dutch man who is working to remove plastic waste from our oceans. But it’s easy to forget about space and the rubbish we have left up there too. There’s a lot of it – old rockets, satellites and waste material. Travelling at over 17,000 mph, it’s possible that a collision could cause catastrophic events, risking lives and technology.

19-year-old Amber Yang wants to avoid this. She’s doing a degree in Physics at Stanford University in the US, but in her spare time she has created Seer Tracking which tracks space debris and uses a clever algorithm to forecast collisions. Her work has earned her the top award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, as well as a spot on Forbes 30 under 30 list. Good for her!

Do you or a loved one suffer from Type 2 Diabetes? It’s incredibly widespread now.

With that in mind, I know a lot of people want to know what they can safely drink, that won’t send their blood sugar levels off the charts.

Here’s a list of 6 yummy beverages that will help you not to get bored, give you great nourishment, and keep your sugar levels in check. (One of them is quite exotic and unusual – and it really has a kick!). See the list of safe drinks for diabetics here.

With Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s easier to look in wonder at the night sky – and that’s my Recommendation of the Week. Tonight (May 9^th), Jupiter is closest to Earth, and if you have even a small telescope, you be able to see its Great Red Spot several times this month

The New Moon on 15 May will be the perfect opportunity for star-gazing, and this month’s full moon (the Flower Moon) is on the 29^th.

Please encourage your kids and grandchildren to look at the night sky – we humans will only protect what we are aware of and love.

Do you dream of retiring early? Doing what you want, when you want, and how you want……I wanted to retire when I was 40 – I didn’t quite make it.

The good news is that you CAN retire early if you want – and the methodology is wonderfully green and eco-friendly too!

Find out how you can become financially independent – as well as more green – in this interesting post on early retirement.

Global Green News:

Cycling is hugely popular in The Netherlands, and e-bikes are proving popular with the over 65s. But there’s a problem. Death rates have also increased. It seems it’s mostly men over 65 who are the casualties. The Dutch cite problems of cyclists going too fast and/or losing control – perhaps over-confidence is a factor.

That’s what’s happening in The Netherlands, where many roads are safe to cycle, and many people have cycled all their lives. But what about the US? Will it be a problem in America too? See below!

U.S. Green News:

As in The Netherlands (see above), e-bikes are proving very popular in the US – particularly with baby boomers. However, there are crucial differences between the two countries. The Dutch have totally embraced cycling, and there are plenty of safe roads for cyclists – that’s not the case in many parts of the US. 24 percent of Dutch people cycle every day so they are used to it, but it’s a lower percentage in the US. More worryingly, there is a big difference in the speed of the bikes:-

You need to pedal European e-bikes for the motor to kick in, and they are limited to 250 watts.
In North America, most e-bikes on offer are higher-powered, faster bikes with throttles – you don’t have to pedal to go fast.

But there’s another issue which is the same in both countries:- older riders are injured more easily, they might not see as well and might hit potholes, and their balance, reaction times and hearing are not as good as they used to be. Plus e-bikes are heavier than normal bikes. e-Bikes might not be as wonderful as we thought, at least not for boomers!

New York’s Tappan Zee bridge, which had seen better days, is being laid to rest off the coast of Long Island to form a biodiversity-improving artificial reef.